Firebird Festival has been on my radar for years (tickets in the past sold out too quickly), but I…read morefinally made it this year, which luckily was the first year it was open to all / free to all! If you want to do the Firebird Festival, here are some tips from my experience. First, get on their email list. All the info will be emailed, including updates on building the bird, ways you can help, and volunteer opportunities. When they say they light the bird at 8pm, YES IT WILL BE LIT AT 8pm, AND IT WILL HAVE BURNED DOWN TO ITS FEET BY 8:15pm!!!! My last photo was taken at 8:13pm, as I walked away, and the structure had burned, collapsed, and was just a big bonfire + phoenix claws. And SO MANY PEOPLE were still descending on the park, thinking "it's only 8:15, I've got plenty of time" ummm, no. I passed at least 300 people wondering if any of them understood that all that was left was good live music and some drunk hook-up options. But the party continues until 11pm, so for the childless crowd, there you go. If you do care to see the bird, be there at least a half hour before 8pm. The drum procession into the field happens at 7:30, and is very cool to see, plus is a part of the ceremony and theatrics of it all. Then, dancing, chant music, fire dancers, etc. all circle 'round the bird. You can really see all they've developed over the years in the choreography, creativity, and attention to details. There were a lot of kids there, babies to teens, all ages. I was worried about my preschooler being afraid of the fire, or the idea of burning an animal figure. I made sure to show some kid-friendly YouTube videos ahead of time, and educate about this mythological creature, and it's meaning. I stressed that a new young bird rises from the ashes, according to legend, and that this bird was pretend, made of wood by volunteers. They ask for people to bring lunches to the volunteers in the months (yes, building starts in SEPTEMBER) leading up to the festival, and if I'd had time I would have done that and taken my kid to see that process. It's my plan for next year. Anyway, it went over pretty well. No kids were crying. Mine was a little sad at first, but then pretty fascinated by the fire. I don't recommend positioning yourself close to the fire with kids; it's scary and overwhelming for them. My preschooler was a little nervous when we were somewhat close, but did better from afar, where we saw a lot more kids as we walked out. The show really is something worth checking out at least once. They make a different style of bird each year (always a phoenix, but in different poses and styles). The bird is always about 25' high, made of wood. This year the bird had rainbow lights as eyes, and a mechanical beak that opened and closed. It also had a plume of branches sticking out its head. It looked partridge-y, but still I could distinctly see a phoenix. It was beautiful! As you can see in my photos, they projected a colorful light show into the body of the bird, which was equally beautiful. In addition to the phoenix, there are vendors, food options, and live music. A Boy Scout troop was selling hot chocolate ($3/cup) and offering apple bread and brownies but asking for donations on those. Sadly, a lot of people just took the baked goods and gave nothing, which was totally despicable. Those kids were working so hard, and giving up their own leisure time to enjoy the festival so these greedy drunk-high jerks could rob their baked goods. Ew! The live music was really very quiet. I had a hard time hearing it 50' away. There are residences all around Veterans Memorial Park, where it's held, so I guess noise had to be kept down. Stinks. Speaking of, there were a row of port-a-potties available, and the scent of weed every 3 square feet, with a cop every 10 square feet. Multiple fire engines were right nearby and ready. Everything was extremely well organized. There were police officers controlling traffic, guarding blocked off roads, and there to assist in the crowds. Shuttle busses ran from three different municipal lots (all full very early), and walking was possible from the downtown area, if you were up for a 1.5mi journey. We had best luck parking by a church in a nearby residential neighborhood, and walking from there with a stroller. I definitely recommend the Firebird Festival! But make it your focus of the evening. Everyone who thought they'd have a nice dinner downtown and then catch the shuttle or walk over to the festival was sorely disappointed to arrive when there was nothing left to see.

I love fire, it can be very theatrical…read more Generous volunteers make this awesome free event happen each year. It's the family-friendly, East Coast mini-version of Burning Man. OK, maybe not but still a great time. Fire dancers? Check. Live music? Check. Local artisans? Check. Happy friendly hippies? Check Comfort food? Check Large wooden object burned to the ground while revelers clap and cheer with joy? Check.

