Cancel

    Open app

    Search

    Graffiti Pier

    4.1 (13 reviews)

    Graffiti Pier Photos

    Recommended Reviews - Graffiti Pier

    Your trust is our priority, so businesses can't pay to alter or remove their reviews. Learn more about reviews.
    Yelp app icon
    Browse more easily on the app
    Review Feed Illustration

    Reviews With Photos

    Mary Kate E.

    I had never been to Philadelphia prior to this visit. I wanted to explore the touristy sites and the not so touristy, off the beaten path, and possibly unknown even to locals kind of sites. Graffiti Pier, officially known as Pier 124, happened to be on the latter part of my tour that I wanted to see. I came across photos on Instagram simply by typing in a certain hashtag that brought me to this awesomeness. Two of my friends that I traveled with Kathleen D., and Sari A. came on this 'underground' outing with me. My GPS brought us right to the spot where we needed to park and find the place to the entrance. Luckily, Kathleen had been here on a previous excursion which helped a lot too. The area that it is located is sketchy. Particularly where we parked down from there was a sports/coop car outing of some sort that was disassembled not too long after by police when we returned to my car after the visit to the graffiti pier. It was pretty happening. They even had a food truck in tow which I found amusing. They dispersed, thankfully. We ventured down a beaten path that led us to a gate block that wouldn't allow car access down the road. Instead the foot path is only accessible via going through the gate that blocks the entrance. Once you walk down just a little ways you end up at the pier. Several people were down there. Decommissioned in 1991 due to Baltimore increasing their coal circulation; they closed down the pier and its activities is still It is still owned by the company who used to run the coal shipping here. It pretty much has remained unchanged and untouched since they left leaving it for street artists and graffiti enthusiasts to make their mark. When walking around, I saw some people climbing up a tree to get to the top of the pier. It had railroad spikes hammered pretty hard into the tree. My friends climbed it with a little trouble. I tried to at first, but with me wearing a dress; I wasn't about to show the world what I had nor was it worth the risk of me falling and breaking my neck. Others ascended it without much issue as if they had been there before. Instead of venturing from the top of the concrete pier, Sari, Kathleen and I wandered around on the bottom of it. It really is like a labyrinth where it keeps going and going with no end. Here, you see tons of graffiti, and trash. It made for a great photo op though. Several people were 'modeling' in front of the graffiti. I will be the first to admit I was one taking selfies too. I couldn't help it! It was such a cool chance to pull my best Kim K look. Oh wait... I'm cuter than her. Once you walk through the first concrete pier there is a big open space between it and another big concrete pier that eventually ends at the water. I saw a graffiti artist doing some repelling. He was creating a skull while hanging from his rope on the side of the first pier. It was incredibly intense as he sprayed with one hand and balanced himself on the wall with the other. I continued walking through the other pier only to find a fantastic view of Philadelphia once the second one ended. There were some people fishing over there, listening to music and smoking a substance of which I will not name. He was kind to get a photo of me and Kathleen together along with offering us a hit, but we rejected it. Bottom line -- this place was pretty chill on the second leg of the pier. We ventured back and gathered where we began rejoining my other 2 friends who had climbed on top of the first pier. Sari ended up getting bit by either chiggers or mosquitoes, but man it didn't look good what ever it was. They swarmed her. My biggest suggestions for visiting here are the following: * Wear tennis shoes * Wear long pants and if you can stand to -- long sleeves to avoid getting eaten alive. * Come with people. Don't come alone. * Visit while it is light out. No telling what kind of riffraff activity goes on here during the evening hours. * Leave valuables in the car unless you're bringing you spray cans... or camera. * Take it all in and enjoy it for what it is. There probably isn't many other places like this in the city, so enjoy it uniqueness and the views you are offered of both the graffiti art and view of the Delaware River and the cityscape of Philly. All in all, I loved it here. I found it incredibly fascinating and would love to come here when it is cooler outside to see what it looks like with the fall colors or even in the snow.

    Sar A.

