John L. is one of the best tour guides out there. He is someone who is truly passionate about…read morehistory and geography and enjoys sharing his knowledge with others. If you would like to learn more about Philadelphia and surrounding areas while also getting some exercise and making new friends, I can not recommend his tours highly enough!.

John was a fantastic guide! We did the History @ Night tour, and his storytelling really made this…read moretour. As Philly natives, we knew a lot of the smaller facts. To be able to hear and see these facts in a complete story was very valuable. In addition to his immense history knowledge, John's wit and humor made this experience extraordinary! I'd highly recommend his tours to others and I will likely be returning for more.

This historic mansion sits on the edge of Fairmount Park and contains a piece of Philadelphia's…read morelong history. The site itself if maintained by caretakers who ensure both historical accuracy and that the grounds are beautifully maintained. The south lawn contains a children's orchard planted by the East Park Revitalization Alliance in partnership with the Philadelphia Orchard Project and is filled with berry bushes, fruit and nut trees, and more. The tours are well worth the time as the mansion has been carefully restored to mimic colonial times and contains a large amount of period furniture. This place is a gem!

For its reputation and that of Fairmount Park, Woodford Mansion is located in an unsettling area…read morethat is largely slum-like for want of a better description. I walked in the wrong direction initially and it was very unsettling. I finally got to Woodford and had a personal tour (I was the only one there, so we didn't wait to start on the hour). The tour guide was very knowledgable. The more he told me, however, the more concerned I became for the protection and conservation of this priceless collection. I'm not sure what security or conservation protections are in place, but I hope they're good. This is a very historic home - Ben Franklin likely visited his friend, William Coleman, who helped him found UPenn among other major projects, here. Coleman was a Quaker and happy to let Franklin take all the credit. I definitely learned a lot and it was nice seeing all the period furniture. The house is very well done.

Was expecting a tour of the historical city... got a lecture on Adams and Jefferson. It was slow -…read moreand disappointing. We had to ask questions to get the guide back on track. Finally gave the tour guide a tip just to stop the pain and went and explored on our own. Such a waste of time and money. As a travel agent I will not recommend this company.

Had such a wonderful time getting a tour with David! The weather played no factor what so ever,…read moredespite the frosty air, David took us on a great walking tour! We started out at the Independence visiting center, and walked throughout the old city! David gave us a great insight and look into way things were of our founding fathers! One of the best things of the tour was going into Christ Church and sitting in the the very bench the Gen. George Washington (1st president) sat in! This tour was fantastic, and David is very knowledgeable of his history! He answers your questions and is very patient! Would recommend this tour over and over again

Lois picked us up at our hotel in old town and started off on a historical tour of the old city…read more We had great information and comfortable walking then rode air conditioned vehicle thru some Philly neighborhoods and to the Rocky steps. She even recommended dinner places and the best Philly cheesesteak at Campo's near our hotel. Very reasonable and Well worth the price for a personalized private tour. Highly recommend Lois Linden. Thanks again- Connie and Robert

Lois was great! She grew up in Philly and is clearly passionate about the history. I've lived here…read morefor a year and was never interested in the history as it seemed boring. It wasn't boring at all!!! I took my mother thinking she would be the one to like it, but we both loved it. Lois was casual and had great stories. He knowledge was vast enough that she was able to answer all the random questions my mother and I came up with along the way. (and we had many) She was also willing to stop along the way wherever we wanted to take pictures or go in a building. My mother asked Lois if she would be willing to do a churches/places of worship tour when my dad comes to visit next time with her. In the pleasant way that is Lois she did not hesitate to say "well, of course!" This takes the stress off of me having to think of things to do that my parents will enjoy when they visit. She is so full of great stories and knowledge of Philly's history that I would love to go again to see more attractions.

What an absolute hoot! This tour is fun, the guide is funny, and I learned so much more than I ever…read morethought! I would recommend this tour to anyone, for sure. I guess he's a teacher now, so when we booked on a weekday, he was at school. Rather than blowing us off and sending us to another tour group, he quickly made a plan and met us after school. Great tour! Great time!

Such an amazing experience with Chris. He's very funny, knowledgeable, entertaining, professional,…read morepunctual and a real expert in his trade. I highly doubt you will be able to find someone of his caliber and knowledge/experience in Philadelphia. He has a Masters degree and undergrad in history. We walked away from our tour hungry for more and it felt like we traveled back in time and personally met Benjamin Franklin. Chris is also very good with kids. He was able to make historical figures come to life. Highly recommend connecting with this guy if he's available.

