Set along the picturesque Delaware River in Philadelphia's City Center is the waterfront venue known as Penn's Landing. The name of this attraction is taken from the historic landing made in 1682 by Pennsylvania's founder, William Penn. The true landing itself sits a bit south of this area and is in fact in Chester, PA.
Philadelphia bought the rights to the name, however. The areas surrounding Penn's Landing are comprised by the Delaware river to the east, Front Street to the west, Washington Avenue to the south and Spring Garden Street forms the northern border. The destination is mainly centered on the Delaware Avenue (Christopher Columbus Boulevard) corridor district.
The Delaware River Waterfront Corporation is in charge of development activities in this zone. Launched in 2009, the nonprofit enterprise exercises management and oversight of the public lands in this part of the waterfront. It does so under the auspices of Commonwealth and City of Philadelphia simultaneously.
Numerous summer events take place at Penn's Landing each year. The Great Plaza is the primary public realm at Penn's Landing and follows the Delaware River at Chestnut Street and Christopher Columbus Boulevard. With the ability to accommodate roughly 6,500 people, Festival Pier is a popular spot for summertime concerts in the area of Spring Garden Street.
A number of historic ships are on view for visitors to Penn's Landing. It is possible to appreciate the wonders of these vessels with a stop at the Moshulu floating eatery, the USS Becuna submarine and the USS Olympia cruiser. The Independence Seaport Museum offers a wealth of educational opportunities, as do the Jupiter tugboat and Gazela barquentine boats that are on display thanks to the Philadelphia Ship Preservation Guild.
It should be noted that Penn's Landing is linked with the waterfront at Camden, New Jersey by the easily accessible RiverLink ferry.
Penn's Landing also boasts the Blue Cross Riverwalk open-air venue and skating facility. Winterfest is a popular event each year, replete with fire pits, a beer garden and other frosty-themed attractions. The inaugural Winterfest took place in 2013, thanks to the efforts of FCM Hospitality's Avram Hornik. In the summertime, ice skating turns into roller skating as Summerfest commences.
Pier 36 is home to the only publicly accessible heliport anywhere in Philadelphia, and it is operated by Sterling Helicopter.
