7 Fun BFF Road Trips Within 3 Hours of Philly

Cool hotels and nature romps await.

Yes , the City of Brotherly Love has a lot going for it , with streets as vibrant as its cheesesteaks are tasty . you’re able to spend hour in this city getting lose in the display at thePhiladelphia Museum of Art , bash to the indie music beats atUnion Transferconcert hall , and render a solid food - motortruck - and - hammock - slug combo atSpruce Street Harbor Park . But whether you ’re a local craving a fun weekend getaway or count to tack on a few day of dangerous undertaking to your Philly vacation , the city ’s positioning leaves you with a mint of great road stumble options . To get the wheels turning , keep record for our top nearby Philly road slip itinerary .

Wilmington, DE

Only 30 mi or some 50 minutes from Philadelphia , this small city has all the greatest hit from brewery ( Wilmington Brew Works;Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant;Stitch House Brewery ) to outdoor tranquility ( see : the many trails inBrandywine Park ) . Tour theDelaware Art MuseumandWinterthur Museum , Garden and Libraryin nearby Winterthur . Then , catch a concert atThe Queen Theaterbefore zonking out at the city ’s first luxury dress shop hotel , The Quoin . If you and your clique still have energy after all the sidereal day ’s activities , head to the hotel ’s rooftop bar for a sundowner or the lower stage cocktail cake , Simmer Down . The hotel also housesits namesake restaurantdoling out Southern French and Northern Italian dish , which particularly smoothen at its Sunday Supper — it capture your company a family - way feast with focaccia , Caesar salad , grilled prawns , burrata , branzino piccata , spaghetti and meatballs , chicken Parmesan , and Brassica oleracea italica rabe . Another nearby culinary gem isBardea , a James Beard - appoint haunt with Italian- and Asian - inspired fare with a modern twist ( think : burrata pop tarts with fennel sweet onion jam and lamb bao prat with strawberry , mint chimichurri , and yogurt ) . Wherever you reserve your reservation , expend Zelle ® to split the peak — because no one wants to pay for someone else ’s steak and three martinis when you had a Diet Coke and appetiser .

Milford, PA

If the tiny Poconos town of Milford is n’t on your radio detection and ranging , it should be . About a two - and - a - half - hour drive from Philly , you ’ll find theTom Quick Inn(which has its own speakeasy),La Posada , a little hotel on the Delaware River with the excellentFelix ’s Cantina , process up grub with a Yucatecán flair , andHotel Fauchère , a classy , handsomely - outfitted dress shop property that has host John F. Kennedy , Theodore Roosevelt , and American author and Cecil Scott Forester Bob Marshall . Once you ’re situated , savor live music , dinner party , and cocktails at Hotel Fauchère’sBar Louisbefore tucking in betimes . Over the next few day , you ’ve bring a lot to chock up in , from free accession atForest Hall Studios , presently showcasing the “ Wildlife ” exhibit by Hunt Slonem ( receptive on weekends only ) to hike the Milford Knob Trail in the scenic Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area . Other must - dos while in townsfolk admit ambling down historic main street , touring the ground ofGrey tower — the family unit property donated to the U.S. Forest Service by Milford resident Gifford Pinchot , who served as the first Chief of the Forestry Service — and seeing a pic or performing arts show atMilford Theater , instal in the 1920s . Fun fact : Milford was a popular resort town in the Gilded Age earned run average , around the bit of the twentieth century .

The Wharf in Washington, D.C.

Even if you ’ve been to D.C. half a dozen time , you may have overlook this happening novel district . About 2 hours and 45 moment ( depending on however spoilt the dealings is along the 139 - mile reaching between the cities ) from Philly , the revitalized neighborhood overtop the Potomac River and boasts immature spaces aplenty , water taxis , and a seasonal glass skating skating rink . Seafood lovers at should also cut up out time to visitThe Municipal Pisces Market at The Wharf , the state ’s oldest continuously - operating open - air fish grocery where the in the raw bar and spicy peeved crabs are the stuff of pescatarian dreams . Post up atInterContinental D.C. , strategically located almost to bar and restaurants likePotomac Distilling Company ( Thrasher ’s Rum)and the cherishedMilk & Honey Café , where you could keep the funny fantasies roll with hits like Cajun seafood pasta , the scorch Salmon River BLT , and the chop seafood Cobb salad . look for some pit Chicago to break up the campaign to D.C. ? If you ’re all about computer architecture , roll around Annapolis , or if nature is your career , frolic around Ridley Creek State Park . For history enthusiast , Fort McHenry National Monument is another big choice .

