5 Reasons to Head out on an Urban Adventures Tour in Philadelphia

I recently took my teenage daughter on a short mother/daughter road trip, stopping in Philadelphia and New York City. Since I hadn’t been a tourist in Philadelphia for many years, I thought it would be fun to take a group tour of this historic city. I was searching for something that would give us an up close look at all the wonderful sites Philadelphia has offer, while keeping a teenager engaged.  After doing some quick research on the internet, I was able to book a “History in HD” tour with Urban Adventures.  Here are 5 reasons you should consider an Urban Adventure tour on your next trip to Philly.

1.   Large Variety of Tours to Choose From. Urban Adventures offers 8 very different tours in Philadelphia, ranging from the History in HD tour which we took, to others like the Italian Market Immersion and the Markets, Mosaics & Magic Tour.  Not all the tours run every day, so its good to book ahead of time if you are looking for one of the speciality tours. Along with a worldwide presence, Urban Adventures offers over 40 tours in cities around the U.S., including Los Angeles, DC, New York, Detroit and San Francisco.
 
2.   Engaging History Lessons. Our guide Josh was well versed in the significance of each of the spots we visited, but also told fun stories as we walked between locations. Some of the stops included Elfreth’s Alley, known as the oldest residential street in America, and Christ Church, where we listened to a brief mini tour while sitting in the pew once used by George Washington. Because our trip was short, we chose not to go back and wait in the long line to see the Liberty Bell up close. But as we walked towards Independence Hall and past the Liberty Bell Center, our guide showed us where to get an up close side view of the bell through the window. Other stops on the tour included the Betsy Ross House and Franklin Court. 

3.   Personalized Experience. We were fortunate that our group was small, with only 7 people. Our guide made a real effort to learn our names and a little about us, and worked hard to engage the entire group. He did a fabulous job keeping us entertained while adding a personal touch, and was always willing to answer questions. 

4.   Off the Beaten Path. Being on foot definitely offers advantages to climbing on and off a tour bus, and to me gives you a more immersive experience. We were able to squeeze down back alleys and get up close and personal to historic sites. As we neared the end of our tour, we entered the Curtis Publishing Building, to be greeted in the lobby by the spectacular 15 x 49 foot Dream Garden glass mosaic. It was truly an amazing piece of artwork which I don’t think we would have seen if we hadn’t been on the Urban Adventures tour. 

5.   A Taste of Local Flavor. It happened to be one of those scorching summer days when we toured, so I was pleasantly surprised when Josh said that we could spend a few minutes at a local coffee shop if we wanted to purchase an iced drink. Then, for our final stop after walking for over two hours, we were treated to a local brew (or soda) in the Old City, with a chance to catch up and ask any final questions of our guide. All in all I felt like the experience was very welcoming and can’t wait to go back and try the Italian Market Immersion Tour!

Disclaimer: I  received a complimentary tour ticket; however, all opinions expressed here are my own.