6 Best Sights in East Passyunk, Queen Village, Bella Vista, and South Philadelphia, Philadelphia

It's more Naples than Philadelphia: vendors crowd the sidewalks and spill out onto the streets; live crabs wait for the kill, while it's too late for the lambs and pigs displayed in butcher-shop windows; fresh, seasonal produce is piled high. The market dates to the turn of the last century, when it was founded by Italian immigrants. You'll find fresh pastas, cheeses, spices, meats, fruits and vegetables, and dry goods and kitchen equipment, as well as junky dollar-stores and funky boutiques. These days the market has become more diversified, with the addition of several Mexican grocers, a natural foods grocer, taquerias, a sandwich shop popular with foodies, and several coffee spots.

Near the sports complex in deep South Philly, this neoclassical building with big stone arches in FDR Park celebrates Swedish contributions to American history. The Swedes settled the Delaware Valley in the mid-1600s, and it was a pair of Swedish brothers who owned the land William Penn bought and called Philadelphia. This museum is set amid architectural remnants of the nation's 1926 Sesquicentennial Exposition). Modeled after a 17th-century Swedish manor house, it features galleries that concentrate on a certain era or particularly industrious character. The John Ericsson Room honors the designer of the Civil War ironclad ship the Monitor, and the Jenny Lind Room contains memorabilia from the Swedish Nightingale's American tour of 1848–51. One exhibition details Swedish immigration in the 19th century. Other rooms display handmade costumed Swedish peasant dolls, crafts, paintings, and drawings. It's not the most exciting place, but the weird location and building, combined with its examination of forgotten but essential history, make it an interesting visit. You can take the Orange Line subway down Broad Street to Pattison Avenue; when you get out, cross Broad Street and walk five blocks west through the park to the museum.

Begun in 1728 by the pioneering botanist John Bartram (1699–1777), this is America's oldest surviving botanical garden. Bartram, with his son William, introduced into cultivation more than 200 native plants from species up and down the East Coast. John became the royal botanist for King George III, and made a fortune selling plants to England. Today the 10-acre historical site along the river has lots of flowering shrubs and trees, including various azaleas, rhododendrons, and magnolias, and the Franklinia, a tree from south Georgia that became extinct in its native habitat and survived only because Bartram gathered it. Although there is almost always something flowering, the best time to come is in May and June, when the gardens are fragrant and filled with the lively chatter of birds. The original 1728 farmhouse still stands, and you can take a tour through its rooms, which have various exhibits, including Native American artifacts from the property dating back 3,000 years. Prince Charles's former gardener David Howard has taken on Bartram's garden as a pet project of sorts. A garden shop is open 10–4 Friday through Sunday. It's tucked down a driveway in an impoverished neighborhood of Southwest Philadelphia; drive or take a cab.

One of the few relics of the Swedes who settled Pennsylvania before William Penn, Gloria Dei, also known as Old Swedes' Church, was organized in 1642. Built in 1698, the church has numerous intriguing religious artifacts, such as a 1608 Bible once owned by Sweden's Queen Christina. The carvings on the lectern and balcony were salvaged from the congregation's first church, which was destroyed by fire. Models of two of the ships that transported the first Swedish settlers hang from the ceiling—right in the center of the church. Grouped around the church are the parish hall, the caretaker's house, the rectory, and the guild house. The church sits in the center of its graveyard; it forms a picture that is pleasing in its simplicity and tranquillity.

Even if you aren't in Philadelphia on New Year's Day, you can still experience this unique local institution. Famous for extravagant sequin-and-feather costumes and string bands, the Mummers spend the year preparing for the all-day parade up Broad Street. A 45-inch screen shows filmed highlights of past parades.

Early English settlers brought to the colonies their Christmastime custom of dressing in costume and performing pantomimes—the name Mummers derives from the German Mumme, meaning "mask" or "disguise." In Philadelphia, families would host costume parties on New Year's Day; on January 1, 1876, the first individual groups paraded informally through the city. The parade caught on, and by 1901 the city officially sanctioned the parade and 42 Mummers' clubs strutted for cash prizes.

These days the Mummers also stage a summer Mummers Parade around July 4 (during the city's Welcome America! celebration). The museum presents free outdoor concerts (weather permitting) on most Thursday evenings 8–10 from May to September.

The result of founder Samuel S. Fleisher's invitation to the world "to come and learn art," this school and gallery has offered tuition-free classes since 1898. Fleisher presents regular exhibits of contemporary art, which are selected through its competitive "Challenge" series, as well as works by faculty and students. The Memorial consists of four connected buildings on Catharine Street—including the Sanctuary, a Romanesque Revival Episcopal church designed by the architectural firm of Frank Furness and featuring European art from the 13th to the 15th century—as well as a satellite building at 705 Christian Street dedicated to works on paper.