Some of Philadelphia’s best family days cost nothing at all. In historic Germantown, Awbury Arboretum spreads across 55 rolling acres of meadows, ponds and woodland paths — and it has been free and open to the public for more than 100 years, just as the Cope family, who created this English-style landscape in the 1800s, intended.
Kids make a beeline for AdventureWoods, a natural-materials playground tucked into a secret garden near the Washington Lane entrance, where little explorers climb, build and imagine among logs and greenery. Down the lane, the Farm at Awbury brings together community growers, chickens and seasonal farmers-market days, while the arboretum’s calendar fills with family nature walks, story times and outdoor discovery programs.
The grounds open daily from dawn to dusk at One Awbury Road, minutes from the Awbury station on the Chestnut Hill East line. Pack a picnic, bring the dog on a leash, and let the afternoon wander — this green Germantown treasure is Philadelphia family time at its simplest and happiest.
Photo: Awbury Arboretum
