Last year, in the midst of a festive holiday season, I was lucky enough to win two passes to the Charms of Fairmount Holiday Tour from HughE’s blog. My friend Tara & I had such a fun day exploring these beautiful Philly homes, but I didn’t get a chance to report on my experience before the season was over. Well – GREAT NEWS: the tours are back! Starting today (12/3) and running through 12/30, Woodford, Cedar Grove, Laurel Hill Mansion, Lemon Hill, Mount Pleasant, and Strawberry Mansion will “once again be decorated in their holiday finest for the beloved annual Holiday Tours” (I couldn’t have said it better myself).
To give you a little background, these homes, located in Fairmount Park and currently owned by the city, were once the summer villas of rich families living in Philadelphia during the 18th & 19th centuries. It took them two to three hours to get out to these babies, so they had to be fabulous. Many important people rolled through these homes during their prime (we’re talking Ben Franklin and John Adams important), and they’re a really great snapshot into what our city used to be.
Due to my longstanding love affair with 
Each tea comes with a plastic seal over the top, and you have to stick the pointy end of your straw through to get to the drink. That was probably the most stressful part of the day. 😉
With bubble tea in hand, we moved on to this humongous bazaar, filled with everything from toys to books to jewelry & more. I didn’t look much at the prices of the the items, but there was definitely a plethora of goodies to choose from.
After some shopping, it was finally lunch time! We hurried in the crowded restaurant for some dim sum, which is basically small sized portions of food served in steamer baskets or on small plates. Al explained that dim sum is to the Chinese as tea time is to the British. 
Our only restriction was no duck (my request), and Al quickly ordered for us off of the wizzing trays filled with food. We tried lots of different things, but I loved the shrimp dumplings & fried rice the best. 
Lunch for four of us, including tea & dessert, and until we were literally stuffed, ended up being $27. If that’s not a gem in this city, I don’t know what is.
Our last stop was a quick visit to the fortune cookie factory! You can go in & see the cookies being made (so cool!) and pick up a bag of “X-Rated” cookies to take home with you. They also do custom cookies for events & weddings.
I hope this blog inspires you to break out of your comfort zone and explore a new neighborhood or two. Thanks again to Al for being a great tour guide, and my friends Kelly & Colleen for braving the chilly temps with us! If this type of neighborhood tour is something you’re interested in seeing more of, let me know in the comments & I will find a new Philly hood to explore next!
