We're entering the home stretch of summer!!! As apart of my weekly cardio,I decided to check out…read moreSchuylkill Banks since it's been brought to my attention the route has been expanded. The walkway was far from full for a late afternoon and was still both walkable and bikeable(new word alert!). When I reached the "new expansion" portion of the walking trail I was a bit stunned by the beauty of the layout. There was a mini-skate park towards the end of the trail and unfortunately what appeared to be Overall, if you're looking for a new departure from some of the more popular trails around Philly and long for something a bit more "in-city"Schuykill Banks fills that itch. Happy trekking!

Great trail for any outdoor activity - run, bike, rollerblade, walking…read more Love how it curves with the river! Great views of the boat houses and there's some nice stops along the way to take pictures and learn about history. Lloyd hall is also a great stop for a quick bite or drink! During the summers there's fountains turned on to hydrate and there is always something to enjoy while walking the banks. Great way to see the the city from a different POV!

A great time for groups…read more Bury the Hatchet is an axe throwing establishment that pits you and your friends in competition trying to hit a wooden target with your axe. Choose from three different axes (or throwing knives if you're feeling fancy), each with their own challenges, and try to hit a target from various distances. Your time throwing axes will be watched by your own "axe master", an employee who teaches you how to throw an axe, how to play axe throwing games, and ensures the safety of your group at all times. Our axe master was extremely patient with some of the less dexterous of our group and helped us all hone in our skills. In addition to axe throwing, Bury the Hatchet offers other games including giant Jenga, billiards, foosball, and my favorite, a game where players try to hammer giant nails into a hunk of wood as fast as possible. Every game offered just oozes physical competitiveness and each one is a blast with friends and a couple of drinks. Speaking of drinks, while Bury the Hatchet appears to have a bar, it is not operational. But you can bring your own drinks, and I highly recommend you do. While it's ill-advised to be completely drunk, having a light buzz definitely helps with throwing your axe. Jokes aside, safety is a top priority at Bury the Hatchet. Axe masters go through multiple safety lessons before handing patrons their weapons and monitors each group the entire time. The wooden targets are changed frequently and are soaked with water before use to soften the wood, reducing the likelihood of axes or splinters bouncing off the targets. Axes must be thrown one at a time and retrieved before the next axe can be thrown. Food and drinks are prohibited from the axe throwing areas, and only one person is allowed in each axe throwing area at a time. All of these features might seemed tedious, but it insures everyone will have a fun and safe experience. Bury the Hatchet proved to be a great alternative to bowling allies and pool houses for those looking for a fun way to kick off the weekend with friends.

First time axe throwing here and it was awesome! Great vibes and helpful staff and a ton of other…read moregames (pool, corn hole, jenga, board games) to do if you're bringing friends that aren't into the sharp objects. Great space to chill in! Would love to go back.

Visited this park today on a cold winter morning. Gate was closed, so I had to park out on the…read morestreet just outside the park, which was not too bad. Even with sidewalks and the parking lot slicked over in ice, this was actually a pleasant park to visit just to get some fresh air on a cold winter morning. There were a surprising amount of dog walkers and even small groups of people also getting outside for some fresh air. I can see how this park would be a great place to get outside in nicer weather. There's a softball field, a small picnic and firepit area, and a few outer trails that directly connect to the larger Wissahickon trail system. I could have kept going... but alas I didn't bring a beanie with me. Great park, will be back!

