City Series - Pitstops for Kids

Where to eat with kids in Philly

August 18, 2014 By Amy Hagstrom

Philadelphia is a lively, exciting city with a vibrant night life and food scene. Sometimes, a foodie city doesn’t translate to good eating with kids, but Philly is the exception. The fun, flavorful, and sometimes funky eateries adults rave about in the city are often kid-friendly, too. Here’s where we like to eat with kids in Philly.

City Tavern:

This historical tavern serves food from the colonial period, using, in some cases Benjamin Franklin’s own recipes. During the late 18th century, City Tavern was at the heart of the American revolution, playing host to many political talks and news. Now, the wait staff sports Colonial garb, and the food’s still excellent. The bill will be high for this tourist favorite, but it’s well-worth budgeting for a meal here. Our favorites: the pot pie, corn chowder, and raspberry shrub (infused soda water drink).
Location: City Tavern is located at 138 S. 2nd St., within walking distance of all Old City hotels..

Mrs. K’s Koffee Cup:

We loved Mrs. K’s Koffee Cup for its no-frills air, rock-bottom prices, and fun diner atmosphere. We felt very ‘in the know’ sitting next to business men and women grabbing a bagel before work. All seating here is at the counter, and we didn’t pay more than $6 per meal at breakfast. Mrs. K’s was a short walk from our hotel, so it quickly became our go-to breakfast spot. We liked the simple egg and hash brown breakfasts, omelets, and French toast. The wait staff is friendly and fast, and the ambiance is high-energy.
Location: Mrs. K’s is located at 325 Chestnut, right down from the Omni Hotel and Hotel Monaco.

Jones:

Jones Restaurant is a well-known establishment at the heart of the historic center. While this restaurant specializes in omelets and brunch dishes, it’s not just for the morning hours. We ordered omelets for dinner, and enjoyed the chance for eggs and tater tots (which come with every egg dish) very much. Jones also serves pot pies, burgers, and sandwiches, as well as specialty dishes. The menu prices are a bit hefty, but this restaurant is a solid hit. Note: we ordered take out at Jones, and it took an unusually long time. After waiting 45 minutes, the restaurant manager gave us our meal free of charge. I am still happy to give Jones a good review for two reasons: the manager was quick to do what she could to correct the mistake, and I asked around: this restaurant gets consistently good reviews. I think we just hit it at the wrong time.
Location: Jones is located at 700 Chestnut Street.

The Franklin Fountain:

Ready for an old-fashioned ice cream experience? Franklin Fountain features ‘soda jerks’ instead of cashiers and counter service ice cream scoopers, and a full menu that includes egg creams, phosphates, and a dizzying array of ice cream flavors, sundaes, shakes, and malts. Be prepared for a line out the door on weekend evenings, and bring cash: Franklin’s doesn’t take cards or checks. We loved the Franklin Lemonade (a mixture of sherbet, fruit, and soda water) and the honeycomb ice cream.
Location: Franklin Fountain is located near Penn’s Landing at 116 Market Street.

Shane Confectionary:

Located a few doors down from The Franklin Fountain, Shane Confectionary is even more sweetly old-fashioned (pun intended). Selling old-school candies such as licorice, gum drops, and even—gasp—bubble gum cigarettes, Shane’s also offers fudge, chocolates, and salt-water taffy. Entering the store, the eye is dazed by all the glassware, bottles, and pretty paper packaging; plan on plenty of time to decide what you want. We love that they weigh and sell Shane’s candy in little paper cones just like in the old days.
Location: Shane’s is at 110 Market Street.

Reading Market:

Located approximately 8 blocks from the historic part of town off 11th, the Reading Market is absolutely worth the detour. Go for breakfast to grab local, homemade donuts, pastries, egg dishes, or pancakes for under $10, or pick out a fruit salad and freshly squeezed juice. Half the fun is walking through the stalls of this massive indoor farmer’s market, which also features herbs, meats, handmade goods, and other wares. The market is open until 4 pm daily, so it’s best for breakfast or lunch. The walk to this part of town is pretty, and it’s an easy jaunt back to historic sites along Market Street.

Want itinerary advice for a two-day Philly trip? Start with our post on historical sites for kids in Philly!

What about the cheese steaks? We ate famous Philly cheese steaks at several downtown and Old Town food trucks, and didn’t fall in love with any of them. Feel free to enlighten us as to the best cheese steak in the city in the comments.