    For the artists types among you, Graffiti art represents some kind of self-expression. For the rest of us ... it represents disgrace for art, and a punishable crime. Hold on a second, go to the "Graffiti Pier", aka, Graffiti Underground,aka, Graffiti mecca, and look around. You may like what you see. This past Saturday, Kathleen D, Mary Kate M. and I decided to venture and checkout Graffiti Pier. It was a 10 minutes drive from the city, and the GPS took us to a parking lot off Richmond Street, which was full of cars, and people. Why? Don't ask. We parked our car at the far left end, and walk down a " trail" for few minutes, and TA DA! We were at Graffiti Pier. I admit, I was a bit out of my comfort zone, but ironically, once I saw the abandoned pier that extend into the Delaware River, I started admiring the beautiful/ controversial, huge graffiti canvas. They were big, they were bold. Clarification: I am not trying to support Graffiti, but when a controversial art uses old/ abandoned spaces and transform it, then why not give it a shoutout. Advise: - It is beautiful, COOL/ RARE spot, but also sketchy. Don't go at night, and do NOT go alone. - Eek! I got stung by something all over my legs! So, If I were you, I won't wear shorts. Cover your legs. Enjoy Gra.philly. Just not too much. Four Yelps.

    Graff!
    Yasmeen T.

    Well I finally made it to Graffiti Pier, yay! I was really impressed with what I saw. The vibrant colors strategically placed upon cemented pillars of an old coal pier. I actually learned that the pier at one time was a coal pier where trains and a crane loaded coal from ships docked there. You can actually see the remnants of a train bridge when you look a top the columns. Now because I said remnants after looking up I began to feel unsafe, lol. There are pieces of cemented bridge hanging on metal poles "Be careful and aware!" Bring cans of spray paint and paint your life away. I tried to find an area where there was some space to paint over. Once I found my area, it was on! Surprisingly there were a mixture of types of people there just kinda walking around or hanging out: couples, photographers, models, music bands (there were pretty good too), people doing graffiti, people fishing off the Delaware, a dad with three small children, lol. I met a guy who was fishing, he told me I could come fish with him and he'd even filet my fish right there on the tumbled column that once stood on the pier. It was a great experience. I even took my own 2 kids 11 and 13! Just remember: 1. Wear pants and sneakers (rocky terrain, bottles, glass) 2. Look up to check for falling debri. 3. Wear bug spray (the mosquitoes!) 4. Be aware of your surroundings. Oh, I only found this pace because I pulled into the parking lot at the same time as some other people and I followed them. Once you park you have to squeeze around the barrier and follow the path.

    Marissa C.

    This place is definitely worth checking out if you haven't been. It's in a sort of empty area of philly and I'm not sure if it's completely legal to enter, but it's really neat if you can look past the empty cans. It's a fun place to take outsiders and there's a nice view of the city. There's some areas you can climb, for you more adventurous kids. There is a parking lot and an area to get dropped off, but you definitely can't walk here. I wouldn't go alone and I would only suggest going during the day.

    Nicole L.

    It was kind of creepy going alone but I enjoyed it. When I first arrived, I didn't know where to go. I sat there long enough until a few guys came walking out of the woods. Coincidentally when I was leaving there were people asking me the same question.. "is the graffiti pier back there?" There's trash and glass to watch out for if you're not wearing decent shoes or boots. I mostly ran into other people taking pictures or fishing. Definitely got some nice shots though!

    See all

    9 years ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 1

    8 years ago

    Helpful 3
    Thanks 0
    Love this 2
    Oh no 0

    3 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    11 years ago

    Helpful 10
    Thanks 0
    Love this 9
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Sar A.
    1316
    843
    11414

    11 years ago

    Helpful 7
    Thanks 0
    Love this 9
    Oh no 0

    10 years ago

    Helpful 5
    Thanks 0
    Love this 1
    Oh no 0

    8 years ago

    Helpful 4
    Thanks 0
    Love this 3
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Nicole L.
    34
    51
    168

    8 years ago

    Helpful 1
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Veronica C.
    108
    54
    223

    10 years ago

    Helpful 2
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Eric R.
    45
    36
    10

    8 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0
    Photo of Anne W.
    209
    4
    0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    9 years ago

    Helpful 0
    Thanks 0
    Love this 0
    Oh no 0

    Ask the Community - Graffiti Pier

    Is this place actually closed or is it because its abandoned it says its closed? Thanks

    It's actually closed. It's always been considered private property, but due to safety and recent uptick in criminal activity, it's now closely monitored by police.

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

    Review Highlights - Graffiti Pier

    There was little trash except for spray paint cans and no urine smell.

