Concourse Lake is the perfect place for a leisurely stroll. Be sure to keep an eye out for birds and other critters. Tom Witmer, operations manager for the park department’s Natural Lands Restoration, has said, “The lake itself, the planted wetland, and the expanded forest on the west end all make the site attractive to wildlife.”

On the grounds of the Carousel House in West Fairmount Park you’ll find a small, but significant organic farm. The house itself serves as a rec center for persons with disabilities, and it offers a lot of events that involve the garden. Elisa Ruse-Esposito, Farm Philly program manager, describes it as a “small organic farm packed with yummy and beautiful plants as well as lots of thoughtful programming.” 

This stunning traditional-style Japanese house was designed by midcentury modern architect Junzo Yoshimura in 1953 and built in Japan. Chances are you’ve been here for the annual Cherry Blossom Festival, but otherwise the Shofuso Japanese Garden House remains a hidden gem in West Fairmount Park. And don’t just admire it from afar—it has one of the most beautiful interiors in the city.

Near the Horticulture Center (#4) and Shofuso Japanese Garden House (#3) is this soaring sculpture called the Journeyer. It was erected in 1975 and dedicated to the 200th anniversary of the founding of the U.S., serving as a symbol of the journey it took to get to this point. The Journeyer is a favorite of AeLin Compton, stewardship coordinator, who says, “It's just a great statue—elegant and rugged all at the same time.”

Artist Martin Puryear’s Pavilion in the Trees has been a beloved spot in West Fairmount Park since its 1993 installation. The Pavilion was inspired by Puryear’s longing for a treehouse as a child. Today, it’s a beautiful, meditative hidden gem.

“It’s not exactly easy to find, but it is a wonderful piece of public art that allows you to be away from it all as well as a wonderful way to connect with the trees, wildlife, and birds all around you,” says Rob Armstrong, preservation and capital projects manager for Parks and Rec.

It’s quite possibly the most fierce statue in the city,” said Jason Mifflin, Community Initiatives Specialist, of the Saint George and the Dragon statue. “Thousands of people pass by it on MLK every day but don't know about it.” The designer of the bronze statue is unknown, but it was cast by Elkington and Co. in 1877 and brought to the city for the Sons of St. George of Philadelphia.

Curtis Helm, a project manager with Urban Forestry & Ecosystem Management, calls Greenland Nursery an “oasis within West Fairmount Park.” The 12.5-acre nursery dates back to the 19th century, and today is operated by the Parks and Rec department. It grows about 10,000 plants each year.

The Smith Playground in East Fairmount Park is home to the Giant Wooden Slide, which is exactly what it sounds like. The 12-foot-wide, 44-foot-long covered slide is more than 100 years old and has been a family favorite for just as long.

If you’re walking along Kelly Drive, look across the street at the intersection of Kelly and Strawberry Mansion. You’ll find remnants of the Frank Furness-designed Centennial Arch, which was designed and built for the 1876 Centennial Exhibition. In recent years the brownstone arch has been in precarious shape, but with the help of the TreeKeepers program, a green-focused workforce development crew, a lot of the debris and rubble has recently been removed. Just take care crossing the street to explore this gem!

Welcome to Sedgley Woods, the second oldest disc golf course in the country. The wooded terrain makes the game all the more challenging, but Parks and Rec’s commissioner Kathryn Ott Lovell says it’s all about the one-of-a-kind atmosphere that Sedgley Woods offers.

“I don’t think there is anywhere else in the park system (or maybe the world) where you can wander through the woods, play disc golf with guys named Stash and Goat, sneak into the ruins of an historic mansion, connect with wildlife in a meadow, and eat Scrapple from a portable grill—all during the same visit.”

Behind Sedgley Woods, you’ll find a large meadow at the site of the now deteriorated Cliffs Mansion. Its remnants remain, and there’s a large tree that overlooks the meadow and offers some shade. Says Mifflin, “It has beautiful fall colors and is a great place to spot a fox or one of the many hawks that hunt there.”

Behold: The only lighthouse in Philadelphia. Turtle Rock Lighthouse was built in 1887 by Frank Thurwanger for $2,663 right next to the historic Boathouse Row. Originally, it was powered by gas, but today it is electric and also home to the Sedgley Club, which now circles the base of the lighthouse.

This “fountain” (it doesn’t work as a fountain so much anymore) is a staple of Fairmount Park, and was suggested by a reader to be added to this list. It was built in 1874 for the Centennial Exposition. It features a granite base, a statue of Moses, and several prominent Roman Catholic figures surrounding Moses. The sculptures no longer function as a fountain, and the Moses statue is missing several of its original details, but it’s certainly worth a look.