Philadelphia's 5 Hands-Down Best Secret Spots To Explore

Philadelphia has some incredible art and architecture, as well as legendary history; after all, it's the nation's birthplace and home to "America's most historic square mile," where you can find the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. Movie buffs love it for "Rocky" and "Silver Linings Playbook," and foodies are fans of places like Reading Terminal Market and the city's iconic cheesesteaks.

But what about the hidden side of Philadelphia — the areas that most tourists might not have top of mind when they visit the City of Brotherly Love? You can find all kinds of under-the-radar, IFYKYK kind of places in Philadelphia that will make you feel like you've unlocked some of the secrets that the city has to offer.

Looking through forums, travel blogs, and from personal experience, we found what we think are five of the best, lesser-known, dare we say secret, spots in Philadelphia that are sure to delight you on your next visit. And they each provide a different perspective on Philadelphia than you'd find in a run-of-the-mill tour of the city.

Philly has an impressive arts scene with incredible street art and great art museums. And on Philadelphia's famed South Street, you can find the unexpected and amazing immersive art experience that is Philadelphia's Magic Gardens. Mosaic artist Isaiah Zagar created this incredible indoor-outdoor environment of sculptures and mosaics made from all kinds of objects, such as bike tires, bottles, mirrors, and hand-painted tiles. Walking in it feels like stepping into a dream with something unexpected or thought-provoking just about everywhere you look. It's a place you can return to again and again, seeing something new each time.

The art installation started on a set of empty lots next to Zagar's studio, and it was thankfully saved from being torn in the early 2000s. It is a well-known destination within folk art circles, but it's not as likely to be top of mind for the typical Philadelphia visitor, which is why it made our secret spot list.

The 10 a.m. Morning Magic tour is more exclusive since the public can't come in until 11, and the Guided Site tour lets you see the mosaicked basement that isn't otherwise open to the public. One Tripadvisor commenter noted, "The place is incredible, different, fun, and an unexpected gem in the middle of the city. Worth the time for a unique experience."

Fairmount Park is an urban park with more than 2,000 acres, and one of its more hidden spots is the Shofuso Japanese Cultural Center. It includes a model 17th-century guesthouse with a hinoki bark roof and tatami mat floors, along with a teahouse, waterfalls, gardens, and a koi pond where you can even feed the koi. Shofuso translates to "Pine Breeze Villa," and it was built in Japan and put on display in the 1950s at the Museum of Modern Art in New York. It was then installed permanently in Philadelphia in 1958. 

In the early 2000s, famous Japanese artist Hiroshi Senju created 20 murals for the Shofuso; he even used a color that he created just for the space, according to WHYY. It's one of America's fantastic places to see the cherry blossoms in spring with the Subaru Cherry Blossom Festival. And you can enjoy a traditional tea ceremony here and even take a beginning course in this ceremonial art form. "Visiting Shofuso has to be one of the most underrated things to do in Philadelphia," according to travel blog There She Goes Again. A Yelp reviewer said, "One of the most beautiful gardens within Fairmount Park, this hidden gem is truly one of a kind in the city."

Some things to know: It's timed-ticket entry, and it's only open seasonally — it closes for winter. Another thing to remember is that you have to take your shoes off inside the house to follow Japanese tradition.

The Wyck Historic House, Garden, and Farm in Philadelphia's Germantown dates back to the 1690s and the Quakers who settled in the area. Now, you can tour the former farm and feel as though you've stepped back in time and even out of the busy city as you wander through the grounds with its colonial house, outbuildings, and elaborate gardens. 

Wyck is the ideal place to literally stop and smell the roses; it has one of the country's oldest rose gardens. The heirloom roses bloom in spring and summer, and many have a notably strong, pleasant aroma that you can't often find in modern roses. The gardens have dozens of rose varieties, including the Elegant Gallica and the Lafayette Rose; nowhere else on earth can you find these two rose species.

From Thursday to Saturday, you can drop in for a tour between 12:30 and 3:30 p.m., or you can make an appointment for a Tuesday or Wednesday tour. Otherwise, it's closed. It's a seasonal destination, typically closed from late November through early April, though a guided tour can potentially be arranged when it's closed. Throughout its open season, it hosts events like the Philadelphia Honey Festival and a farm workshop series. On Monday evenings in July, you can sit on the grounds and listen to the carillon recitals at the First United Methodist Church. And each May, there's the Celebration of Roses that highlights the gardens, and local vendors come in to sell crafts and food.

Philadelphia has some stellar museums, and one of its most underrated is the Wagner Free Institute of Science. It is, as you might have guessed from the name, free to enter, and it's a natural history museum with over 100,000 specimens. It dates back to the 1850s when William Wagner, a longtime collector, gave lectures in the name of making education available to all. That tradition lives on in this museum, where you can find everything from mastodon teeth to rattlesnake hides. It's still set up in the style of a Victorian museum with exhibits arranged in "a systematic display in which specimens and cases were arranged so that visitors and researchers moved from simpler to more complex organisms and through geologic time."

Those who visit seem to love it. One person posted on Tripadvisor, "I want to share because I want others to see how cool this place is. None of the Philly locals I know even realize this place exists, so I would like to get the word out." Another reviewer said, "Such a gem, everything is in beautiful wooden casing, and you can just smell the history of the place."

While you don't have to pay to get in, the preference is for visitors to register online for their visit, though you're also free to walk in. It's open Tuesday to Friday and seasonally on the first Saturday of the month; make sure to check the website for when it's open.

Another of Philadelphia's free museums is the Shoe Museum. It's tucked away in Temple University's School of Podiatric Medicine in Chinatown, and it features 1,000 shoes of all shapes and styles.  It was first opened for America's bicentennial in 1976, and you can see shoes worn by a range of celebrities, like first lady Mamie Eisenhower, Lucille Ball, and basketball legend Julius "Dr. J" Erving, who played for the Philadelphia 76ers. You can also see hundreds of shoes from around the world and from different time periods, including some sandals from Egypt that are over 2,000 years old. They've also got Mummer shoes — the New Year's Day Mummers Parade is a longtime, beloved Philadelphia tradition that includes elaborate costumes down to the shoes.

"Temple's Shoe Museum is a perfect example of what makes Philadelphia unique. It's unexpected and quirky while being educational and offering just enough focus on the city to make it relevant," according to Guide to Philly.

It's open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday to Friday. Explore the exhibits via a self-guided tour; make sure to sign up online for a tour time and check in with security when you arrive.

We know that best can be relative, and for some people, these spots in Philadelphia aren't secret at all. It might also seem counterintuitive to point out secret places, since once more people know about them, they're no longer a secret. But we went with those places that are less well known to a typical tourist but that are still welcoming to visitors. We also went with cultural destinations rather than restaurants or bars, though Philadelphia certainly has a wealth of those.

Checking through travel blogs, websites like Tripadvisor, and Reddit forums, we narrowed it down to these five spots that you probably haven't heard of, but are also places that you can't find anywhere else, and give you a unique taste of Philadelphia. And we're confident that at least one thing on this list piques your interest.