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Philadelphia's Magic Gardens

1020 South St., Philadelphia, PA 19147 (City Center East)
215-733-0390
Website
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As featured in 3 days in Philadelphia
Ranked #2 of 39 shopping in Philadelphia
Type: Art Galleries
Fee: Yes
Recommended length of visit: <1 hour
Owner description: Philadelphia's Magic Gardens (PMG)is a mosaicked visionary art environment, gallery, and community arts center that preserves, interprets and provides... more » Owner description: Philadelphia's Magic Gardens (PMG)is a mosaicked visionary art environment, gallery, and community arts center that preserves, interprets and provides access to Isaiah Zagar's unique mosaic art environment and his public murals. The Magic Gardens site, Zagar's largest artwork, includes a fully tiled indoor space and large outdoor mosaic sculpture garden that spans half a block on Philadelphia's famous South Street. Inside, view PMG's ever changing exhibitions in two indoor galleries. « less
Useful Information: Activities for older children, Activities for young children
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75 reviews from our community

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Date Rating
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
Reviews in 2 cities Reviews in 2 cities
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 19 May 2013 NEW

I simply LOVE Philadelphia's Magic Gardens! You can find Isaiah Zagar's work all over Philadelphia! However, the real treat is certainly the garden! The garden looks different depending on the time of day, season, and weather! You can go a million times and never get tired of looking at it! In addition, Isaiah's wife owns a boutique down the street,... More

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Seattle, Washington
Contributor
14 reviews 14 reviews
7 attraction reviews
Reviews in 8 cities Reviews in 8 cities
11 helpful votes 11 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 14 May 2013

I really enjoyed walking around and taking in all the mosaics. This artist has partially defined what I think of when someone mentions Philadelphia. Next time I am in Phili I will make a point to visit during a tour.

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See 2 more reviews by Trizzabelle for Philadelphia
Warminster, Pennsylvania
Senior Contributor
31 reviews 31 reviews
10 attraction reviews
Reviews in 17 cities Reviews in 17 cities
20 helpful votes 20 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 12 May 2013

We took the guided tour of the mosaic artwork that surrounds the South St. area of Philadelphia. The art and the life of Isaiah Zagar was truly Magical. Our tour guide was knowledgeable and answered any questions we had. The museum and gallery were insane! Every surface was covered with his tiles and other material It is hard to describe... More

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See 3 more reviews by TonyJ85 for Philadelphia
NYC
Senior Contributor
34 reviews 34 reviews
9 attraction reviews
Reviews in 12 cities Reviews in 12 cities
15 helpful votes 15 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 7 May 2013

I visited the Magic Gardens recently with a group. The artist, the wonderfully Zen-like Zagar, and his lovely wife were there and kindly answered questions and spoke about the vision behind his art. The scope of the place, all mosaic with glass, ceramic, and ephemera, is dazzling and that it was created by a single artist is mind-blowing. We were... More

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See 7 more reviews by NYCBookMark for Philadelphia
Galveston, Texas
Senior Contributor
43 reviews 43 reviews
12 attraction reviews
Reviews in 14 cities Reviews in 14 cities
29 helpful votes 29 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 16 April 2013

If you like folk art/outsider art, this stop near the Italian Market is a must. It's a huge assemblage of mosaic tile, mirror fragments and found objects that is dazzling, and arranged so that you have to explore many nooks and crannies to see it all. Look everywhere!

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See 2 more reviews by ironista for Philadelphia
Lancaster, Pennsylvania
Contributor
15 reviews 15 reviews
3 attraction reviews
Reviews in 7 cities Reviews in 7 cities
1 helpful vote 1 helpful vote
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 13 April 2013

We visited Philadelphia's Magic Gardens today. We found the art and story behind the man completely mesmerizing. The tour guides were very knowledgable and friendly and willing to answer any question. I can't wait to see it again.

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See 3 more reviews by jmonson for Philadelphia
Philadelphia
Senior Reviewer
10 reviews 10 reviews
3 attraction reviews
Reviews in 5 cities Reviews in 5 cities
6 helpful votes 6 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 8 April 2013

You should definitely include this on your itinerary if you want to visit South Street. A local artist created a small park completely covered in mosaics and there is also a small gallery attached. This is a great spot for taking photographs as well.

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See 5 more reviews by PhillyWanderer for Philadelphia
Washington DC, District of Columbia
Top Contributor
143 reviews 143 reviews
26 attraction reviews
Reviews in 73 cities Reviews in 73 cities
112 helpful votes 112 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 8 April 2013

This is the sort of attraction I imagine would be best appreciated while under the influence of drugs - it is a sort of weird, hallucinogenic experience of bits of mirrors, bottles, bicycles, and various other stuff all embedded into the walls of a sort of concrete garden, everywhere you look. They have some media coverage on the walls that... More

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See 2 more reviews by ms_scotsgirl for Philadelphia
Contributor
15 reviews 15 reviews
7 attraction reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
7 helpful votes 7 helpful votes
3 of 5 stars Reviewed 3 April 2013

My son is artistic so I though he might enjoy visiting the Magic Gardens - he likes more modern art and not the 'old boring' kind of art so I thought he might enjoy this place. The mosaics on the outside walls looked really cool so I was encouraged. But, it wasn't long after we got inside that we started... More

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See 3 more reviews by JeanGHiggins for Philadelphia
Seattle area
Senior Contributor
21 reviews 21 reviews
6 attraction reviews
Reviews in 16 cities Reviews in 16 cities
10 helpful votes 10 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 30 March 2013

My 24 yr old son and husband were good sports about going to this with me. They love it. :-) Most of it is outdoors so keep that in mind. The artist was there and very friendly. Great for all ages. There are lots of stairs so if you have a mobility issue, you won't be able to see all... More

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See 2 more reviews by Imamom for Philadelphia

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