Spring is in the air! If you’re like me and eager to get outside and discover new books why not try exploring the Little Free Libraries in a charming Philadelphia neighborhood? I put together this walk to discover Roxborough’s Little Free Libraries for the Novel Tourist Book Club. It was a great way to introduce my book-loving friends to new books and a wonderfully community-driven neigborhood in Northwest Philadelphia (that I just so happen to call home!). This is the third Little Free Library Crawl in the series. Our first Philadelphia Little Free Library crawl was in the Italian Market neighborhood and the second in historic Old City. Next week we are headed to Media, aka America’s hometown.
Lace up your sneakers, grab a few books to swap, and embark on this bookish adventure through Roxborough (Fair warning- it’s on the ridge, so expect some hills!). Along the way, you’ll find seven (or more) Little Free Libraries, browse a thrift store packed with cheap books, explore historic Gorgas Park, and admire Roxborough’s unique mix of architecture—from brick townhouses to 1800s-era stone colonials. The route is a loop so you’ll end about where you began.
And when you’ve worked up an appetite? We’ve got you covered with some of the best food spots along the ridge in Roxborough. All within walking distance.
Roxborough Little Free Library Crawl – the Route (2+ Miles)
This is the exact route I took with The Novel Tourist Book Club, optimized to avoid backtracking and to lead you past hidden gems in the neighborhood. Along our route, we’ll discover 8 of Roxborough’s Little Free Libraries. Below, you’ll find:
✔️ Step-by-step walking directions
✔️ Google Maps route (with a caveat—Google may tweak it!)
✔️ Fun stops along the way
🥤 1. Fuel Up First at Flying Sowth Coffee
📍 6155 Ridge Ave
☕ Must-Try: Cold Brew
Start your morning at Flying Sowth Coffee, Roxborough’s newest cozy coffee shop. With inviting seating and a neat wooden coffee table that reminds me of ones I saw in the Petrified Forest, it’s the perfect place to caffeinate before your adventure. Grab a cold brew and a pastry, but don’t get too comfy—you’ve got eight Little Free Libraries in Roxborough to find!
📚 2. Little Free Library on Krams Avenue
📍 415 Krams Avenue
- Walk out of Sowth Coffee, turn left, then take a quick right onto Krams Ave.
- Walk 1.5 blocks down (yes, that means you’ll eventually have to come back up!)—you’ll find Little Free Library Charter #172079 on the left side between Mitchell St. and Pechin (pronounced Peach-in).
Owned by the Wynnewood family, this LFL is a well stocked treasure trove. If you’re lucky, you’ll find the stewards chilling on their covered porch, eager to discuss books! Across the street is the Salvation Army. Don’t worry, we’ll get there eventually so skip it for now as you meander on to a haunted Little Free Library on Dupont Street.
👻 3. Meet Skully, the Skeleton Librarian
📍 360 Dupont Street
- Keep heading down Krams, then turn left on Pechin, and right onto Dupont St.
- Allegedly a 12-foot skeleton stewards this LFL (yes, really!)—Charter #150645.
The owners claim a skeleton named Skully runs this library alone at midnight. In fact, they say Skully put this Little Free Library there with no help from them!
An added bonus to this stop is the cute (and friendly) dog that guards the library from his porch—we left a dog book for him.
Do you think he read it?
📖 4. Pit Stop: Salvation Army Thrift Store (for More Books, of Course!)
📍 4555 Pechin Street
- Continue on Dupont, then go right on Manayunk, right on Krams, left on Pechin, and you’ll find Salvation Army’s thrift store.
- Their back section has an awesome book selection—priced at just $0.50 to $1.00.
I told you we’d get here! If you need more books to stock the LFLs along our route, this is the perfect place to grab some! Head right to the back where you’ll find a wall of books ranging from cook books and fiction, to children’s books and YA. Of course, like any Salvation Army thrift, the Roxborough location also has clothes and household goods. If you’re lucky, they’ll announce a 50% sale while you’re there. That’s what happened to me when I was shopping for books to turn into clocks!