    Mentioned in 3 reviews

    Read more highlights

    Verify this business for free

    People searched for Local Flavor 869 times last month within 5 miles of this business.

    Verify this business

    Northern Liberties Recreation Center - Pool as seen from the cement bleachers. Playground to the right. Restrooms to the left. Nice enough bit of greenery.

    Northern Liberties Recreation Center

    4.5(2 reviews)
    1.6 miNorthern Liberties

    Has a lot of shade concrete walls it has a lot of privacy life guards are kind and it's cleanread more

    Public pools are all the rage in the city. Who would've thought? They've really been booming in the…read morelast several years, and some of them are really rather nice! This one is up there with our faves so far! Not sure how I missed this one as I've taken my daughters to the playground just on the other side of the fence many times since they were young. The pool however, is actually located ON Fairmount. (2 hr free street parking all around) There are cement bleachers and cushions for lounging, as well as neat little cubbies to place your belongings. The pool is immaculate and separated by rope from the 3 footer end and the 4 ft plus end. Two lifeguards were on duty at all times, one on each side of the pool. They were playing some popular tunes my girls and I had a great time jamming to in the star. Nothing too loud, but made the experience that much more fun. I have never heard music at any other public pools. There are restrooms right there and they weren't awful. Decent in fact. Lol The rules are fairly simple-you must take a quick shower before entering the water and to refrain from taking photos. (I snapped just a few before they officially opened for you guys) They have a little garden, which is a nice touch! Everyone was super friendly taking time to get to know one another and chatting about the neighborhood. It was mostly filled with residents from NoLibs, but I'm going to say it was worth the trek from across town. Nothing like enjoying free access to a large pool without having to leave the city. You can easily make a nice day of it and hit up one of the casual restaurants nearby afterwards...Abbaye, Wahlburgers, Apricotstone etc My kiddos begged to return the following day and we basically have our own private pool just outside the city.

    Photos
    Northern Liberties Recreation Center - Bath house. Use the shower outside before entering water.

    See all

    Bath house. Use the shower outside before entering water.

    Reading Terminal Market - Wilt's chocolate strawberries

    Reading Terminal Market

    4.6(7.3k reviews)
    2.7 miMarket East
    $$

    This place was SO COOL! I live in Baltimore and I think what Reading Terminal Market is is what ALL…read morethe marketplaces in Baltimore strive to be...and are failing miserably. This place was HUGE. It went on for miles in all directions. There were tons of people filling all the space. It was tight in there. I had to use all my aggressive navigation skills to get around. I was also constantly rubber necking to take in all the food stalls and vendors. I could have spent an entire day there exploring and would have seen maybe a third of what's there. Unfortunately I was only in town for a day, so aside from quickly walking through, I stopped at a bar for a really good cider. Overall, excellent visit and I definitely want to go back!

    The Reading Terminal Market in Philadelphia is awesome. We ventured into downtown and wanted to…read morewander through the market to see what was available. As it turns out, everything is available. Cheeses, meats, donuts, ice cream, candies, desserts, coffee, and everything in between to include small rocks and crystals. Realistically you can spend a good 3-4 hours in this market alone. Wandering the aisles, ordering various food options from various vendors and then finding a seat to sit down and enjoy your food. That last part, finding a table to sit down and eat your food could be a bit tricky. When we first arrived at the market it was 9:30 a.m. and we were able to find a seat without much trouble. When we returned to the market for a second time, around 1:30 p.m. it was noticeably more packed inside and I had to do two loops before a table cleared up. There are so many vendors inside you really can't even come close to trying them all in one visit. I would like to come back and try some more places next time. As for parking, I was told to park at the Convention Center parking structure, but when I arrived there was a large sign stating that parking was full. I ended up finding a public parking lot at Commerce & N. 13th St which I parked at, but after 4 hours or so I think it cost me about $50. To be expected, unfortunately, for big city parking.

    Photos
    Reading Terminal Market - Miller's Twist

    Miller's Twist

    Reading Terminal Market - Cute and tasty lemon cake

    Cute and tasty lemon cake

    Reading Terminal Market - Down Home Diner

    See all

    Down Home Diner

    Graffiti Pier - localflavor - Updated May 2026

    Loading...
    Loading...
    Loading...