Popular Gardens in Blue Bell

"Bartram’s Garden is the oldest, still existent botanical garden in North America and is located along the banks of the Schuylkill River southwest of downtown Philadelphia. In addition to being a beautiful and historic garden, Bartram’s Garden also has amazing views of Philly’s skyline. While some industrial buildings mar the view a bit, this is a unique angle of the city that isn’t often seen."

"You can’t take food into the curated horticultural grounds or historic houses in this 46-acre complex, but there are several sites specially designated for lunchtime spreads."

"What do blooming cherry blossom trees plus a cell phone equal?. Excellent Instagram photos. The Shofuso Japanese House and Garden blissfully mix Japanese nature and culture together, creating a fabulous place to hang out and snap some pix."

"Shofuso is a beautiful Japanese garden that you can find in the city. What makes this one of the best Philadelphia Instagram spots is nature. View this post on Instagram"

"This replica of a 16th-century guesthouse was reassembled here in 1958 after being exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York…"

"Now that it’s summer, there is no better feeling than sitting outside in the sun with a beer and a big plate of sidewinder fries. While there are lots of places in Philly offering perfect patio seating for sunny days, the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society — founded in 1827 — offers one of the most pleasant settings to appreciate warm seasonal change. In two beautiful pop-up gardens on South Street and in Manayunk, you can lounge among the lush flora and enjoy cheeseburgers, nachos, and Gritty-themed frozen cocktails."

"The PHS Pop-Up Beer Garden is back and taking groups of up to eight people at its South Street location. Parties are limited to 90 minutes at their table, and must wear a mask when walking around to use the restroom or ordering from the bar."

"Another one of the Insta-worthy spots in Philadelphia is PHS Pop Up Gardens. This is a lovely place where you can have food and drinks in the middle of nature. View this post on Instagram"

"Escape the asphalt with a trip to the classical English sculpture gardens at the 92-acre Morris Arboretum northwest of the city. Children will have a ball at Out on a Limb, a Tree Adventure exhibit that lets kids walk on bridges high in the canopy and scramble across large hammock-like nets. Kids can’t get enough of the Squirrel Scramble’s rope netting as part of Morris Arboretum’s Tree Adventure exhibition."

"One of the best places to go for restoring a connection to nature, the Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania provides so much feeling in such a simple way. Of course, you’ve seen trees and other plants before. However, this Philadelphia arboretum can put you in such meaningful contact with them."

"The 55-acre Awbury Arboretum in Germantown is home to the Henry Cope Garden, also known as the "secret garden." It dates back to the earliest days of Awbury, when it was just a small boxwood garden. Today, the secret garden is full of rare trees like "very tall, old persimmons" and Witchhazel. It’s also (as of 2017) home to Adventure Woods, a natural materials playground."

"Awbury Arboretum, roughly 55 acres in size, features a romantic, English ambiance. It has lush, green meadows, rolling hills, scenic ponds, picturesque woods, and many more beautiful aspects."

"It has been free and open to the public for nearly a 100 years. See the 55-acre grounds with beautifully manicured gardens once home to a Quaker family."

"Historic Strawberry Mansion is the largest of the seven historic Fairmount Park Houses. The mansion houses antiques, fine art, and collectibles from the 18th and 19th centuries, including a noted collection of dolls from the High Street Exhibit of the Sesquicentennial of 1926."

"Fun fact: The Harry O’s Passyunk Gardens was created in 2011 for a taping of the Rachael Ray Show. But it continues to be run by volunteers, with plants and supplies provided by Camden Children’s Garden. It's open for visits on Sundays 4 to 6 p.m."

"Kelly Dr at Girard Ave, south of Girard Ave Bridge, 19130, map. Bring a friend or meet a new one at the whispering bench at the Ellen Phillips Samuel Memorial."

"The Summer Winter Community Garden is one of the oldest community gardens in Philadelphia. Named after the nearby streets Summer and Winter, the garden is run by volunteers, who harvest and donate food to the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society City Harvest, which serves the hungry. A post shared by Neighborhood Gardens Trust (@ngtrust) on Jul 1, 2017 at 5:18am PDT"

"Dating to 1690, Wyck is known as one of Philadelphia’s oldest houses. Wyck offers a variety of educational programs for school groups, including environmental education, programs that focus on history of Quakerism, Native Americans, Colonial life, and Philadelphia. Wyck’s open season runs from April through November."

"The Trestle Inn is a throwback whiskey-and-go-go-style bar that pays homage to the heyday of the flapper era, with nods to the free-spirited urban attitudes of the mid-20th century. Its 11th Street and Callowhill location has been a popular hangout for diverse crowds, from railroad and industrial workers to circus performers and traveling salesmen. Today, the bar has been transformed into a dancehall and speakeasy, serving affordable pours of top whiskeys, bourbons, ryes, and scotches."

"Order: Fried chick’n and wafflesThese days, there’s a vegan version of almost everything. But it’s still impressive when a kitchen pulls off something like this vegan fried chicken and waffles. I mean, it has the same crunch as the real thing, the same mix of savory and sweet — topped with blueberry maple syrup and candied jalapeños for a little spike of sweet heat."

"The entire menu at this Northern Liberties bar can be made vegan, and that includes the chicken and waffles, wings, chicken parmesan, and bolognese. A partnership with Pizza Gutt brings thick, “cheesy,” decadent pan pizzas to the table, too. And the plant-based topping options are vast, from “pepperoni” to vegan ricotta."

"Mt Airy Breakfast & Lunch café is a friendly and welcoming counter-serve restaurant that serves breakfast and lunch seven days a week. The classic diner-style café serves traditional breakfast plates such as eggs, bacon, biscuits and gravy, grits, and toast along with pancakes, chicken and waffles, French toast, breakfast sandwiches, egg scrambles, and hearty omelets. Diners can also tuck into bagels and lox, croissants and ham and cheese, home baked muffins, oatmeal with yogurt and honey with freshly brewed coffee, tea, and fresh fruit juices."

"A post shared by silkcitydiner (@silkcitydiner) on Jan 5, 2020 at 7:07am PST. Brunch in either a diner car, nightclub, or mystical outdoor garden with mismatched furniture and groovy graffiti?. That’s Silk City for ya!"

"When to go: Open every day except Monday, stop in anytime or get it delivered. What to order: Literally anything. Get creative with toppings!"