When I come home for winter break, a lot of the time I like to complain about being bored and not being entertained. I flee up to New York for adventures or up to Princeton to ride horses, but I take for granted the huge amount of fun winter activities right here in Philadelphia, barely 20 minutes from my doorstep.
This winter, I actually found myself more busy than usual, getting work done at home or filling in as a temp in offices. The few times I was able to get into the city, I was reminded of why I do actually love my home city. Here are some of the awesome things I got to do (and some that I didn't have time to do this year but have done in the past!):
LOVE Park Christmas Village
In the heart of Center City, where one of the most iconic sculptures sits, the Christmas Village pops up for the holiday season. Inspired by European Christmas festivals, this adorable village has tons of booths with all different types of vendors, which makes it also perfect for last minute gift shopping!
There are a few booths that offer hot beverages like coffee, cider, hot chocolate, and even mulled wine (because alcohol makes even the most crowded tourist locations more bearable!). There was a pretty long line the day we went, but it was so cold that hot chocolate was necessary. This year there was a cute light installation and I even noticed a booth for Pictures with Santa. Keeping with the European vibe, there were food stands with German pretzels and Belgian fries.
To get a good picture with the famous LOVE sculpture, I would recommend going at a non-busy time, or just avoid the holiday season altogether, as it's kind of crazy to attempt a photo in the middle of the tourist madness. It's such a fun little village to stroll through, but make sure you go before Christmas because it shuts down pretty soon after!
Dilworth Park Winterfest
Right across the street from LOVE Park is Dilworth Park, which is just the fancy name for the area around City Hall. This is where the towering Christmas Tree sits, as well as an ice skating rink, more shopping booths, and a Biergarten (do you notice a theme yet?).
Sitting in the middle of the inner courtyard of City Hall is a carousel and there used to be an area to get pictures with Santa but I didn't check to see if it was there this year. The ice skating rink seems to always be busy, and I've never actually been on the ice at this one, but it would definitely be so fun and worth it to ice skate in the middle of the city surrounded by the cute Christmas decorations.
Blue Cross River Rink Winterfest
Only about 5 minutes from Center City and right on the Delaware River is the River Rink at Penn's Landing. Years ago when I would come to ice skate here, it was nothing more than a parking lot, ice skating rink, and tent-like structure for skate rental and lockers. In recent years, they have added some massive and awesome improvements. I didn't have time to skate there this year, but I braved the cold and stopped by to take in the atmosphere.
Once again, this place offers a great selection of alcohol (you had to know this was coming) in addition to snacks from popular local spots such as Chickie's and Pete's, and they also have an adorable Franklin Fountain cabin for ice cream, milkshakes, and s'mores kits to use by their many fire pits. They transformed a bunch of sheds into cozy winter dens.
I purchased a spiked salted caramel hot chocolate and we sat in one of the cabins by the fire place to stay warm. They supply blankets, books, and an abundance of cute winter decor. Once when I was there they had giant Jenga inside the cabins for optimal entertainment, but it's also super fun to just hang out and feel cozy.
Out by the fire pits they have corn-hole games along the large ice rink and huge sparkling Christmas tree, and all of this has the breathtaking backdrop of the Ben Franklin Bridge. There's an arcade and lodge area that offer shelter from the cold and broadcasts of sporting events on TVs. This place is seriously fun for all ages and is perfect for a cute date, an outing with the family over the holidays, or a fun night out with friends.
Macy's Light Show & Window Displays
Of course everybody knows about the hype that Macy's in New York gets around the holidays, with the Thanksgiving Day Parade and the window displays at Christmas, but the giant, historic Macy's Department Store in Philadelphia offers more unique holiday fun.
Walking up to it you pass the cute window displays that really make you want to write a letter to Santa, and once inside, make sure you grab a good spot for the Christmas light show. Narrated by Julie Andrews, the lights are timed with music to tell a few of the classic Christmas stories we all know and love. The whole deal only runs about 15 minutes, but is a fun and entertaining escape from the cold, and you can even multitask and get some shopping done while you enjoy it!
Food: Dim Sum Garden
Obviously this restaurant is open year-round and there's honestly nothing extra special about it around the holidays, but it is one of my all-time faves and I always seem to go even more in the winter because of its proximity to all of the winter activities in the city.
If you Google the best restaurant to get dim sum in Philly, this is the place that shows up. The pork soup dumplings, scallion pancakes, and steamed chicken dumplings are just some of my favorite dishes, but the menu is almost endless. They even offer classic Chinese dishes like sesame chicken, fried rice, and more, but my advice is to stick to the appetizers/dim sum menu because it's cheap and super filling.
It's the perfect place to go on a budget because you can go and eat a TON and still only pay less than $20 per person (depending on how hungry you really are.) It's also an experience in itself as you learn all the proper ways to eat your soup dumplings. Dim Sum Garden is definitely somewhere you need to put on your list of places to go.
Food: Reading Terminal Market
Once again, this is a spot that is no different around the holidays, except for maybe the increase in traffic throughout the market. If you've never been, it's somewhere that you absolutely need to check out. Every kind of food imaginable is offered from walk-up stands inside this massive indoor facility. They have everything from Amish pretzels and doughnuts to Indian food, to classic Philly staples like DeNick's. There is something for EVERYONE, no matter how picky the eater.
You might have to fight through some bustling crowds to browse the entirety of it, and sometimes the amount of choices can be overwhelming, but nearly everything offered is outstanding, so you really can't go wrong. Some of my favorites are DeNick's and the Amish pretzels/doughnuts (previously mentioned), as well as Bassett's Ice Cream, and the Famous Fourth Street Cookie Company.
You can even get some grocery shopping done by purchasing fresh ingredients from one of the many butcher counters or produce stands. The market also has novelty stores to buy Philly- and food-related gifts for everyone on your list.
Even though the holidays are well behind us, many of these fun activities are open for most of the winter, so check them out before spring comes along!
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