Enjoy a quick and dynamic video tour of Philadelphia featuring AAO President Dr. John D. Callahan and Drs. Nellie Kim-Weroha, Dan Bills and Anil Idiculla.The AAO leaders filmed the video with the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau during a recent site visit to the city.
Dr. Callahan’s conclusion: “Philly delivers!” He and his colleagues from CCon enjoyed visits to iconic Philly attractions and beautiful, but lesser-known aspects of the 2025 AAO Annual Session host city, sharing exuberance and humor along the way.
View “2025 Annual Session – It’s a Philly Thing”
Philadelphia offers a blend of world-class culture, outdoor beauty, urban sophistication, vibrant nightlife and history. Dr. Callahan and the members of the AAO Committee on Conferences (CCon) look forward to enjoying the Philadelphia experience with colleagues from around the world during Annual Session, which will take place April 25-27.
Watch the AAO eBulletin for program information and registration opening in November and note that the meeting will be Friday-Sunday, rather than Saturday-Monday.
Explore the Contrast of New and Old on Every Block in Old City Philadelphia
Next to Independence Mall, where the United States Founding Fathers began the country’s move to independence in 1776, Old City’s 18th-century streets and architecture contrast with its modern, fashionable boutiques, theatres, art galleries, nightlife and a dynamic live music scene.
Old City Philadelphia is one of just 50 places worldwide where visitors can experience the Museum of Illusions, where visitors walk into classical and new optical illusions integrated into the space.
More than 100 restaurants in the Old City offer international cuisine, fine dining, American classics and modern dishes as well as the local favorite “Philly Cheesesteak” sandwich. Enjoy French cuisine at Royal Boucherie, clubhouse dining at Butcher and Singer, Italian dining at Bistro Romano or Positano Coast by Aldo Lamberti, upscale bar food at the Red Owl Tavern, Cuban/Latin American/Caribbean cuisine at Mixto, or Asian fusion at Mei Mei. At Penn’s Landing, just a short walk from the Old City, enjoy a unique shipboard dinner on the deck of the 1904 four-masted Moshulu.
Enjoy Waterfront Fun in A Great River City
Parks, museums, piers and restaurants are located along Philadelphia’s Delaware River waterfront, where options include dining at restaurants with beautiful river views and recreational experiences like the Independence Blue Cross RiverRink. The RiverRink offers a taste of the U.S. Atlantic shore experience with a boardwalk, games, and rides including a 60-foot Ferris wheel, double-decker carousel, and 9-hole miniature golf course.
Interesting sights along the riverfront include historic shipsmoored at Penn’s Landing.. Visitors can also explore Philadelphia’s maritime heritage at the interactive Independence Seaport Museum, featuring the Delaware River’s history as well as ship tours and a working boat shop.
Penn’s Landing is also a premier outdoor concert and festival site featuring panoramic views of the Philadelphia skyline, the Delaware River and the Benjamin Franklin Bridge. Events and entertainment for all ages take place here throughout the year. Watch the eBulletin early next year for announcements about local events taking place during the 2025 Annual Session.
Feast Your Eyes: World-Class Art Abounds in Philadephia
Visual art afficionados will find much to enjoy in Philadelphia. The Philadelphia Museum of Art became known to the masses worldwide via the movie Rocky, in which the main character runs up its 72 steps.
The museum has 240,000 works of art spanning 2,000 years, starting with the ancient world and progressing through the Renaissance, the Impressionist movement and modernists. Also featured are a comprehensive collection of American art, a one-acre outdoor sculpture garden and a complete 14-century Buddhist temple.
Explore works by Renoir, Cézanne, Matisse, Picasso, Modigliani and Van Gogh, alongside African sculpture, metalwork, and Native American art at the widely regarded Barnes Foundation art institute. Then, enjoy the Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens’ unique interpretive exhibit space featuring artist Isaiah Zagar’s mosaic art environment and public murals.
Other types of museum options range from the USA Today “Top 10” Adventure Aquarium, located across the Delaware river in Camden, New Jersey with 15,000 aquatic animals in residence, to the College of Physicians of Philadelphia Mütter Museum. The Mütter features unusual biological, anatomical and pathological specimens, wax models and antique medical equipment with permanent exhibits including the Hyrtl Skull Collection.
