Where is Philadelphia?

The Road to Philadelphia

Set amongst rolling green pas­tures dot­ted with con­tent live­stock, and a swirl­ing river, Philadelphia has come into its own as a cre­at­ive hub and week­end get­away for the arty, fam­il­ies, friends and for those who appre­ci­ate the simple quiet of an even­ing spent under the wil­low trees on a river bank. A 20 minute drive north of Cape Town, near Durbanville, the quiet enclave makes for a sweet escape from city life.

A huge church steeple cuts a sil­hou­ette against the cerulean blue sky and cre­ates a majestic entrance to the town. Sugary sweet cot­tages line sandy lanes, the kind that have over­grown creep­ers cas­cad­ing down their thick walls, while chil­dren amble down to the only sup­ply store for their sweet ration of the day.

The heat hangs low and close to the ground, mak­ing everything and every­one seem to move in slow motion. Farm labour­ers scuttle about, hand in hand with their chil­dren, mak­ing their way back to their homes on the out­skirts of the village.

Philadelphia

Strolling down the streets of Philadelphia, you begin to under­stand the attrac­tion of a place pro­tec­ted from pro­gress and pre­served by val­ues and a sense of com­munity. Here, within these homes and in these streets, a secret is whispered that only a few will ever hear. The secret of simplicity.

The hub of Philadelphia, called “The Pepper Tree,” is the rel­at­ively new arty devel­op­ment hous­ing crafters, shops, a ceramic stu­dio and a busy cof­fee shop. Village life tends to buzz around the cof­fee shop, where res­id­ents and week­enders catch up on news and gos­sip over cof­fee and cake. A stun­ning crys­tal and jew­ellery store attracts shop­pers into the road where the quaint “Pepper Tree” devel­op­ment is, and a cute bric-a-brac store run by a young couple offers up all sorts of inter­est­ing finds within a beau­ti­ful old home.

Philadelphia is home to some fam­ous artists, crafters and ceram­icists as well as young fam­il­ies, farm­ers and ex urban dwell­ers who all made the bold step to set up their lives and busi­nesses here.

Philadelphia

Folk law tells the tale of how farm­ers in the area became tired of hav­ing to ‘trek” to Durbanville to attend their Sunday morn­ing church ser­vices and so decided to build a church in Philadelphia, giv­ing rise to a set­tle­ment around it.

Some felt com­pelled to move here from the city, for the sim­pli­city that pre­vails over small town life. Some felt it was the per­fect place to live and work cre­at­ively and some just fell in love at first sight, stir­ring a need inside.

Activities in Philadelphia include horse rid­ing, bird watch­ing, laz­ing on the river banks, enjoy­ing an impromptu pic­nic, tak­ing a pot­tery class, din­ners and soir­ees, paint­ing and rev­el­ling in drawn out lunches under the pep­per trees.

Useful Links:
See addi­tional des­tin­a­tion inform­a­tion at:
Durbanville Attractions
Things to Do in Durbanville
Durbanville Accommodation