Lewes, DE

A little over two hours from The Quaker City , you ’ll happen upon Lewes , dubbed “ the first town in the first Department of State , ” as it was go under by the Dutch in 1631 . On your drive down , eat atHelen ’s Famous Sausage Housein Smyrna or Newark , Delaware , or your noesis bank atThe Air Mobility Command Museumin Dover . Once you ’re in Lewes , embrace your inner historian with a slip to theLewes History Museum & Archivesor aguided walking circuit . Or , split up a sweat explore the sprawlingCape Henlopen State Park , with beach on Delaware Bay and the Atlantic Ocean , heading out on cycling and hiking track , and meandering around a World War II fortress that has been reimagined as amuseum and weapon car park . work up an appetency again ? Dine atLewes Oyster House , which pays homage to the “ omnipresent and democratic oyster expenditure in eighteenth and 19th 100 Middle Atlantic taverns and oyster mansion ” andHarbour , with unagitated waterfront views at Canal Square . Or call it a night at theInn at Canal SquareandHotel Blue , both a shell ’s cam stroke away from the aforementioned eateries .

Narrowsburg, NY

The revitalizing Catskill heap air can repair you and your besties whether you want a low - key getaway or something more action - packed . you’re able to take a leisurely stroll down Main Street to do a piffling antiquing or paddle on the Delaware River withKittatinny , a local tube and kayaking outfitter and hike theSullivan Catskills Dove Trail , which record the fiftieth anniversary of the 1969 Woodstock festival . Roughly 168 miles or three hour aside from Philly , make Narrowsburg your plate root word where pizza - head will delight in the food and aspect atThe Laundrette , a former car wash and launderette turned pie harbor overlooking the Delaware River . reason your Main Street perusing with a brunch at the buzzyHeron , if you could snag a table , that is . TheBlue Fox Motel , a meticulously renovated fifties dress shop motel , has motel suites , cabin , and a five - bedroom guesthouse to fit a variety of groups ’ need and price points . Plus , there ’s a groovy restaurant on - land site , and in the summer , the syndicate here is the place to be — put on you ’re not out admiring the two adorable butt mascot that lodge in on the four - acre curtilage .

Atlantic City, NJ

Within about an 60 minutes and change from Philly posture the famed Atlantic City . Test gentlewoman luck at theBorgata Hotel Casino and Spaor theHard Rock Hotel and Casino , both of which make for odorous digs and the latter of which is welcome Stevie Nicks , comedians Steve Martin and Martin Short for a combine show , and Ludacris with Juvenile in 2024 . Satisfy your hunger atNobu Atlantic City , where you could chase dishes like tuna crispy rice and miso black cod with Atlantic Ocean view , or the recently unveiledCardinal , whose menu is all about ingredients from the Garden State serve up in an industrial internal place — or when weather permits , “ the garden ” or patio spaces . proceed with the self - indulgence theme at the fresh openedIsland Waterpark , a jumbo indoor urine park atShowboat Atlantic City , another top - nick hotel . Another solid choice is booking tickets for your crowd to seeSpiegelworld ’s “ The Hook , ” an acrobatic club of variety with a major strike of humor atCaesars Atlantic City . If there ’s a show on the calendar , carve time to see a theatrical performance atEagle Theaterin Hammonton , NJ , a one - sentence silent pic house that spread out in 1914 that ’s midway between Philly and AC .

Bethlehem, PA

Did somebody say spa day ? lay your sights onWind Creek Bethlehem Casino & Resort , about a 90 - minute drive from Philadelphia . Yes , there ’s poker and slots to be play at the cassino , but if you ’re looking to bliss out for the weekend , proceed flat to theSpa at Wind Creek , which has infrared saunas , aromatherapy steam room , a cryotherapy room , swing chairs over a ram pool , along with an all-embracing bill of fare of facial , massage , and body treatment . For dining , you barely need to allow for the place thanks to standout spot like Buddy Valastro’sCarlo ’s BakeryandChop House at Wind Creek . If you feel like exploring Christmas City beyond the property ’s chemical compound , go toSteelStacks , a former industrial site that now host a Christmas market place , ice skating skating rink , medicine locale , and more . Or , get suffer in the stacks of theMoravian Book Shop , established in 1745 , which bills itself as the old continuously operating bookstore in the world . On the drive up from Philly , visit Allentown , where you could scope out theAllentown Art Museumand grab a take - out pungency and grocery store atAci Halal Meat & Turkish Restaurant .