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SCHUYLKILL RIVER TRAIL, PHILADELHIA, PA The Schuylkill River Trail is just one small part of the Circuit Trails. Aimed at bringing all of the region's fantastic biking trails together, the Circuit is a planned network of 750 miles of bike and pedestrian trails. To date, more than 300 miles of trails have been completed. Most of the Schuylkill River Trail is a 10- to 12-foot wide paved surface with grass shoulders, and it gets very busy on weekends. Parking is available at several train stations along the R-6 Norristown line, as well as at Valley Forge Park's Betzwood Picnic Area, but since the trail is easily accessible by public transit, a car isn't really needed to enjoy it. The Schuylkill River Trail is easily one of the most-used parks in Center City Philadelphia with more than 19,000 users traversing it every week. In 2015, it won the USA Today readers' poll for being the best urban trail in the country. The land between the railroad tracks and the river becomes too narrow to continue the Schuylkill River Trail southward on land past Locust Street. To solve this problem, the City of Philadelphia and SRDC built a 2,000-foot long concrete structure running parallel to the eastern shore of the river from Locust Street to a new stair tower on the south side of the South Street Bridge. The project also included constructing a 460-foot long ramp linking the Boardwalk to the north side of the South Street Bridge, providing ADA access to the trail in this area. The Boardwalk's 15-foot wide pathway was designed to accommodate emergency and maintenance vehicles and is supple- mented by four widened overlooks that allow people to rest and enjoy the views of the Philadelphia skyline. The boardwalk features four widened overlooks with benches ideal for fishing, taking in the waterfront views and general hanging out with friends. Solar-powered overhead lights illuminate the trail at night, making it the ideal spot for evening rides and runs. For those individuals that want to explore more, Kayak tours begin and end at the Walnut Street Dock and paddle to/from the historic Fairmount Water Works. Along the way, you will paddle under bridges and past Philadelphia's ever-changing skyline, and you will get up close to where the Fairmount Water Works meets the river. Kayak tours provide a unique experience of the tidal river and Philadelphia. Advanced kayak trips to Bartram's Garden are also available as private group tours, subject to outfitter availability. Get a unique perspective on the architecture and design of bridges over the tidal Schuylkill River as you paddle downriver. For more information contact Visit Philadelphia at (215) 636-3300.. you to spend some time along Riverwalk, including bike tours and rentals, kayak tours, stand-up paddleboard tours, segway tours and photography classes. If you are lucky, you can enjoy one of the many festivals and entertainment options that unfold along the Riverwalk throughout the year. For instance, on the first Sunday of every month from 11am-2pm, you can attend an out- door concert series featuring the area's best local jazz artists on four different stages. There is plenty of room to set up chairs, blan- kets and picnic baskets to experience the fabulous entertainment. Or you can also stroll along the historic brick-lined walkway to enjoy live music while browsing items from local merchants and enjoying food from area restaurants. Within a stone's throw of the Riverwalk is a must-see attraction when visiting Fort Lauderdale – the world-renowned African- American Research Library And Cultural Center. This 60,000-sq. ft. jewel, only the third of its kind in the U.S., features a main library and a unique children's library with more Black history books and books written by Blacks than any other facility in the country. The Greater Fort Lauderdale/ Broward County Convention Center, nestled on the Intracoastal Waterway, offers 600,000 sq. ft. Gold LEED Certified meeting and exhibit space for large conventions and conferences. For more information contact the Visit Lauderdale at (954) 765-4466 or (800) 22-SUNNY. CHARLES RIVER ESPLANADE, BOSTON, MA The Esplanade as we know it today is a relatively recent creation. For millennia along the tidal Quinobequin River, now called the Charles River, indigenous inhabitants stewarded the site. History of recent centuries documents that the Massachusett people intersected with Nipmuc neighbors to the west and Wampanoag neighbors to the South. They fished in the river's tides with weirs, traveled and traded along the waters, farmed and hunted on the land, and made their communities here. The arrival of European colonialists ultimately led to the violent displacement of the Massachusett people from what we now call Boston. The Neponset band of the Massachusett, for example, saw their territory diminished as they were forced over the Blue Hills to a smaller area of the Neponset Territory known as Ponkakpoag. While displaced, their name was adopted by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, whose Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) now oversees the Charles River Esplanade among many public state parks and properties. Through its work in partnership with DCR, the Esplanade Association strives to honor, respect but since the trail is easily accessible by public transit, a car isn't really needed to enjoy it. Center City Philadelphia with more than 19,000 users traversing it every week. In 2015, it won the USA Today readers' poll for being the best urban trail in the country. narrow to continue the Schuylkill River Trail southward on land past Locust Street. To solve this problem, the City of Philadelphia and SRDC built a 2,000-foot long concrete structure running parallel to the eastern shore of the river from Locust Street to a new stair tower on the south side of the South Street Bridge. The project also included constructing a 460-foot long ramp linking the Boardwalk to the north side of the South Street Bridge, providing ADA access to the trail in this area. The Boardwalk's 15-foot wide pathway was designed to accommodate emergency and maintenance vehicles and is supple- mented by four widened overlooks that allow people to rest and enjoy the views of the Philadelphia skyline. Schuylkill River-Park-bike B M & T ••• November/December 2024 ••• www.blackmeetingsandtourism.com 49