Hotels… at your service

​HOSR is proud to partner with HBC Event Services, a housing agency with a nationwide reputation for excellence in managing travel for sports events.  HBC Event Services provides an easy way for you to book your hotel rooms with our partnered hotels at the best rates. These rates are always lower than their best available rate online.  Please call HBC Event Services at (505) 346-0522 and/or support@hbceventservices.com if you have any questions and/or have any special hotel requests.  HBC is dedicated to making the accommodations process seamless for all parties of all sizes.

RESERVE HOTEL ROOMS

HBC also provides the ability to purchase a Travel Protection Plan with up to 100% for covered cancellations reasons as well as a Cancel for Any Reason benefit of 75% coverage of your unused non-refundable prepaid expenses for travel arrangements you paid for your trip, including the event registration costs.  Book your hotel reservation and select YES to add the Travel Protection Plan and protect your trip. Alternatively, you can call HBC directly at 505-346-0522 (Travel Protection Plan can only be added to your booking within 20 days of your hotel reservation date). To see the full terms and conditions of the Travel Protection Plan, please click here.

We hope that you will take advantage of the special event pricing and make all hotel accommodations using HBC housing services.  Booking through HBC provides HOSR with the ability to count, and relay to our supporters, the number of hotel rooms brought to the City and surrounding area.  When rooms are booked directly through the hotels, we cannot get an accurate count.

In addition, making the choice to stay with our partner hotels results in $10 being dedicated to HOSR’s park and river stewardship efforts for every hotel room booked (check out what we do because we ‘love where we row’).  Kindly use the provided HBC Event Services link provided to reserve.

A few easy clicks and you’ll be ready for a memorable stay in the Philadelphia region. Most hotel offers are effective for bookings through October 6th, 2024, but book early to avoid sell-outs.

  When in Philly…

Here’s just a sampling of some of the accolades Philadelphia won this year:

~ 10 Must-Visit U.S. Hotspots for 2017, Smarter Travel
~ America’s Favorite Cities, Travel + Leisure
~ The 26 Hottest Food Cities of 2016, Zagat
~ 10 Best Food Cities in America Ranked, The Washington Post
~ The Best Cities In America For Street Art, Thrillist
~ Best in the U.S. 2016, Lonely Planet

The Schuylkill River runs through the center of Fairmount Park, named one of the top public spaces in the country in 2016. What began in the 19th century as a space to protect a municipal watershed, Fairmount Park has evolved into a 2,000-acre public park, one of the world’s largest city park systems, offering bike and walking trails, playgrounds, historic mansions, picnic areas…and more.  Be sure to explore the park during your stay. Hello fall foliage!  Check out these maps for park amenities and hidden gems!

Stretching from City Hall to the Philadelphia Museum of Art (just a short stroll from Boathouse Row), Philadelphia’s grand, tree-lined Benjamin Franklin Parkway is flanked by some of the city’s most acclaimed institutions.  Visitors to the Parkway Museums District will discover a cultural mecca with world-class museums and educational institutions, over 30 works of public art, and of course, the world famous “Rocky” steps.  Representing one of the earliest examples of urban renewal in the United States, the Benjamin Franklin Parkway is celebrated its Centennial in 2017-2018.

The Philly PHLASH® Downtown Loop is a visitor-friendly public transit service managed by Philadelphia Visitor Center Corporation, which provides access to 19 stops located near must-see attractions, from Penn’s Landing to Fairmount Park. You can jump on the PHLASH just east of Boathouse Row, in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  Click to download a route map (PDF). 

  All About Town on Regatta Weekend…

The Rocky Statue and the “Rocky Steps”

Two of the most popular tourist attractions in Philadelphia.  The Rocky Statue is a larger-than-life bronze sculpture immortalizing the fictional character who has become the city’s unofficial underdog mascot, the inspirational tale of a boxer, Rocky Balboa. In the original Rocky movie, the fictional boxer, Rocky, ended his morning run with an ascent up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. This ascent has become symbolic of the city of Philadelphia and its residents, representing that an underdog can become a champion through hard work, determination, and hustle. Every year, tens of thousands of people make the same trek up the 72 “Rocky Steps,” making it one of the world’s most famous movie locations.

