Boutiques and bistros line cobblestoned Germantown Avenue, art fills a 19th century mansion, and grand homes line leafy streets in the city’s Chestnut Hill neighborhood, which feels (and acts) more like a wealthy suburb than part of a major city. The gardens and sculptures of Morris Arboretum and trails of Fairmount Park’s Forbidden Drive lie at Philadelphia’s border with Montgomery County, home to the brutal winter camp at Valley Forge and the largest mall in America.

START: Take I-76 21 miles north to Valley Forge (or city buses 125 & 139); there’s also two SEPTA train lines to Chestnut Hill).

  Valley Forge National Historic Park. In 1893, PA created its first state park around the trim stone house where Washington rode out the bitter winter of 1777–78, mulling over recent defeats and keeping an eye on supplies lines from Reading and Lancaster—and on the British-occupied capital of Philadelphia down the road. By 1976, the National Park Service knit together 18 surrounding farms and scattered the 3,500 acres with replicas of the crude cabins that housed Washington’s troops. They staked camp as a ragtag baker’s dozen of former state militias, each with its own uniforms, insignia, and conflicting loyalties. After six months of drills in modern military techniques under veteran Prussian officer Friedrich von Steuben, the troops emerged as a single, unified fighting machine: the U.S. Continental Army.  2 hrs. 1400 N. Outer Line Dr., King of Prussia. (where Rte. 422 crosses the PA Turnpike). 610/783-1000. www.nps.gov/vafo. Free. Daily 7am–sunset (Visitor Center 9am–5pm).

 King of Prussia Mall. We know you didn’t come here to hit the mall, but if you’re feeling peckish and forgot to pack a picnic for Valley Forge, amble three miles southeast to the 40 restaurants (and 450+ stores) of this mega-mall. Due respect to Minnesota’s vaunted Mall of America, this actually is the country’s largest shopping complex as measured by actual retail space (nearly 3 million sq ft). 1/2 hr. 160 N. Guelph Rd. (where I-76, PA 202, and the PA Turnpike cross).  610/265-5727. www.kingofprussiamall.com. Mon–Sat 10am–9pm, Sun 11am–6pm.

  Morris Arboretum. The University of Pennsylvania has maintained these slopes of carefully manicured gardens since 1932, when they inherited the Morris’s family’s 1887 estate—and their horticultural and botanical mission. The grounds include more than 12,000 labeled plants from 2,500 species and 34 countries. There are massive examples of Engler beech, Bender oak, Blue Atlas Cedar, and katsura along with an English rose garden, a fernery, and a canopy walk offering a squirrel-eye’s view of the trees. Don’t miss the outdoor model railroad tracks that trundle past tiny replicas of Philly-area landmark houses crafted from materials found around the arboretum. 1 hr. 100 E. Northwestern Ave. (btw. Stenton & Germantown Aves.).  215/247-5777. www.morrisarboretum.org. Admission $19 adults, $17 over 65, $10 ages 3–17 and students. Mon–Fri 10am–4pm, Sat–Sun 10am–5pm.

  Forbidden Drive. Join joggers, bikers, parents with strollers, and the occasional horseback rider on this wide path along winding Wissahickon Creek in the northernmost section of Fairmount Park. If you just want to pop into the park for a moment, you can grab a sandwich or quiche at The Cedars House a few hundred feet down the trail on the right ([tel] 215/ 242-3121, thecedarshouse.com, open Wed-Fri 8am–2pm, Sat–Sun 8am–3pm, $). If need a short hike to work up an appetite, you can aim for lunch at the picturesque Valley Green Inn, 2.5 miles from the trailhead. For more on the park, see p. ###. 1/2–2 hr. 215/683-0200; www.fairmountpark.org. The Friends of the Wissahickon (good resource):  215/247-0417; www.fow.org.

   Valley Green Inn. This charming, circa-1850 former roadhouse tavern (the last one left in the park) serves sit-down meals—chicken salad sandwiches, salmon clubs, and spinach salads—and has a walk-up stand for drinks and snacks. Valley Green Rd. at Wissahickon.  215/247-1730. www.valleygreeninn.com. $$.

  Woodmere Art Museum. This 19th century stone mansion just north of the Chestnut Hill shopping district houses a museum dedicated to Philadelphia arts and artists, with more than 6,000 works. The six acres of grounds are littered with contemporary sculptures, the galleries inside split between the historic collections (including paintings by Benjamin West, Rembrandt Peale, Helen Corson Hovenden, James Hamilton, Thomas Birch, Frederic Edwin Church, and the only bust of Abraham Lincoln sculpted from life by Sarah Fisher Ames) and galleries showcasing modern works with thematic shows, artist showcases, and juried exhibitions. They also host Friday jazz evenings. 1/2 hr. 9201 Germantown Ave. (at Bells Mill Rd.). 215/247-0476. www.woodmereartmuseum.org. Admission $10 adults (free Sun), Free for children and students. Tues–Thurs 10am–5pm, Fri 10am–8pm, Sat 10am–6pm, Sun 10am–5pm.

  Chestnut Hill. The main steet of this leafy residential neighborhood in northwesternmost Philly is Germantown Avenue, cobblestoned with (defunct) trolley tracks down the middle. It’s lined by restaurants and record stores, bakeries and boutiques, cafes and cheese shops—not to mention ice cream parlors and gift stores and microbreweries and antique shops and little farmers markets. It’s paradise for strollers and window-shoppers, and a great place to grab dinner. Also be sure drive the sidestreets—especially those west of Germantown—to see some of the lovely and sometimes magnificent houses. 2 hr. Germantown Ave. (shopping between Bethlehem Pike and Cresheim Valley Rd.). 215/247-6696. www.chestnuthillpa.com. Also handy: www.chestnuthilllocal.com.

  Chestnut Hill Skyspace. When the local Friends needed to replace its meeting house in 2012, they hired famed Quaker light artist James Turrell to incorporate one of his patented artistic experiences. These are hard to describe, but involve observing the sky—at dusk or dawn—through a large opening in the roof while subtly shifting colored lights play across the recessed outline of the rectangular opening. The experience lasts 50 minutes (if it’s too cold or rainy to open the roof, there’s a 20-minute version). Tip: Bring a sweatshirt; lying still can get chilly. 1 hr. 20 E. Mermaid Lane (a block off Germantown Ave.). 215/247-3553. www.chestnuthillskyspace.org. Suggested donation $5. Hours vary with the seasons, but are always around sunset. In summer there are more frequent viewing, but year-round you can count on at least Sun evenings and the first Fri of the month (plus at dawn on the first Sun on the month).