Enjoying Philadelphia With a Sports Fan When You’re an Art Lover

When it comes to sightseeing, your idea of heaven is perusing a gallery of old masterpieces, while your significant other gets pumped taking in a local game. Not to worry—when you visit the City of Brotherly Love, home of notable Philadelphia art museums and galleries as well as the football championship-winning Eagles, there’s enough to do to please you both, and you can even do some of it together!

Boat races with a side of Renoir

One of Philadelphia’s more unique features is Boathouse Row, a scenic National Historic Landmark located on the Schuylkill River. It’s also the site of fun and lively boat races (regattas, to the locals) that take place throughout the summer and fall season. If it’s a nice day, you and your sweetie can watch the races together, and when the spirit moves you, Philadelphia art isn’t far from the action. The Barnes Foundation is home to masterworks by impressionists and post-impressionists such as Renoir, Cezanne, Matisse, Seurat and Van Gogh.

Art on a bike

Hit the streets and get some fresh air while taking in Philadelphia’s murals.

You might not know this, but the Philadelphia Mural Arts program is the largest public arts program in the country, with nearly 4,000 eye-popping murals scattered all over the city. Established in 1984 to help reduce graffiti, the Mural Arts program makes Philadelphia art approachable for all. You and your SO can tag-team on this one because instead of being in an indoor museum, this art is open air, turning the city into an outdoor gallery. You can take a walking tour or a bike tour and see not only dreamscapes that turn buildings into canvases, but dip in and out of neighborhoods too, an experience that brings the City of Brotherly Love into sharper focus.

A museum with lots of interesting memorabilia

The Philadelphia History Museum will appeal to both you and your favorite sports fan. Housed in a grand stone building in the Old City neighborhood, the collection covers all the bases. You will love the original Norman Rockwell magazine covers and an immersive gallery dedicated to the city’s history. Plus, the museum is home to a collection of objects and artifacts that includes—wait for it—sports memorabilia. Your honey will ooh and aah over Joe Frasier’s 1970s Championship boxing gloves, Phillies jerseys and a variety of game photos and video clips.

Yo, Adrian!

Find both sports memorabilia and art at the Philadelphia History Museum.

Rocky Balboa, the patron saint of Philadelphia movie lore, never gets old, despite the fact that the first Oscar-winning Sylvester Stallone movie came out in 1976! The statue of the boxer, featured in Rocky III, was originally placed outside the Spectrum, a long-gone sports venue in South Philly. It was moved to the foot of the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps in 2006, after much debate over whether the statue was really “art.” Whatever your feelings about that, it’s undeniable that running up and down the steps (while singing “Gonna Fly Now”) and taking a selfie with Rocky is a hugely popular pastime with visitors from all over the world. While your sporty sweetheart is doing that, visit the museum, housed in a Greek Revival-style building overlooking the city. The museum has a large collection of Renaissance, American, Impressionist and Modern art, including the must-see The Large Bathers by Renoir, as well as works from Philadelphia artist Thomas Eakins.

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