Philly with kids: how to plan for a two-day historical itinerary

August 15, 2014 By Amy Hagstrom

Philadelphia has so much history in their many museums, exhibits, and attractions, families could easily be here 3-4 days. We only had two, so we had to make some tough decisions. We did manage to tour all the following Old City attractions in Philadelphia over the course of a day and a half, plus visited the Philadelphia Museum of Art and enjoyed some good eats

Independence Hall:

There’s no cost to tour Independence Hall, the site of the meeting of the first congregational congress and signing of the Declaration of Independence. You do, however, need to reserved timed tickets for entry. This can be done day-of at the Visitor’s Center one block away, but on busy summer days, we highly recommend doing this ahead of time online (there’s a small service fee of $1.50 per ticket). Arrive at the hall 30 minutes before your tour time to go through security (you can bring bags in) and then queue up in the back courtyard. The tour is only 30 minutes long, but is fantastic: our National Park guide kept all the kids’ attention and conveyed her obvious passion for history with all the adults. The whole process will take an hour. Tip: Remember, many sites, such as Independence Hall, are run by the National Parks service. Kids can earn Junior Ranger badges here. Get a booklet at the Visitor’s Center.

Visitor’s Center and Liberty Bell:

I’m lumping these two attractions together because of their proximity to each other. Start at the Liberty Bell first thing in the morning, as the line does get crazy long, crazy fast. Tip: if you just can’t wait in the line, there is a glass window at the very front where people can glance in at the bell (and you’re not cutting in front of anyone). What you miss: the exhibits explaining the significance of the bell that unfold as the line continues). Head to the Visitor’s Center next and see one of two 20-30 minute movies continuously running in the theater. This is the time to grab those Junior Ranger booklets. There is no cost for either attraction.

Betsy Ross House:

We really enjoyed touring Betsy Ross’ house. Before the self-guided tour through her little home, I had no idea what her life had been like, other than the fact that she sewed the first flag. The tour gives you a great overview of what life was like for average citizens in the late 18th century, but also gives more details of Betsy’s life. Tickets are $5 for adults and $4 for kids, and there’s an audio tour option. Definitely worth the cost of admission.

Christ Church and church graveyard:

Christ Church is stunning, and there’s a particular wow factor to sitting in George Washington’s pew. This is a living, working church (with a congregation today) so entry is free, and docents are on-hand to point out where Betsy Ross sat, Washington sat, and more. The church graveyard is located a few blocks away, and costs $2 to get in. Inside, most of the signers of the Declaration of Independence are buried here, including Ben Franklin. It’s possible to see Franklin’s grave from outside the gates through an opening in the fence, if you don’t want to go all the way in. We really enjoyed touring through the old gravestones.

Elfreth’s Alley:

Near Christ Church is Elfeth’s Alley, the oldest neighborhood in the US that has been continuously occupied by residents. Walking down the narrow alley is free, but remember that people live here…it’s not ok to look in windows, etc. A small museum is open part-time. Be sure to walk all the way down and turn left though another small alley to the end: there’s an interesting board that tells about the residents from the 18th century.

National Constitution Center:

The National Constitution Center is a larger museum on Arch Street and houses the Museum of We the People, plus America’s Town Hall and many civic exhibits. Kids can vote in a voter’s booth, see a replica of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, take the oath of office as President of the US, and learn about the Constitution. There’s a lot of reading in here, so we recommend skipping it if your kids are all under age five. Definitely start with the multi-media theater production; it’s fantastic.

Franklin Court:

This small court behind the row of Market Street buildings Franklin once owned features the Franklin Museum and the site of Franklin’s house. The house has long since been torn down, so a metal frame has been erected in its place, marking where it once stood. Exhibits talk about the house and show original bricks and the original basement. We didn’t get a chance to see the main museum; tickets had been sold out for the day. Hit this spot by at least lunchtime and you should be ok. The courtyard is quiet and cool, which is another plus.

Franklin Square:

Not to be confused with Franklin Court, Franklin Square is located at the end of the Old City district and features a working carousel, playground, and miniature golf course. The golf course’s features are all replicas of Philly historical landmarks. Play a game for about $25 for a family of four. This area is nice for a break from historical touring, but would be the first thing we omitted from the itinerary if time were an issue.

Philly Duck Tours:

A fun way to get an overview of any city is through a Duck Tour with Ride the Ducks! We take advantage of these in any city in which it’s offered: the amphibious ‘duck’ vehicle is operated by a funny, entertaining tour guide and takes guests over the land and water of Philly. The tour is 90 minutes, and by the end, adults are oriented to the city and kids have a grasp on what they’ll be seeing later that day. We book our Duck Tour for morning of our first day.

