South Street

South Street is a lively and engaging location at any time of the day. During the weekdays, office workers and students populate the area during lunch time. At night, the office crowd often heads to South Street pub locations for drinks. Weekend days see a large influx of tourists including teens from the suburbs. Weekend nights have always existed as hang out nights in classic freak tradition—from the hippie era to the punk scene to the contemporary mish-mash.

South Street exists south of Independence Hall and other historical landmarks of the American Revolution. Its scene is no less revolutionary, however—South Street has always served as a haven (if not a capital) for young counter-culture.

At the right time, the street itself is a tourist destination. Suburban families sometimes cruise down the street to gander wide-eyed at the diverse counter-culture population. Diversity primarily extends to hair color, style and sub-culture—you’ll see punk, urban, preppy and goth populations represented here on weekends.

Aside from the people, South Street offers a varied spectacle of stores and shops, ranging from high-end designer boutiques to the famous Hats in the Belfry. South Street also includes some tourist staples such as Rita’s and Starbucks, but its primary destinations include stores such as Imagine (tee shirt heaven) and Mineralistic, a shop for those interested in fairies, dragons and themed decorations.

For a real dose of the different, check out Condom Kingdom (just follow the swimming sperm painted on the sidewalk—or the gaggles of giggling tourists).

Other venues include live music destinations, CD stores and Pearl Art, an art supply store offering discounts to students. South Street is considered a musically-important destination and is famously mentioned in multiple songs, including The Orlons’ “South Street,” the title answering the question “Where do all the hippies meet?”

South Street also offers many dining spots. O’Neill’s is an Irish pub location situated on 3rd Street, just off of South. This restaurant features two stories, often providing ample room for the after-work crowd. The street features at least four other Irish pubs, making it a popular destination for St. Patrick’s Day festivities, pub crawlers and partiers.

The mood of South Street varies greatly depending on the day of the week and the time of day. Consider what type of experience you’re looking for before visiting. 

- by Tara M. Clapper, Philadelphia Reporter for HelloMetro  (Click to leave a message)

Tara M. Clapper

Tara M. Clapper is a full-time freelance writer residing just outside of Philadelphia. Tara enjoys exploring traditional and historical locations in the city as well as quirky and innovative restaurants and attractions. Tara utilizes her background in academic, service-based and traditional publishing to create insider-perspective articles. Her topics of interest include travel, weddings, Irish American culture, and geek subculture.