What to Know: Reading Terminal Market
No visit to downtown Philadelphia is complete without some time spent in historic Reading Terminal Market. Whether you are looking for local culture, a great Philly Cheesesteak, baked goods from the Pennsylvania Dutch or just fresh produce and meat, you will find just about everything in the Market. Even if you’re not shopping for food, you don’t want to pass this place by without stopping. Reading Terminal Market is a must-see kind of place in downtown Philly just minutes from historic Independence National Park.
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Why Everyone should visit Reading Terminal Market
We didn’t know much about downtown Philly before we visited, so we did the smartest thing possible. I contacted the Philadelphia tourism office and asked some questions. One of these questions was where should we get a Philly Cheesesteak and experience some local culture? Their answer was Reading Terminal Market.
Have you seen National Treasure? Remember the scene where the 3 main characters are running from the ‘bad guys’ while trying to protect the stolen Declaration of Independence? We watched the movie after we got home from our Philly trip and recognized the vendor markets from our trip.
The Reading Terminal Market is one of those local indoor markets where you can find your produce for salad, then go to the vendor beside them to buy fresh seafood or beef. You can buy your home cooked baked goods from the Pennsylvania Dutch or taste ethnic favorites from all around the world.
The Reading Terminal Market is one of the most popular locations in downtown Philadelphia, averaging 17,000 people per day, 358 days a year for a total of 6.3 million visits each year.
One of the things we really wanted to try while in Philadelphia was a classic Philly CheeseSteak. We spent some time just looking at all the vendors but then decided to try our Philly Cheesesteak from Carmen’s Famous Italian Cheesesteaks & Hoagies. While we were ordering, we noticed a picture on the counter of someone else who has eaten here.
You can sit on the stools and eat or just watch them fix it while you wait.
We loved our first taste of a Philly Cheesesteak! Have you eaten one? Where’s the best place to get the most authentic cheesesteak? We’ll definitely be eating these again!
Independence Hall & National Park
Don’t miss the most popular destinations in Philadelphia just minutes from Reading Terminal Market – Independence Hall & National Park!
