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Best Rainy Day Fun

Thirsty Dice Board Game Cafe

Thirsty Dice Board Game Cafe. Photograph by Jeff Fusco

We love the library of more than 800 games. And the beer list. But we adore the staffers who referee disputes. Is “qi” really an acceptable Scrabble word? Yes, yes it is. 1642 Fairmount Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19130

Best Fun in Nature

The Discovery Center

The Discovery Center in Fairmount Park. Photograph by Jared Gruenwald

This glorious new addition to East Fairmount Park has a gentle hiking path that winds around the placid Strawberry Mansion Reservoir, where more than 150 species of birds flutter. 3401 Reservoir Drive, Philadelphia, PA 19121

Best College Playground

The Post

Quizzo, live music, dollar taco nights, weekend DJs, Skee-Ball and shuffleboard — a.k.a. things that are better than studying for midterms. 129 South 30th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104

Best Literary Hub

Blue Stoop

This newish organization and community platform is uniting local lit nerds like never before with engaging readings, poetry workshops, writing intensives and events with beer.

Best Cultural Institution

The Philadelphia Orchestra

The upcoming season is one helluva barn burner, with opera great Placido Domingo kicking things off in September; the new series WomenNOW, featuring female composers, conductors and instrumentalists; and the entirety of Bach’s majestic Mass in B minor. Totally subscription-worthy.

Best Public Space

Cherry Street Pier

Cherry Street Pier. Photograph by Jeff Fusco

Creative programming meets an industrial cool indoor/outdoor space — with food trucks and cocktails. Yet another winner from the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation, which is slowly turning our waterfront into what it should have been all along. 121 North Christopher Columbus Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19106

Best Dance Parties

Warehouse on Watts

This warehouse feels like it could be busted by the cops at any moment, but rest assured: The once-illicit spot, with its rave-tastic rooms, killer beats and mesmerizing lighting, is now totally legit. 923 North Watts Street, Philadelphia, PA 19123

Best Cheap Laughs

Tattooed Momedy

Philly’s funniest love trying out new material at this monthly party at Tattooed Mom’s. With $1 food specials and $2.50 beers, it may be the finest frugal night out in the city. 530 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19147

Best Public Art

Dreams, Diaspora and Destiny

Philly DJ legend King Britt and muralist Joshua Mays collab-ed on this experimental ode to Afro-futurism. To hear and see Philly’s first augmented-reality mural, just download an app, wave your phone, and watch as the colorful display comes to life on your screen. 53rd and Media streets in West Philly.

Best Band You’ve Never Heard Of

St. James and the Apostles

This trio of self-described “soul-stirring psychonauts” blends psychedelia and hard rock with an irreverent dose of Southern gospel inspiration and puts on a damn exciting show.

Best Open-Mic Night

Glbl Vllg’s Jams

Lyonzo Vargas of Glbl Vllg at the Barnes Foundation’s Artist Bash. Photograph by Jeff Fusco

There's only one rule at these roving events put on by this new grassroots entertainment group: If you are on the rug, you are going to participate. And that's not a threat, that's the point, because wellness comes in many forms, including letting your inner soul out. Keep reading here.

Best Class You Didn’t Know You Needed

Philly Improv Theater

Philly Improv Theater in Rittenhouse. Photograph by Linette and Kyle Kielinski

The current social and political climate has made everyday conversations strained and kicked burnout into high gear. At these classes, you’ll remember how to loosen up and be silly and, if your life involves public speaking, how to make people laugh again. Imagine that. 2030 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103

Best Man-Free Fun

Wanderfully Wild

Women hiking, kayaking and yoga-ing in the wilderness. Sometimes with wine. Name a better combination.

Best Sports Book

Moneyline Bar & Book

You can now legally bet on games at nine A.C. casinos, but the best is the Borgata’s new $12 million sports book, with its giant LED video wall, a 35-foot-long bar and a VIP lounge. Because if you’re going to put a grand on the Eagles to win it, you might as well be comfortable. 1 Borgata Way, Atlantic City, NJ 08401

Best Atlantic City Beach

Bartram Avenue Beach

Away from the crowds in front of the casinos lies this quiet sunbathing spot just a few blocks before Ventnor. You’ll find plenty of space and well-maintained bathrooms, and the Ventnor Sack ‘O Subs will deliver hoagies right to your beach chair.

Best Place That’ll Make You Forget You’re in A.C.

