Visitors to Pennsylvania will enjoy adding the township of Springfield to their itinerary.
After all, this township in Delaware County boasts of being one of the places that provide the highest quality of life in the state.
Springfield earned this bragging right mainly through its long history of development.
This township, covering an area of about 6.4 square miles, was set up in 1686 as Amosland, with Quakers as the first settlers of its farmlands.
Mills powered by local creeks brought industrialization to Springfield in the 19th century.
By the start of the 20th century, its Baltimore Pike corridor grew to become one of the busiest commercial areas in Delaware County.
The property developers that came to Springfield later took over most of its farmlands to mold it into the charming township it is today.
The family-friendly amenities these developers created contribute to many activities you can enjoy here.
Here are the best things to do in Springfield, Pennsylvania:
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Opened in 1974, Springfield Mall is a regional shopping center with commercial space totaling 589,000 square feet.
The mall is located on the bustling Baltimore Pike corridor connecting Philadelphia with Baltimore, Maryland.
Macy’s is one of the mall’s anchor tenants, occupying 192,000 square feet and selling men’s and women’s clothing, jewelry, shoes, makeup, home decor, and furniture.
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The other anchor retailer in Springfield is Target, with its 186,000 square feet of commercial space devoted to selling groceries, clothing, furniture, electronics, and home goods.
The mall’s dining options include Friendly’s and Carrabba’s Italian Grill and fast-food choices in Asian Bistro, Auntie Anne’s Pretzels, Sbarro, and Tony Luke’s.
A visit to Pennsylvania combining business and pleasure promises to run smoothly, with an overnight stay at Courtyard by Marriot on West Sproul Road in Springfield.
This 101-room hotel offers comfortable accommodations and a treasure trove of amenities.
Its guests are pampered with plush bedding in their rooms, each of which also features a functional workspace and complimentary high-speed Internet.
Courtyard by Marriott boasts a state-of-the-art lobby with its centerpiece, The Bistro, providing great breakfast menu choices.
Hotel guests have access to inviting, flexible spaces where they can relax or work, thanks to the Courtyard’s complimentary Wi-Fi pegged on cutting-edge GoBoard technology.
This hotel also has a well-equipped fitness center, promising to keep guests energized and refreshed for various activities in Springfield’s nearby points of interest.
The on-site restaurant at Courtyard by Marriott, Tavola Restaurant + Bar is open to the public for lunch, dinner, and drinks.
Offering customized menus for groups, it provides a selection of semi-private and private rooms.
The restaurant also draws diners to its full-service outdoor bar and lounge with fire pits and scenic views.
Adorned with palm trees, the bar and lounge flaunts all-weather trappings: a misting system for warm days and glass enclosures with heat lamps for cold weather.
Tavola Restaurant + Bar’s diners can pick their drinks from an extensive bar menu of wine, beer, and signature cocktails with fresh ingredients from on-site herb and vegetable gardens.
Live acoustic music and DJ entertainment on weekends are added come-ons at Tavola.
Golfers on a visit to Springfield can play at the public golf course of Springfield Country Club just across the Courtyard by Marriot on West Sproul Road.
The country club’s 18-hole championship layout was opened in 1947, providing play at par 70 over 6,018 yards from the longest tees.
Golfers playing this course will traverse fairways on gently rolling hills with flanks of lush, mature trees.
This layout, which has some of the fastest greens in the region, has a 127 course rating and a 69.0 slope rating.
Springfield Country Club provides a three-tiered grass driving range for practice and a well-stocked golf pro shop.
A round of golf in the public course best winds up at the clubhouse and its vintage wrap-around terrace offering splendid views of the valley in Springfield.
The clubhouse is home to a high-end restaurant where diners can opt for outdoor dining to enjoy the country club’s scenic setting.
Springfield Country Club also features Divots, a sports bar and grill with six large-screen TVs tuned in to popular telecasts of significant sports events.
Springfield is home to the Rolling Green Golf Club, one of Pennsylvania’s best golf courses.
The club’s golf course was established in the early 1920s, with 15 prominent residents (mostly Quakers) behind its development.
Located on North State Road, Rolling Green has purposely developed as a golf-only facility minus the frills of a country club facility.
Noted golf course architect William Flynn designed its layout, which plays at par 70 over 6,941 yards.
Rolling Green Golf Club, which has hosted several major U.S. championships, has a course rating of 74.7 and a slope rating of 143.
Many water-based recreational facilities can be enjoyed in an Olympic-sized Springfield Country Club Pool.
Club members can bring in guests who pay an entrance fee to this pool located on Sproul Road.
Built in 1964 and renovated in 2014-2015, the main pool has a diving board and slide board.
Other facilities to be enjoyed here include a circular lazy river pool and a fenced kids’ pool with fun features.
Additional amenities for Springfield Country Club Pool visitors include playgrounds, an arcade room with fun games, and an air-conditioned snack bar.
The Springfield Ice Rink is located on Sproul Road, near the Springfield Country Club’s golf course.
It is a small single rink and can accommodate younger children learning to skate.
The skating rink is home to the Springfield Hockey League, whose playing season runs from September through April.
The Springfield Ice Rink is available for group skating and group parties.
Springfield Country Club hosts Joseph Anthony Retreat Spa and Dry Bar, offering specialty services and lavish amenities.
The offerings at Joseph Anthony Retreat Spa and Dry Bar include facials, massages, and customized body treatments.
