Trails2go continues to grow. We have added our newest SmartTrail, the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia. Here is the introduction to our newest SmartTrail.

The Philadelphia Museum District, one of the most prestigious convergences of art and science in the world, reaches from City Hall to the Philadelphia Art Museum. The thoroughfare that connects these remarkable institutions and public spaces is Benjamin Franklin Parkway (Parkway). Consider the facilities that border the Parkway: Basilica of Sts. Peter and Paul, Swann Memorial Fountain, Free Library of Philadelphia, Franklin Institute, Academy of Natural Sciences, Rodin Museum, Eakins Oval, the Barnes Museum, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Few places in the U.S. or the world can boast of such a scientific and cultural richness. To reach these facilities simply walk the Parkway. You are never more than a stone’s throw from the next museum or institute. Most begin their journey at JFK Plaza (LOVE Park), but there is really no “bad” place to start. The challenge is to choose which one of these extraordinary facilities to enter first. Philadelphia and the Parkway did not originate together. The city constructed the parkway in the early 1900s to ease the industrial blight in Center City and to restore Philadelphia’s natural and artistic beauty. The French urban planner Jacques Gréber designed the Parkway in 1917 to emulate the Champs-Élysées in Paris. Gréber designated a route that extended from City Hall Tower to a fixed point on the hill that William Penn called “Fairmount”, now the site of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The Parkway hosts many of the city’s annual cultural events, so be sure to check “events” on this app ahead of time. There is no wrong time or season for touring the Parkway; in fact, the shoulder seasons of spring and fall are delightful and less crowded. Although each facility along the Parkway is independently managed and funded, the Parkway property itself is the responsibility of the Philadelphia Parks and Recreation Department (PP&R). This Parkway SmartTail is only one of several that are being designed to connect visitors to the remarkable parks and facilities that comprise PP&R. Each new SmartTrail will be added to the Trails2Go app at no additional cost, so enjoy all of Philadelphia’s parks and sites.