Built in 1787, this neoclassical mansion was the home of Samuel Breck, a wealthy merchant who purchased 33 acres of land along the Schuylkill. The Marquis de Lafayette was entertained at Sweetbriar but the house is now in disrepair and is closed to the public.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby attractions

1. Cedar Grove

0.24 MILES

One of two historic houses in Fairmount Park managed by the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Cedar Grove was moved here from its original location in Frankford…

2. Smith Memorial Arch

0.27 MILES

Several bronze statues by 13 different artists stand on the stone plinths and columns that make up this striking 1912 memorial to Pennsylvania’s naval and…

3. Philadelphia Zoo

0.31 MILES

The country's oldest zoo (first opened in 1874) is home to nearly 1300 animals including tigers, pumas, polar bears – you name it – in naturalistic…

4. Mount Pleasant

0.47 MILES

This 1764 mansion was described by John Adams in 1775 'as the most elegant seat in Pennsylvania.' The Georgian building is closed for general maintenance,…

5. Please Touch Museum

0.48 MILES

Parents will have a lot of fun at what's definitely a kiddo goldmine: splash around learning about bubbles, race toy cars, wander through a 'wonderland'…

6. Ellen Phillips Samuel Memorial

0.58 MILES

This riverside garden section of Fairmount Park comprises three terraces decorated with 17 sculptures that were commissioned between 1933 and 1961. Among…

7. Pavilion in the Trees

0.65 MILES

Martin Puryear's functional artwork is made from three types of wood so it blends in harmoniously with the leafy surroundings. Walk along a 60ft walkway…

8. Shofuso Japanese House & Garden

0.71 MILES

This picturesque house, built in Nagoya in 1953 to a 17th-century design, has been set in 1.2 acres of traditional Japanese gardens in Fairmount Park…