5. Roxborough’s “Wild” Little Libraries
📍 451 Leverington Avenue
- Continue on Pechin, then right onto Leverington Ave, and about two blocks up you’ll find two little libraries across from each other:
- Dragonstaire Free Library
- Tessa’s Little Free Library
I call them wild little libraries because neither are registered on the Little Free Library site. That means they aren’t officially one of Roxborough’s Little Free Libraries according to the LFL site, but they serve the same purpose, so who cares?
Both usually have a nice selection of books to choose from because Leverington is a popular thoroughfare. Oh, and guess what? Once you’ve reached these lovely boxes of books, you’ve done all the hills on the Roxborough Little Free Library crawl – the rest of the route is mostly flat!
🏡 6. A Roxborough Little Free Library with a Matching House
📍 Hermitage Street
- Continue up Leverington, turn left on Ridge Ave, then right on Hermitage St.
- You’ll pass the Philadelphia Free Library – Roxborough branch (a.k.a. the “Momma Free Library”).
- LFL 1 on Hermitage is just two houses past the church (on the same side).
- The second one is two or so houses further along.
The Hermitage Little Free Libraries are so stinking cute. One is a charming patchwork design and the other perfectly matches the house complete with a porch and shutters!
This is the one spot in the route where you’ll need to retrace your steps. At this point you’ll have noticed that the architecture has changed. There are more single family homes than townhomes, the houses are further apart, and there are more trees. After you find the second LIttle Free Library (the patchwork art one), turn around and head back to Leverington. Our next stop on the walk to discover Roxborough’s Little Free Libraries will take us into a beautiful park with a World War I memorial.
🎖️ 7. Gorgas Park War Memorial
- Cross Ridge Avenue and enter the park at the corner of Hermitage and Ridge. Follow the path until you see the memorial ahead of you.
- The 21st Ward War Memorial was designed by architect Herman Miller in 1918 to honor the local servicemen who lost their lives during World War I.
After a period of decline post-World War II, Gorgas park experienced a revival starting in 1997, thanks to the efforts of the Friends of Gorgas Park. Today, this Roxborough gem serves as a central hub for community events, including concerts, festivals, and ceremonies, with the war memorial standing as a focal point for gatherings that honor local veterans.
The memorial has been looked after by Boy Scout Troop 334 with flag poles and flags added by Eagle Scout John Wynne III in 2007.
Eagle Scout Chris Romano (2014) took on the project of enhancing the stage, railing, lighting, rifle squad pad and landscape around the memorial.
Leaving the park, we’re headed on to charming Acorn Street for a Roxborough Little Free Library that is trying not to be found.
🌳 8. The Hidden Acorn Street Little Free Library
📍 538 Acorn St
- Exit Gorgas Park at Acorn St. & Ridge Ave.
- Cross Ridge, then head up Acorn Street—the LFL is tucked inside a fence.
This Little Free Library was started because the steward and her 8-year-old daughter “loved using other LFL’s in our area” and “are so happy to now have one of our own, and the first on our beloved Acorn St.” Charter #105681 I agree, Acorn Street is charming. Be careful that you don’t miss this Little Free Library, though. It’s not as obvious as some of the other Little Free LIbraries in Roxborough. This one is behind the fence and almost under a bush. A wild place, but not a wild library!
📚 9. Another “Wild” Library on Lawnton Street
📍 On Lawnton between Hermitage & Leverington
- Continue on Acorn until you hit Lawnton. Make a right and after you pass over Hermitage travel on the right side of Lawnton.
- A few houses before Leverington you’ll find a free library.
We literally stumbled up this little library. Like the two above on Leverington, this is another one of Roxborough’s Little Free Libraries in the “wild.” That just means it isn’t registered with LittleFreeLibrary.org so it isn’t on their map. But, with its red and white color scheme that was designed to color match the house, it sure stands out on its own.
