Established in 1895, nine-acre Clark Park in West Philadelphia is a treasured community asset for students, families, and community members. Clark Park is home to the Gettysburg Stone, a Civil War battlefield monolith, and a life-size bronze statue of Charles Dickens and Little Nell of his novel The Old Curiosity Shop; a literary celebration is held in the park each February to honor Dickens’s birthday.

There are plenty of places to sit and relax in the bench-lined park on any given day, but a host of events and concerts bring people in hordes. They come for fresh, affordable, produce at the farmers market held Saturday 10 a.m.–2 p.m. from May until Thanksgiving and Thursday 3–7 p.m. from June–Thanksgiving, and on Saturday 10 a.m.–1 p.m. the rest of the year.

There is also a monthly Clark Park People’s Flea Market on select Saturdays, offering food, antiques, and crafts at great prices (call 215/387-0919 for dates).