Pennsylvania
Signature City Philadelphia
Program No. 10238RJ
Experience the best of Philadelphia’s history and landmarks as you explore this vibrant city with local experts who provide an insider’s look at its present and past.
Itinerary
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date.
Read More.
While we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our published materials, programs are typically advertised more than a year prior to their start date. As a result, some program activities, schedules, accommodations, personnel, and other logistics occasionally change due to local conditions or circumstances. Should a major change occur, we will make every effort to alert you. For less significant changes, we will update you during orientation. Thank you for your understanding.
Duration
6 days
5 nights
What's Included
11 meals (
5B, 2L, 4D
)
3 expert-led lectures
8 expert-led field trips
1 performance
An experienced Group Leader
5 nights of accommodations
Taxes and customary gratuity
Road Scholar Assurance Plan
Day
1
Check-In, Registration, Orientation, Dinner, Ben Franklin
Location:
Philadelphia, PA
Meals:
D
Stay:
DoubleTree by Hilton Philadelphia Center City
Activity Note
Hotel check-in from 4:00 p.m.
Afternoon:
Program Registration: 4:00 p.m. After you check in and have your room assignment, join us at the Road Scholar table in the lobby to register with the program staff, get any updated information, and confirm the time and location of the Orientation session. If you arrive late, please locate your Group Leader and let them know you have arrived. Orientation: 4:30 p.m. The Group Leader will greet everyone and lead introductions. We will review the up-to-date program schedule, discuss roles and responsibilities, logistics, safety guidelines, COVID-19 protocols, emergency procedures, and answer questions. We will adhere to local COVID-19 guidelines and requirements throughout the program. Periods in the schedule designated as “Free time” and “At leisure” offer opportunities to do what you like and make your experience even more meaningful and memorable according to your personal preferences. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions. Program activities, schedules, personnel, and indicated distances or times may change due to local circumstances/conditions. In the event of changes, we will alert you as quickly as possible. Thank you for your understanding.
Dinner:
At the hotel or at a nearby restaurant
Evening:
Benjamin Franklin welcomes you to Philadelphia!
Day
2
Lecture, Dickens Village, Macy's Organ & Holiday Trolly ride
Location:
Philadelphia, PA
Meals:
B,D
Stay:
DoubleTree by Hilton Philadelphia Center City
Activity Note
Walking up to 4 miles; city streets. Getting on/off a Trolly, riding up to 2 miles, 90 minutes.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We will be joined by a local historian who will give us a presentation on 18th Century Philadelphia history and the story of our Founding Fathers. Following our lecture we will set out by foot to Macy's for the Dickens Village and the Macy's Light Show and organ. We will enjoy a Philadelphia tradition. The holiday spectacle, titled “Christmas Pageant of Lights”, features narration by the legendary Julie Andrews and the glorious sounds of the famous Wanamaker Organ. The Light Show takes the audience on a journey through popular Christmas stories including The Nutcracker, Frosty the Snowman, and a magical Christmas Tree
Lunch:
On your own, at the Reading Terminal.
Afternoon:
After Lunch we will meander our way from the Reading Terminal through City Hall to Dillworth Plaza and Love Park. Love Park has been transformed to a German-style Christmas Village. During our walk we will point out impressive architecture for which Philadelphia is famous. Such as the Masonic Temple which highlights the outstanding 19th Century architecture The interior of the Masonic Temple is beyond description - each of its seven ceremonial rooms is decorated in a different architectural style, reflecting Greek, Renaissance, Egyptian and Moorish decor. Philadelphia's City Hall, in the French Second Renaissance style, is the largest municipal building in the world.
Dinner:
At a nearby restaurant.
Evening:
Tonight, we will board a classic Victorian trolley to experience Philadelphia holiday lights. The trolly ride is a 90 minute Christmas Light tour that will take us to all the best sites for viewing the holiday lights. Philadelphia is the city of Brotherly Love, and a city of neighborhoods, that celebrate the holidays with unique light displays.
Day
3
Independence Hall & Liberty Bell Old City, Deck the Alley
Location:
Philadelphia, PA
Meals:
B,D
Stay:
DoubleTree by Hilton Philadelphia Center City
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 1 mile, approximately 1/2 hour riding time. Walking up to 3 miles; city streets.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
This morning we will set out via Motorcoach to visit Holiday Houses decorated in holiday finery. A once-a-year holiday experience to step back into the colonial spirit of decorating.
Lunch:
This meal has been excluded from the program cost and is on your own to have what you like. The Group Leader will be happy to offer suggestions.
Afternoon:
Free time. This period of time has been set aside for your personal independent exploration to see and do what interests you most. Please refer to the list of Free Time Opportunities. Please note that the period scheduled for free time is subject to change depending on local circumstances and opportunities for independent exploration.