This was a wonderful day in the sun for The Strawberry Festival here at The Strawberry Mansion…read moreHouse in beautiful Fairmount Park. There was so much to do and see. We were entertained by the lovely Vessna Scheff. She sang originals and pop favorites with her beautifully unique flair. Check her out here https://www.vessnascheff.com/. The children played with the Kids yes they had young goats to pet. LOL...A creative artist offered free face painting for the children and they loved it. There were a lot of donated treats made of strawberries and strawberry combinations. Most of all there were lots of free strawberries to eat there or take home with you. There are a lot of things to see here in this part of the park. The grounds are lovely and the flowers are beautiful, the Mansion is magnificent! During the festival there was a free tour of The Strawberry Mansion House. The narration of history was very interesting and delivered with a colorful flair by the wonderful Ty. He spoke of so many Philadelphia 1st's, truly fascinating. I hope this festival continues to grow as I will make sure to be time next year.

What an exceptional house and tour. The tour guide was wonderful. He was so educated on the house…read moreand Philadelphia history. The house and content were gorgeous. Price is low. The Fairmount park is beautiful. Tour are hourly starting at 10am Thursday to Sunday. $5 for seniors. There are gardens to see in the spring. Highly recommended visiting.

I was gonna take my daughter to North Museum of Nature and Science...but the tickets were sold out…read moreon Easter morning. Then I found Turkey Hill Ice cream Experience only 30min away from Lancaster, and decided to visit. We bought the double scoop experience (comes with ice cream test lab) and obviously that was the highlight of the place! The test lab is about 45min experience and the whole thing with self-guided tour takes about 1hr 30min to 2 hours depending how crowded it is. The visit was fun and of course my 5-year-old daughter had a great time eating tons of ice cream!

Visted on the 4th of July, perfect tourist attraction for locals and all ages…read more Even being solo for the experience, with families and kids was relaxing, and pleasent. Admission prices are reasonable, and who doesnt love unlimited samples of iced tea, and lemonade, icecream on a hot day. Vistors have a choice between one scoop, two scoop, or three scoop attraction. I choose one scoop; hilights of my visit- learning history of Turkey Hill, process of icecream being made, creating a virtual icecream flavor, watching the production , live from interactive camera in one of the exhibits. Be sure to take the few moments, to watch the introduction video. My favorite ice cream sample flavors were Graham Slam & Blueberry Lemon Pound Cake. An attraction must, well visiting Lancaster, PA. My recommendation would be too sell a few more flavors that you offer , with unlimited tastings. My favorite was orange icedtea.

What a fun thing to do! We didn't know what to expect and want to say we all really enjoyed the…read moreexperience! Admission was reasonable and enjoyed the self-guided part while waiting for the next tram departure time. There was everything you could imagine - except one thing! A TELEX MACHINE (which I used to operate). When I asked the staff if they had one none of them even knew what I was talking about (early 20's)! We took the tram tour and really enjoyed it. The tram moved at a nice pace so you could really take in everything. So much to see - everywhere. It was a really fun way to spend a few hours on a rainy day! But I urge you to visit rain or shine!

It's like an I-Spy book came to life! This collection is massive but I really appreciate how well…read moreorganized and categorized it is. It makes it easier for the eye to take in. The tram car goes at a super slow speed so you have time to take everything in. The tour is guided by a pre-recorded audio track but sometimes the driver will provide information as well. The museum also has a small walkable area to explore. There's also popcorn, candy, and drinks to purchase. Some of the items are truly impressive and there's definitely plenty for everyone to point out and find and enjoy. Highly recommend this fun attraction.

I went for an event not a tour. It's sad when you at one point in life lived so close to such an…read morehistorical gem and had no idea this beauty existed. But maturity can drive a lot if change. I've always been a history buff but now I look for more things that peak my interest locally. On a search for 'mansions in Philadelphia' this mansion as many others in the area have interesting events. This event was unusual, view a movie in the Parlor. I didn't know what to expect but I really enjoyed myself. As for the portion of the house I could see, it was impressive. A house with lots good sized of rooms. Each room displayed pre and civil war era decor, As per the time heavy, dark and opulent. I found the staff inviting and edifying. I will ensure I visit again for other events and possibly the book club.