This is the last stop on our Roxborough Little Free Library Crawl. I hope you now have a bag full of new books to dive into. But, before that, let’s eat!
🍽️ Where to Eat After Your Roxborough Little Free Library Crawl
After all that walking (and book hunting), it’s time to treat yourself. Here are my top restaurant picks nearby:
🍺 New Ridge Brewing Co.
📍 6139 Ridge Ave
✨ Best For: Local craft beer & vegan-friendly pub food
- Chill atmosphere, rotating beers, and outdoor seating
- Must-Try: Mussels, Fish Sandwich
Grab a pint, settle in (or outside) with your latest book find, and toast to a successful literary adventure.
🥬 White Yak (Best Tibetan Food in Philly!)
📍 6118 Ridge Ave
✨ Best For: Authentic Tibetan momos & butter tea
- Must-Try: Steamed momos (Tibetan dumplings), anything with Bok Choy, Butter tea
A Novel Tourist Book Club favorite! We visited White Yak the first time while reading We Measure the Earth with Our Bodies by Tsering Yangzom Lama, a family epic exploring Tibetan identity, displacement, and resilience. We returned again this year to discuss A Step Away From Paradise by Thomas Shor, a fascinating true story about a Tibetan lama’s journey to find the legendary hidden valley of Shambhala.
🥞 Bob’s Diner (Classic & Quaint)
📍 6053 Ridge Ave
✨ Best For: No-frills comfort food
- Cash only (ATM inside)
- Must-Try: All-day breakfast, club sandwich
Bob’s Diner has been a local favorite for decades. It’s a great way to end your book walk with a nostalgic, feel-good (and inexpensive) meal.
No matter which spot you choose, each offers a welcoming space to sit back, chat about your latest literary discoveries, and enjoy a well-earned meal. Have another favorite Roxborough restaurant? Know of another Roxborough Little Free Library I didn’t mention? Drop a recommendation in the comments!
Tips for Your Roxborough Little Free Library Crawl
- Parking: There is plenty of street parking in Roxborough, but to avoid the meters go off Ridge Ave. If you can’t find any free street parking, try the $1 per hour lot on Mitchell St. between Krams and Leverington.
- There are hills. Just sayin.
- Bring a Tote or Backpack: You’ll be collecting and swapping books throughout the day, so having a bag on hand means more to share and more to bring home!
- Bring Books to Share: Part of the fun of visiting Little Free Libraries is the “Take a book. Leave a book” spirit. Bring along a few gently used books that you’re ready to pass on to another reader.
Why a Little Free Library Crawl?
Little Free Libraries are more than just tiny boxes stuffed with books— like all LFLs, Roxborough’s Little Free Libraries are symbols of community connection and shared resources. The abundance of Little Free Libraries here in Roxborough is a testiment to the neighborhood and those who love books. By visiting Little Free Libraries, you become part of the story, contributing to each neighborhood’s literary life and your own! Plus, exploring Roxborough on foot is an experience in itself!
Roxborough Little Free Library Route – Google Maps
Here’s a link to the Roxborough Little Free Library Crawl Google map directions that you can follow on your phone (just be warned – Google might change the route slightly but it will take you to all the above mentioned LFLs). I hope you enjoy wandering the diverse streets of Philadelphia’s Roxborough neighborhood. If you’re lucky enough to spend an hour or so on this Little Free Library crawl, you’ll leave with an appreciation of life on the ridge, and a tote bag full of books!
Go ahead and follow this route, or tweak it to your liking by looking for other nearby LFLs on the LIttle Free Library world map website. There are countless corners to explore and little shelves to rummage through. I bet there are some in your own neighborhood and you could create your own LFL crawl!
If you loved this Little Free Library Crawl through Roxborough, find more Little Free Library crawls and other literary adventures when you:
- Follow me @noveltourist on Instagram or Facebook.
- Join The Novel Tourist Bookclub (free!) on Meetup
Happy reading, and remember to share the literary love!
