Come to the Meadows

Discover the magic of the FDR Meadows, South Philly’s only wild space and nature refuge.
Explore 100 acres of forest and meadows — and waterways teeming with life!

Philadelphia Parks & Rec and the Fairmount Park Conservancy have destroyed 75 acres of FDR Park’s Meadows — but nearly 100 acres remain. This is the only publicly accessible urban woodlands in South Philadelphia, and the largest native wildlife habitat.

If you’ve never explored the Meadows, prepare to be amazed!

How to get there

The entrance to the Meadows is next to the pickleball courts (right here on Google maps).

Enter FDR Park:

  • either at 20th St & Pattison, then turn right onto the loop road

  • or at Pattison Ave just west of Broad St, then turn right to follow the loop road; pass the Boathouse and then keep left to stay on the loop road.

After 0.4 miles, the pickleball courts parking lot will be on the right.

The trail to the Meadows starts to the right of the pickleball courts.

Walk up the trail keeping the fenced-off wetland to your left, and you’ll enter the Meadows. Pick a path — choose your adventure!

What to expect

100 acres of mature forests and a rewilded golf course (abandoned in 2018) where nature has taken over. Trails are semi-maintained and the entire area is coastal floodplain.

We recommend:

  • Insect repellent such as picaridin.

  • Rubber boots — if it’s been raining, trails may be flooded in places.

  • Water, if it’s hot out.

Keep an eye out for:

Help us document the threatened tree canopy in FDR Meadows! Join this iNaturalist project and add your observations.

After you visit

Speak out to save the Meadows — here’s how you can help!