Wedding Details: Philly Pride

If your wedding guests are coming to Philly for the first time, take a minute to make sure they fall in love with it.

First step: remind them to bring comfortable shoes. “As long as you can walk, you can conquer the city,” says Jamie Cooperstein, concierge at the Rittenhouse Square Hotel in Center City. If walking is out, you can arrange for a motorcoach, or a horse-drawn carriage tour, through a company like Philadelphia Trolley Works, or get your guests passes for the Big Bus Company tour line.

Most first-time visitors want to start their Philly touring at the Liberty Bell. Let your guests know about the ticketing system, so they’ll start at the Independence Visitor Center instead of Independence Hall. Then give them a short list of good restaurants in Old City, so they can enjoy a locals-quality lunch after their tour.

In fact, if you have time, mark up a map of “your” Philadelphia, with a couple of restaurants your guests might like, and the best shopping spots for antiques, fashion and food.

Guests with kids will appreciate suggestions for places to let their little ones burn off steam. Ask the concierge at their hotel for a list of the nearest playgrounds and parks, and get brochures from the Please Touch Museum, the Franklin Institute and Dave & Buster’s.

For guests who have already been to Philadelphia, Cooperstein suggests sending them to Manayunk, where shops and cafes will occupy an afternoon. You might want to ask a friend to go with them and help navigate the twisty streets.

If your guests think Philly is all about the cheesesteaks, make reservations for them at Georges Perrier’s five-star Le Bec-Fin on 15th and Walnut. Or suggest a picnic in Fairmount Park near Boathouse Row—there are tables and a snack shop within blocks of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

For more information, visit the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation at www.gophila.com.