No matter where you live in the Northeast United States, a trip to the City of Brotherly Love is undoubtedly on your bucket list -- whether you checked off this destination long ago or are still waiting for the right time. When my family relocated to the east coast last year, we created an extensive bucket list of all the places we wanted to see while living in Maryland – from day trips into Baltimore, D.C., and Annapolis to longer trips to New River Gorge National Park, New York City, and Boston. One of the places that found a place of prominence on this list was Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. So, when a long weekend presented itself to us, we quickly jumped at the chance to experience this quirky city. I’ll be honest; I didn’t know much about Philadelphia before visiting. Of course, I knew about cheesesteaks, Rocky, the Liberty Bell, its surrounding revolutionary war history, and anecdotes about its more unique residents, like Gritty, the official mascot for the Philadelphia Flyers National Hockey League team. But I didn’t know what there was actually to do in Philadelphia – especially with a toddler. So, I enlisted the guidance of a dear friend and, with her robust knowledge of the city, had an incredible weekend trip to Philadelphia I can’t wait to share with you.

To make the most of our weekend without spending an extra day in a hotel, we loaded up the car early Saturday morning and made it to Philadelphia around 11 a.m. Our first stop was the Please Touch Museum.

Housed in the stunning 1800s-era beaux-arts style Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park, the Please Touch Museum is as much fun for adults as it is for children. Children can engage in water play, wander through an Alice In Wonderland-themed maze, play in a fairytale garden, pretend to shop and prepare food in the Food & Family Exhibit, play inside a SEPTA bus, trolley, or car, engage in arts and crafts activities with staff members, and so much more.

For an additional $5, children can ride the on-site carousel as often as they’d like. Built in 1924, this glimmering piece of history is truly breathtaking.

And don’t worry, it’s tucked away enough that parents who don’t want to spend the extra cash can easily avoid the area.

Next up, we stopped by the nearby Shofuso Japanese House & Garden. A peaceful oasis, Shofuso offered a unique opportunity to slow down and reflect.

Designed by architect Junzo Yoshimura, Shofuso was actually built in Japan using traditional techniques and materials in 1953, then shipped to New York before traveling again to Fairmount Park in 1958.

The historic site features a hill and pond garden complete with a tiered waterfall, island, and koi fish – you could purchase food to feed the koi fish, and our daughter was absolutely thrilled to partake. Inside the home, you will discover a traditional tea house and bathhouse. No shoes are allowed within the home, and stockings are provided for bare feet – but we suggest bringing your own socks. Timed entry tickets are required, and while we didn’t know that when we arrived, we were quickly able to book online for that very time slot.After finishing up in Fairmount Park, it was into the city we went to check into our nondescript Holiday Inn Express downtown.

From the hotel, we walked everywhere during our remaining weekend activities. First up was Dilworth Park.

Tucked at the base of Philadelphia City Hall, Dilworth park is one part fountain, one part splash pad, and all fun. Our two-year-old loved splashing around in the water so much, we not only stayed for more than an hour on Saturday but came back Sunday and Monday, too.Philadelphia’s City Hall is quite the sight to behold, too. While we didn’t get to go inside due to timing issues, the building was incredibly impressive from the outside – made of brick, white marble, limestone, and granite, did you know that it’s the world’s largest masonry building?

Since we were getting hungry, we made our way into Chinatown to scope out dinner.

We settled on what was an average Korean BBQ joint, but I guarantee that if you knew the right spot to go, this would be the place to enjoy a meal. The bustling streets were so much fun, albeit difficult to maneuver a stroller through, and our daughter loved the playground at the nearby Franklin Square.

After burning off even more energy, it was time for dessert, and we quickly settled on Kulu Desserts. Known for its crepes, bubble tea, and Asian fusion desserts, this vibrant cafe was exactly what we needed to satisfy our sweet tooth.

We ordered two of their signature bubble waffle creations – the Ujikintoki Kai and the Bainbow Banana. Full and happy, we enjoyed the walk back to our hotel and slept well.

The next morning, we stopped by J’aime French Bakery near our hotel to pick up lattes and chocolate hazelnut croissants, which we enjoyed at the nearby Washington Square Park.

From there, it was off to dive into the history of America at Independence National Historical Park. We couldn’t go inside because you had to reserve $1 tickets in advance online, but that’s what we get for spontaneous travel, I suppose.

We could walk around the exterior of Independence Hall, though, and seeing the Liberty Bell in person was also quite spectacular.

We meandered the area, taking in all other historic buildings, including the National Constitution Center, Benjamin Franklin’s Grave, Library Hall, and the Merchant Exchange Building, before heading to Spruce Street Harbor Park.

Nestled along the water, Spruce Street Harbor Park features a boardwalk along the Delaware River, beautiful trees adorned in multi-colored lights, colorful hammocks, and lawn games.

None of the eateries were open yet, which provided a peaceful escape to kick back and relax for a few minutes.

Walking along the boardwalk, our next stop was at Franklin Fountain for – you guessed it – more ice cream.

Despite opening its doors in 2004, a trip to Franklin Fountain feels like stepping back to a simpler time. We ordered the Have a Heart Sundae, made with vanilla and strawberry ice cream, strawberry compote, whipped cream, pink sprinkles, and an arrowroot cookie. Two dollars from each sundae is given to charity, and it was as scrumptious as it sounds.

After fueling up with ice cream, we walked over to Elfreth’s Alley, a historic street nestled in the heart of the city that dates back 1703.

Featuring a lot of cobblestone and historic architecture, it is considered the oldest continuously inhabited residential street in America. It was a true marvel to behold and was yet another step back in time during a modern city escape.

Finally, it was time to enjoy a late lunch at Reading Terminal Market with our friends who drove into the city to meet us.

The options were quite overwhelming, but I was blown away by my choice: Guatemalan taquitos from El Merkury. We picked up a half-dozen cookies from the Pennsylvania General Store, which our friend said sold the best cookies in the market.

We followed up lunch with more walking, and even more play time at Dilworth Park for our toddler and relaxation for mom and dad.

Before we knew it, it was dinner time again, and we ended up at Max Brenner's for a light chocolate-themed meal of onion rings, macaroni and cheese, and chocolate dessert pizza.

After a long day of exploring, we enjoyed a simple night in and went to sleep early. Before leaving town on Monday, we only had one thing on our agenda: visiting Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens.

This immersive mixed media art environment is completely covered by mosaics and consists of two indoor galleries and a bi-level outdoor sculpture garden.

Created by Isaiah Zagar, this artistic oasis was created with handmade tiles, bottles, mirrors, bicycle wheels, and more. I could have spent hours soaking in the extreme beauty of this environment but making sure our toddler didn’t touch all of the walls made it difficult to stay too long. For a glimpse of the wonder to behold, watch our YouTube video:

With lunch at the Yellow Bicycle Cafe and fresh-squeezed juice from Pressed, we said farewell to Philadelphia and a fantastic weekend of exploration.

So, there you have it: a first-timer’s experience in the weird and wonderful city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. I’m sure locals will have their opinions, but for a first visit, we had an incredible time, and I wouldn’t have changed a thing, though a little more advanced planning might have been a good idea. Tell us, what do you think about Philadelphia? Where should we go on our next trip to the city?

To discover more incredible boots-on-the-ground adventures across America from our team of local travel experts, check out all of the articles in OnlyInYourState’s Everyday Explorers series. What destinations would you like to see featured next on OnlyInYourState’s Everyday Explorers? Tell us where we should go on our nominations page.