Pennsylvania Convention Center
Pennsylvania Convention Center
Pennsylvania Convention Center
4
About
This $522 million convention center has 440,000 square feet of exhibit space. Its draw, however, is more than its function; elegant on the outside and, in the inside, marvelously adorned with works by 52 artists, a flying design of steel and aluminum tubes spanning 70,000 square feet, a façade of the old Reading Railroad terminal and a 37 foot rotating electric guitar.
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The area
Address
Neighbourhood: City Center East
How to get there
- 11th St • 4 min walk
- 13th St • 5 min walk
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4.0
331 reviews
Excellent
113
Very good
134
Average
50
Poor
16
Terrible
18
Felicia S
Myrtle Beach, SC8 contributions
Mar 2020
Staying at the Marriott Phila Downtown which has a skywalk directly to the Convention Center was the best! The Flower show had great signs for bathrooms, food vendors and all the staff were friendly and helpful. The Convention Center also has several parking areas and the Market is also right there for great shopping. Area was safe and well lit.
Written 15 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
adventix
Boston, MA1,974 contributions
Apr 2022
This behemoth is almost too big. Be sure to take a building map so you won’t get lost in the multiple corridors and floors. Place was mostly in good condition. note that not all restrooms and shops maybe be open. it depends on the activity/conference that day.
Written 4 April 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
moonlotus18
Hamilton, New Zealand2,004 contributions
Apr 2024 • Business
I attended a conference here and was amazed by the size of this facility. It was well maintained and can cater for huge crowds. The fact it has adjoining paths to Marriott Downtown expands access to additional rooms for meetings etc. This place spans several blocks in length so be prepared to walk. Excellent location downtown with handy access to eating places nearby and the reading Terminal market.
Written 17 April 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Herby
3 contributions
Nov 2019
I attended the Wood Symposium at the Pennsylvania Convention Center. The event hosts architects from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York. The location is convenient. Also the surrounding area has a lot of historical and architectural structures that can be visited by doing a walking tour of the area with guides.
Written 5 March 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Jerry Z
Camillus, NY7,039 contributions
Philadelphia Flower Show was outdoors due to Covid concerns and so glad it was. Exhibits we're big, bold and beautiful. The preparation for this event must have been massive. Very well done
Written 18 June 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Gigliomediceo
New York City, NY89 contributions
Mar 2023
Awful.. I believe the set up was made by someone who really hates flowers or there's no explanation for the shabbiness..
I went with a friend on its very first day ( today March 4th 2023) and we were so excited:we are garden lovers who crisscross the region in search of gardens and nurseries and we found here a despicable show where flowers were already worn and fading, plants were suffering and there was no real concept of landscape whatsoever..
we were so disappointed that it is hard to describe...moreover the money for the ticket is just not worth ( 43 dollars , better give it to charity), but the disappointment is even worse. never again..
I went with a friend on its very first day ( today March 4th 2023) and we were so excited:we are garden lovers who crisscross the region in search of gardens and nurseries and we found here a despicable show where flowers were already worn and fading, plants were suffering and there was no real concept of landscape whatsoever..
we were so disappointed that it is hard to describe...moreover the money for the ticket is just not worth ( 43 dollars , better give it to charity), but the disappointment is even worse. never again..
Written 4 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vladimir T
NYC52 contributions
Mar 2012 • Friends
We went to see the annual flower show, which was fine. This review is about the food court. It's called "Overlook Cafe" and has 3 sections - sandwich, grill (if I remember correctly), and Chinese - "Shanghai". We picked the Chinese, because it's usually cheap, plentiful and tasty.
Not in Philadelphia. Shanghai serves greatly overpriced small portions of crap. I had to add 5 packs of soy sauce to hot and sour soup to make it edible. As for beef with broccoli - one American-Chinese dish that never disappoints me, ... I don't have words to describe it. If they tried to serve that in NYC, they would be immediately lynched by Chinese people.
Not in Philadelphia. Shanghai serves greatly overpriced small portions of crap. I had to add 5 packs of soy sauce to hot and sour soup to make it edible. As for beef with broccoli - one American-Chinese dish that never disappoints me, ... I don't have words to describe it. If they tried to serve that in NYC, they would be immediately lynched by Chinese people.
