The Ultimate Outdoors Cheat Sheet for Summer in Philadelphia
Photo via Flickr
Summer is in full swing and, lucky for us, it seems the weather gods have blessed us with some pretty mild temperatures, easy on the triple-digit heat waves and heavy on the cooling rain. Meaning? Less time spent standing directly in front of the closest air conditioner and more time spent outdoors. Hallelujah!
But if you’ve been at a loss for what to actually do once you step outside — you know, aside from running to the closest beer garden — no worries: We’ve put together the ultimate cheat sheet for you to refer to. Below, you’ll find everything from where to camp to where to run to where to people watch. Print it out, paste it on your fridge, and squeeze the most out of your summer spent outdoors.
We got the scoop from local camping pros on the best places to pitch a tent around Philly. Here, their top five picks for a weekend getaway.
WHERE TO FIND THE BEST PRODUCE
Why do your weekly shopping in an over air-conditioned grocery store when you can head to an outdoor farmers’ market (some, like Greensgrow, complete with pigs and chickens, too)? Yeah, there is no reason. Here, where to find farmers’ markets in Philly, the ‘burbs and New Jersey.
There is nothing better than getting your downward dog on in the sunshine and ending class with a few minutes of Savasana spent starting up at the clouds. So soak it up while you can!
It’s no longer 18 degrees and your running routine isn’t confined to three-mile out-and-back runs anymore. Take advantage of the weather and head to one (or all!) of these 15 sweet trails around the region.
If you plan on taking your running shoes to the sandy shores this summer, here are the best routes to try (complete with maps!).
For when your only plans for the day are to sit back and relax with a cup o’ joe: These are the best spots to people watch (and eavesdrop) around Philly.
If you’ve yet to try your hand at downward dogging on a stand-up paddleboard, you’re going to want to cross that off your bucket list this summer. Here’s how to do it on the Delaware River.
WHERE TO FIND A WALKING BUDDY FOR SUMMER STROLLS
If you love to take long walks around Philly (who doesn’t?), and you’re looking for someone to take ’em with you, head on over to PHL Distance Walkers, a Facebook community for, well, people who like to take long walks in Philly. They host tons of group events, and you’re sure to find a new walking buddy.
WHERE TO FIND TRAILS YOU’VE NEVER HIKED BEFORE
Did you know you can hike the Wawa Preserve? Cool, right? Here’s how to find out about all the trails you never knew existed around the city.
Whether you’re packing a picnic for a lazy day in Penn Treaty Park or to keep you going on your hike through the Wissahickon, these recipes — which won’t get soggy on you and taste perfectly delicious at room temperature — are sure to come in handy.
WHERE TO FIND A BIKE ON THE FLY
If you’re looking to explore the city but don’t have a set of wheels, here’s where you can find every single Indego bike share station around the city.
WHERE TO FIND CARLESS DIRECTIONS
If you want to get the most out of the outdoors but aren’t quite sure how to get around the city without a car, fear not: This super-useful new online mapping tool will help you to find awesome places to go around Philly and give you multimodal directions for how to get there walking, using public transportation and biking. Great outdoors, here you come.
Get out of the gym already! We got Philly personal trainer Gina Mancuso to dish on the best places to do stairs workout around Philly, and trust us, the views from these spots totally beat the view from any StairMaster machine.
Here, five gorgeous spots to take a dip, whether you prefer tubing or tuck-jumping off a diving board.
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