The World’s Fairmount

Grand houses, big ideas, and one historic fan fest.

If you love early American architecture, touring the historic houses of Fairmount Park is about as satisfying a day as one can imagine.

There a wealthy privateer’s gorgeous Georgian estate. There is Laurel Hill – not the cemetery, but a stunning vacation villa swept into the politics of the Revolution. And there is the legendary Strawberry Mansion, who gave a whole neighborhood its name.

Indeed, if you are looking for a great mix of history, recreation, and gorgeous scenery in these warm-weather months, Fairmount Park is the place to be. Those historic homes — some restored to each mansion’s original beauty — offer a glimpse into some of the finest surviving 18th- and 19th-century architecture anywhere in America. They have been marveled at by historians, visitors, and even the British Army, which captured the city in 1777.

But for me, spending time in Fairmount Park is not just about being surrounded by some of Philadelphia’s most historic houses. It is the beauty of the city’s skyline against the Schuylkill River. The open spaces, the trees, the events — all of it carries a sense of ease and enjoyment that absolutely needs to be experienced at least once in a lifetime.

GOAL STANDARD

This summer, thousands of FIFA World Cup fans will get that chance.

Word on the street is that “there is no tailgating ban” during World Cup matches at Lincoln Financial Field, which means yes to partying in your car in the parking lot. But as of now, the Linc has not officially confirmed the policy. More importantly, why sweat it out on hot asphalt when you can watch the game from a leafy riverside grove?

From June 11 through July 19, Lemon Hill in East Fairmount Park will become Philadelphia’s FIFA Fan Festival, a gathering place for fans watching matches on large screens, enjoying music and food, and celebrating the world’s game in one of the city’s most historic landscapes.

BEEN THERE, DONE THAT

One hundred and fifty years ago, this very site hosted another big public event, one of Philadelphia’s greatest celebrations ever. In 1876 — the same year General Custer bought the farm at Little Big Horn — Fairmount Park welcomed visitors from around the world for the US Centennial Exhibition, marking the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

This celebration of American independence was also a salute to American innovation. If you had 50 cents in your pocket, you could experience it all.

Across hundreds of buildings, exhibits, and demonstrations, visitors explored America through its finest achievements — from arts and humanities to agriculture, industry, machinery, science, and even women’s rights. Nearly 10 million people attended over six months. It was a fitting tribute to a century of American thought, progress, and possibility.

STILL GOT IT

Even today, Philadelphia innovation is on the rise once again. From University City to Center City, the city is strewn with startups. Downtown is also a national home for healthcare innovation and biotech. Philadelphia remains a leader in supporting tech startups in their earliest stages.

Philadelphia — one of the most historic planned cities in North America, shaped by Pennsylvania Surveyor General Thomas Holme and founder William Penn — was a city of innovation, resources, and influence almost from the very beginning. From land used by Native people thousands of years before, to a center of global commerce by the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, Philadelphia has more often than not been a site of global innovation.

But then, we did pull a whole new country together here.

This summer, as the world comes back to Philadelphia, Fairmount Park offers more than just a great place to watch soccer. It’s a visible reminder of what this city has already shown the world — and what it can show again. The matches may bring the crowd, but the park itself still knows how to steal the show.

FIFA FAN FEST: What to Know Before You Go

For 39 days this summer, Lemon Hill in East Fairmount Park becomes Philly’s front porch for the World Cup.

Philadelphia’s FIFA Fan Festival runs June 11 through July 19, 2026, with free public watch parties, big-screen match broadcasts, food trucks, music, cultural programming, interactive activities, and a local makers marketplace. It’s centered at Lemon Hill Park with the secured entrance at Kelly Drive and Sedgley Drive.

Admission is free, but not exactly “just show up.” Visitors need to register online before entering, and daily access is first come, first served, depending on capacity.

On match days, the festival opens one hour before the first match shown and closes one hour after the last match shown. Non-match days will follow the entertainment and programming schedule, including concerts and cultural events.

Expect Philly flavor everywhere: a rotating lineup of local food trucks, a Philadelphia Phestival Marketplace featuring local makers and artisans, live performances, community programming, partner activations, giveaways, and a Pennsylvania Pavilion where visitors can recharge, explore state attractions, and pick up PA-themed souvenirs.

MAKE A PLAN

Before heading out, check the official Fan Festival site for registration, daily schedules, transit guidance, accessibility information, security rules, and prohibited items: phillyfwc26.com/fifa-fan-fest.

Festival traffic is its own event. Roads around Lemon Hill are closed or restricted during setup, the Fan Festival, and breakdown, with major impacts around Sedgley Drive, Poplar Drive/Street, Lemon Hill Drive, and nearby park roads. The city is also closing the local lanes of the Ben Franklin Parkway through Labor Day to make more room for people walking and biking between Center City and Lemon Hill. Translation: don’t count on driving right up to the action.

Hey, a great opportunity to get your steps in! For Northwest Philly readers, the easiest route may also be the prettiest one. The Schuylkill River Trail offers a straight shot from East Falls, Manayunk, and nearby neighborhoods down toward Boathouse Row, where visitors can cross Kelly Drive and walk up to Lemon Hill. Indego bike share — including e-bikes — is another option for making the trip without worrying about parking.

