The Home Teams

Hop the Broad Street Line and head south to catch a Phillies, Eagles, Sixers or Flyers game. We promise you this: at least one of these teams will make the playoffs during your four years here.* 

*We can’t promise this. 

Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia 76ers
Philadelphia Flyers
Philadelphia Phillies

UNION TRANSFER

Founded in 2011, Union Transfer is already a quintessential Philly music venue. The 1,200-person concert hall attracts big names without sacrificing the feel of an intimate club.

Visit Union Transfer

The Palestra

Cheer on the Owls at the Cathedral of College Basketball as we take on one of our Big 5 rivals: Penn, La Salle, St. Joe’s or Villanova.

Visit the Palestra

KIMMEL CENTER

Operas, ballets and Broadway hits have all taken the stage at the Kimmel Center and its sister venues, the Academy of Music and Merriam Theater. See some of the finest performing arts in the world, just a few subway stops from campus.

Visit the Kimmel Center

Ritz Movie Theaters

The Ritz Theaters (there’s Ritz East and Ritz Five, with just a few blocks between them) are old school, no-frills movie theaters that focus on the reason you go to the movies in the first place: the movies. And they show some of the best ones around, including limited releases and indie darlings.

Visit Ritz Movie Theaters

Fairmount park

Did you know that you can hike, bike and even horseback ride in the middle of Philadelphia? It’s true. Do all that and more at beautiful Fairmount Park, one of the largest urban green spaces in the country.

Visit Fairmount Park

FDR PARK

South Philly’s FDR Park is a concrete, skateboard paradise, designed and built by skateboard enthusiasts. In addition to skateboarding, this historic outdoor oasis also features multiple recreational fields and natural lakes. From fishing to golfing, boating to baseball, this park has it all. 

Learn About FDR Park

PSN/PSSC

From baseball and basketball to kickball and cornhole, join a team and compete against students and young professionals from around the city. The popular Philadelphia Sports Network and Philadelphia Sports and Social Club host leagues in every sport imaginable at venues across Philly.

Learn About Philadelphia Sports Network

Learn About Philadelphia Sports and Social Club

Philadelphia zoo

The first zoo chartered in the United States is still one of its best. Take a field trip away from Owl Country to spend a day with some of the coolest creatures in the animal kingdom.

Visit the Philadelphia Zoo

Schuylkill River trail

Stretching 60 miles long (and growing), the Schuylkill River Trail is one of the most scenic walking and biking routes in the city. Be sure to check out the latest addition – the Schuylkill River Boardwalk – that extends out onto the water between Walnut and South Streets.

Visit the Schuylkill River Trail

Spruce Street Harbor Park

Whether you spend a lazy afternoon lounging in a hammock, a night socializing under the hundreds of LED lights hanging from the trees, or a morning browsing through the punk rock flea market, Spruce Street Harbor Park is one of Philly’s hottest outdoor spots.

Visit Spruce Street Harbor Park

Rittenhouse Square

Envisioned and planned by William Penn himself, it’s not a stretch to call Rittenhouse Square one of the most beautiful urban outdoor spaces in the United States. Steps away from the finest shopping and restaurants in Philadelphia, Rittenhouse is in the center of the action.

Visit Rittenhouse Square

Philadelphia Museum of Art

Follow the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to the end of the line and you’ll find the nation’s third largest art museum — a wonder for art and architecture lovers alike. You’ll also find Philadelphia’s iconic Rocky statue. Strike a pose and see some classics. That’s what we say.

If you attend to the College of Liberal Arts in the fall, you’ll get here just in time to check out “Embracing the Contemporary: The Keith L. and Katherine Sachs Collection,” which includes some of the greatest masterpieces from the past half-century.

Visit the Philadelphia Museum of Art

The Franklin Institute

This shrine to science and technology — named for the famous Philadelphian responsible for bifocals and the lightning rod — features exhibits, lectures and even organizes the annual Philadelphia Science Festival. As one of the nation’s oldest and most interactive museums, you can take a walk in a human heart and test your own Mars Rover.

Visit the Franklin Institute

Independence Hall National historical Park

Visit the hallowed ground where the Declaration of Independence and United States Constitution were conceived, and where Nicholas Cage ran away from that guy from Game of Thrones. Just one of more than 25 landmarks on Philadelphia’s Liberty Trail (including The Betsy Ross House and the Liberty Bell, among others), this national park once housed all three branches of Pennsylvania’s colonial government.

Visit Independence Hall

The Mütter Museum

This ode to the medically obscure, the anatomically incorrect and the abnormalities of the human form features artifacts you have to see to believe. Oddities include a jaw tumor belonging to President Grover Cleveland, portions of Albert Einstein’s brain and even a mummified “Soap Lady.” Wondering what a Soap Lady is? You’ll have to see it to believe it.

Visit the Mutter Museum

Eastern State Penitentiary

This frightening Gothic structure (designed by famed architect John Havilland) is an outlier among the world-class restaurants and Victorian homes in Philadelphia’s historic Fairmount neighborhood.  Once home to Al Capone, among other known felons, and a premiere destination from which to escape, Eastern State has been investigated for its … um … paranormal activity by film crews from here at Temple University (link to video) to SyFy’s Ghost Hunters. Stop by around Halloween for the renowned “Terror Behind the Walls Tour.”

Visit Eastern State Penitentiary

ITALIAN MARKET

Stretching across ten city blocks of Ninth Street in South Philly, the Italian Market is one of the oldest and largest open-air markets in America. Vendors line the street, selling the freshest vegetables, produce, meats, fish and more from their stalls, while gourmet shops and restaurants occupy storefronts in between. There’s absolutely no chance you’ll leave hungry.

Visit the Italian Market

Federal Donuts

With five Philly locations, including one at nearby North Seventh Street, Federal Donuts is no mere doughnut shop. Anthony Bourdain is pals with chef/owner and James Beard Award recipient Michael Solomonov, whose local Israeli-inspired haunt, Zahav, has received acclaim from The New York Times and Esquire Magazine. Federal Donuts serves two menu items: double-fried chicken and NJ-boardwalk-inspired doughnuts. And it does both well. In fact, Federal Donuts is responsible for putting Philly on the fried chicken map. We might be Owls, but that doesn’t mean we can’t eat chicken.

Visit Federal Donuts

JIM'S STEAKS

The iconic Philadelphia Cheesesteak. Often imitated around the world, the cheesesteak is rarely duplicated successfully outside of Philadelphia. Located on 4th and South, Jim’s Steaks is South Street’s premier cheesesteak shop. Be sure to order a “whiz wit” to sound like a true local.

Visit Jim's Steaks

ReADING TERMINAL MARKET

With over 80 unique merchants housed under one roof, you can try almost any type of cuisine at this historic food bazaar. From handmade confections to Amish specialties to exquisite soul food, it is such a fantastic place to eat that it can be tough to choose what to get! If you need a place to start your food journey, DiNic’s Roast Pork and Beef was named the Travel Channel’s “Best Sandwich in America” (hint, hint).

Visit Reading Terminal Market

North Bowl

This former mechanic’s garage is now a 21,000 square foot, retro-chic shrine to the art of the 7-10 split. That, and delicious tater tots, corn dogs and pinball machines. Go for the food. Stay for the games. Must be 21 to enter after 8 p.m. 

Visit North Bowl

DIM SUM GARDEN

Ever heard of a soup dumpling? This well-known establishment specializes in making fresh, homemade Shanghai-style dim sum aka bite-sized Chinese dumplings. Located in Chinatown, Dim Sum Garden is the go-to for an inexpensive yet traditional Asian feast.

Visit Dim Sum Garden