Fun (and Free!) Things to Do in South Philly | Philadelphia

I’ve lived near Philadelphia most of my life. Like most local kids, I had the mandatory school trips to the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and the Franklin Institute. (Not all in one day.)

As an adult, I still love the city, but the way I experience it has changed. When my kids were little, we’d spend the day at the Please Touch Museum. Now that they’re teenagers, convincing them to go to the National Constitution Center is…let’s just say an uphill battle.

When we have medical appointments in the city I like to go see stuff while we’re there. Now, I’m a regular shopper in south Philadelphia. Because even if you live here, you can only go see the historic stuff so many times.

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If you’re planning a visit, here are my favorite things to do in South Philly after years of exploring it.

Where is South Philly?

Ask ten Philadelphians where South Philly begins, and you’ll probably get twelve different answers.

The official answer is pretty straightforward: South Philadelphia is generally considered everything south of South Street, stretching to the Delaware and Schuylkill Rivers. Within those boundaries are neighborhoods like East Passyunk, Bella Vista, Pennsport, Point Breeze, the Italian Market, the Stadium District, and a whole lot more.

South Philly has changed a lot over the years. It was once known primarily as an Italian-American neighborhood, but today it’s one of the most diverse parts of Philadelphia. Along with its Italian roots, you’ll find thriving Vietnamese, Mexican, Cambodian, Indonesian, and many other communities, which is one of the reasons the food scene is so incredible.

I saved a bunch of spots on this map, but Google does what it wants, so they may not all appear.

Free Things to Do in South Philly

You don’t have to spend a fortune to have a great day in South Philly. Honestly, some of my favorite things to do cost absolutely nothing (which helps offset the money I inevitably spend on cheese and pastries).

Wander the Italian Market

Even if you don’t buy a thing, the Italian Market is worth walking through. It’s the oldest continuously operating outdoor market in the country, and there’s always something to see. Produce spills onto the sidewalks, butchers hang signs advertising the day’s specials, and you’ll hear half a dozen different languages as you stroll from block to block.

I always tell myself I’m “just looking.” I almost never leave empty-handed.

Look for Murals and Street Art

Philadelphia is known as the Mural Capital of the World, and South Philly has some incredible examples. You don’t need a map (though many are available online) just wander a few side streets off Passyunk Avenue or around the Italian Market and you’ll stumble across colorful murals tucked between rowhomes and businesses.

Spend an Afternoon at FDR Park

FDR Park is one of those places that’s easy to overlook if you’re only coming to South Philly for cheesesteaks.

The park has walking paths, lakes, playgrounds, open green space, and plenty of room for a picnic. During different times of the year you’ll also find festivals, markets, sporting events, and seasonal activities.

If you need a break from the crowds, this is a great place to recharge.

Walk the Navy Yard

Most people think of the Navy Yard as an office complex, but it’s also a surprisingly nice place to walk.

There are wide sidewalks, public art, historic naval buildings, and waterfront views. It’s especially peaceful on weekends when many of the office buildings are quiet.

Window Shop Along East Passyunk Avenue

Even if shopping isn’t in the budget, East Passyunk Avenue is fun to explore.

There are independent bookstores, bakeries, boutiques, coffee shops, and little specialty stores that you won’t find at your local mall. I usually end up ducking into a few stores just to browse, and somehow still leave carrying something I didn’t know I needed.

Check Out the Christmas Lights

If you’re visiting during the holidays, South Philly goes all out.

Many of the rowhomes decorate with elaborate Christmas lights and displays, and neighborhoods like East Passyunk host holiday events, tree lightings, and festive shopping nights. An evening walk with a hot chocolate is one of my favorite winter traditions.

Just walk, seriously.

One of the best things about South Philly is that there’s no perfect itinerary. Walk down a street that looks interesting. Pop into a bakery because something smells amazing. Peek inside a tiny market you’ve never heard of. Stop to admire a mural.

Some of my favorite South Philly discoveries happened because we had nowhere particular to be. One of my very favorite trips ever was when my younger son was first driving, and I had him drive in and parallel park to learn. Our only goal that day was to learn city driving, narrow streets, parallel parking, all that. We didn’t have anywhere to be so we just wandered.

Parking Tips from Someone Who Learned the Hard Way

Street parking is definitely possible, I usually find a spot, and years of parallel parking practice have finally paid off.

That said…don’t get too confident.

The Philadelphia Parking Authority (PPA) once towed my car. Not ticketed, towed. I swear there was no “no parking” sign anywhere. My younger son and I were out exploring, came out and, poof! It was gone.

