Franklin Mills

Do you like to shop? Want to see a movie? Want to eat a ton of food? Then you should probably join the ranks of millions of visitors and hang out at the Franklin Mills mall. Apparently the place is one of the most-visited tourist attractions in the state of Pennsylvania. But really how could it not be!?! There are over 200 stores, two food courts and seven themed restaurants that are totally separate from the courts themselves. And let’s not forget the movie theatre that you can access after mall shopping hours.

Franklin Mills is a suburban teenage kid's dream and if I had lived close to it when I was growing up I probably would have hung out in its courts on a regular basis, stealing from Claire’s and flirting with the employees of Hot Topic. But now it’s a once in a while trip because getting to Franklin Mills from other parts of Philadelphia can sometimes be a commute, traffic is unpredictable and I’ve definitely spent an hour or so trying to get home.

There are a few stores that surround Franklin Mills and are completely separate from the mall itself, like Wal-mart and Pathmark. There is also a Bally’s Total Fitness gym so you can work off all of those Auntie Anne’s pretzels you ate. If you’re going bring money, lots and lots of money.