Each place has that one site everyone goes to see.
But if you’re the type of traveler who seeks out attractions without the maddening crowds, a travel site has just found some of the top “hidden gems” of each U.S. city for you to check out, Philadelphia included.
HawaiianIslands.com — the website in question whose “team of local experts have visited every [site], taken tons of photos, videos, collected insider tips, and then compiled it all together here, just for you” — sifted through the highest-rated tourist attractions on TripAdvisor in every state that had at least 25 reviews.
Researchers then filtered out categories that weren’t conducive to the study — like tours or classes — and calculated each attraction’s “precise rating” based on the review breakdown on each attraction’s page.
As far as Philadelphia goes, the final report placed the Chestnut Hill Skyspace as the number one hidden gem for visitors to the city. In second was Philadelphia Distilling; third, the Philadelphia Temple; fourth, Laurel Hill Cemetery; and in fifth, St. John the Evangelist Catholic Church.
When it came to Pennsylvania on the whole, however, it was Masters of the Skies in the Hawley Pocono Mountains Region that topped the list with a rating of five out of five stars.
“Our analysis has revealed a range of top-rated hidden gem attractions across the country, but just what makes them so hidden?” asks the report.
In answer, HawaiiIslands explains that some aren’t “particularly easy to find” while others might not be able to bee seen from the road.
“Others — like Boston’s top attraction, the Little Brewster Island and Lighthouse — require ditching the car and making a separate journey (by ferry, in this case) that might not always be running, so extra planning is required for a visit,” adds HawaiianIslands.com.
“Either way, it seems online reviews are a great way to discover these wonderful attractions, find out how and when to visit and share your experience once you’ve been.”