I will say, it was a good life lesson for him. I calmly found a PPA officer, who radio’ed in and told me where my car was. Went out to a main street, hailed a cab and had it take us to the PPA lot in south Philly. It really was just like the TV show “parking wars.” Yes, I could have used a rideshare app but I don’t have any on my phone because I’m old and hailing a cab was way easier.

Pro Tip: Do not move anyone’s “savesies chair” if there is a chair saving a parking spot. Just don’t, trust me.

South Philly: Where to Stay Away From

This is probably the question I get asked most often. “You drive down there by yourself? Isn’t South Philly dangerous?”

Like any major city, Philadelphia has neighborhoods with higher crime rates, and it’s smart to be aware of your surroundings wherever you go. But South Philly isn’t one neighborhood, it’s dozens of different neighborhoods, each with its own personality.

I’ve been visiting South Philly for years. I shop there regularly, wander the Italian Market, meet friends for lunch, and spend way too much money on cheese and fresh pasta. I’ve never avoided going because I felt unsafe.

Use the same common sense you would anywhere else: keep valuables out of sight, pay attention to your surroundings, and if a street doesn’t feel right, head to a busier one.

Sometimes I wonder if people ask because it’s Philadelphia and not a suburb. Every city has neighborhoods with different challenges, and Philadelphia is no different. I don’t think it’s helpful—or fair—to paint all of South Philly with the same brush.

Now that we’ve gotten that out of the way, let’s get to the fun part: all the reasons I keep coming back.

Best Things to Do in South Philly

Eat a Taco for Breakfast: South Philly Barbacoa-It’s one of Philly’s most popular restaurants. I’ve never driven past and not seen a long line that wraps around the block. They open at 5 am and sell until they are sold out. Go early.

GPS Address for South Philly Barbacoa: 1140 S 9th S, Philadelphia, PA 19147

Eat a South Philly Cheesesteak: Be a tourist. Who cares? Philadelphians will tell you that a) most Philly folks don’t eat at Pat’s or Gino’s and b) real Philadelphians eat roast pork sandwiches, not cheesesteaks. (If you do want pork, head down to John’s on Snyder Avenue, but it’s too far to walk from here)

For what it’s worth, I don’t see a roast pork sandwich and a cheesesteak as even being in the same genre. Yes, both are hot sandwiches that someone would eat for lunch or dinner. But when I want a cheesesteak, I want a cheesesteak. And when I’m in the mood for roast pork well, that’s just different. (my rec for that is Dinic’s in center city at Reading Terminal Market)

Eat what you want. Want a cheesesteak? Eat a cheesesteak! At 9th and Passyunk is where you’ll find the two opposing, battling cheesesteak places. I prefer Pat’s. I believe both are open 24 hours. I do recommend going after an Eagles win, but not after a defeat. You will find some grumpy people for sure.

I do not recommend going late at night. That has less to do with the neighborhood and more to do with the after-bar crowd being there. Things have happened, and I’ll just leave it at that. People have a few drinks, and then it’s all “hey let’s go to 9th and Passyunk” and it’s just not always a good scene.

Run like Rocky: The original Rocky was filmed here, in case you didn’t know. The Italian Market looks much the same as it did in the movie. I wouldn’t recommend running nor punching meat, but it’s a cool place to visit. I’m highlighting some of the shops and foods later on in this article.

Definitely wander in and out of the shops.

GPS Address for Italian Market: 919 S 9th St, Philadelphia, PA 19147

Take the Termini Bakery Tour: As you can see, much of south Philadelphia centers around south 9th street. But mosey on over to south 8th street to Termini Brothers. Legendary! Get a cannoli.

Make plans to take the tour and see how they prepare pastries today–the same way for 100 years. We made reservations online, but I can’t remember if they are required or not.

We now order all of our holiday desserts from Termini. It’s so good!

They also own the little shop across the street which used to be a restaurant (and it was sooo good!). But now it’s a coffee and pastry shop and I have not tried it.

Termini Brothers Bakery-1523 S. 8th Street. Philadelphia, PA 19147. (215) 334-1816

Eat on South 9th Street: On one block of south 9th, you’ll find DiBruno’s, Talluto’s, Cardena’s, and Claudio’s and more. Both Claudio’s and DiBruno’s are historic, legendary cheese shops. Locals will tell you that Claudio’s is better and that DiBruno’s has gone too corporate and too commercial.

DiBruno’s used to also be known for their support for a certain political figure that many people do not like, but I believe they have since rescinded their support for him. Claudio’s has a sign up threatening to shoot you if you steal. So there are reasons to shop both and reasons to avoid both. Just keep it all about the food.

