We are currently offering private tours, please email beyondthebelltours@gmail.com

Registration for tours will be open to the public in April 2025.

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Embark on a captivating journey through the heart of Philadelphia history and community with the Our Market community-led tour at the iconic 9th Street Curb Market! This immersive experience seamlessly weaves together factual narratives and compelling community stories, shedding light on the struggles and triumphs that have shaped this vibrant market. 

The Our Market Tours are led by our handpicked team of passionate tour guides, local community members, that have undergone intensive training by Beyond the Bell Tours and the Our Market Project. These dedicated guides will lead you on a two-hour exploration, offering a unique insider's perspective on the rich history and cultural diversity of the 9th Street Market, one of the oldest immigrant outdoor immigrant markets in the United States.

Our in-person tours are complemented by a cutting-edge digital free tour app. Attendees can use the app to bring historical images and first-hand community stories to life, enhancing their understanding of the market's dynamic past and present. Moreover, the tours will include the opportunity to see the Our Market public artworks that showcase community stories through murals, revitalized produce stands, and lightboxes. These public artworks not only provide function but also add an element of beauty to the Market, contributing to the vibrant atmosphere that defines this historic space. 

Our tours are offered in multiple languages, including Spanish, Vietnamese, and English, to ensure everyone can connect with the rich history and stories. Spanning less than a mile from 9th and Christian to 9th and Federal Streets, the tour last about two hours and is easily accessible, with some steps for entry into storefronts, sidewalk ramps along 9th Street, and a carefully managed street crossing at Washington Avenue. 

Learn more about the 9th Street Market as one of the oldest outdoor markets in the United States and its over 100-year-old tradition created by immigrant communities. Book your tickets now for an unforgettable two-hour experience guided by locals who call this vibrant market their own, and gain a profound understanding of the market's dynamic past and present! 

Beyond the Bell Tours are the official tour operators for the Our Market Project.

Meet the Team

  • Rebecca Fisher

    CO-FOUNDER OF BEYOND THE BELL TOURS

    Rebecca enjoys the outdoors (hiking, biking, and running) as well as the indoors (eating, sleeping, reading and watching tv). Even though Rebecca was born and raised in the Philadelphia area, she's constantly discovering new things in the city. Rebecca majored in Romance Languages in college and is multilingual. Rebecca wrote her thesis about inclusive tourism and has presented her research internationally. She's passionate about the intersection of tourism and social justice.

  • Joey Leroux

    CO-FOUNDER BEYOND THE BELL TOURS

    Joey grew up in Maine, and came to Philadelphia for college. Joey majored in economics in college, and is passionate about leveraging for-profit business models for social good. Outside of Beyond the Bell, he writes and shares poetry across Philadelphia, and volunteers as a peer counselor at the William Way LGBT Community Center.

  • Alma Tlacopilco

    TOUR GUIDE

    Alma has grown up in the 9th Street Market with her large family surrounding her. Her parents run the family restaurant, Alma Del Mar and Marco’s Fish and Crab House in the Market. When Alma isn’t giving tours she is attending high school or playing soccer. She calls the market her home and is excited to share these stories with you.

  • Melissa Nong

    TOUR GUIDE

    Melissa's childhood at her mother's nail salon, where she witnessed the challenges faced by a Vietnamese small business owner, inspires her dreams today. Melissa works to translate divisions, co-founding her own startup Panbo to support Philly's small local businesses and recently joined Our Market Project to help amplify the city's immigrant voices through storytelling. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, her education has taken her from a job on D.C.'s Capitol Hill to the Galápagos Islands, South Africa, Vietnam, and Argentina---but nothing compares to being home in the great city of Philadelphia. Melissa's current sidequest is to talk to all 39,600 small businesses in the city, especially the ice cream shops on hot days.

  • Nicole Sonsini

    TOUR GUIDE

    Nicole Sonsini is a born-and-raised South Philly gal, and proud 9th Streeter. When she's not spending time making art, hanging with her very cute and very tiny black cat, Marlo, or trying to play matchmaker to all her single friends, Sonsini works in social services with the coolest teenagers on the planet. Sonsini is an Etsy artisan, pizza lover, and voracious celebrity gossip consumer. She is excited to share her knowledge and love of South Philadelphia (and beyond) to anyone who will listen, and especially through the Our Market neighborhood project.

The Our Market Tours is provided by lead support by the William Penn Foundation in partnership with Mural Arts Philadelphia, and support from Philadelphia250, and Visit Philadelphia.