A CITY with dozens of beguiling neighborhoods, a daunting number of world-class museums and a key role in the story of the nation’s founding, Philadelphia has seen a parade of openings over the last decade: ambitious design-centric boutiques, an ever-expanding universe of Stephen Starr restaurants and stylish hotels in artfully remodeled historic high rises. Entire neighborhoods have been transformed, parks have been built, and a wave of newcomers — transplants priced out of places like New York and Washington — have brought new energy to the cultural and culinary landscape.

Friday

3 p.m.

1. START AT THE BEGINNING

Originally a Works Progress Administration renovation project named for the radio pioneer Atwater Kent, who donated the 1820s Greek Revival building to the city, the Philadelphia History Museum (15 South Seventh Street; 215-685-4830; philadelphiahistory.org) reopened in September after a three-year renovation. Since 1941, this modest museum ($10) has celebrated the day-to-day life of the city; it spans 330 years of local history in select objects, including a belt given to William Penn by the Lenape people, Schmidt’s beer cans and a collection dedicated to the African-American experience.

6 p.m.

2. SICHUAN STYLE

Across the Schuylkill in University City, the newest location of the locally beloved Han Dynasty (3711 Market Street; 215-222-3711; handynasty.net) has a wide-open dining room with modern lines, rough-hewn wood and a kitschy cocktail list. Bucket-size drinks like the Scorpion Bowl and Singapore Sling are $5 during happy hour. But the food is the real attraction. Plates come one after the other in family-style portions — dan dan noodles ($7.95), double-cooked fish ($17.95) and spicy, crispy cucumbers ($6.95), each rated 1 to 10 on Han’s hot-or-not index.

8 p.m.

3. A MUSEUM’S NEW HOME

For most of its 90-year history, the Barnes Foundation Museum (2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway; 215-278-7000; barnesfoundation.org) was seven miles away in suburban Merion. But after years of controversy and construction, it relocated in May, bringing one of the world’s great collections of works by Picasso, Matisse and Modigliani (and many others) to Museum Row. On Friday nights, the otherwise somber space hosts concerts and pours wine until 10 p.m. Day or night, reserve museum tickets ($18) well in advance.