The Children’s Discovery Garden at Sister Cities Park: An Urban Oasis for the Kids (and Adults)

 

If you are looking for a unique urban oasis and a family adventure, look no further than the Children’s Discovery Garden at Sister Cities Park.  

 

Located on Logan Square directly across the street from The Logan Hotel and in front of the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul, Sister Cities Park features a splash zone sprayground, a boat pond, stream, climbing rocks, winding pathways, educational garden, café and visitor center.

 

 

Sister Cities Park is great for visitors and locals alike, offering free family fun all year round.  The Children’s Discovery Center is both a destination and stopover for those visiting Museum Mile along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to headed to the Rocky Steps at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. 

 

The boat pond, stream, winding pathways, rocks and landscaping are all inspired by the Wissahickon Valley, a picturesque wooded gorge extending seven miles along Wissahickon Creek in the Northwest section of Philadelphia

 

Children can wade through the shallow water in the man-made boat pond and also rent toy sailboats (for a small fee). Kids can also play in the Sister Cities Fountain featuring 10 spouts, one for each of Philadelphia’s sister cities: Florence, Italy, and Tel Aviv, Israel. They now include: Torun, Poland; Tianjin, China; Incheon, Korea; Douala, Cameroon; Nizhny Novgorod, Russia; Kobe, Japan; Aix-en-Provence, France; Abruzzo, Italy; and Frankfurt am Main, Germany.

 

 

During the Fall and Winter, the Children’s Discovery Center’s Boat Pond closes and the area transforms into Imagination Playground with cool equipment for children to engage in unstructured play and imagination.

 

 

In keeping with the international spirit, Sister Cities Park celebrates LOVE with a special version of Robert Indiana’s LOVE Statue entitled AMOR, which means “love” in both Spanish and Latin. The AMOR Statue is a great photo opportunity and complements the other LOVE sculpture photo opps at LOVE Park, just a few blocks away.

 

 

Sister Cities Park is operated by the Center City District which ensures the safety of water in their play fountains and follows industry-recommended best practices for proactive water-safety management at Sister Cities Park, Dilworth Park and John F. Collins Park. CCD staff test the water features in their parks three times each day. 

 

 

In the warmer months when kids will be playing in the splash fountains and boat pond, we suggest that you bring towels, bathing suits or simply just shorts and t-shirts, plus a change of clothes.  While not required, we also recommend that you bring your kids’ water shoes, flip flops or crocs to make the experience more enjoyable and safer for your kids. If you are visiting from out of town and need water shoes, head to Five Below and pick up a cheap pair of aqua shoes or flip flops. The closest Five Below locations are 701 Market Street (one block from the Liberty Bell) and 1529 Chestnut Street (located in the heart of Center City, just 0.6 mile away).  

 

The Children’s Discovery Garden is free, but there is a fee to rent a sailboat.  Alternatively, to save money, you can also bring your own model boat or you can rent one at the Boat Pond.

 

 

Monday - Sunday: 6AM-1AM

Operates year-round, weather permitting  

 

Monday - Sunday: 10AM-8PM

Operates seasonally, May October

 

Monday - Sunday: 10AM-5PM

Operates year-round, weather permitting

 

Monday - Sunday: 10AM-5PM

Operates seasonally, late October - April

Note: hours are subject to change.

Sister Cities Park is conveniently located at 18th and the Ben Franklin Parkway. For guests of The Constitutional Walking Tour, Sister Cities Park is just a short 1.2 mile walk from the National Constitution Center. From the Constitution Center, walk up Arch Street heading West and make a right onto the Ben Franklin Parkway at 16th Street.  Sister Cities Park will be on your right. 

 

18th Street & Benjamin Franklin Parkway

Philadelphia, PA 19103

215.440.5500