Where to find all the above attractions: Maps are available at the Visitor’s Center. Definitely pick one up. All the above attractions are within walking distance of each other.

What you need to know about touring Philly with kids

Philly trip with kids: Philadelphia Museum of Art

August 13, 2014 By Amy Hagstrom

Philadelphia surprised us with one of the best art museums in the country. The Philadelphia Museum of Art building itself is impressive: located in Fairmont Park (not downtown), the historic building towers over the adjacent Spring Garden neighborhood. While planning a Philly trip with kids, families will want to start out by running up the imposing museum steps a la Rocky (the movie was filmed here). I hear many visitors come only for this, which is ridiculous: the museum houses over 2,000 years of art ranging from sculpture and photography to painting and tapestry.

We started on the 1st floor to hit the biggies before the kids faded: here, you’ll find van Gogh’s Sunflowers and several works by Picasso in the European Art galleries. In the American Art gallery, Winslow Homer is the biggest draw (no pun intended!) but we ended up spending a great deal of time here looking at the various contemporary art pieces and 20th century art. We found this section of the museum to be particularly kid-friendly.

Save the upstairs for after you’ve seen what you want to see as a parent, because once kids get into the Arms and Armor wing, you may never leave. Honestly, I was fascinated, too. This impressive gallery features full knight armor, knights on horseback, armor from just about every period, and weaponry of all kinds. Our kids played a game of picking out what they’d want for battle during various periods of European and Asian history (a made-up game of their own), which took the better part of an hour. When you finally pull the kids away, the Asian Art wing waits, and an impressive section of early European Art featuring full rooms from various periods (we liked the English drawing room).

Date last visited:

June 2014

Distance from the interstate:

A few seconds from I-95.

Admission:

Tickets are $20 for adults, $14 for youth (13-17) and free for kids 12 and under.

Dining:

There is a museum cafe, located at the bottom level, as well as Granite Hill, a critically-acclaimed restaurant. Outside the museum, Fairmont Park offers space for picnics, and food trucks are often in the vicinity (though at the time of our visit, we only saw ice cream trucks).

Hours of operation:

Open Tuesday through Sunday 10 am to 5 pm. Late hours Wednesday and Friday nights (until 8:45 pm, with ‘pay what you wish’ starting after 5 pm).

Directions:

The museum is located at 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

As I disclose whenever applicable, our visit to the museum was complimentary, for the purpose of review. Without complimentary entry, we wouldn’t be able to bring as many reviews to Pit Stops for Kids.

Coast Plaza Hotel and Conference Centre Calgary

July 7, 2014 By Amy Hagstrom

There’s so much to do with kids in Calgary, and you’ll need a great home base! The Coast Plaza Hotel in Calgary is located about 15 minutes from downtown (by car or light rail) and a great home base for families exploring the area. Adjacent to the Trans Canada Highway 1, this full-amenity hotel comes with free parking and plenty of space to spread out.

Coast Plaza Calgary review:

The lobby is scheduled for a remodel (as of summer 2014), but my kids didn’t care: they headed straight for the indoor pool and hot tub located downstairs next to the fitness centre. The pool area includes showers, lockers, and a sauna, and is light and airy with large windows. When we arrived in late afternoon, it was in need of a pick-up—used towels were scattered around, and the pool deck was very wet and slippery—but the actual pool and hot tub were very clean.

On the lobby level, the hotel’s restaurant, Horizons Bistro, is open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and offers a Sunday brunch well-known in Calgary. We were anxious to head out to explore Calgary, so opted for a buffet breakfast during our stay, which included everything we could ask for, with both hot and cold selections. We got out the door for under $45 each morning, with four people (two adults, two kids). We also enjoyed Horizons for dinner, but room service is also available.

The Coast Plaza houses a busy conference centre, so expect business events or private parties to be occurring around you! We stayed at the Coast Plaza as part of Coast Hotels Great Coast Road Trip, for which the kids and I drove the first leg!

Room amenities:

For our family of five, we opted for adjoining rooms—one double queen room and one king room—and loved having two bathrooms and more space. Each room comes with my favorite amenity: a mini fridge. Also standard: a coffee and tea service with Starbucks products and large flat screen TVs. I appreciated the large desk as a work space.

Complimentary WiFi is offered throughout the hotel and in rooms, and as mentioned, parking is free.

Rates:

At the time of our visit, rates started at $149 for a standard room. It’s worth noting that the hotel also offers Calgary Zoo packages and Calgary Stampede Packages.