The Boardwalk Extension

A.C. has been building out the northern end of its boardwalk for the past several years to provide relief from the bustle of casino central. The stretch that extends past Ocean Casino Resort and then banks to the left along Gardner’s Basin is serene, commercially undeveloped and postcard-perfect.

Best Place for Misbehaving

Chelsea Beach Bar

There’s still plenty of libidinous activity at the Pool at Harrah’s, but the young and tanned crowd at this open-air beach bar on the sand has it beat. 3001 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ 08401

Best New Casino

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino

Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Photograph by Thomas E. Briglia

It trumps Ocean Casino Resort on every level. Much better shows. Superior restaurants. And an always-fun crowd. 1000 Boardwalk, Atlantic City, NJ 08401

Best Hope for A.C.’s Future

The Orange Loop

The locus of A.C.’s comeback can be found in the Orange Loop, a collection of restaurants and bars plus a music venue, a yoga studio, and a hip cafe along the beach blocks of Tennessee Avenue, St. James Place and New York Avenue (a.k.a. the orange properties in Monopoly). Many additional projects are in the works, including a shipping-container hotel!

Best Outdoor Activity—January

Winterfest

Views of the Ben Franklin Bridge and the Delaware — plus winter cabanas for spiked hot cocoa warm-ups.

Best Outdoor Activity—February

Spring Mountain Adventures

Photograph by Ultramarinphoto/Getty Images

Kill a wintry afternoon on these beginner-to-moderate slopes less than an hour from Philly. Yes, there’s a lodge … with a bar. 757 Spring Mount Road, Spring Mount, PA 19478

Best Outdoor Activity—March

Sedgley Woods Disc Golf Course

Who knew that one of the world’s earliest disc golf courses is right here in Fairmount Park? 33rd and Oxford streets.

Best Outdoor Activity—April

Grounds for Sculpture

The month that things really start to bloom at this one-of-a-kind outdoor sculpture museum in Jersey. Simply gorgeous. 80 Sculptors Way, Hamilton, NJ 08619

Best Outdoor Activity—May

Bartram’s Garden

Bartram’s Garden. Photograph by Albert Yee

Admission is always free — and on Saturday mornings, the kayaking is, too. 5400 Lindbergh Boulevard, Philadelphia, PA 19143

Best Outdoor Activity—June

South Bowl

So much more than bowling: SB recently debuted outdoor batting cages, shuffleboard, horseshoes and, because we’re in deep South Philly, bocce courts. 19 East Oregon Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19148

Best Outdoor Activity—July

Shakespeare in Clark Park

Thespians take over “the Bowl” section of Clark Park for several days of edgy but family-friendly (and free!) takes on the Bard. It’s a bring-a-lawn-chair-and-sneak-in-a-bottle-of-prosecco (or sixer of PBR) kind of affair. Chester Avenue and 43rd Street in University City.

Best Outdoor Activity—August

Knoebels Amusement Park

The temp at this old-school, admission-free amusement park in the mountains (pierogies at the snack bar!) is always cooler than in Philly. 391 Knoebels Boulevard, Elysburg, PA 17824

Best Outdoor Activity—September

Cape May Point State Park

Cape May Point State Park. Photograph by Famartin, Wikimedia

Real beach pros know to wait until after Labor Day. No crowds. No traffic. Start off with a hike — and a lighthouse climb — at the southernmost tip of New Jersey. Light House Avenue in Cape May Point.

Best Outdoor Activity—October

Linvilla Orchards

Photograph courtesy Linvilla Orchards

You haven’t tasted an apple until you bite into one just seconds after you pick it off a tree. (Don’t forget to pay for it!) Bonus: a bonfire with s’mores. 137 West Knowlton Road, Media, PA 19063

Best Outdoor Activity—November

Hawk Mountain Sanctuary

Awe-inspiring fall foliage. Plus: November marks the peak season for spotting many of the hawk, eagle, and other migratory raptor species that fly through. 1700 Hawk Mountain Road, Kempton, PA 19529

Best Outdoor Activity—December

Longwood Gardens

Yes, there’s a huge holiday display inside the big greenhouse, but it’s outside — with zillions of Christmas lights painstakingly wrapped around each branch of a zillion trees, a garden railway and blazing fire pits — that gets us in the spirit. 1001 Longwood Road, Kennett Square, PA 19348

Best Fun With Balls

Topgolf

Topgolf. Photograph by Jeff Fusco

Grab some friends, snag one of the 102 climate-controlled bays, hit drives to your heart’s content, and order another round every time the server comes by. 104 Centerton Road, Mount Laurel, NJ 08054

Best Fun in a Bookstore

The Espresso Book Machine at Shakespeare & Co.

