Fairmount Park System in Philadelphia
Whenever you travel to one of the nation’s historic cities, such as Philadelphia, you may wish for two things — a wonderful park system, such as Fairmount Park and a wonderful room in which to stay . Cities can easily be overwhelming when you see nothing but tall buildings and concrete sidewalks and asphalt streets. In Philadelphia, five squares are devoted to providing a touch of nature to the city. Once known by points on the compass (such as Centre Square, Northeast Square, and Southwest Square), they were later renamed Penn Square, Franklin Square, Logan Square, Rittenhouse Square, and Washington Square. All of these squares are contained within the Fairmount Park system.
Fairmount happens to be one of the biggest and oldest of city run park systems in the country; it contains 9,200 acres and within it you’ll find over 63 regional and neighborhood parks.
The park system contains over eight museums, including the Academy of Natural Sciences, the Fairmount Water Works, the American Swedish Historical Museum, the Franklin Institute Science Museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Rodin Museum , the Please Touch Museum and the Ryerss Museum and Library.
It also contains a number of historic sites and buildings, such as the Strawberry Mansion, Wissahickon Hall, and the Ohio House. There are three centuries worth of architectural history within the park, and the Fairmount Park Commission is making efforts to maintain and manage these buildings. While many buildings have been preserved, more money and help is needed to continue these efforts and the Fairmount Park Commission is making an appeal, seeking out the support of the legislature and community groups to sustain their efforts.
Any visitor to Philadelphia could easily spend all his or her time inside the park system alone — especially considering the number of museums available — and have a terrific vacation in the city. Considering, too, that there are 36 great hotels to choose from, hotels which mirror the charm and atmosphere of the historic city, most visitors will truly find Philadelphia an excellent destination.
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