Philadelphia makes it possible to discover the city from home

As traveling and discovering new places has been limited these days, curious travelers are finding new ways to connect with each other while being apart. As the only U.S. city on National Geographic’s list of 25 Best Trips to Take in 2020 Philadelphia is a sought-after destination for international travelers.

The Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau has curated a list of popular attractions, musical performances, recipes and other authentic experiences that help prospective travelers find ways to connect from afar and prepare for a future visit when the time is right.

VIRTUAL TOURS
Many local institutions in Philadelphia offer online tours and tools to spotlight key parts of the experience.
The Museum of the American Revolution in Old City has a robust online tour, which navigates throughout the museum’s immersive galleries and incredible replicas via 360-degree, high-resolution images. A virtual tour of Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens — one of the city’s must-see attractions by mosaic artist Isaiah Zagar — is available online as well.

Another Philadelphia must-see is the impressive Barnes Foundation, which allows virtual visitors to navigate its great collections of impressionist, post-impressionist, and early modernist paintings based on visual relationships, such as lines, light, and space. Mural Arts is also sharing highlights on different murals throughout the city, while the Eastern State Penitentiary – once the world’s most famous and most expensive prison – offers an online tour that highlights several cell blocks, the baseball field, and other locations throughout the historic site.

TUNE IN
Whether it’s for a workout routine or just lounging around the house, be sure to round out your playlist with music by some of the most iconic performers from the Philadelphia region. Will Smith, The Roots, and Boyz II Men are some of the city’s essential hip-hop artists, whereas R&B and soul is represented by artists such as John Legend. Jazz fans can find solace in John Coltrane albums, while rock and roll fans can jam out to music by Hall & Oates, The War on Drugs, or Kurt Vile. There are also punk and alt-rock artists such as The Wonder Years, Modern Baseball, and The Menzingers. You can listen to these artists and more via the custom “Philadelphia From Home” Spotify playlist.

If you enjoy classical music, the Philadelphia Orchestra is also represented on Spotify, and it’s even possible to view a recent performance of Beethoven Symphonies Nos. 5 and 6 at Verizon Hall online. Additionally, Opera Philadelphia provides an on-demand audio recording of a 2016 performance of Breaking the Waves on their website. And for families with kids, the Philadelphia Zoo streams via Facebook Live at 2 p.m. (GMT-4) on weekdays, sharing videos of some of its many zoo animals.

Additionally, Opera Philadelphia provides an on-demand audio recording of a 2016 performance of Breaking the Waves on their website, and is bringing their award-winning O Festival to the masses starting May 1 via Digital Festival O, which will include five operas available to stream online.

STAY CONNECTED
One way to stay connected in real time is to follow the PHLCVB on social (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter) Local museums and attractions are sharing content via the hashtags #VisitFromHome and #PhillyFromHome, providing various ways to engage with the city’s attractions remotely. For those that are daydreaming about their next trip, the PHLCVB continuously shares inspirational images of the destination.

Philadelphia’s home state of Pennsylvania also joins forces of social distancing by offering guests and locals to get together from apart. In a campaign by the Pennsylvania State Tourism named, Pursue Your Hominess the state’s artists, horticulturists, chefs, re-enactors, outdoorsmen, and musicians welcomes guests into their homes for a virtual visit. Join a tour through a tulip garden in full bloom, sit around a virtual campfire, tie a fly with some of Pennsylvania’s finest trout fisherman, or listen to professional musicians play from their homes.

For more inspiration on how to discover Philadelphia from home and as inspiration for an eventual visit, go to the Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau blog.