Fairmount Park and Boathouse Row, Philadelphia: history, lights, how to get there and hours

Fairmount Park and Boathouse Row in Philadelphia are the oldest part of the city's park system, on both banks of the Schuylkill River from the Fairmount hill by the Art Museum northward. Boathouse Row is the line of rowing clubs along Kelly Drive. Walking the riverfront is free, every day, with no ticket. People come to watch the crews, see the boathouse lights at night, and visit the old estates and the Fairmount Water Works.

Fairmount Park and Boathouse Row history

The park grew out of the city's water supply. According to the Encyclopedia of Greater Philadelphia (published by Rutgers University), City Council's watering committee bought Fairmount for a new waterworks in 1812. The Fairmount Water Works opened in 1815 as Philadelphia's sole pumping station, and gardens and walkways went in around it in the 1820s.

The city then bought land upriver to protect the water. It added the Lemon Hill estate in 1844 and dedicated it as "Fairmount Park" in 1855. The adjoining Sedgeley tract followed in 1857; Sedgeley mansion, built in 1799 to 1802, was demolished after the purchase. Acts of Assembly in 1867 and 1868 created the Fairmount Park Commission, which ran the park until 2010. In 1876 the Centennial Exhibition filled a site of about 400 acres in West Park.

The Water Works stopped pumping in 1909, when the city moved to sand filtration, and reopened as an interpretive center in October 2003. In 2010 the Commission was disestablished: Philadelphia Parks & Recreation now runs East and West Parks, and "Fairmount Park" now means those two. The nonprofit Fairmount Park Conservancy has worked with the city since 1998.

Rowing here is older than the park. The first clubs of the 1830s did not last; Undine, University and Bachelors' Barge clubs date from 1853 to 1856. In 1858 nine clubs with about 300 members formed the Schuylkill Navy, which calls itself the oldest amateur sports governing body in the United States and now has 18 member clubs. The National Park Service designated Boathouse Row a National Historic Landmark on February 27, 1987.

What to see in Fairmount Park and on Boathouse Row

The Row itself. Crescent Boat Club, one of the clubs, says the Row takes about ten minutes to walk end to end; start at Lloyd Hall (No. 1). Built in 1994 to 1998, it is the only public building on the Row; the other houses are private clubs with no walk-in entry and no tours. For the whole Row in one frame the club suggests the west bank and the Spring Garden Street Bridge, and for a view from above, the Girard Avenue Bridge or the Lemon Hill steps.

Crews on the water. Crescent Boat Club says that from March to November crews go out before dawn and again in late afternoon. The Schuylkill Navy says watching is free, from Kelly Drive.

Fairmount Water Works. At 640 Waterworks Drive, below the Art Museum hill. Inside: a film on the city and its water in the Engine House Theater, an interactive watershed exhibit, parts of the 1851 Jonval turbine (over 9 feet across), "POOL: A Social History of Segregation," a 4,700 sq ft exhibition on race and public pools, and a working freshwater mussel hatchery. It has been a National Historic Landmark since May 11, 1976.

Historic houses. Mount Pleasant, Woodford and Strawberry Mansion are among the estates still in the park. Mount Pleasant became a National Historic Landmark on May 30, 1974.

The riverfront path. Crescent Boat Club says it is paved, level and step-free for miles in both directions. From the Fairmount Dam to the Delaware, the Schuylkill Banks cover the southernmost eight miles of the river, with 4.5 trail miles open today.

Boathouse Row lights

Lighting designer Ray Grenald created the first lights in 1979. They went LED in 2005 and were refurbished in 2024 with a system by The Lighting Practice, a Philadelphia firm: 16 million color combinations, fades, sparkle and ombre effects. Fairmount Park Conservancy staff program them, and the lights are a partnership of the Conservancy and Philadelphia Parks & Recreation; the Joanna McNeil Trust and the City paid for the replacement. The houses are lit only as a full row, never one at a time.

Crescent Boat Club says the Row is lit every night from dusk, with colors changed for city occasions and holidays; for photos the club suggests arriving about twenty minutes before full dark. In the holiday season the city posts a special schedule on phila.gov, with the lights on from sunset to sunrise. The current color is on the Conservancy's lights page.

How to get to Boathouse Row

By car, Water Works Drive has free two-hour parking. Kelly Drive closes to cars for major regattas; the Schuylkill Navy posts closure times in its River Schedule on boathouserow.org.

Hours and tickets

Hours and prices checked on November 5, 2026 on phila.gov, myphillypark.org and fairmountwaterworks.org. Groups of 10 or more book the Water Works ahead at 215-685-0723. Since flooding from Hurricane Ida the building has no elevator access.

Park rules and tips

• Dogs on a leash no longer than 6 feet at all times; off-leash pets are banned in every park.
• Fires only in a stone fireplace or a metal barbecue stand.
• Alcohol is banned except at permitted events. Smoking is banned too.
• Swimming only in lifeguarded pools, never in the river or creeks.
• Groups of 50 or more need a permit; picnics and reunions need an event permit from the Special Events Office, and fees apply. Full list on the Parks & Recreation rules page.
• Fishing follows Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission rules.
• Regattas. The Schuylkill Navy holds the Stotesbury Cup Regatta every May, free to watch from the bank. Crescent Boat Club adds that major regattas run in May and late October and club racing fills most weekends from March to November.

More sights are on What to see in Philadelphia, and the Philadelphia guide covers the rest of the city. The easiest start is the bus 38 stop at Art Museum Dr & Kelly Dr.

Questions people ask

Does it cost anything to visit Fairmount Park and Boathouse Row?

No. The Boathouse Row riverfront is open every day with no ticket, and the Fairmount Water Works is free, open Wednesday to Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm. Philadelphia's parks have a 10 pm curfew, and trails are open from dawn to dusk.

When are the Boathouse Row lights on?

Crescent Boat Club says every night from dusk. Fairmount Park Conservancy staff program the lights on ten boathouses, in partnership with Philadelphia Parks & Recreation, and change the colors for holidays and city occasions. The houses are lit only as a full row, never one house alone.

Can you go inside the Boathouse Row boathouses?

The boathouses are private rowing clubs with no public tours. The one public building is Lloyd Hall, the first house on the Row, and Wheel Fun Rentals rents bikes in front of it seven days a week.

Can I bring a dog or grill in Fairmount Park?

Dogs are welcome on a leash no longer than 6 feet. Fires are allowed only in a stone fireplace or a metal barbecue stand. Alcohol is banned except at permitted events, and a group of 50 or more needs a permit from Philadelphia Parks & Recreation.