Johnson's Corner Farm
The pick-your-own experience at Johnson's Corner Farm in Medford has become a bit Disney-fied (something your three-year-old probably appreciates), but the giant farm market at the end is your grown-up reward: The fruit is still warm from the sun, the just-fried cider doughnuts are legendary, and the chef's home-cooked savory items (pulled pork, lasagna, sandwiches) are unexpectedly great. 133 Church Road, Medford, NJ 08055, johnsonsfarm.com.
The Clay Studio
When the Clay Studio moved from its longtime Old City home to a new four-story facility in South Kensington, it didn’t just expand its footprint. With gallery shows, free community Saturday art workshops, kids’ summer camps and adult classes, plus way more studio space and pottery wheels, there are now more opportunities for all of us to muck up our mitts. 1425 North American Street, Philadelphia, PA 19122, theclaystudio.org.
Skirt
The 22-year-old destination women’s-wear boutique debuted a new look in early 2023 that echoes owner Maureen Doron’s home — a floor-to-ceiling revamp rooted in soft hues and sleek materials sourced from a bevy of local makers. Doron also called on Stephen Wilson Studio, based in North Carolina, to create custom wall art using Skirt bags from the past two decades. Shoppers will love the oversize dressing rooms for trying on new labels Loretta Caponi and Emporio Sirenuse. 931 West Lancaster Avenue, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010, shop-skirt.com.
Bernie Robbins Jewelers
It’s only fitting that the Year of the Wedding have a worthy engagement ring. Now celebrating its 60th anniversary, this jeweler is home to a ring so stunning that it may draw attention away from your partner walking down the aisle. A nearly five-carat center diamond from the namesake collection is accented by colorless step-cut trapezoid diamonds on either side and set in a handmade platinum mounting. To have and to hold, indeed. Multiple locations, bernierobbins.com.
Resting Gift Face
When coronavirus dried up their busy season, publicist Kylie Flett and event designer Donielle Powell pivoted to a new venture: rad gift boxes filled with ways to pass the time during the stay-at-home order. Their first run-through sold out, as did a second batch dedicated to moms, but the just-released ’90s kit (pictured here) is designed to make a Zoom or socially distant happy hour as fun as, well, the real thing. restinggiftface.com.
InterAct
Of all of the theater groups in Philadelphia, it was Seth Rozin's 27-year-old company that was the most ambitious and thought-provoking last season, which featured only world premieres, including Christopher Chen's Caught and Jen Silverman's The Dangerous House of Pretty Mbane. Then there's the exciting news that InterAct is getting a new home inside the Drake on Spruce Street. Interacttheatre.org..
Red Top/Green Top Farm Markets
These side-by-side farmers’ markets along Route 70 have been run by two different families for almost a century. Green Top leans more toward the home gardener; Red Top is there for the tourists who want local goat-milk soaps and a couple pints of fresh strawberries. Bop back and forth between them to load up on everything from fresh flowers, blackberry cider and homemade preserves to local honey, herb starts, bags of clams and tiki statues. 1801 and 1811 State Route 70, Vincentown, NJ 08088, redtopfarmmarket.com.
Glow Lab
These glow pros deliver customized full- and half-body airbrush tans — that are cruelty-free and vitamin-enriched — out of their Cherry Hill boutique and in your own home, thanks to their mobile service. Now you can look slightly sun-kissed or Miami-bronzed without those skin-frying UVA rays. Goodbye for good, baby oil! 921 Haddonfield Road, suite B32B, Cherry Hill , NJ 08002, glowlabnj.com.
Cafe Nhan
This small Vietnamese restaurant just off West Passyunk reminds us that hospitality isn’t corporate jargon or a marketing gimmick, but the backbone of the restaurants that transform a city into a place that feels like home. Whether it’s the savory, steaming pho broth paraded around the dining room, the smile from the server who quickly takes your order, the crackling-crisp chicken wings, or co-owner Nhan Vo saying hello, Cafe Nhan always has what you need. 606 West Passyunk Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19145, cafenhanphilly.com.
Ali’s Wagon
Fairmounters heaved a collective sigh of disappointment when home and gift shop (and 2017 BOP winner) Division IV shuttered earlier this year. But we needn’t have despaired: Owner Jessie Menken simply moved all of her gift-able goodies down the block to sister shop Ali’s Wagon, so we can still buy those terrifically thoughtful hostess gifts – candles, tote bags, tea towels, olive oils, salt scrubs, simple syrups, mugs – for anyone kind enough to invite us over for dinner. 2017 Fairmount Ave , Philadelphia , PA 19130, aliswagon.com.
Anthony Riley
After a too-long and stressful day, your walk home suddenly feels romantic. The sun's going down, and someone is crooning "Stand by Me" in Rittenhouse Square. You approach a crowd gathered around a clean-shaven 20-something busker who cycles through the Temptations, Sam Cooke and the Beatles. You notice a gorgeous stranger. Your eyes meet. And suddenly you forget why you were so stressed out to begin with. Riley is that good. (That he once took on Licenses and Inspections for the right to sing in the park doesn't hurt.) phillymag.com/news/2012/09/04/philadelphia-street-performers.
Foreign Fix Auto Center
Whenever you move to a new neighborhood, you get your bearings: grocery store, parking rules, which bar you can stumble home from. The thing you always forget to find until it’s too late is a car mechanic. That changes today. Jason Capone and the fellas at Foreign Fix will not only get you in and out in the time most shops take to get your car up on the lift; they’ll talk you through the cheapest options first. What are you going to do with all that extra money? Well, there is that bar. 822 Reed Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147, facebook.com/Foreign-Fix-Auto-Center-140122042683245.
Steven Rosenberg
If you haven't had success losing weight, kicking the cancer sticks or getting over your fear of flying, it may be time to try psychotherapist Rosenberg, who will hypnotize you on your first visit and send you home with a CD recording of your session that speaks to your subconscious, upping your willpower while you snooze. "I lost 65 pounds in six months," says one Bucks County devotee. "I went in with the mind-set I couldn't be hypnotized, but after three sessions, it really worked." 8080 Old York Road, Suite 206, Elkins Park, PA 19027, .
Carousel Farm Lavendar
Close your eyes, take a deep whiff of your favorite lavender-scented sachet, and multiply that smell by about a million. That's what you get at this organic lavender farm in Bucks County, home to more than 15,000 plants. Visitors can take free self-guided strolls through the garden every Saturday from March through December, or guided tours ($10 per person) from June through September. Either way, the intoxicating scent of thousands of live lavender plants is guaranteed to help you find your Zen. 5966 Mechanicsville Road, Mechanicsville, PA 18902, carouselfarmlavender.com.
Haddonfield
It's just so freakin'cute. Seriously like,How could I swing moving here? cute. But besides the ridiculously charming, friendly, bucolic atmosphere along Kings Highway East, the shopping is simply divine. There's everything from kid stuff (Pipsqueak) to women's wear (Maxwell James) to sporting equipment (Haddonfield Running Company) to jewelry (McNelis and Sherry) to art galleries (Accent Studio) to gifts (Serendipity) to home furnishings (The Upholstery Shop) to lingerie (Georgie Girl Boutique) to music (Siren's Song) to spas and salons (Salon M Design) to ... Oh, we're tired. Just go, already. 00000, shophaddonfieldnj.com.