I saw a very reasonably priced tour for 4 people on Groupon and purchased it for myself and…read morefriends. While certainly a mansion, the home was much smaller than I was expecting. Our tour included 10 rooms: parlor, dining area, kitchen, library, mother's day room, mother's bed room, husband's bedroom, husband's bathroom, children's room, and billiards room. I've toured other family homes including the Ford Family estate in Grosse Pointe, MI (60 rooms) so I think I had different expectations.That's my own fault though for not researching more about the home. Note: you are unable to take photos inside the house, although this seems to be common practice when touring family homes. The house itself was an interesting piece of history and our tour guide was incredibly informed. Great quality, 5 stars. The reason the overall score is so low is because of my experience with the Executive Director. Very poor, 0 stars. I second Celic's comments of interacting with someone rude. My friends and I were waiting for her to process my Groupon payment, so I asked a couple of questions about the family while we waited at the bottom of the stairs. When Joan was in the middle of explaining, the director (who was in another room) snapped at me and said, "If you'd actually give Joan a chance to explain, she'll get to what you're wondering about. So hold your questions until the end." It is like she mistook asking a question as an insult to the quality of the tour instead of interest and excitement in what Joan was talking about. In case you're reading this- a more gracious way to handle this would be: 1) Explaining before the tour begins to hold questions until the end. 2) A reminder to come from THE TOUR GUIDE using language such as "That's a great question. And we're going to talk about that more when we enter the children's room. So let me know if you have any more unanswered questions about the family at that time." They have some interesting events that happen throughout the year - and I'm contemplating attending - but frankly the thought of having a possible negative interaction (again) with the director might be enough to keep me from spending more money here.

Hidden between Walnut Lane and Lincoln Drive on Wissahickon Ave is a very narrow driveway. Down…read morethat very narrow driveway you will find one of the premiere makeout spots in northwest Philadelphia: Historic Rittenhouse. For decades (possibly even a century), teens with drivers license and adults alike have slowly cruised into this quaint and charming little village by the Monoshone Creek to while away the latenight hours in amorous ecstacy. "But what about the people who live in the houses?" you ask... indeed. This is one of the unsolved mysteries of my life, and actually with regard to Fairmount Park in general: how does one go about becoming a caretaker of the historic houses on Park land? In the case of Historic Rittenhouse, are they caretakers or do they actually own them? Regardless of the answers, in all the years that my friends and I have been stopping there (and our parents and grandparents), no one has ever come outside to chase us away. There are great things to do in the daytime, too. There are programs and the visitor's center is chock-full of information about the history of the area and particularly its role in the Revolutionary war. The grounds by the creek are public and beautiful, with lots of benches generously spaced for your tranquility. The creek itself is walkable, and 75 yards or so downstream you'll find giant rocks that are made for lounging-- in the hot days of summer, they are shaded by the trees and "naturally air conditioned" by the shallow but swift-moving Monoshone! There are also various trails leading back into the Wissahickon Valley, some more developed than others, (meaning there's something for pretty much everyone). The only warning is that the driveway leading to and from the area is a tiny one car wide, so be prepared to be the one who has to back up. Day or night, go slowly-- bikers, walkers and other cars will be coming at you occasionally. And if you're there at 2 am, not everyone will be sober, so be *extra* careful and don't count on seeing headlights first...

The "wiser" (older lol) I get, the more I like my peace, solitude and peace of mind. From time to…read moretime, I literally come to Wissahickon just to get lost. And today, I did just that. I literally was lost looking for Lover's Leap, which is one of the landmarks on the trail. So, I set out like the little explorer I aspire to be with my trail snacks and beverages. Hiking about, thwarting off pesky gnats, and ticks whilst still trying not to melt into a puddle from the sun. But to my chagrin I ended up on a golf course instead of the darling meadow I dreamt up in my head. Although I used their map and google maps I still couldn't locate my destination. It was off of the beaten path and I wouldn't recommend it for scaredy cat first time explorers like myself lol. Take someone with you if you want to venture off the main trail or at least have a backpack full of Dora's exploring goodies...mine weren't too good for the sounds I heard but I was definitely prepared for a mini picnic which is more my speed. I did however, see my first chipmunk ever. The sights are beautiful, there's history to be learned at every turn and the sound of the rolling water is the perfect white noise to block out the worries of the world. I saw Come join me in my next quest...you bring the big stick, I'll bring the repellent!