Our Favorite Family Spots in Philly (From the Snuggle Bunch Band)
We’re a Philadelphia band, and we write songs about the stuff kids actually do all day. So it probably won’t surprise you that a lot of our music started with real places around the city. Parks where somebody found the perfect stick. Markets where somebody ate their weight in mac and cheese. The usual.
If you’re looking for family-friendly things to do in Philly, here are some of the spots the Snuggle Bunch crew keeps coming back to.
Please Touch Museum
This one’s a no-brainer if you’ve got kids under seven. The Please Touch Museum in Fairmount Park is built entirely around the idea that kids learn by grabbing, pushing, climbing, and generally getting into everything. There are water tables, a mini supermarket, a treehouse, and enough interactive exhibits to keep a toddler busy for three hours straight.
Bear Darius once said this place reminded him of a giant drum kit, because everything in it is meant to be hit, shaken, or banged on. He’s not wrong.
The Franklin Museum
Somewhere between a science project and an amusement park is the Franklin Museum. Our kids go wild here, from the dark outer space museum, to the giant anatomical walk through heart, to the gigantic antique train room. From aerospace exhibitions with interactive exhibits to the planetarium, this place is a great rainy day destination, or perfect for a good time killer on a day off school.
Smith Memorial Playground & Playhouse
Smith Playground has been around since 1899, and the giant wooden slide is still the main attraction. Your kid will climb up and slide down approximately forty-seven times before you can finish a conversation with another parent. The enclosed tot lot is great for the younger crew, and the playhouse has three floors of indoor play for when the weather isn’t cooperating.
The whole place is free, which in Philadelphia is not something you take for granted.
Clark Park
Clark Park in West Philly is one of those places that just works. It’s got a big open field, a solid playground, a farmers market on Saturdays, and enough trees to make you forget you’re in the middle of a city. When we wrote Let’s Go Outside, we were thinking about exactly this kind of spot, the kind of place where kids immediately take off running the second their feet hit the grass.
It’s also a great park for finding sticks. If your kid is the type who picks up a stick and doesn’t put it down for the rest of the afternoon, Clark Park delivers. We wrote a whole song about that, actually. It’s called It’s a Stick, and yes, it’s based on real events.
Reading Terminal Market
Reading Terminal Market is one of the best food halls in the country, and it happens to be incredibly fun with kids. The sights, the sounds, the smells coming from thirty different directions. There’s Amish baked goods, fresh fruit, donuts the size of your kid’s head, and more lunch options than you could try in a month.
Our personal recommendation: get the mac and cheese. Multiple vendors do their own version, and every single one is good. If your family knows all the words to Mac and Cheese, this is basically a pilgrimage.
Philadelphia Zoo
America’s first zoo, right here in our city. The Philadelphia Zoo has a cool trail system called Zoo360 that lets animals walk through mesh tunnels above your head, which is the kind of thing that makes a three-year-old lose their mind in the best possible way. The KidZooU area is designed for younger visitors, with a barn, a pond, and plenty of animals that are safe to get close to.
Foxy Rox is partial to the bird exhibits, and honestly the bird garden is a peaceful spot to sit down for a minute when your legs are done. If your little one is already a fan of Little Bird, they’ll love pointing out every single bird they see and telling you what sound it makes. Repeatedly.
Spruce Street Harbor Park
Spruce Street Harbor Park on the Delaware River waterfront is one of those places that feels like it was designed specifically for a summer evening with kids. There are hammocks, floating gardens, colorful lights strung everywhere, and food vendors right along the water. Kids love running around the boardwalk area, and the whole vibe is relaxed enough that nobody’s going to give you a look when your toddler starts yelling about boats.
Bring bubbles. Seriously, something about being near the water makes bubbles twice as fun. We feel the same way, which is why we made Bubble Gun.
Schuylkill River Trail
The Schuylkill River Trail is one of the best walks in the city for families. The paved path along the river runs for miles, so you can do as much or as little as your kids’ legs will allow. There’s public art along the way, bridges to cross, and plenty of spots to stop and watch the rowers go by.
It’s also a solid stroller route, which any Philly parent knows is not a given on city sidewalks. We like starting near the Art Museum and heading south toward the boardwalk, but you really can’t go wrong with any stretch of it.
Come Hang With Us
Philly is a great city for families, and we’re proud to make music here. If you want to put on some Snuggle Bunch songs for your next family outing, our whole catalog is streaming everywhere. Cue up the playlist on the way to the zoo, at the park, or while you’re waiting in line at Reading Terminal. We won’t judge if the grown-ups sing along too.
Stream the Snuggle Bunch band on Spotify, Apple Music, and more.
