^yes, chinatown is fun for the bakeries, shops, and a cheap meal

It's so close that it's a little weird to detour some place "on the way."

I recommend Honey's Sit n Eat or Sabrina's Cafe for breakfast.

Capogiro for gelato... the best I've had on the east coast

Chinatown is fun to walk around and pop into shops. Stop at a bakery for some buns and bubble tea, eat at a restaurant. It's right next to Reading Terminal Market, so might as well hit both back to back.

Not exactly on the way but Winterthur and Longwood Gardens.
Baltimore's inner harbor is on the way.

Interesting places to stop along the way from the DC area to Philly? How about unique lodging options?

Anonymous wrote:Any suggestions for a weekend trip with my 12-year-old history-loving son? Friends have suggested National Constitution Center and Independence Mall sights. Liberty Bell and Betsy Ross House are high on our list). I also want to do some pop culture stuff, like Rocky Steps at Art Museum. (Love Sculpture was recently taken down for renovation and won't be back up until the summer.)

I don't want to hijack OP's thread, but also don't think it makes sense to have 2 threads on Philly with a few days of each other!

Constitution Center
Seaport Museum
National Museum of American Jewish History (great museum whether you're Jewish or not, lots of pop culture)
Eastern State Penitentary tour
Franklin Institute

If ok with grossout factor:
Mutter Museum

If into art:
The Barnes Museum
Rodin Museum
Philadelphia Museum of Art (especially the armor collection)

Penn Museum and Liberty Bell. Other than that, I've got nothing. You can really see everything there is to see there in four hours.

Any suggestions for a weekend trip with my 12-year-old history-loving son? Friends have suggested National Constitution Center and Independence Mall sights. Liberty Bell and Betsy Ross House are high on our list). I also want to do some pop culture stuff, like Rocky Steps at Art Museum. (Love Sculpture was recently taken down for renovation and won't be back up until the summer.)

I don't want to hijack OP's thread, but also don't think it makes sense to have 2 threads on Philly with a few days of each other!

Academy of Natural Sciences, camden Aquarium, riverwalk, olde towne has a cool old fashioned ice cream shop called The Franklin Fountain: http://www.franklinfountain.com/

Old town by the liberty bell is very walkable and the blue libe is easy to navigate.

Art museum is cool too and free for under 12.

Anonymous wrote:Reading Terminal Market? Why? The other suggestions here are ok.

I disagree with this poster - Reading Terminal Market is great. My kids especially love to sit at the counter and have pancakes at the Amish market and, as the sign says, "Start your day the Amish way!"

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We loved, loved, loved Please Touch, but it might be a bit "young" for your older one.

I agree that your younger one is the perfect age for the Please Touch Museum (and it is wonderful), but the older one might be a bit bored. I'd recommend doing an hour or so at Please Touch for the younger child then over to the Academy of Natural Sciences. It is like the AMNH in NYC but much smaller/less expensive/more manageable. The fountain in Logan Circle is fun too for that age, which is right outside the museum door. The Franklin Institute is right next door if you decide to do both.

Depending on how warm it will be when you are there, Franklin Square is fun and has a carousel and mini golf course and lots of young kids that age.

NP: These are good suggestions. if you go to Franklin Square (fun in nice weather, and there's a playground and hamburger shack there too), you might want to tack on the Fireman's Hall Museum if your kids are into firefighters. It's not big, but my boys liked it. Independence Seaport Museum is another option in the same area, also good for those ages. Also, check out the U.S. Mint. It's right there and free to tour. It's open on weekdays for most of the year (maybe Saturdays in summer?). It doesn't take long to go through and you can watch coins being made.

Smith Playground, in Fairmount Park, is a lot of fun in good weather. You'd need a car (or taxi) to get there. Check the hours before you go because it's not open on Mondays (I think). It has a famous old-fashioned wooden slide you go down on a burlap sack. There's also lots of unusual modern playground equipment.

Reading Terminal Market? Why? The other suggestions here are ok.

Anonymous wrote:We loved, loved, loved Please Touch, but it might be a bit "young" for your older one.

I agree that your younger one is the perfect age for the Please Touch Museum (and it is wonderful), but the older one might be a bit bored. I'd recommend doing an hour or so at Please Touch for the younger child then over to the Academy of Natural Sciences. It is like the AMNH in NYC but much smaller/less expensive/more manageable. The fountain in Logan Circle is fun too for that age, which is right outside the museum door. The Franklin Institute is right next door if you decide to do both.

Depending on how warm it will be when you are there, Franklin Square is fun and has a carousel and mini golf course and lots of young kids that age.

We loved, loved, loved Please Touch, but it might be a bit "young" for your older one.

My then 8 year old LOVED the Franklin Institute. We spent an entire day and it wasn't enough. FABULOUS!

We're doing a 2 night trip to Philadelphia with our 7 and 4 year old boys. Anyone have favorite things to do with that age?

We'll definitely do Reading Terminal Market and the liberty bell.

What about museums? I see both the Franklin Institute and the Please Touch Museum which both look great but similar. Any preferences?

I'd love other suggestions as well!