Written 5 March 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reenactress
Virginia140 contributions
Mar 2019
At long last I was able to travel the 5 hours one way to get to this show. And found it hugely disappointing. Would never go again. There were fantasy arrangements from many countries in the world. One was a graveyard with fancy bouquets by the headstones. There was a who could grow the biggest "X" contest that covered a block or two and reminded me especially of a county fair. One third of this was sales space with home remodeling and buy a roomba for your lawn,but also some pretty garden art that many people were buying. I bought a plumeria shoot - not for me the vastly overpriced potted plants with no growing instructions or zones. Is it indoors or outdoors? There were some nice displays of sample planters or yards in the Home gardening section but nothing was labeled in any way, so if you saw a plant you liked, you could not find out what it was. So like what is the point of this? The Philly convention center has cut back on food sales. One friend bought an #11 hot dog, the first she has eaten in 10 years but there is no food. And if you find a concession stand, no place to sit down to eat it. Very little to none in the way of seating for the many many elderly who come. We found one fried food stand, like at town event, in the back far back of everything, but exited and ate in a regular restaurant across the street. The coat check is deep half way deep in the huge building, go figure. Poor website, hard to find out things in advance. Is there an ATM inside? dunno. Baby changing station??? good luck charging station for phone? Nope, do it in the restroom in the plug for the floor cleaner. Poorly signed facility. Management has never walked thru this as if they were a new customer. You can pre reserve a scooter for $65 thru the gift shop - I found out after 6 phone calls. Staff were uniformly nice and helpful. But this is an aging building that has a poor floor space flow, giant traffic jams of people moving from one direction to another and the aisles are narrowed by an odd assortment of private businesses that have set up tables and are hawking sales: remodel your home, visit Ireland, Visit PA, give to charity. Overhyped.
Written 6 March 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
CynthiafromOhio2011
Cleveland, OH337 contributions
Mar 2012 • Friends
The Philadelphia Internationa Flower Show is the largest flower show in the world and the oldest in the USA. This year's theme - Hawaii - was an outstanding showcase of tropical flowers, particularly the waves of orchids. The show ran from March 4 - 11 at the Convention Center. I attended the last weekend; the flowers were outstanding and the crowds were horrorific! The flower show covers over 12 acres of must see exhibits, along with vendors, etc. Even if you are not a master gardener or dedicated hoticulturalist, this is worth visiting at least once. This year's theme was Hawaii, a particularly exciting and dramatic display. Next year will be Great Britian (e.g., rose gardens, etc.).
The Convention Center did a reasonably good job of accommodating the crowds. The facility is large and really the only place that can handle this event. The Flower Show itself was excellent, while the location (the Covention Center) was very good. On the negatives, the place:
1. has horrible concrete floors for walking
2. acustics are terrible for listening to presentations, and tend to amplify the noise
3. not enough places to sit and take a break from it all (although this year, there was the innovative mancave room)
4. need more and more modern restrooms
5. food opportunites in the Center were very limited and too crowded
The location was great, walking distance from several hotels. I stayed at the mid-priced Holiday Inn Express Mid-Town (an easy walking distance). The convention center is located next to the Reading Terminal Market, where all the flower show attendees tried to have lunch (too crowded). There were other less crowded food opportunities within a two block walk.
The individuals working the convention center were generally pretty knowledgeable and friendly. Traffic directions and parking options were well-marked.
My suggestion for next year is to extend the show for a longer period given the crowds and to open earlier in the morning (e.g., a 7 am early bird special for those who are willing to get up early to see the exhibits).
The Convention Center did a reasonably good job of accommodating the crowds. The facility is large and really the only place that can handle this event. The Flower Show itself was excellent, while the location (the Covention Center) was very good. On the negatives, the place:
1. has horrible concrete floors for walking
2. acustics are terrible for listening to presentations, and tend to amplify the noise
3. not enough places to sit and take a break from it all (although this year, there was the innovative mancave room)
4. need more and more modern restrooms
5. food opportunites in the Center were very limited and too crowded
The location was great, walking distance from several hotels. I stayed at the mid-priced Holiday Inn Express Mid-Town (an easy walking distance). The convention center is located next to the Reading Terminal Market, where all the flower show attendees tried to have lunch (too crowded). There were other less crowded food opportunities within a two block walk.
The individuals working the convention center were generally pretty knowledgeable and friendly. Traffic directions and parking options were well-marked.
My suggestion for next year is to extend the show for a longer period given the crowds and to open earlier in the morning (e.g., a 7 am early bird special for those who are willing to get up early to see the exhibits).
Written 12 March 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Cake M
Hatboro, PA20 contributions
Terrible show for 2023.Crowds had to stand in lines in semi darkness inside to move through the majority of exhibits single file. Not many places to sit. PHS members lounge put in noisy convention center itself with poor seating to eat. I miss the gorgeous flower displays. Barely could make out flowers with strobbing lights. When one drops over 75 dollars for ticket and getting there not including food, not worth it.
Written 9 March 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
There is a parking garage across the street and other blocks down.
A lot of people take public transportation, SEPTA has great service,
Uber is also available.
Used a little of the last two.
Written 12 February 2020
Is there parking within 2 blocks of the convention center?
Written 23 October 2019
I used the parking garage that was about 1-2 blocks away, but it does get crowded depending on the popularity of the event. I'm also told there's a pre-paid parking service available called "Panda Park" (I think) but I haven't used it.
Written 3 February 2016
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