TIS THE SEASON TO VISIT PHILADELPHIA
All The Makings Of A Festive Holiday Weekend Await Guests To The Region

PHILADELPHIA, August 30, 2004 – Lights! Santa! Nostalgia! These three elements, critical to any festive holiday weekend getaway, are just the beginning of the fun in Philadelphia. Starting in late November, the region turns on the lights, lets that jolly fellow free and prepares to give visitors a good dose of nostalgia. Here, local treasures like the classic Lord & Taylor Light Show, the ornate light displays at Longwood Gardens and the yuletide activities of charming Peddler’s Village enchant visitors year after year. Best of all, affordable hotel packages, available on gophila.com, make a holiday stay in Philadelphia even more memorable.

Bright Lights, Big City

• The holidays flourish at Longwood Gardens, where the heated conservatory is grandly decorated with garlands of flowers, sparkling trees and thousands of hearty poinsettias. Outdoors, fountain shows and more than 400,000 lights flash to the tune of bells from the Chimes Tower, as well as visiting choral and orchestral performers. Daily, from November 25, 2004 to January 2, 2005. Route 1, Kennett Square, (610) 388-1000, www.longwoodgardens.com
   

• It’s a winter wonderland at Peddler’s Village, and it officially opens during the Grand Illumination Opening Celebration on November 19, 2004. Visitors count down the seconds until the lights are switched on for the activity-packed season, which runs during Peddler’s weekend Christmas Festival until just after New Year’s. Through January 2005. (Closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day.) Routes 202 & 263, Lahaska, (215) 794-4000, www.peddlersvillage.com
   

• During the annual Philadelphia Holiday Festival, Center City gets winterized with bright snowflakes and tree lighting ceremonies at City Hall and Rittenhouse Square. Also illuminated for the holiday season are Logan Square, the Benjamin Franklin Parkway and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Stroll down Market Street for a look at the city’s finery and stop into Market Street East for Santa’s Winter Block Party, featuring activities for the whole family on December 11, 2004. November 25, 2004-January 1, 2005. www.centercityphila.org
   

• No one does Christmas lights quite like South Philly, where residents organize elaborate displays on whole blocks, with lights strung between houses—and no holiday season is complete without a self-guided jaunt through the neighborhood. Washington to Oregon Avenues, between 11^th & 18^th Streets

Santa Claus Is Comin To Town

• Why not avoid the over-crowded shopping malls and visit with Santa in style? That’s exactly what visitors to The Ritz-Carlton Hotel, Philadelphia can do this holiday season when Santa comes to visit during make-your-own-gingerbread-house sessions on Saturdays from November 27 through December 25, 2004, and at the children’s teas held on Sundays in December. Mr. Claus is also on duty on weekends in the Rotunda’s life-sized Gingerbread House. A hot chocolate sommelier, offering fancy cocoas with an array of toppings, is on site Wednesdays and Saturdays from November through February. 10 Avenue of the Arts, (215) 523-8000, www.ritzcarlton.com

Blast From The Past

• It’s a Philadelphia tradition, and since its inception nearly 50 years ago (in 1955 to be exact), the Light Show at the Grand Court of Lord & Taylor, formerly Wanamaker's, has attracted generations of Philadelphians and visitors. During the 10-minute presentation, snowflakes and fountains dance; ballerinas, reindeers and clocks float on and off the display; and a giant magic Christmas tree glows with changing colors. At show’s end, a massive American flag is raised to the tune of God Bless America, a tradition that began after September 11, 2001. Shows are daily, on the hour, from November 26, 2004 to January 1, 2005. (Closed Christmas Day.) 1300 Market Street, (215) 241-9000, www.wanamakerorgan.com

The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC), Philadelphia's regional tourism marketing agency, is a private, non-profit organization dedicated to building the region's economy and positive image through tourism and destination marketing. For more information about travel to Philadelphia, call the new Independence Visitor Center, located in Independence National Historical Park, at (800) 537-7676, or visit www.gophila.com. For information about arts and cultural attractions in the region, click on the CultureFiles link.

Note to Editors: For photos of Greater Philadelphia, visit the photo gallery of gophila.com/pressroom.  

September 2004

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