The last weekend in April is the perfect time to visit the Fairmount Park Houses in Philadelphia. Flowers and trees are blooming, everyone is getting over cabin fever from the winter months – and today Otto got a new bicycle. All the park buildings were open for business and the baseball fields were busy with little league games and soccer matches.
My itinerary started on the west side of the Schuylkill River in the morning. Using my new Map of the Fairmount Park Houses, and the Maps app on my iPhone, it was easy to navigate the twisting park roads and see the historic houses from the car or on foot. There are some gates on the road in the neighborhood of Shofuso Japanese House that are locked when the park is closed. I caught up with my high school friend Tom and his son Otto on the east side of the river in the afternoon to see the rest of the houses. He lives in the city and has an insiders view on how the park is used by the public.
Self-guided tour
Today’s tour began at Cedar Grove ⑧ in the southern corner of West Fairmount Park ((numbers from the Map of the Fairmount Park Houses)), not far from the historic gateway at the north end of the Philadelphia Zoo ⑪. The farmhouse is being renovated, so I parked the car and looked through the fence on both sides. Lilac bushes and dogwood trees are blooming this time of year. The surekill distressway emits a constant drone at the edge of the embankment behind the building. Back in the car to follow the one-way Cedar Grove Drive around the glen to the field of dogwoods on the cul-de-sac at Sweetbriar Mansion ⑨, operated as a house museum by the The Modern Club.
Monuments and sculptures on the formal parade grounds nearby mark the beginning of the Centennial Exhibition District. Lansdowne Drive travels behind Memorial Hall ⑦, operated by the Please Touch Museum, and around the restaurant in Ohio House ④. Take a right and over the bridge for a quick look into Shofuso House & Gardens ⑥, Sakura Pavilion and the greenhouses at the Horticulture Center ⑤.
The road turns into Belmont Drive for the uphill climb to the Underground Railroad Museum at Belmont Mansion ③, with the best view of the park and Philadelphia in the distance. Turn right onto Chamounix Drive and find the driveway to the Cancer Support Community at Ridgeland ②. It was no problem to park and walk around to take pictures outside. Continue on the former “Chamounix Speedway” past the tennis courts, the Work-to-Ride Stables and arrive at C
After grabbing a sandwich at Whole Foods behind the new Barnes Museum, Tom and Otto met me at the top of Lemon Hill ㉔ to eat lunch on the grass looking southeast over the city – much the same as the view from the top of Belmont plateau.
A quick game of Frisbee, and we took the car around East Fairmount Park, past Sedgeley Porter’s House ㉓ and Hatfield House ㉒. Mount Pleasant Drive loops around the sports fields at Mount Pleasant Manor ⑲ and Rockland ⑱. Continue onto Reservoir Drive to see Ormiston Mansion ⑰. Turn left on Randolph Drive around Edgely Fields to Laurel Hill ⑯ which was closed for an event. Continue onto W. Dauphin Drive, then turn left onto Greenland Drive which leads to Woodford ⑮ and Strawberry Mansi
There was one thing that struck me the most after touring from one end of Chamounix Drive all the way to the expansive view of the city from the summit of Lemon Hill. There are acres and acres of empty fields and wild forests in the park that are completely undeveloped and unused. It’s also surprising to see that some of the real estate bordering the park is also baren and undeveloped. Graffiti covered walls and burnt-out buildings have beautiful park views.
Kelly Drive and East Fairmount Park get packed with tourists on the weekends during charity walks or scull races on the Schuylkill. But look across the river during the event and there’s not a single person on the opposite bank. That’s part of the insiders view of the city. Geographically, the east side of the park is close to the residential neighborhoods in The Liberties and Center City to the south. The west side is dominated by the expressway and the train tracks.
We took Kelly Drive to get around the 26-acre Laurel Hill Cemetery and stopped for a beer and pizza at In Riva restaurant (near the award-winning Rt. 1 highway overpass) ((In Riva, 4116 Ridge Avenue overlooking Kelly Drive and the river)) at the end of a great day, and Otto got to ride his new bike around Mount Pleasant. Fairmount Park at it’s best.
LOVE Your Park week is May 11 – 18th, 2013 Fairmount Park Conservatory
UPDATE: Food and bike rentals at the Trolley Car Cafe at the restored Bathey House across the street.