Dinner:
At a nearby restaurant.
Evening:
This evening we will enjoy the Philadelphia Orchestra at the Kimmel Center. Rafael Payare will conduct Mahler Symphony No. 1. "Mahler’s First Symphony is an epic musical journey, overflowing with images of nature, bursting with emotion, and ending in triumph. This classic is a mighty finale to a program that includes the United States premiere of a piano concerto by Peruvian composer Jimmy López Bellido performed by Javier Perianes, “a player of great elegance and understated flamboyance … with exquisite grace and a wonderful lightness of touch” (The Guardian)."
Day
4
I Hall & Bell, Old City, Behind the scenes at the Alley
Location:
Philadelphia, PA
Meals:
B,L
Stay:
DoubleTree by Hilton Philadelphia Center City
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 1 mile, approximately 1/2 hour riding time. Walking up to 3 miles; city streets.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
We will board our motorcoach ride ten blocks to the Colonial City, America’s most historic square mile, for a field trip to the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. These are national treasures and icons of American democracy. The old cracked bell still proclaims “Liberty” and Independence Hall echoes the words “We the People.” As we explore what has been called Ben Franklin’s Philadelphia, we’ll learn about America’s past and continuing struggle to fulfill the Founders’ Declaration that “all men are created equal.”
Lunch:
At a local restaurant
Afternoon:
After lunch, we will be joined by our educator to explore the Historic District We will have a behind the scenes tour of Elfreh's Alley- as they prepare for Deck the Alley. Elfreth's Alley is the oldest continuously inhabited street in the United States.
Dinner:
On your own to have what you like. Dine with new friends and perhaps explore a new neighborhood or cuisine.
Evening:
At leisure. You might like to attend a performance of theater or music (as available), see more of the city on your own, or simply relax.
Day
5
Winterthur Estate, Longwood Gardens & Holiday Lights
Location:
Philadelphia, PA
Meals:
B,L,D
Stay:
DoubleTree by Hilton Philadelphia Center City
Activity Note
Getting on/off a motorcoach; driving about 76 miles, approximately 2 hours riding time. Lots of leisurely walking at your own pace. Depending on your activity level, you could walk up to 5 miles today. Wheelchairs and electric scooters available to rent at Longwood.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
En route to Delaware in our private motorcoach, our educator will point out local landmarks along the way. Designed in the spirit of 18th- and 19th-century European country estates, Winterthur (pronounced “winter-tour”) was the childhood home of collector and horticulturist Henry Francis du Pont and is now one of the most extraordinary museums in the country — premier showcase of American decorative arts — with an unparalleled collection of nearly 90,000 objects made or used in America between about 1640 and 1860. The collection is displayed in the magnificent 175-room mansion, much as it was when the du Pont family lived here, as well as in permanent and changing exhibition galleries. We will enjoy our private exploration through holiday decorated rooms. During our private exploration, we will see exquisitely decorated trees, beautiful rooms that are only open during this season, and traditions such as the evolution of holiday meals from the colonial period to the early national period. Depending on weather, we may also meander through a recreated woodland path offering vistas of the lovely Winterthur Garden. Yuletide at Winterthur is a feast for the spirit.
Lunch:
At Winterthur. Boxed lunches will be provided.
Afternoon:
After lunch we will depart for Longwood Gardens. The legacy of Pierre S. DuPont is one of the great gardens of the world, with a four-acre conservatory and outdoor gardens spanning 1,077 acres. As it’s winter, you may wonder what you will see. The illuminated displays of plants, ornaments, and fountains — indoors and outdoors — are extraordinary. You will marvel at banks of poinsettias and other blooming plants, magnificent Christmas trees, and half a million twinkling lights that come on at 3:30 p.m. each day. We’ll time our visit so that we can enjoy the full magnificence of the illuminated outdoor winter landscape and the indoor display of holiday plant rooms inside the conservatory.
Dinner:
We will dine at a local restaurant prior to arriving back in Philadelphia/Hotel.
Evening:
At leisure for you to prepare for check out.
Day
6
Built History, Program Concludes
Location:
Philadelphia, PA
Meals:
B
Activity Note
Hotel check-out 11:00 a.m.
Breakfast:
At the hotel.
Morning:
Our closing lecture will focus on the city’s built history through architecture. This concludes our program. If you are returning home, safe travels. If you are staying on independently, have a wonderful time. If you are transferring to another Road Scholar program, detailed instructions are included in your Information Packet for that program. We hope you enjoy Road Scholar learning adventures and look forward to having you on rewarding programs in the future. Don’t forget to join our Facebook page and follow us on Instagram. Best wishes for all your journeys!
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Please Note:
This program has itinerary variations on certain dates.