Blue Bell is a hidden gem on the Germantown side of the Wissahickon Creek. It is one of Fairmount…read morePark's best parks because it is used for so many diverse things. 1. Dog Park-- Lots of room to run, lots of things to investigate on the edges of the field, lots of small and long trails to hike! I'm actually not a fan of a lot of the people who come here with their dogs. Not a lot of control going on (more that casual, "beeeeenji, come back" kind of dog watching. which is okay unless you have a big dog and have to deal with their little yappy biting bastard.) Most of the more responsible owners come during the day when it's empty or skip the park altogether and just hike the trails. That said, if you are a more social, stand-around kind of owner-- this is the park for you: around 5:00-6:00 pm there has gotta be about 40 people and their dogs congregating and hanging out in the field. 2. Picnic Areas-- this is one of the premiere spots inthe Northwest for family/ school/ fraternity / sorority reunions, Memorial and Labor Day Parties, you name it. With 5 separate picnic areas, there can even be multiple events going on at once (though Picnic Area #5 is the prime one and is closest to the pavilion). I have even seen people pull trucks out into the field and set up bbq pits and tables on the grass! They HAD two Porta Potties which were both sparklingly clean and always stocked with Toilet Paper (yay!), but recently they got rid of the blue one (private contractors not Fairmount Park). There is a pavilion with 3 picnic tables and a working fireplace. 3. Access to Hiking/Biking Trails: So, you can get to both the hill bike trails and the main hiking trail from at least 6 small trails that I can think of off the top of my head (I attached pics of a couple of them). The wonderful people at Fairmount Park are currently renovating this Park's access, and are about half done-- gosh, every once in a blue moon I am proud of our Philly government... 4. Parking: regretfully for them, many people do not live near the Wissahickon Valley and have to drive here. Parking lots with easy access to Creek Trails are essential. Blue Bell has a TON of parking and is pretty empty except for peak times. Peak times are as follows (caveat: this is based only on my own observations). WEekdays-- early morning, say 8:00-9:00 am; evening, say 5:00-7:00 pm; weekends, ALL DAY. Another thing to be aware of is that Germantown Friends' softball team seems to use the field, though randomly. Just be aware that you might head over to get away from the dogs, be lounging in left field reading a book, when 30 screaming girls will pour of a yellow bus and swarm you... 5.Baseball Field: very well-groomed (as I mentioned, GFS' softball team uses it). Best thing of all is that they also have a pitching "cage" and a batting "cage" (both are netting). The pitching cage even has a bounce back net with strike zone hole! 6. Porta Potty: Last but not least, one of the major uses of this park is to go to the bathroom: trash men, water department, roofers, landscapers, regular Joes in suits and ties-- they ALLLLLLL come here to use the bathroom. And only to use the bathroom. As you can see from the pictures, the Porta Potty is CLEAN and always stocked with TP. I don't know about you, but having somewhere in an emergency (and knowing where it is) is a major quality of life issue :) there's always the woods, but I am getting old... HOURS: From April 1 through October 31 the parking lot is open from 8:00 am to 9:00 pm, November 1 through March 31 they close it up at 6:00 pm. But no worries, there is plenty of parking on Walnut Lane's shoulder and there are plenty of trails leading from the street. Also, when they are going to lock the gate at closing, the Ranger will drive in with his lights (like tow lights) flashing and will play a megaphone/speaker announcement that the park is closing (and it's usually at least a half hour late....) So whether you are taking care of a dog, hiking, biking, relaxing or just need to go to the bathroom, don't forget about Blue Bell Park!

This my first time with the clay studio, I really enjoyed my time and so did my client. She is 94…read moreand she really worked that machine to create her perfect piece. Everything was so nice and clean, loved how they had a shop and little museum to walk through! Great pieces! Nadia and Lily were amazing and very helpful! Thanks to those too! We will definitely be back and e turning was nice, the food was wonderful!

Great for date night, girls night out, family time or honestly anything!…read more I did the pottery date night class and it was so awesome! It starts out with a small cocktail hour (no alcohol, other beverages and finger foods) in the clay studio gift shop. You get some time to look some cool stuff on display and can purchase them too! The actual pottery making was around 90mins, 60mins on the wheel and about 30mins to glaze the piece. There is one main instructor and a few assistant instructors that walk around and help you out. You watch a demo first and then get hands on at making your own bowl! The instructors are really patient and if you mess up, they'll hand you another ball of clay. I screwed up many of my pieces and got super embarrassed but they'd joke and make it fun. You get to pick 2 pieces to keep out of all the ones you make during the 60mins. I ended up with 2 small succulent pots, super excited to put my plants in! The glazing is pretty simple. There are a handful of basic colors to choose from and you just paint them on. Afterwards the studio will fire the pieces and then ship then to an address you designate. We got ours a little earlier than 2weeks so it was a nice surprise! I would definitely go to another session again and may even commit to the longer semester classes...just need to free up time . If you're considering this, definitely do it!

