Philadelphia Murals and Street Art Tour with Magic Gardens
Description
Come and discover the artistic side of Philadelphia on this dazzling stroll through South Philly, where an endless tapestry of public art lines the streets. You’ll feel immersed in the local art scene as your expert guide leads you through the Queen Village and Bella Vista neighborhoods, past breathtaking murals and mind-bending mosaics. As you learn about the history of the pieces and their creators, you’ll come to appreciate how public art impacts the neighborhoods and how amazingly accessible art is throughout a major city like Philadelphia. After exploring the street art and a gallery or two, your tour will conclude at the incredible Magic Gardens - one of the most impressive and fantastical works of art and sculpture you’ll ever see! Admission into the Gardens is included in our tour. Part of your ticket also includes a donation to a local organization supporting artists in the city, so you’ll be directly impacting the incredible community highlighted on this tour!
Tour Options
Itinerary
Meet your guide outside this iconic local concert venue and hear how it has played such a huge role in the counterculture spirit of South Street
A vital commercial and artistic artery of South Philly, South Street has been at the forefront of this city’s counterculture scene for generations. Your guide will lead you past an array of locally-owned art galleries and shops, pointing out decorative facades and giving you fascinating morsels of history along the way
This community-based art organization has been a staple in this neighborhood since the 1930’s. Today it supports local artists in the LGBTQ and BIPOC communities by offering exhibit space and grant funding. Guests can view its current exhibits while learning about its past efforts and future goals. Proceeds of your ticket will be donated to DVAA
Throughout your tour, you'll weave in and out of the streets and alleys of Bella Vista, the neighborhood surrounding the Italian Market and Magic Gardens. Here, you'll see how Philadelphia's first suburb has changed in the last 200+ years, including beautiful homes, gardens, and public art.
Queen Village is a charming neighborhood in Philadelphia known for its historic charm, cobblestone streets, and quaint atmosphere. Located just south of Center City, it offers a mix of historic row houses, trendy shops, cozy cafes, and vibrant community parks, making it a beloved destination for locals and visitors alike.
Zagar’s masterpiece, a once-barren abandoned lot on South Street transformed it into a mind-bending labyrinth of glass, tile, paint and almost everything else under the sun. This is something that must be seen to be believed, and you will be granted free admission into the Gardens at the end of this tour.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Wheelchair accessible
- Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
- Service animals allowed
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
- Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Reviews(231)
This tour focuses on the fabulous and indescribable work of Isiah Zagar as well as some of the murals created by Philadelphia's Mural Arts program. Our guide was enthusiastic and knowledgeable and we poked into lots of different corners and alleys on and around South Street. If you like street art and/or gigantic mosaic murals, this tour is for you.
This was a great tour of not just street art (which was very cool - and surprising how many mosaics we saw) but also history with a focus on black history. Seeing William Still’s home was very moving. Our tour guide, Gigi, was very knowledgeable and also flexible and attentive to our needs. Highly recommend!
I found the tour guide hard to understand. Enjoyed seeing the mosaic art but found that there were not many morals to see on the tour.
One of the best tours ever in this or other countries. Tate is an excellent Guide.
The tour was very interesting and Chuck was an excellent guide!
What a great experience! Wonderful art, and the guide knows the neighborhoods well and is a superb storyteller. Highly enjoyable!
I truly could not recommend this tour enough! We were lucky enough to have Tate as our tour guide, and he made the experience truly wonderful. His depth of knowledge, engaging storytelling, and passion for the local artists and community made this unforgettable! As an art enthusiast, I have taken tours all around the world, and this one truly stands out as one of, if not, the best I've ever been on. Whether you're a Philly local or visiting our great city, you will not be dissapointed on this tour!
Excellent tour of South Street and the sorrounding areas. Chuck was an excellent guide. Knows the area and people really well. Showed us good art - mosaics and murals, and had good stories. Really enjoyed.
Our tour guide was very sweet and kind, but it was a bit hard to hear them. If you are hard of hearing, this tour may be tough for you. The focus was mostly on one artist who has a lot of mosaics around the city, the same artist who created the Magic Gardens. I would say this tour is nice if you have never been to Philly before and would like to see different neighborhoods. I would also suggest asking a lot of questions! I may have found the tour more engaging if I had asked for more specifics.
My friend and I loved the tour. Carli was a great guide and teacher. It was “Magical” Plan on doing this again!
