Parents will have a lot of fun at what's definitely a kiddo goldmine: splash around learning about bubbles, race toy cars, wander through a 'wonderland' of trick mirrors and illusions, ride a beautiful antique fairground carousel. Note the arm of the Statue of Liberty…made out of toys!

Memorial Hall is where the 1876 Centennial Exposition was held and is one of the few remaining buildings in the park from that event. Its basement houses a scale-model of the Exposition (costs extra).


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Pavilion in the Trees

0.19 MILES

Martin Puryear's functional artwork is made from three types of wood so it blends in harmoniously with the leafy surroundings. Walk along a 60ft walkway…

2. Shofuso Japanese House & Garden

0.23 MILES

This picturesque house, built in Nagoya in 1953 to a 17th-century design, has been set in 1.2 acres of traditional Japanese gardens in Fairmount Park…

3. Smith Memorial Arch

0.24 MILES

Several bronze statues by 13 different artists stand on the stone plinths and columns that make up this striking 1912 memorial to Pennsylvania’s naval and…

4. Cedar Grove

0.25 MILES

One of two historic houses in Fairmount Park managed by the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Cedar Grove was moved here from its original location in Frankford…

5. Sweetbriar Mansion

0.48 MILES

Built in 1787, this neoclassical mansion was the home of Samuel Breck, a wealthy merchant who purchased 33 acres of land along the Schuylkill. The Marquis…

6. Fairmount Park

0.56 MILES

The snaking Schuylkill River bisects this 2050-acre green space, the largest city park in the US, splitting it into east and west sections. On either side…

7. Mount Pleasant

0.58 MILES

This 1764 mansion was described by John Adams in 1775 'as the most elegant seat in Pennsylvania.' The Georgian building is closed for general maintenance,…

8. Philadelphia Zoo

0.79 MILES

The country's oldest zoo (first opened in 1874) is home to nearly 1300 animals including tigers, pumas, polar bears – you name it – in naturalistic…