As much as we masquerade as grown-up constituents of the “real world” in the summer — what, with our high falutin’ occupations and very own summer sublets — there is something about these humidity-filled summer months that makes us just want to be kids again. (This may also have to do with a little something we call the current unemployment rate.) While those of in Philly this summer may not be donning swimmies and heading to the lake anytime soon, the unsung Franklin Square makes Philadelphia our playground, literally.
One of the city’s five “original” parks laid in the corners of the city during William Penn’s original planning, Franklin Square is the northeast outpost for the things of youth.
For a real taste of nostalgia, bring your own picnic (Lunchables, anyone?) to snack on in one of the grassy knolls or number of picnic tables present in the park. But if you’re feeling slightly more grown up, Stephen Starr’s much-talked-about seasonal burger stand is up and running. Previously perched under a tent in the park, Square Burger now has its very own concession stand home and a variety of options for young and old. The standard burgers, less than five dollars, far exceed the well-done masses of meat typical of ordinary park stands — as if we expected anything less from Stephen. Treat yourself to fries and a milkshake, but bring your own drinks (at $2 a pop, you’re better off mixing your own lemonade at home). And while kids can eat fried food without reservation, Square Burger also has a sophisticated salad offering for your post-elementary-school bod.
Among the Square’s aesthetically pleasing elements, including a flower-encircled fountain and an impressive summer sand sculpture (Phillies-themed, of course), are summer activities that you knew and loved before summer consisted of classes and internships.
Philly mini-golf ($8) lets you putt through eighteen holes of historic obstacles, including an amazingly intricate miniature of Independence Hall.
A ride on Franklin Square’s carousel is $3, and will assuredly bring you back to the summers of yore when you never got sick of going ‘round and ‘round and ‘round.
And named one of the “Top 10 Playgrounds in the U.S.,” the jungle gym provides an ideal backdrop for a throwback game of Marco Polo.
