SSSP is pleased to offer two walking tours with Bob Skiba.  Bob served as the President of the Association of Philadelphia Tour Guides for the past five years and now chairs its education committee, training, and certifying city tour guides.  He is also the Curator of Collections at the John J. Wilcox Jr. LGBT Archives at the William Way Community Center.  Bob writes several local LGBT history blogs and is the coauthor of two books on Philly history: Lost Philadelphia and Philadelphia Then and Now.

Ghetto to Gayborhood Walking Tour accessibility symbol - SOLD OUT

M. FISCHETTI FOR VISIT PHILADELPHIA Read more: http://www.visitphilly.com/articles/philadelphia/essential-lgbt-sites-things-to-do-philadelphia/ Follow us: http://facebook.com/visitphilly | http://twitter.com/visitphillySaturday, August 11, 10:00am–12:00pm
Ticket Fee: $15 (limit 20)


This tour of Philly’s Gayborhood will tell the story of how Center City’s “20th century gay ghetto” became a 21st century inclusive and welcoming neighborhood.  We will talk about the “Spruce Street Boys” and Philadelphia’s pivotal role in the 60s Homophile Movement.  We will explore the “Lurid Locust” Street of the 70s and the booming 80s club culture along Walnut and Chestnut Streets.  Finally, we will wander through the alleys and side streets of today’s Gayborhood, talking about bars, bookstores, and community spaces.  Meet the tour guide at the SSSP registration desk; Tour group will depart promptly at 10:00am.

Photo Credit: M. Fischetti for Visit Philadelphia

Raising a Glass to Prohibition Walking Tour accessibility symbol - SOLD OUT 

https://www.discoverphl.com/media-room/photos/Sunday, August 12, 10:00am–12:00pm
Ticket Fee: $15 (limit 20)


This tour will take us from City Hall to Camac Street, Philadelphia’s “Greenwich Village,” and will highlight the history of National Prohibition in William Penn’s Quaker city.  We will learn about the surprising Pennsylvania origin of the term “speakeasy,” the battle between City Hall and Director of Public Safety Major Butler, bootleggers, wets vs. drys, and the enduring legacy of Governor Gifford Pinchot on Pennsylvania’s peculiar liquor laws.  Meet the tour guide at the SSSP registration desk; Tour group will depart promptly at 10:00am.


Photo Credit: Paul Loftland for PHLCVB