This steampunk-esque contraption can print and bind almost any book in existence — or your very own creation — in mere minutes. 1632 Walnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103

Best Intellectual Drunk Fun

Creative at the Cannery Reading and Open-Mic Night

Every other month, you can sip just-made brews and eat pizza by the slice at Dock Street Cannery while local writers take turns pouring out their souls. 705 South 50th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19143

Best Up-and-Coming Comedian

Betty J. Smithsonian

She’s a sober Jewish lesbian, and most of her comedy is about being all of those things. Very feminist. Very funny.

Best Arts in the Suburbs

People’s Light and Theatre Company

They’ve been putting on city-worthy productions in the western suburbs for 45 years, and this season is totally inspired, with disaster drama The Children (a 2018 Tony nominee), gut-wrenching Mary Jane, and an adaptation of the 1999 Oscar-winning movie Shakespeare in Love. 39 Conestoga Road, Malvern, PA 19355

Best City Neighborhood

Cedar Park/Squirrel Hill

Artisan pizza and craft beer? Check. The city’s best farmers’ market? Yep. Countless used-book sales on stoops? Uh-huh. Add to that good vegan eats, sword-fighting classes in Clark Park, hookahs in the backyard of an Ethiopian restaurant, and offbeat theater productions inside a grand old church, and it’s easy to see why we love this stretch of West Philly so damn much.

Best Hidden-Gem Museum

The Colored Girls Museum

Contact the museum to set up a time, then let the guide wind you through the three-story Germantown home, where an intimate collection of art, literature, scents and sounds will open your eyes to something often overlooked or altogether erased: the everyday experiences of black and brown girls. 4613 Newhall Street, Philadelphia, PA 19144

Best Urban Retreat

Akwaaba Bed & Breakfast

This black-owned establishment that pays homage to Philly’s music history has a fantastic breakfast spread and historic touches. (So yeah, you’re gonna want to book a second night at this newcomer.) 3709 Baring Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104

Best Burlesque Venue

Franky Bradley’s

The unofficial HQ of Philly’s burlesque resurgence is this funky back-alley Gayborhood bar at which tassels and ostrich fans abound. 1320 Chancellor Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107

Best Place to Learn How to Skateboard

Skate the Foundry

If you’ve always thought the kids kick-flipping at Paine’s Park look really cool but worry that you’d break your neck, the answer is the four-week beginners’ course for adults at this rad indoor skatepark. From $78 including skateboard, pad and helmet loaners. 894 North 40th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104

Best Rollerblading

Marple Sports Arena

Most rinks in the region rent out old-school roller skates, but this Delco spot offers in-line skating, which means you’ll go a lot faster. $7 including skate rental. 611 South Park Way, Broomall, PA 19008

Best Dirt Bike Track

Philly Pumptrack

If you haven’t been on a dirt bike in years, don’t worry; there’s a beginners-only section of this city-owned BMX-style bike track. There are also days set aside for kids five and under and “WTF” slots open only to those who identify as women, trans or femme. Cost: free, and they provide the bike and helmet. Parkside Avenue, next to the Parkside Evans playground.

Best Moped Rental

Wild Island Scooters

There’s no better way to get around at the Jersey Shore. All you need is a regular driver’s license. Well, and a helmet. $150 for a full day. 4000 Atlantic Avenue, Wildwood, NJ 08260

Best Place to Go Really Fast

New Jersey Motorsports Park

Third-party companies like Cloud 9 Living and Rusty Wallace Racing Experience show up with really fast cars — sometimes Ferraris, sometimes NASCAR — at this South Jersey racetrack. The cost varies, but expect to pay $498 for three laps in that Ferrari. 8000 Dividing Creek Road, Millville, NJ 08332

Best Reason to Wake Up for Work

The Preston & Steve Show

Nick McIlwain, Kathy Romano, Preston Elliot, Steve Morrison, Casey Foster and Marisa Magnatta. Photograph by Linette and Kyle Kielinski

Many shows would be stale after all these years, but this band of WMMR misfits still manages to make the world more bearable with their wacky stunts, irreverent comedy, and entertaining studio guests.

