Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens

Philadelphia, United States

4.5

Closed now

20 reviews

Accepts Credit Cards

Contacts

QR code, vCard

Telephone:
+1 215-733-0390
Website:
www.phillymagicgardens.org
Address:
1020 South St, Philadelphia, PA, 19147
Nearby public transportation stops & stations:
0.3 miLombard-South
0.3 mi9th-10th & Locust
0.4 miLocust St & 8th St
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Map

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Bussiness info

Accepts Credit Cards
Yes
Accepts Apple Pay
No
Parking
Garage, Street
Bike Parking
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible
Yes
Good for Kids
Yes
Dogs Allowed
Yes
By Appointment Only
No

Today

Today 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Closed now
Local time (Philadelphia) 7:34 PM Thursday, November 28, 2024

Business hours

Monday 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Tuesday –
Wednesday 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Thursday 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Friday 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Saturday 11:00 am – 6:00 pm
Sunday 11:00 am – 6:00 pm

Description

Specialties

Outsider, Visionary, Folk, and Mosaic art; Art Installation; Visionary Art Environments; Public Art, Non-​profit, Tours, Monthly Concert Series, Family and Community Programs, Exhibitions, Mosaic Instruction, Educator and Teacher Programs, School Outreach

History

Established in 2004.

Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens (PMG) is a mosaicked visionary art environment, gallery, and community arts center that preserves, interprets, and provides daily access to Isaiah Zagar’s art installation and public murals. The PMG site, Zagar’s largest artwork, includes a fully tiled indoor space and outdoor sculpture garden that spans half a block on Philly’s famous South Street.

In 1994, Zagar started work in the vacant lots nearby his studio, after tiling his adjacent South Street property. He constructed a fence to protect the area and then spent the next 14 years excavating and mosaicking the 3,000-square-foot space. Prompted by rising land values, the Boston-​based lot owner decided to sell the land in 2002. Unwilling to witness the destruction of this work, the community rushed to support the artist. His creation became incorporated as a nonprofit in 2004 to preserve the art, inspire creativity and community engagement, and educate the public about folk, mosaic, and visionary art

Meet the Manager

Emily S.

Manager

EMILY SMITH is the Executive Director of Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens. She graduated magna cum laude from the School of Visual Arts in New York City with a B.F.A. in Fine Arts. Smith’s previous experience includes the Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University in Durham, NC, The Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, Italy, and managing Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens from 2010 – 2013. As a visual artist, Smith has exhibited in numerous solo and group exhibitions, and has also been a visiting critic and presenter at Ursinus College in Collegeville, PA. Smith was a recipient of the 2012 Leeway Foundation Art & Change grant for her exhibition, In Visible Skin: Portraits of Transgender Philadelphia, which was shown at the William Way LGBT Center in 2013 and the Berman Museum of Art in 2014.

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20 reviews of Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens

