Interested in exploring Philly’s architecture and history? Note: it’s not all colonial! Check out the offerings from these two companies: Preservation Alliance for Greater Philadelphia (http://www.preservationalliance.com/what-we-do/architecture-walking-tours/) and Hidden City Philadelphia (https://hiddencityphila.org/). We took the art-deco tour from Preservation Alliance, which is how we discovered some of the great interiors on the previous post (Philadelphia + Architecture = Art Deco). We’ve also done tours of the Bella Vista neighborhood and Paul Robeson house (Paul Robeson: A True Renaissance Man).

Hidden City has some unique offerings. Our Philly Jazz walk by music historian Jack McCarthy was FANTASTIC!! From the club that Dizzy Gillespie credited with helping him develop bebop to one of the few hotels in Center City that allowed black guests (Billie Holiday often stayed) to John Coltrane’s fateful encounter with Charlie Parker, Jack’s knowledge and stories were encyclopedic. Highly recommend! Besides their tours, Hidden City’s social media is a great resource for learning about the hidden history of Philadelphia.

Tobey says: Boring! (but Fred says: really interesting!)