Best Karaoke Night

Mickey’s Tavern

This Delco watering hole attracts all types at its every-other-Friday events, so you might hear Guns N’ Roses followed by Whitney Houston followed by Miley Cyrus and — since we are in Delco — a little Sinatra. 129 South State Road, Upper Darby, PA 19082

Best Theater Talent

Alice Yorke

As co-director of groundbreaking theater company Lightning Rod Special, this 33-year-old South Philly actress conceived 2019’s highly controversial abortion musical (yes, an abortion musical) The Appointment, which picky New York Times theater critic Ben Brantley called a “profoundly imaginative … remarkable phantasmagoria.”

Best Place to Throw a Grown-Up Dinner Party

Maximalist Studios

At their white-walled space overlooking the Schuylkill, bons vivants Eddie Ross and Jaithan Kochar bring any theme you dream up to life with an extensive collection of dishware, antique furniture and decorative props. (Yes, that’s a gold-plated palm tree in the corner.) 501 West Washington Street, Suite 3, Norristown, PA 19401

Best Introduction to VR

Neverland Virtual Reality

Always wanted to fly around the Earth? Get in a ring with a heavyweight boxer? Drive an Indy 500 car? Snap on one of this arcade’s high-tech headsets and you’re anywhere but here. (Pack Dramamine if you’re prone to motion sickness.) 209 East Market Street, West Chester, PA 19382

Best Easy Camping

The Yurts at Tuscarora State Park

Two hours northwest of Center City are a handful of yurts (with kitchens and electric!) that sit among the trees in this pretty state park. And the bathrooms are a one-minute walk away, which is merciful, considering that there are bears in these parts. Bring a flashlight. 687 Tuscarora Park Road, Barnesville, PA 18214

Best Reason to Go to the Met

Its 25 Bars

Finally, a music venue figured out how to not have us stand in line for 20 minutes to pay $13 for a domestic beer. The answer was quite simple: Have lots of bars. 858 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, PA 19130

Best Cabaret Act

Glitter and Garbage

This two-person cabaret act describes itself as “classic cabaret realness mixed with hoagie-mouth hotness,” which pretty much sums them up much better than we could.

Best Quizzo Alternative

Brittany Lynne’s Cards Against Humanity

Photograph by The Washington Post/Getty Images

This monthly group battle at Mifflin Tavern, hosted by a beloved drag queen, is never boring. And the fact that it takes place in deep South Philly at what used to be Johnny Doc’s bar makes it even more delicious. 1843 South 2nd Street, Philadelphia, PA 19148

Best Second-Floor Fun

Fergie’s Pub

Downstairs is the iconic Irish pub that’s been pouring Guinnesses for nearly 25 years. Upstairs is a lesser-known hideaway with all sorts of no-cover shows, like live-band karaoke, non-sucky comedy open mics and Fringe performances. You never know exactly what you’re going to get — and that’s part of the fun. 1214 Sansom Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107

Best Airbnb Experience

Muhammad Ali’s Mansion

For $1,000 (and up) per night, you can party in the 7,000-square-foot Tuscan-style villa that the Champ occupied during the early 1970s. There’s a huge deck, a bar, a pool, a tennis court and, of course, a hot tub. It’ll be the backyard barbecue of the century. 1121 Winding Drive, Cherry Hill, NJ 08003

Best Institution to Rediscover

Philadelphia Zoo

With the brand-new ropes course and soaring zip line, the beer garden, and the rebirth of the famous Zoo Key, it’s a good time to ask yourself: “When was the last time I was at the Philly Zoo?” For something a little more VIP, book a behind-the-scenes encounter with your favorite animal. (Two words: giraffe selfie.) 3400 West Girard Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104

Best Speaker Series

The World Affairs Council of Philadelphia

Know how you can tell that a nonpartisan organization is actually nonpartisan? They’ve booked CNN White House correspondent Jim Acosta and former Trump confidant Steve Bannon in one season.

Best Cultural Tour

Parkway Central Library

Prominent black Philadelphia architect Julian Abele designed this Beaux Arts gem in the 1920s, and library staffers are happy to show you around — for free. The hour-long tour starts at 10 a.m., but definitely stick around for the 11 a.m. tour of the rare books department, too. 1901 Vine Street, Philadelphia, PA 19103

Best Small Music Venue

The Living Room at 35 East

Imagine if a professional sound crew turned your favorite hangout room into a spot where impressive local acts and touring musicians liked to stop by and jam. That’s this place. (And it’s BYO, too!) 35 East Lancaster Avenue, Ardmore, PA 19003

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