June 11, 2026
Thom Carroll/for PhillyVoice
The Philadelphia Zoo is directly across the Schuylkill River from Lemon Hill, the site of the FIFA Fan Festival.
FIFA Fan Festival organizers are expecting up to 25,000 people to descend daily on Lemon Hill for its World Cup watch parties this summer. While the freshly upgraded section of Fairmount Park will offer fans plenty of amenities — including a free concert from "Despacito" singer Luis Fonsi after the tournament's opening match Thursday — the neighborhoods surrounding it have several cultural gems of their own.
For visitors aiming to kill time before or between matches, check out these attractions in Fairmount and West Philadelphia. Some have specially themed soccer programming for the tournament, and a few are even free to enter.
3500 Reservoir Drive; Open Tuesday-Friday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; Saturday-Sunday 10 a.m.-7 p.m.
You might have seen (a replica of) the giant wooden slide at Smith Memorial Playground on "Abbott Elementary." Now's your chance to experience it in real life. For spectators with kids, this free playground is an ideal place to post up. Along with the aforementioned slide, the historic site boasts swings, jungle gyms and a three-story playhouse. It's all set on six and a half acres of green space, located about two miles north of Lemon Hill.
4231 Avenue of the Republic; Open Wednesday-Saturday 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m.; Sunday hours vary
Another nearby destination for families, located along the Philly PHLASH west park loop, is the Please Touch Museum. The hallowed house of play is located inside Memorial Hall, the cavernous building constructed for America's 150th birthday. That means there's plenty of space for kids to romp, and countless objects and toys waiting for them. Perennial favorites include a vintage carousel, a grocery store stocked with fake food and a car-themed exhibit where tiny commuters can board a replica SEPTA bus. The museum is also hosting regular pee-wee soccer practice on the main floor during the World Cup.
2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway; Open Thursday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; Friday 10 a.m.-8:45 p.m.; Saturday-Monday 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Even the city's biggest art museum is getting into an athletic mindset. An exhibit centered on the famed Rocky statue is currently on view at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The institute also recently unveiled a survey of three centuries of American art for the semiquincentennial, co-curated with the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. There's a ton more to see across the building's four floors and outdoor sculpture garden, and you can catch it all at pay-what-you-wish prices on Friday nights, when the museum stays open late.
2025 and 2100 Benjamin Franklin Parkway; Both open Thursday-Monday 11 a.m.-5 p.m.
The Barnes Foundation and Calder Gardens promise a less traditional art experience just a bit further down Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The sister institutes eschew plaques or any kind of posted information, inviting visitors to engage with their collections without context. The Barnes Foundation is the bigger of the two, with crowded walls of Renoir, Matisse, Picasso, Van Gogh and Cézanne originals. Calder Gardens, which just opened last September, focuses on the sculptural work of the Philly-born artist Alexander "Sandy" Calder. Both are offering free admission to city residents for the entire month of July.
2027 Fairmount Avenue; Open daily 10 a.m.-5 p.m.
Before ambling over to Lemon Hill, consider a spin around Eastern State Penitentiary, which is so close to the fan fest that it's doubling as the event's rideshare drop zone. The former prison was a revolutionary model of criminal rehabilitation when it opened in 1829, thanks to its then-radical use of single cells. Nowadays, it's a museum that strives to demonstrate the realities of incarceration and humanize the over 85,000 people who passed through its prison gates. While the World Cup is in town, it'll host daily talks on the penitentiary's baseball field. Triple Bottom Brewing will also man a pop-up beer garden during Eastern State's "summer nights" program, running Saturday evenings from June 20 through Aug. 1, except for July 4th.
3400 W. Girard Avenue; Open daily 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m.
Fuzzy predators — and friends! — roam just across the Schuylkill River from Lemon Hill. The Philadelphia Zoo, the nation's first, houses jungle cats, monkeys, giraffes and very old but surprisingly fertile tortoises. It recently opened two big attractions in time for the tourism thunderdome of the World Cup, America's 250th birthday and MLB All-Star Game. One is a "Pherris wheel," taking over the space where the zoo's hot air balloon once hovered. The other is Carey Bear Country, which just relaunched after two years' (and $25 million) worth of renovations.
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