No registration required
Place rating: 4
Charlottesville, VA
The Magic Gardens are a fun, pretty special Philly experience! It’s a little small for the price ($ 8 with student ID) and you might have to wait to get your photo opp if it gets busy but I don’t think you’ll find anywhere like it. Also, if you’re not feelin the admission cost you can still get a good photo/​see some of the garden from outside the gate!
Place rating: 5
San Juan, Puerto Rico
Stunning and impressive artwork. It’s a small place, but all the stairs and secret hallways make the experience fruitful.
Place rating: 3
Philadelphia, PA
The concept is intriguing and I loved the multiple brown people placed throughout the mosaics, but all in all it was super phallic, heteronormative, and cisnormative. It can’t be a complaint since that’s the artist’s taste and what he wanted to capture. There are a lot of faces and bodies in different ways through different pieces of tiles, glass and mirrors. I found the artist to be rather full of himself as he put multiple arms on himself like a Hindu deity. Didn’t enjoy it as much as I thought I would and I’m glad I didn’t pay for it (since I live in Philly and it was free week.)
Side note: people were constantly touching the walls when the employees clearly stated before you walked in not to touch the walls… super disrespectful. Don’t touch the walls.
Place rating: 3
Pittsburgh, PA
$ 8 with a student ID, worth the visit if you haven’t been there before. Make sure to walk around back, there’s more outside of the actual museum.
Place rating: 4
Brooklyn, NY
The $ 10 admission can be a bit pricey. But as a first timer visitor, it was ok as the mosaic arts were really stunning and quite amusing. Laughed at some of the artworks as it was a bit too phallic for me. Even the bathrooms were decorated to the core. Love the gender neutral bathrooms! Tons of cool art all over the facility, and it was a great place to take pictures. Staff was super friendly and helpful — thanks to the nice man who offered to help my husband & I take a picture.
They sometimes close early if they are hosting events such as weddings. When we went, they closed at 3:30pm to host a wedding. If I was living in Philly, I would want to have my wedding there too! Love this place!
Place rating: 5
Philadelphia, PA
this place is absolutely stunning! when i first moved here, i walked by and it peaked my curiosity. while in grad school, i quickly became familiar with this place and the artist. so when my friend from ca came to visit, we had to stop by.
walked in and we were greeted by a line. it moved quickly though. the staff is friendly and efficient. we’re off to a great start. you then walk to a little section where you can buy cute souvenirs. next, there’s an indoor gallery but there was a class tour with a bunch of rowdy kids so we headed outside first. omg absolutely stunning. now… i am NOT a photographer. even in my travels, i will not take pictures… it’s just a weird thing i don’t do lol this was not the case here. i snapped several pics.
the place is small but there’s a lot to see. we then headed inside and the tour was still going and the kids were still pretty amped up but it was a good feeling to be around kids experiencing such a great artisitic and cultural organization… we couldn’t help but smile being in this place.
i checked in via Unilocal and got a free postcard too! this place is surely a gem in philly.
ps they currently have a matching grant from the nea. donate for the preservation of the space and the nea will match it. i wish them luck!!! and def make this place a stop on your trip to philly!!!
Place rating: 4
Tempe, AZ
[$ 8] for students w/​valid ID.
This is basically a place where you take pretty pictures of the mix of glass and concrete and then take pretty pictures of yourself with the glass and concrete and you walk here and there trying to justify the $ 8 you paid to get in (this all takes a total of 20 min max) and then you leave.
The art installation is all within a small enclosed space, so there’s really not much else to do. They have more art inside, but looking around everything including the art inside doesn’t take long.
I showed my Unilocal check-​in, so I received a free postcard. The photos on the postcards are blurry/​not high quality, so don’t expect too much.
This is a good place to go once in your life though, seeing as how your friends’ instagram pictures of this garden will make you envious until you finally do go and snap a photo of it with your own camera and upload it to your account.
Place rating: 5
Jamison, PA
One of my favorite places to visit in philadelphia when I have friends from outside the town. Why? Because it is not your average tourist attraction. This place was so magically drawn and creatively designed by Isaiah Zagar.
The admission did go up this year but regardless, the money is so worth it. If you have your student ID, take advantage of it, and go check out PMG!
Place rating: 5
New York, NY
Admission is $ 10 for adults.
You can probably walk the entire area in under 10 minutes, but the details of the mosaic and walls are so amazing that you will definitely spend a lot more time there. Pictures will not do it justice. Everything is so beautiful and it’s amazing how the artist uses old beer bottles, bicycle wheels, etc so make such amazing art.
The artist has murals all over in Philadelphia too. The brochure they give you will show you were his artworks are located throughout the city.
Note: check in on Unilocal for a free post card.
Place rating: 5
Downtown, OH
A must visit while you’re in Philadelphia. Isaiah Zagar has created such a unique public space, and you’ll love immersing yourself in his creative mind while taking a walk around. It is a bit crowded on weekends, but you probably don’t need more than an hour as the space isn’t that large. There is a small fee, but I do think it’s worth the price of admission to experience this for yourself.
Place rating: 3
Cherry Hill, NJ
We had heard about this place from a friend. It was a cold day, so a little difficult to really truly enjoy the outside landscape.
I had my student ID, but because it didn’t specifically list «Student» on it, they did not give me the student discount. A bit bizarre, because it would be $ 2 off for a party of 5 people.
There looked to be a cute place to hang out, near the door, but as I said, it was a cold day when we were there.
Cool to see one time. I think I would have been more favorable had they honored their own student ID policy, so I don’t see a reason to go back. Don’t count on them honoring your ID, either.
Place rating: 5
Flushing, NY
