Fairmount Park is one of the largest city parks in the United States. It is the chief recreational area of Philadelphia , in the Middle Atlantic state of Pennsylvania . The historic park lies along the Schuylkill River , northwest of Philadelphia’s Center City. Attractions include a zoo, museums and theaters, historic mansions, athletic fields and hiking trails, and the famous Boathouse Row.
Fairmount Park extends northwest from the Fairmount Water Works, which stands next to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The park covers about 2,050 acres (830 hectares) and is divided into two main sections: West Fairmount Park and East Fairmount Park.
During the summer, the Philadelphia Orchestra and other musical groups present outdoor concerts at the Mann Center for the Performing Arts in the park. Visitors also may tour several historic mansions or sip tea in a Japanese teahouse. The Philadelphia Zoo, founded in 1874, and the Please Touch Museum, featuring hands-on exhibits for children, also stand in the park. Other attractions include numerous public artworks and miles of trails for cycling, hiking, and jogging. Boathouse Row, a series of clubhouses belonging to local boating groups and dating from the late 1800’s and early 1900’s, lines the river north of the water works.
In 1815, the city completed the Fairmount Water Works on a hill known to early Philadelphians as “Faire Mount.” Gardens built in 1829 around the water works today form the oldest section of the park. In 1854, the Pennsylvania General Assembly passed the Consolidation Act, merging the city with Philadelphia County. The act allowed the city to claim and maintain open spaces as parkland. In 1855, the former Lemon Hill Estate was declared public parkland and renamed Fairmount Park. The park expanded significantly through land acquisitions in the late 1860’s. Workers constructed more than 200 structures in the park for the Centennial Exhibition of 1876, the first World’s Fair held in the United States.