As of April 2025, all of the construction work here is long finished…read more I stopped by to eat a Spicy Indian Cheesesteak from nearby Little Sicily 2. (Which was incredible, look for the reviews on Yelp) At lunch time, there were two other dudes eating lunch at the picnic tables. Everything was clean and maintained. It's a really weird location tho. Way at the back of the Walmart parking lot and none of the other piers are renovated. So your view is distant industrial harbor and homeless folks camped on the other piers. But this Pier 68 itself was peaceful and nice, with plenty of nearby parking. It's exactly what I wanted from a place to eat take-out lunch.

We came here because we heard this pier is supposedly known for fishing, located on the Delaware…read moreRiver Waterfront. Some pros about this place was when we first came here, I saw there was a lot of parking. It's good considering the amount of people that would go to the near by park. Secondly, this pier has a lot of seating and tables for people to rest and even eat. Which is what my friend and I did. The pier is close to a Mcdonalds and other stores so while our boyfriends were fishing, us girls would just sit at one of those picnic tables and eat our food. There was some seats near the water too. Third, it has a couple trees for shade and has a nice view looking over the city. Some cons about this place was that when I came here I felt disgusted. The place is dirty and has a lot of construction work that was being done and needs some work. All of the tables but one was dirty and looks like it hasn't been cleaned for a while. Another thing was because of the construction that was being done around the area, the fishing was hard. There was too many obstacles and structures in the water that my boyfriend got hooked and lost his line twice! They had a broken beaten down wired fence around the area of the pier which made me feel unsafe for kids who are playing around this area. It also made the water look really dirty from all the dirt and gravel from whatever they are building. Not a good fishing place but more like a nice relax picnic place for families to enjoy. I just hope they clean it more frequently.

Intro to Rock Climbing with Valley to Summit on September 18, 2022…read more This was my second trip to Chickies Rock with VTS and it was wonderful! There were only 5 of us, so plenty of time to climb. Our Guide, Bob, was so patient, engaged and informative. I learned a lot of great things that I had not known before about clothing, ropes and technique. Bob was so patient with me and was there with his " green pointer" to help me over the tough spots. You should know that I am 74 years old and tho I have climbed indoors for a few years, my stamina was not that of the youngsters who were there! Nonetheless, it was a great time! I highly recommend Valley to Summit, this being my 3 rd trip with them. They Rock!

Absolutely amazing professional guides!!…read more I hired this company to guide me through the winters treacherous water fall trails of Ricketts Glen that is normally closed off for hikers that don't have the explicitly specific required safety gear for winter hikes which this company provides. The guides were patient and helpful with the small group in getting gear on and going over all the safety equipment. They were never impatient with anyone and insanely kind. You could tell the guides truly enjoyed bringing everyone out to this amazing trail at Ricketts Glen State Park. I wasn't sure what to expect but OMG it was worth the money spent to have these guys/gals guide me through the trails. I took tons of pictures and was never rushed at all while taking in the views and photos. This company comes highly recommended amongst the hiking community even out of state.

Rose Tree Park is always a favorite in the summer. Their free shows run from June until mid-August…read morealthough they end the season too early in my opinion. Some shows such as the Billy Joel tribute are quite popular and fill up quickly. Bring low chairs or a blanket. You can also bring your own food and nonalcoholic beverages. They have a Rita's stand and I believe one other food stand. Parking is free and plentiful although you may have to walk a distance. Enjoy!

Last year on Christmas week we drove by this park and wondered what all the lights were. A year…read morewent by and I forgot about it. Last night we were driving by on our way home and saw the bright lights and decided to stop in. Wow this place is spectacular! So glad we parked the car and walked around. The effort put into lighting this place was tremendous. If we are in the area next year we will def stop in again for some feel good xmas spirit. highly recommend!

Beautiful park, lots of nice walking trails, many fun things to do, would recommend, have enjoyed…read morethis park for years

It's nice. It's okay…read more It's not the prettiest park I've ever been to, but nice for a stroll. Two items of note while we covered 10,000 steps on this day: A few beautiful old homes still on park grounds. I don't recall any signage describing why and what they were. A nice renovated covered bridge. The park itself lacked much signage after the first 10 minutes of walking. We had no idea what direction to go to get back to the main parking lot, which was frustrating.