If you’ve never walked down South Street in Philly, it’s hard to really get a sense of what it’s like there through just a few short paragraphs, but we’ll do our best to tell you all we can about the 300 year-old section of the city.
South Street began as the original southern border of the city and has always served as a center for music, arts and culture. The city’s first playhouse was there, and throughout the decades it has starred as the epicenter for what’s new and exciting. Today, the district is home to more than 400 businesses, with most of the chain companies out of the picture. Also known as the Headhouse District, “independently owned” is pretty much the name of the game there.
The district boasts of more restaurants than you can count, and they vary in style from Brauhaus Schmitz’s expansive German beer selection to the Hot Diggity’s creative takes on the American classic. The restaurants alone are a perfect indication of the diversity you’ll find in a walk down South Street.
Passing the restaurants and boutiques, don’t be surprised to hear a man playing Third Eye Blind covers on his guitar by the street corner, just to cover another block and hear Michael Jackson blaring from a store’s sound system, just to make it past the Theatre of Living Arts concert venue and catch the thundering bass from a heavy metal show.
Don’t be fooled into thinking music is the only diversity you’ll find there. One block smells like cheese steaks and another of incense. One block you’ll run into some high schoolers who think they’re cool for just walking around the area, on another an old man walks his dog. South Street exemplifies the entire city of Philly within a few blocks, it’s diversity being something even other metropolitan areas don’t have.
Executive Director of the South Street Headhouse District association, Mike Harris, said, “It’s a very unique urban experience, even when compared to other diverse cities.”
The three major venues in the area, the TLA, Twisted Tail, and the Legendary Dobbs, are working together to create a lineup of varied music acts for the upcoming Spring Festival on May 3rd. From Front to 8th Streets, the neighborhood will morph into a music festival with three stages on 2nd, 5th and 8th Streets. Plus there will be stages on every block, with at least 25 different acts. Of course, there will be plenty of food and retail specials to be had as well.
“We’re proud that it’s gone from a ‘can we do it?’ festival, to having people lining up and wanting to be a part of the music,” Harris says. Thanks to a grant from the Knights Art Foundation, the association is also hosting a summer concert series consisting of 7-10 performances during the summer months.
It goes without saying but just to make sure you know, the nightlife on South Street is what dreams are made of. From the graffitied walls of Tattooed Mom to the palm-tree-adorned Copabanana, Fat Tuesday and the Boyler Room, this small strip has everything for everyone.
While we hope we painted an accurate picture, the area is something you need to experience to fully enjoy and understand. The Spring Festival and upcoming summer concert series are things to be on the lookout for, but really, any day is a good day to take a walk down South Street.
Visit http://southstreet.com/ to learn more.
One more thing, we highly recommend listening to this song while you read this post! Enjoy!
