At a glance
Scan the table to match a trip to your weekend. Travel times come from tourism offices and transit operators, and traffic and schedules change, so check before you go.
| Trip | Getting there | Best for | Start with |
|---|
| Lancaster, PA | Drive: about 1 hour. Train: typically around an hour and a half on Amtrak. | A small city in farm country | Lancaster Central Market |
| Wilmington and the Brandywine Valley, DE | Wilmington Station connects to 30th Street Station on SEPTA Regional Rail and Amtrak. | Gardens and du Pont estates | Hagley Museum and Library |
| Atlantic City, NJ | NJ TRANSIT's Atlantic City Rail Line runs daily from 30th Street Station. | The Boardwalk and a beach day | The Boardwalk |
| Cape May, NJ | NJ TRANSIT buses 313 and 315 run daily all year from 30th Street Station. | Victorian streets and the shore | The Emlen Physick Estate |
| New Hope, PA | Drive: roughly an hour from Center City, via I-95 North. | A river town for walking and the arts | The Delaware Canal path |
| Jim Thorpe, PA | Drive: about 2 hours. | Mountain scenery and fall color | The Historic Trolley Tour |
| Baltimore, MD | Drive: about 2 hours. | Harbor, aquarium and museums | The National Aquarium |
Trips with train or bus service
Lancaster, PA
Farm country with a real downtown, and a train that gets you into it.
- Getting there. Amtrak stops at Lancaster, Mount Joy and Elizabethtown, and the ride is typically around an hour and a half, depending on the station and the departure. By car, Lancaster is about an hour from Philadelphia.
- Day one. Get off at Lancaster Station, near downtown, and walk to Lancaster Central Market. Catch a show at the Fulton Theatre, then browse the boutiques and galleries and have dinner downtown.
- Day two. Spend it on museums and historic sites in the city.
- Worth knowing. Lancaster's covered bridges and Amish country are out on country roads, so they are a drive from the station. Pick your station by the weekend you want. Mount Joy is quieter, with a small-town downtown and Bube's Brewery a short walk from the station. Elizabethtown has a casual main-street feel.
Wilmington and the Brandywine Valley, DE
Gardens, museums and estates built by the du Pont family, with a train that gets you to Wilmington.
- Getting there. Wilmington Station connects to 30th Street Station on both SEPTA Regional Rail and Amtrak, so you can skip city parking. After that you will need a car or a ride to reach the estates and gardens.
- Day one. Start at the du Pont family's original gunpowder mills, now the Hagley Museum and Library. Then walk the Wilmington Riverfront, a 1.75-mile route with food stops and shopping. Bus route 32 makes several stops along it.
- Day two. Visit Winterthur Museum Garden & Library for its American decorative arts. Garden fans can add Longwood Gardens, Mt. Cuba Center or the Nemours Estate. Historic New Castle, a colonial town on the Delaware River, is just outside downtown.
- Worth knowing. Hagley, Winterthur and the gardens are spread around the region, not all downtown, so plan how you will get from one to the next.
Atlantic City, NJ
The boardwalk trip, and one of the few here where the train drops you close to the sand.
- Getting there. The Atlantic City Rail Line runs daily between 30th Street Station and the Atlantic City Rail Terminal, with stops at Pennsauken, Cherry Hill, Lindenwold, Atco, Hammonton, Egg Harbor City and Absecon. The terminal is a few blocks from the boardwalk.
- Day one. Walk the Boardwalk and the free beaches. Ride The Wheel at Steel Pier, the third-largest observation wheel in the United States, and take a cruise with Atlantic City Cruises for views of the skyline and a chance to spot marine wildlife.
- Day two. Climb the 228 steps of Absecon Lighthouse, New Jersey's tallest lighthouse. Then take in the Atlantic City Experience, the Civil Rights Garden and the New Jersey Korean War Memorial.
- Worth knowing. Beach and pier availability can vary, so check before you go.
Cape May, NJ
The country's oldest seaside resort, with more than 600 preserved Victorian buildings.
- Getting there. NJ TRANSIT buses 313 and 315 run daily all year between 30th Street Station in Philadelphia (JFK Boulevard), Wildwood and Cape May. Route 316 adds seasonal summer service.
- Day one. Tour the 1879 Emlen Physick Estate for the gingerbread trim Victorian architecture is known for. Then take a trolley tour with the Mid-Atlantic Center for the Arts & Humanities or, in the evening, its ghost tour. Walk the Washington Street Mall.
- Day two. Walk or bike the promenade along the beach, and look for Cape May Diamonds on Sunset Beach. At Cape May Point State Park, you can climb the 1858 lighthouse or World War II Fire Control Tower No. 23. For wildlife, try a whale and dolphin trip on the Cape May Whale Watcher or visit the Cape May Bird Observatory.
- Worth knowing. The lighthouse and the tower are open seasonally, so confirm dates before you go.
Trips worth the drive
New Hope, PA
A river town where the day starts on the canal path and ends at a theater.
- Getting there. Take I-95 North. New Hope is roughly an hour from Center City.
- Day one. Start the morning with a walk or bike ride along the Delaware Canal. Then visit the New Hope Arts Center, which shows the town's artistic heritage.
- Day two. Catch a matinee at Bucks County Playhouse and ride the New Hope Railroad.
- Worth knowing. The Playhouse's production season runs from Memorial Day through Labor Day, with special events and performances throughout the year.
Jim Thorpe, PA
A mountain town called the “Little Switzerland of America,” and one of the most picturesque places in the country to see fall color.
- Getting there. It is about a 2-hour drive from Philadelphia.
- Day one. Have lunch at Molly Maguire's Irish Pub, which has the largest outdoor eating area in the county. Then take the live narrated Historic Trolley Tour, 70 minutes along Broadway. Before dinner, join a guided tour of the Old Jail Museum, which has 27 cells and the gallows where the Molly Maguires were hung. Have dinner at Broadway Grille + Underground.
- Day two. Get outside on the D&L Trail, the Lehigh Gorge Scenic Railway or a rafting trip with Pocono Whitewater Adventures. If you want an evening show, the Mauch Chunk Opera House is the place.
- Worth knowing. Visit Pennsylvania lays this out as a 72-hour guide, so choose a few stops. It recommends checking seasonal hours first.
Baltimore, MD
The big-city option, with a harbor, an aquarium and museums.
- Getting there. Visit Baltimore says the city is two hours from Philadelphia by car.
- Day one. Start at the Inner Harbor, then see the sharks at the National Aquarium, including Blacktip Reef and Shark Alley.
- Day two. Visit Fort McHenry and the American Visionary Art Museum, which shows work by self-taught artists.
- Worth knowing. Check each attraction's hours before you go.