I visited the Magic Garden during my visitation to Philadelphia. Got to say that this was one of the most memorable part of the trip! My friends and I had many other things to see during our day and was worried that the line would take too much of our time… but it wasn’t as long as we expected. We were relieved. We got to the door fairly quickly. [They let people in by time slots.] Although we had a later time slot (15−20min) later, we walked around the neighborhood, which had amazing murals on the walls and time went by quickly. Since we had student ID cards, we also received a discount.
When we actually got inside, I was quite surprised. Its very amazing to see that one man can make artwork out of people’s trash. Other surprise was that the magic garden is not as small as I thought. There is a very small indoor portion, but outdoors is where most of the art is at! It’s like a maze, where you walk through stairs and passageways with art all around you. It is very picture-​worthy! This place seems quite popular among young people and is quite an fun time where you can take your time to enjoy the displayed artwork. Definitely worth the wait!
Place rating: 4
San Francisco, CA
This is a unique place filled with teens and 20-​somethings snapping photos for social media. That in itself is super fascinating to see. All the 40+‘s are looking at the art and the less than 40-​somethings are looking at the art through their phones. Haha.
The building and the gardens are wonderful – a great example of a man’s obsession to perfect his craft. It’s worth spending some time here, but I don’t know how people can spend all day here – for me, it was enough to spend about an hour there and to move on to other things.
Place rating: 5
Brooklyn, NY
What a great treat. Wished it could be bigger but they let only a certain amount of people in per hour. Admission is $ 10 for adults, and $ 8 if you have student ID. Free postcard if you show your check in
Place rating: 5
Lodi, NJ
This was a really cool/​unique place to visit! If you’re in Philly, this is a must see. Right up there with the rocky statue! This little gem is walking distance from the heart of Philly and costs $ 10 for adults, or if you’re like me and still have your student ID, only $ 8 (it appears the prices have changed so view the website for accurate info.) I would best describe this as a mosaic type maze of artwork, which can be viewed in less than an hour. You can look at the pictures and see its amazement! What’s cool about this place is even after you leave you continue to see little pieces of mosaic all throughout the neighborhood.
FYI– they do sell the tickets every 30 minutes with limited capacity. I’d recommend getting there about 15 minutes before you plan on going in so it doesn’t fill up.
Place rating: 5
Philadelphia, PA
Whenever people ask me what to do in Philly I always mention Magic Gardens.
For $ 5-​$ 7 you get to walk through and sit among beautiful mosaics by a Philadelphia born artist. It’s beautiful whether you go during the day or at night (when the strung up lights turn on), and you’ll find something to love whether you prefer visual art, painting, sculpture, or poetry. I love walking through and finding the quotes laid into tiles in the walls. My favorite: «I built this sanctuary to be inhabited by my ideas and my fantasies.» And it is a sanctuary.
It’s worth traveling to, I promise.
Place rating: 5
Dallas, TX
This is by far the best $ 5 I have ever spent in my life. Highly recommend coming here and this place makes for great photos.
The price to view the garden is super cheap! ($ 7 for adults, $ 5 with a student ID and there are senior citizen prices and prices for children are $ 3, I think?)
Dress warm if you’re going bc most of the viewing is outside and there is a line to get in. We waited probably 20 – 25 minutes outside before we got in. The majority of the art viewing is outside 75% and 25% is indoors (there is a documentary you can watch about Isaiah). In addition, they have a couple of his pieces that you can buy (ranges from $ 400&up). there are other things you can buy too: mugs, earrings, shirts, post cards, etc.
The employees are super helpful and kind. We came from reading market and had a bunch of bags on us. Eric at the front offered to hold onto our belongings and warned us about the steps (I had a giant brace on my knee).
One of the first things that caught my eye before we went into the gardens was how the restroom was also pieced together like Isaiah’s garden. Definitely the best restroom I have ever seen!
The garden is absolutely beautiful! The picture don’t quite do this place justice. Magic Garden is something you definitely want to visit. The dimensions and layout of his garden is super fun! There are hall walls, stairs, well designed layouts for fun photos. Some of the stairs are narrow, so be careful of where you are going. We spent about an hour looking through the whole garden.
Place rating: 5
Berkeley, CA
Stumbling upon this place was truly impromptu and magical!
Location: Conveniently located close to a large parking structure, lots of street parking as well. Can be easily missed, because there isn’t a huge sign or anything.
Price: Reasonably priced ($ 5.00 students, $ 7.00 adults), you can’t put a price on magic!
Service: The employees are all very friendly, enthusiastic and knowledgable about the museum.
Art/​Ambiance: The mosaics here are breathtaking. I’ve never seen anything more beautiful in my life, bright and magical. Tunnels, stairs and arches truly make you feel like you’re in a magical land. I kind of forgot I was in the city, I got lost in art… and that’s never happened to me before. Even if it’s busy, there is a lot to see and people are good about keeping to themselves and moving along briefly, very peaceful garden.
Overall: This is probably one of my favorite art museums. I was very much sucked into another world. a world of magic! Can’t wait to come back to Philly and share this experience with others. Highly recommend taking the trip to Philly’s very own land of magic!
Place rating: 5
Queens, NY
Finally returned to the Magic Gardens for Isaiah Zagar’s outdoor mosaic gallery. This is a MUST SEE in Philly. You walk through tunnels, up and down stairs, through arches, ALL filled with his artwork. It’s so easy to get lost in his work. It’s truly a MAGICAL experience.
FYI, $ 7 admissions fee and free postcard with Unilocal check-​in!
Place rating: 5
Islip Terrace, NY
A must see, without a doubt!
Took a road trip from Long Island, NY to this beautiful little sanctuary that Isaiah Zagar created. The story behind it is so beautiful.
It’s a small little mosaic outside gallery, it will take you about 15 minutes to circle it. However, my girlfriends and I stayed here for a few hours! Just admiring all the beautiful artwork. You can circle this place 100x and still find new and beautiful art.
I love that the town is filled with Zagars beautiful pieces embedded into the buildings. Such a unique place.
I will totally come back for another tour.