Covering nearly 1,400 acres of the 10,000 acre Fairmount Park System, Wissahickon Valley Park epitomizes the breadth of resource available within the city of Philadelphia. Primarily a naturalist landscape, the parklands also support a variety of recreational activities and are home to a number of nationally important structural sites. Wissahickon Valley Park is located along the Wissahickon Creek, and has been a popular location with visitors for over a century and a half. Known best for its craggy rock formations, steep cliffs, and flowing waterway, the park provides an extremely rustic location just minutes from downtown Philadelphia. Popular natural locations within the park include the Devil’s Pool, Forbidden Drive, Livezey Rock and Lover’s Leap. Concealed within the park’s natural landscape are a number of reminders of its rich history. Nestled in the upper trails are two statues hidden in the lush surroundings, “The Indian” and “Toleration”. The weathered steel bridge “Fingerspan” is similarly buried, and is a spot often sought out by hikers. Along the trails visitors can also see the city’s first drinking fountain, as well as shelters built by the Works Progress Administration in the 1930s. Additionally, the Wissahickon Valley Park is home to a number of historic and useful structures. RittenhouseTown, a prominent 19th Century milling community largely comprised of the well-known Rittenhouse family, remains a highly visited tourist location for its historic value. Wissahickon Valley Park is also home to the Thomas Mill Road Bridge, the only remaining covered bridge in Philadelphia (or any major city). The Andorra Natural Area is home to an interactive environmental education center, which features a “tree house” visitor’s center. Glen Fern, sometimes referred to as Livezey House, is a wonderfully preserved example of 18th century architecture. Home to the renowned colonial miller, Thomas Livezey, it is the last surviving miller’s house in the area. The historic Hermitage mansion, once occupied by the religious sect of Rosacrucians who emigrated from Germany in the early 17th century, is now home to an outdoor opera venue in the park. Wissahickon Valley Park is also home to the treasured Valley Green Inn- a restaurant which has been around for over a hundred years, and one of the most frequently painted sites in the area.