The spa draws customers for its Brine Light Inhalation Suite, Turkish bath, and Soft Pack Treatments.
The dry bar provides conditioning treatments, manicures, pedicures, and makeup applications.
Residents and visitors of Springfield can access more than 200 acres of parks, open spaces, and trails in the township.
Their choices include 23 township parks, two county parks, and two greenways.
Crowell Park, a 13-acre park, is one of the most convenient to visit.
This park is located on North Avenue, adjacent to the Baltimore Pike commercial corridor.
Crowell Park provides many recreational facilities, including basketball courts, baseball diamonds, football and soccer fields, tennis courts, and a roller hockey rink.
Rolling Green Park on West Rolling Road also features some sports facilities within its 9.2-acre site.
Its abundant wildlife, however, is the main draw for this park.
The park’s north side hugs the Darby Creek corridor, where the woodlands serve as a migration greenway for wildlife, including deer.
Turn a trip to Springfield into a learning experience with a visit to the seven Smedley Park Teaching Gardens, situated on the northwest corner of Paper Mill Road and Baltimore Pike.
Visitors will enjoy the opportunity to study the research-based best practices incorporated into the gardens.
Models in environmental stewardship, each of these teaching gardens presents a unique theme.
Their landscape designs feature perennials, annuals, shrubs, and trees well suited to each specific environment.
The Penn State Extension Master Gardeners of Delaware County has maintained the Smedley Park Teaching Gardens since the 1990s.
Located on Papermill Road, Smedley Park draws sports aficionados, scouts, and outdoor enthusiasts.
It spreads over 120 acres and features many facilities amid Delaware County’s natural splendor.
The county park was established in 1937 and was named after Delaware County Parks & Recreation Board founder Samuel L. Smedley.
Over the years, it was transformed into a popular multi-purpose recreational destination.
Accessible via trolley, Smedley Park provides soccer, softball, baseball, and lacrosse fields.
It also offers visitors shaded picnic areas, kid-friendly playgrounds, nature trails, and walkway bridges over Crum Creek.
The Springfield Trail meanders around the lush woodlands of Smedley Park and can also be accessed at the 15-acre Thomson Park on West Thomson Avenue.
Thomson Park can be conveniently reached via the SEPTA subway–surface trolley lines serving Delaware County and West Philadelphia.
The Springfield Trail, developed in the late 1960s, stretches over 5.5 miles and has 12 other trailheads aside from the one in Thomson Park.
This trail follows several water tributaries, including Whiskey Run, Lownes Run, and Crum Creek adjacent to Thomson Park.
Hiking on the Springfield Trail also passes through remnants of the mills that contributed to the development of Springfield during its early years.
Sightings of wildlife are a frequent experience when hiking through the Springfield Trail.
The Hockey Dek is located on Wallingford Road, just south of Baltimore Pike and Smedley Park.
This sports facility is dedicated to promoting ball hockey in Delaware County, especially among young players.
It regularly hosts street hockey leagues wherein players play on foot instead of on skates.
The Hockey Dek is home to the Delco Demons, a pro-inline hockey team based in Springfield.
Urban Air Adventure Park, located on East Woodland Avenue, offers a safe playground for the whole family.
The park’s centerpiece, the wall-mounted Prozone Performance Trampolines, is excellent for jumping tricks and flips.
Climbing walls with varying difficulty levels, from beginner to expert, are also among the facilities at this adventure park.
Other exciting picks include its Battle Beam, Dodgeball, Dropzone, Sky Rider, Slam Dunk Zone, Tubes Playground, Warrior Course, and Wipeout.
Urban Air Adventure Park runs an Urban Air Cafe, offering snacks and drinks to help its patrons refuel.
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This internationally renowned museum is located on Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia, about nine miles northeast of Springfield.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art boasts a collection of over 240,000 objects chronicling 4,000 years of history.
Its largest curatorial collections are prints, drawings, and photos, with more than 100,000 on display.
Textiles and costumes come next at 30,000 pieces, all curiosity items.
Among the museum pieces that draw the most attention are American paintings, sculptures, ceramics, silver, and furniture.
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The artworks include exceptional creations of Pennsylvania Germans and Shakers, reflecting Philadelphia’s central role in US history.
The museum’s galleries also feature works by old European masters, ranging from paintings to sculptures.
At the museum’s European Decorative Arts section, visitors can view an arms and armor collection, which displays 20,000 objects.
Collections of art pieces from East Asia and South Asia are also among the crowd-drawers of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
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This remarkable museum is located on Norwitch Drive, Philadelphia, just six miles east of Springfield.
It boasts over 75 historically significant automobiles collected over 50 years by the museum’s founder and namesake, Dr. Frederick Simeone.
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The museum’s theme revolves around “The Spirit of Competition,” celebrating the evolution and history of automobiles.
The cars displayed at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum include select auto models of Alfa Romeo, Aston Martin, Bentley, Bugatti, Corvette, Ferrari, Ford, Jaguar, Mercedes, and Porsche.
Peter & Laila, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Springfield has many hidden gems that make this township an exciting place to visit.
Over the long history of its development, the township has managed to preserve much of its natural environment, making it a wonderful place to visit and live.
The nearby attractions of Philadelphia also meld well with the things to do in Springfield, Pennsylvania, so much so that a visit to one location can lead to the other.
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