I guess technically, they don’t say shoot. You get the idea.

My personal preferences: I like Claudio’s fresh mozzarella better than DiBruno’s. I also like their pepperoni and meats more than DiBruno’s. But if I’m getting burrata, I prefer Talluto’s but they don’t always have it.

For DiBruno’s, I like their L’Amuse gouda, black lava cashews, cocoa pecans and it is the best place if you need some help putting together a charcuterie board. Or even just cheese and crackers for a football game–it will be the best damned cheese and crackers you’ve ever had.

During the pandemic, I got introduced to and hooked on DiBruno’s catering. Now, we do all our holidays with them. We have such a small family that it doesn’t make sense to do all that cooking when DiBruno’s does it better.

Go to Cardena’s (next door to Talluto’s) and get olive oil and balsamic vinegar. A big bottle of each will set you back about $50. We only use it for dipping and eating, not cooking.

At Talluto’s, you must get some fresh cut pasta (cut to order!) and their burrata. Burrata is not always available. Hopefully it is the day you’re there. Get some crackers or bread to go with it at DiBruno’s. I take home several pounds of fresh cut pasta (it freezes), their ravioli and their red sauce. We’re spoiled and now my husband turns his nose up at grocery store pasta.

One of my favorites: Get a pound of fresh cut pappardelle at Talluto’s. Cook as directed. Toss with Sardenas olive oil and the romano from Talluto’s with some fresh ground pepper. I could seriously eat that every day.

Sarcones–go up the block to Sarcones and get your bread to dip in sauce or olive oil. Some locals refer to red sauce as gravy. Either way, bread from Sarcones and gravy from Talluto’s is a meal.

Ok, one last tip. Next to DiBruno’s is a bar. It’s called Villa de Roma their entry way kind of juts out onto 9th street. Go in there, go to the back. There’s a cooler with red sauce and the best damn meatball you will ever put in your mouth. And they have a disabled family member who helps to make it. She’s usually sitting at the bar cutting parsley.

Visit the Mummer Museum: Ok, we’ve basically eaten our way up and down 9th street. Now what? Strut at the Mummer Museum. The Mummer Museum is free to enter but they take donations. Read the history of the Mummers before you go, otherwise it will make zero sense if you’re not local.

Great opportunity to have race discussions too, as they do have some unfortunate history that needs to be examined. Check hours before you go.

Get a Wooder Ice at John’s on Christian Street: We only eat Rita’s because sometimes it just doesn’t make sense to drive an hour to get a water ice. But, when in Rome…or south Philly…. Get a water ice, or wooder ice as we say here. And seriously, you’ll never want a Rita’s again.

They are not open year-round, warmer months only. Cash only. Check before you go. And the mac machine out front never works. I’m not sure why it’s there.

Fun Fact: John’s is in the 700 block of Christian Street. Chubby Checker is from the 500 block.

GPS address for John’s: 701 Christian St, Philadelphia, PA 19147

South Philadelphia and Accessibility

I have to call it like I see it: South Philly still has a ways to go when it comes to accessibility.

Many of the shops, restaurants, and markets have been around for generations. That’s part of their charm. But it also means you’ll run into narrow aisles, a step or two at the entrance, heavy manual doors, and older buildings that weren’t designed with wheelchair access in mind.

We’ve definitely had moments where Kevin could not enter easily, if at all. That said, I’ve also been pleasantly surprised by the people.

More than once, shop owners or employees have come outside to help me, waited on me from the sidewalk, or brought out a portable ramp so he could come inside. No, that isn’t a substitute for true accessibility, but I’ve found that most people genuinely want to help if they can.

If accessibility is important for your visit, I recommend calling ahead if there’s a particular shop or restaurant you don’t want to miss. Many places are happy to answer questions about entrances, seating, or parking before you make the trip.

See the Iggles

We love our Philadelphia Eagles. The owner, Jeffrey Lurie, has a brother with autism and makes that the focus of the team’s philanthropy.

Several times a year they have fun events at the stadium and families like ours get to see things that the public doesn’t always get to see (like the locker rooms and Lombardi trophy). I wouldn’t go there on a game day without a ticket, but follow them so that you know about the disability-related events. Plus the store is open almost every day and has a great assortment.

So I’ll end this with….GO BIRDS.

Editing to add: A few folks emailed me with “I can’t believe you didn’t include the Miracle on South 13th Street!”

You’re right, I didn’t, and I originally didn’t because it is a seasonal event. And while I have been there, my pictures didn’t turn out so great. But there you go, there’s the information if you want it.