Where:  2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, just a short walk from Boathouse Row

Fairmount Water Works

Situated on the east bank of the Schuylkill River between historic Boat House Row and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Fairmount Water Works opened its doors in 1815 as the sole water pumping station for the City of Philadelphia and was decommissioned almost a century later, in 1909. Converted to a museum and environmental center which opened in 2003, the FWW has become the region’s premier urban environmental education destination.  Open Wednesday-Friday, 10am-5pm.  Admission is free.    Plan Your Visit – Fairmount Water Works

Where: 640 Waterworks Drive

Eastern State Penitentiary

Things at Eastern State Penitentiary get pretty scary in October — one of the country’s most popular Halloween attractions. Guests can explore the abandoned halls of the former prison by nightfall while zombie guards, cannibal warriors and more pop out from around the attraction.  Visit www.easternstate.org

When: Through November 9, 2024

Where: 2027 Fairmount Avenue, just a short walk from Boathouse Row

October is Mural Arts Month in Philadelphia

During Mural Arts Month, Mural Arts Philadelphia honors their approximately 4,000 works of public art with trolley tours of neighborhood gardens, mosaics, and a lineup of free and pay-what-you-wish events.  Visit www.muralarts.org

 When: October 1 – 31, 2023

Where: Throughout the City, but you can find a few murals by walking/rowing the regatta course!  Check them out at the Railroad and Girard Avenue bridges.

Philadelphia Zoo

Halloween entertainment arrives at the Philadelphia Zoo in the form of its annual Boo at the Zoo celebration. For three weekends in October, the attraction welcomes kids dressed in Halloween attire for trick-or-treating, a hay-bale maze, seasonal treats and a tour through the extinction graveyard.  And/or enjoy America’s First Zoo!  Visit www.philadelphiazoo.org

Where: Philadelphia Zoo, 34th Street & Girard Avenue

Please Touch Museum

Join the Please Touch Museum, where children learn through play, for Halloween Weekend and tons of family fun — trick-or-treating, slime, live reptiles, magic shows, costumes, and more!  A must-visit if you visit Philadelphia with little ones.

Where: Memorial Hall, 4231 Avenue of the Republic, Philadelphia, PA 19131

Philadelphia Museum of Art 

As if a visit to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, chartered in 1876 for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia, isn’t impressive enough, the historic Kelly Drive north entrance and lobby has been reopened after more than forty years. Experience the reimagined museum store, the new espresso bar, and Vaulted Walkway, a jaw-dropping architectural gem. Then explore the 200 galleries of art from all around the world, including the Thomas Eakins collection!  Visit www.philamuseum.org

A Must-Do: Climb the iconic building’s famous Rocky steps located on the East side and take in the magnificent views of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway leading to City Hall (adorned by William Penn).

Laurel Hill Cemetery – Haunted Halloween History Tours

Laurel Hill Cemetery’s classic Halloween flashlight tours have become a mainstay of the season. Experience the enchanting art and landscape after dark, as an experienced tour guide leads you along winding, dimly-lit pathways. The extended nighttime walking tours will focus on the cemetery’s rich history, and of course, some of the liveliest spirits buried within. Tours last approximately two hours and are followed by refreshments and cocktails aside blazing fire pits. Tickets can be purchased at the door or online.

Where: 3822 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia PA, 19132. Upon arrival, check in at Laurel Hill Cemetery’s Gatehouse entrance. Please note – youth/ children must be accompanied by an adult.

The Discovery Center 

This unique outdoor habitat, rarely found in a major urban area, provides education and adventure programs that inspire self-discovery, foster personal achievement, and build community across Philadelphia.  Visitors are welcome to explore this century-old, abandoned reservoir that has become a unique wildlife sanctuary and an important stopover for birds migrating along the Atlantic Flyway. Visit www.discoveryphila.org

Where: 3401 Reservoir Drive – just a short walk up Fountain Green Dr. from The Three Angels.

When: Open Tuesday – Sunday 10am-5pm

Events along Boathouse Row: The Birthplace of American Rowing

MORE TO COME…