PHILADELPHIA -- A first-time visit to Philadelphia revolves around key attractions such as Independence Hall, Liberty Bell Center and the National Constitution Center. When people pay a second visit or have more time to stay, a different spectrum of attractions moves into focus. Art museums, botanical gardens, shopping districts and other points of interest expand an itinerary beyond the Old City's Independence Mall. An extra day can be spent along the breezy promenade of Penn's Landing, a park on the Delaware River that features the Independence Seaport Museum. People shuttle across the river to Adventure Aquarium, a showplace for fish, penguins, hippos and other water creatures.The Center City Historic District includes the leafy Society Hill neighborhood, an enclave of brick townhouses and 18th century churches. It's bordered by South Street, a bohemian area with galleries, nightclubs, sidewalk cafes and ethnic food shops. The shimmering mosaics of artist Isaiah Zagar decorate the streetscape. He uses colored glass, pottery fragments, mirror shards and wine bottles to nurture an imaginative Magic Garden outside his studio.People drift into Rittenhouse Square after dining in stellar restaurants on side streets. Fairmount Park straddles the Schuylkill River and provides a picturesque setting for the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Philadelphia Zoo. A paved trail for runners, walkers and cyclists hugs the river. Sculls glide across shimmering water. High school and university crew teams use the facilities along historic Boathouse Row.The Greater Philadelphia area has such a wealth of attractions that we choose three themes in order to rein the possibilities. We wanted to enjoy blooming gardens, experience the art scene and see more historical sites. Each category has incredible diversity. (www.gophila.com)Certainly there is a lot of history in this city founded in 1682 by William Penn. Our heritage quest takes a funky turn when we pick something out of the ordinary. The Eastern State Penitentiary was slated for demolition, but found a new role as a tourist site.Surrounded by 30-foot high and 12-foot wide walls, the behemoth once held criminals like bank robber "Slick Willie" Sutton. Al Capone's cell has upholstered chairs, a lamp with fringed shade, Oriental rug and a Queen Anne-style bookcase. Display boards show a time line of the American prison system. When it was built in 1829, social reformers thought solitary confinement would lead to penitence. Cells with vaulted ceilings and skylights seem primitive, but at the time of construction, they reflected advanced technology. Cell blocks fan out like spokes in a wheel.To regain our equilibrium after walking through morose prison corridors, we make a late-afternoon stop at the Georgian-style mansion Cliveden. Nestled in a shady grove, the stone structure was built in 1767 as a country home for summertime use by the prominent Benjamin Chew family of Philadelphia. Tour guide Jim Crichton paints a different picture as he dramatically describes how the Battle of Germantown took place here in 1777. British soldiers, barricaded behind the thick walls, fired through the windows at troops led by Gen. George Washington. A full assault on the house left walls scarred by cannon and musket balls.With much enthusiasm, Crichton runs through seven generations of Chew family history, revealing secrets like the unfortunate marriage of a Chew descendant and a kitchen servant. The family possessed an exceptional collection of high-style 18th century furnishings, still beautifully arranged on two floors. In 1972, the Chew family moved ownership of Cliveden, its furnishings and artifacts, and six acres of parkland to the National Trust for Historic Preservation.On a day blessed with blue skies, we make the rounds to gardens. Chanticleer calls itself a pleasure garden. Its rolling hills and sparkling water features make it a sanctuary filled with whimsy and innovation. We wander between a vegetable garden ripe for picking, a forest strewn with wildflowers, a multi-tiered water garden with hideaway seating area, and contoured beds of vividly hued perennials.As plant lovers follow the winding paths through Bartram's Garden, they step into history. It is our next stop and is the oldest living botanic garden in America. Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and George Washington came here to examine the plant collections of John Bartram (1699-1777). Southerners are familiar with the botanist because of his travels through South Carolina and Florida, but his journals also reflect his journeys into Canada and Ohio.The garden has an unmatched collection of North American plant species, yet it remains a secret garden often overlooked by tourists. The naturalist's original garden plots, wildflower meadow and woodland span the 46-acre property on the banks of the Schuylkill River. The stone house, designated as a national historic landmark in 1966, contains family furnishings, plant displays and an exhibition highlighting his travels.We make the leap from hidden jewel to giant showplace. Longwood Gardens is a lavish landscape of glistening lakes, elaborate fountains, enormous conservatories and countless formal gardens. It is one of America's premier horticultural institutions set on the former country estate of industrialist Pierre S. du Pont.This year, a trio of treehouses were constructed for the exhibition "Nature's Castles: The Treehouse Reimagined." These are not planks hammered together haphazardly. With its peaked roof and intricate decking, the two-story Canopy Cathedral could double as a vacation home. The Birdhouse is simpler, yet it has exquisite cedar construction. The Lookout Loft is an Adirondack-style viewing platform.We meld our interests in gardens and art when we roam through Fairmount Park, a downtown green space ten times the size of New York's Central Park. The Philadelphia Zoo, a landmark in the 9,000-acre park, is home to 1,600 mammals, birds and reptiles. It is the first zoo chartered in the United States. We admire the lavish landscaping and Victorian-era architecture of the structures as we wander among the animal exhibits. Fairmount Park also features the temple-like Philadelphia Museum of Art. It is recognized as one of the world's best art museums because of the depth of its permanent collections. We needed a map to find our way through a maze of galleries. We find equally rich holdings at the Rodin Museum. Galleries are fewer and smaller, making more personal the bronze statues of Auguste Rodin. Built in the French neoclassical style, the Rodin Museum houses 128 sculptures, including "The Burghers of Calais." "The Gates of Hell" dominates the museum's entryway.(Linda Lange writes for the Knoxville News Sentinel in Tenn.)
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