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!

Another great year. Gyros for $12 each, all day every day. Yum! Can't wait until September 2026!read more

Not what it used to be but we have been going for 48 years?! lol Changes are: No more flea market…read more The gyros are now $12 with half the meat. ( I know, inflation). :-) No more rice with the entrees. Charge for parking. However, we can't miss it. So many memories with our then kids and grandkids. Hope to go again next year and on and on.

Lower Merion annually has a National Night Out in order to support local police, EMTs and…read moreFirefighters. In the past, they have held the event at Suburban Square, but this year it was at The Wynnewood Shopping Center. While the event is geared towards younger kids, I always come to check it out and see the great community. I came in and was greeted by the sight of a giant slide, carnival games and a large revolving swing. After that, I walked around a little more and saw a couple of more things including a fire truck, an ambulance, a police car, a moon bounce and a concession stand. The kids were really into it, which was nice to see. The concession stand was alright, but they served limited items. I only got a funnel cake and a lemonade. They were both solid, but the lemonade was a bit watery. Towards the end, the Phillie Phanatic and a cow mascot, advertising for a Kosher barbecue came out. For the entire time, a band was blasting music. While I did have a nice time, I had a couple of problems. First, parking was difficult to get as the parking lot was jammed, luckily I was able to find a spot. However, many people had to park on the street. Also, they said a K-9 was expected to come, but she was a bit scared so she wasn't let out. Altogether, I did have a nice time and I plan to return next year!

Came here as something to do with our kids. They had a blast. This is a pretty basic putt-putt…read moregolf. The courses aren't themed or anything. They offer a deal I believe it's for 3 games. It's a much better deal than just doing one game so we did that and will be back at some point. They have a few different courses with varying difficulty levels, we picked one of the easier ones since we had a 5 and 3 year old doing it. My kids enjoyed playing in the arcade after which had a good variety of games. They also have some type of snack bar you can get food at but we didn't get anything. Overall, it's a good place to bring your kids to entertain them for a few hours.

This is a great place to take the kids for a little outing - also had my granddaughter's 6th BD…read moreparty here and the kids had a great time! It's also great place for a daytime couples date of mini- golf - Stop by and give this visit and see for yourself!

Interesting shows in a comfortable room…read more The theater is intimate with good sound. The volunteer staff is helpful and friendly. The nearly area has many good restaurants and parking is easy.

My husband and I attended the Killer Queen concert recently. We love the theater and are big fans!…read moreIt's much easier driving into West Chester than Philadelphia, the parking is cheap/free, and the neighborhood is safe. Everyone at the theater is so welcoming, and we walked in without a wait or any lines for the restrooms. So, what was the problem? Some audience members were out of control and/or intoxicated. Thankfully, we were on the second level, but right in front of us on the first level, we witnessed two fights. One started when one of the audience members who was visibly under the influence kept standing and holding up his beer. At one point, I believe he spilled beer on a patron and a fight ensued. The unhappy couple who had the beer spilled on them walked out, and no one from the theater came over to handle the situation. Shortly thereafter, another man from the same group started yelling at a woman who was seated. He stood over her wildly gesturing as if ready to strike her while a patron seemed to try to grab his arm from behind. Audience members kept looking back to see if anyone was going to address this situation. By the way, this all happened during the show which was extremely distracting and distressing. Finally, the theater manager came over to escort the man and his friends away. However, the man came back and tried to go back to his seat. Again, he had to be escorted away. If the theater is going to continue to serve alcohol, they will need to hire security particularly during shows similar to this one--and not just a theater manager. This is needed to keep their audience members safe and to continue to ensure a quality experience.

We came to the theatre to see Steel Magnolias. The staff was friendly and the performance was…read moregreat. What a great price for a great night !

Always a pleasure visiting this awesome theater. The staff is always fantastic and the seating is…read morewonderful. The shows are all so good and the prices are great. Love this theater.

Tune into 87.9 and enjoy! Songs from Christmas to top hits, the lights dance. It was kinda neat to…read moresee. We just sat in our car, lights off and enjoyed the show. The Roberts family are pretty talented. Check out their FB page for updates. They will post there.