SEPTA routes 32 and 48 will serve the festival area, and the Philly PHLASH will add a Fan Festival stop near Pennsylvania and Fairmount avenues, about a half-mile walk from Lemon Hill. However you go, plan for crowds, security screening, and a little extra walking once you arrive.

The City also has put together an official 2026 Resource Hub for ongoing links and announcements.

HOUSE PROUD: Meet Fairmount’s Historic Beauties

High above the Schuylkill River, the green slopes of Fairmount Park have always carried a certain power. For the Lenape people first, and for generations of Philadelphians after, this was choice ground: elevated, scenic, useful, and close to the water that shaped the city.

Before Fairmount Park was the city’s grand public backyard, parts of it were dotted with country estates — summer houses, working farms, river-view retreats, and status-symbol mansions for prominent Philadelphians. Today, the surviving historic houses are known as the Park Charms, and they are exactly that: elegant, strange, story-packed reminders that this park has always been more than open space. 

Laurel Hill
The mansion, not the cemetery. Built in 1767 for Rebecca Rawle, a young Quaker widow who summered here with her three children and new husband, a British loyalist who fled during the Revolution (after which the property was confiscated). The home returned to the family in 1786 and remained in their ownership until Fairmont Park purchased the property in 1869.

Today, it’s a uniquely Philadelphia stop, with colorful history, river-view elegance, and guided tours Thursday through Sunday, 10AM to 4PM, with the last tour at 3PM. Admission is $5, and children under 12 are free.
3487 Edgley Drive (East Fairmount Park)
laurelhillmansion.org | @laurelhillmansionphl

Cedar Grove
Built in the mid-1700s in what is now Frankford, Cedar Grove was moved to Fairmount Park in the 1920s and preserves the layered story of one family across generations. A summer residence for the Paschall-Morris family, this rustic stone farmhouse was owned largely by women, and added to over the years to create a charming mix of styles we see today.

Instead of grand-public-room drama, its charm is more intimate: furniture, household objects, and everyday spaces that show how people actually lived. It is currently closed except for research visits by appointment through the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
1 Cedar Grove Drive
parkcharms.org/cedar-grove | (no social media)

Lemon Hill
Built around 1800 for shipping merchant and land speculator Henry Pratt, Lemon Hill is known as the birthplace of Fairmount Park: the first property the city purchased in creating what became the park system. Its Federal-style oval rooms overlook the Schuylkill, and the estate’s name comes from the citrus trees once grown there.

Regular tours are currently paused while Fairmount Park prepares for the FIFA Fan Festival, with regular tour hours expected to resume in August.
1 Lemon Hill Drive
parkcharms.org/lemon-hill | @LemonHill

Historic Strawberry Mansion
The largest of Fairmount Park’s historic houses began as “Summerville,” built in 1789 for lawyer, judge, and abolitionist William Lewis, who co-authored the first anti-slavery legislation in the country.

Later owner Judge Joseph Hemphill added the two Greek Revival wings; after his death, mid-1800s tenants helped make the house known for strawberries and cream – a sweet association that eventually gave both the mansion and the surrounding neighborhood their name.

Today, the mansion offers walk-in tours Thursday through Sunday, with tours departing hourly from 10AM through 3PM; admission is $8 for standard tours, $5 for youth/students/seniors, and free for veterans and active-duty service members.
2450 Strawberry Mansion Drive
historicstrawberrymansion.org | @historicstrawberrymansion

Mount Pleasant
John Adams called Mount Pleasant “the most elegant seat in Pennsylvania,” and he was not wrong. Built in the 1760s by privateering Captain John Macpherson, this grand Georgian mansion is one of Fairmount Park’s architectural showpieces, with stories that touch colonial wealth and craftsmanship, through Philadelphia notables like Benedict Arnold and Peggy Shippen.

In addition to being a country retreat, Mount Pleasant was also a working farm where Macpherson enslaved four Africans. A monument to Nell, Bernard, Castillis, and Cato was dedicated in June 2023. The mansion is currently closed except for research visits by appointment through the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
3800 Mt. Pleasant Drive
parkcharms.org/mount-pleasant | (no social media)

Woodford
Built in the 1750s as a country home for William Coleman, a merchant, lawyer and judge in colonial Philadelphia. He was also the founder of the College of Philadelphia – now known as the University of Pennsylvania. After Coleman’s death in 1769, Woodford was acquired by merchant David Franks, a fervent loyalist who was booted from the home during the Revolutionary War.

Today, the mansion is owned by the city and operated by the Naomi Wood Trust dedicated to maintaining the estate and preserving its expansive collection of early American furniture, portraits, decorative arts, and household goods. Tours are guided only, Wednesday through Sunday, 10AM to 4PM; admission is $8 for adults, $5 for seniors, teens, and students, and free for children 12 and under.
3400 West Dauphin Drive (East Fairmount Park)
woodfordmansion.org | @woodfordmansion

📢 Hours, admissions, and special events may vary, so check each site before visiting. For the full Park Charms lineup visit parkcharms.org.

Thoughts? Questions? My friends, I love your feedback! Please click the links for more information, and reach out in the comments below. If you enjoyed this history, please see my previous piece on how France helped win the American Revolution.