What to See and Do

The Must See Attractions in Philly

Independence Hall, 520 Chestnut Street

During the summer of 1776, 56 men gathered in the West Wing of the Pennsylvania State House to sign a document declaring American independence from Britain. They called it the Declaration of Independence. The original inkstand used to sign the Declaration of Independence is still on display in what is now Independence Hall, where the US Constitution was signed 11 years later. Walk-up tickets are available starting at 8:30 AM but often are gone by 1 PM. You can buy timed tickets in advance for $1.50 each either online or by phone.  https://www.nps.gov/inde/planyourvisit/independencehalltickets.htm

Independence Visitor Center

The Visitor Center, in the heart of Independence Mall, is the exclusive location to pick up free, timed tickets to tour Independence Hall. It provides a walkway from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell to the National Constitution Center.
http://www.phlvisitorcenter.com/start-here

The Liberty Bell, Liberty Bell Center, 6^th and Market Streets

What was once the State House Bell, ordered from Whitechapel Foundry in England, cracked on its first test ring. Two local metal workers melted it down and created a new bell that rang to call lawmakers to meetings and residents to hear the news. This remade bell also cracked in 1840, after years of hard use. The slight crack was widened to prevent it from spreading to restore the bell’s tone. The bell’s inscription, “Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants thereof,” became a rallying cry for abolitionists, women’s suffragists, and civil rights activists through the years. No tickets are required to see the bell. The Center also contains a film and exhibits about the bell.

President’s House Site, 6^th and Market Streets

This open-air exhibit sits near the site of one of three original President’s Houses in Philadelphia, when the city was the capital of the new nation. In 2000, during excavation for the new Liberty Bell Center, workmen uncovered the foundations of the house, which had been demolished in part in 1832 and later completely in the 1950s. Since the Center was going to be just five feet from the site of Washington’s slave quarters, Independence National Historical Park included material about the nine slaves Washington kept at the house and the history of US slavery as part of the exhibit. The remaining foundations of the building are visible.

Carpenters Hall, 320 Chestnut Street

The Carpenters’ Company, founded in Philadelphia in 1724, helped share information on the art of building and architecture, set rules and prices, and provided help to indigent craftsmen, much like European guilds. The building that housed the group was finished in 1774, when it was tapped to host the First Continental Congress, attended by George Washington, John Adams, Samuel Adams, and Patrick Henry. Independence Hall, then known as the State House, was bypassed because it was thought to be hotbed of Tory sympathizers.  Inside the Hall today, there is a display of eight Windsor chairs used by the members of the Congress. At one time, Benjamin Franklin’s Library Company was located here, as were the First and Second Banks of the US.  In fact, the first bank robbery in the country occurred at Carpenter’s Hall. The building is an example of Georgian architecture.

National Constitution Center, Independence Mall

In 2007, President George H. W. Bush and U2 front man Bono shared a stage at the National Constitution Center when Bono was given the National Liberty Medal for his work in Africa. Bush was the previous year’s recipient, with President Bill Clinton. The Medal was established in 1988, shortly before the center’s opening in 2000, to recognize leadership in pursuit of freedom. It’s just one initiative of the Center which was set up by Congress to explain this critical document in American history via exhibits, interactive displays, and artifacts, including one of the original copies of the Constitution. You can add your name to the Constitution in Signers’ Hall, where you can see lifelike bronze statues of 42 of the Founding Fathers.
http://constitutioncenter.org

Elfreth’s Alley, between North 2^nd and North Front Street

If you want a glimpse into the 18^th century, walk the brick cobbles of this narrow street, the oldest continuously inhabited street in America, named for Jeremiah Elfreth, a blacksmith who built and rented out many homes in 18^th century Philadelphia. Benjamin Franklin once lived here, though it’s not clear which house was his. The Mantua Maker’s Museum House at 126 (a mantua was a popular cape at the time) is open to the public, as are two homes in Bladen’s Court, itself an alley, near Front Street. The homes are examples of Trinity houses, called locally “Father, Son, and Holy Ghost” houses because there is only one room on each of their three stories. During the 19^th century, the alley became the neighborhood of recently arrived immigrant workers from Germany, Ireland, and Europe. http://www.elfrethsalley.org/museum/

Christ Church, 2^nd and Market Streets

In 1776, the eight bells in Christ Church steeple rang out to announce and celebrate the Declaration of Independence and, unlike the Liberty Bell, those bells still ring today. Historian David McCullough once said that no other church “has played a more significant role in our nation’s birth.” Founded in 1695, the church’s current building was erected in 1744. Benjamin Franklin and Betsy Ross were parishioners (she was married to the son of the assistant rector); George Washington and John Adams attended services. Fifteen signers of the Declaration of Independence were also part of the congregation. Brass plaques mark the pews where they worshipped. What started as an Anglican Church left the Church of England and became the first Episcopal Church in the US. The baptismal font where William Penn was baptized in England is still in use in the church.  Not far from the church, at 20 N. American Street, is the Christ Church Burial Ground where Benjamin Franklin and his wife and five signers of the Declaration of Independence are buried. It’s a local tradition to toss pennies on Franklin’s grave, which is visible through the iron fence at 5^th and Arch when the cemetery is closed.
http://www.christchurchphila.org/Historic-Christ-Church/73/b

Franklin Square, 200 N. 6^th Street

Set in one of the five original squares laid out by William Penn, this eight-acre park is not where you go when you want a moment of solitude in the city. It’s a family friendly destination with a fountain that dates back to Penn’s day, an 18-hole miniature golf course, Center City’s only carousel, a playground, a memorial to the city’s fallen firefighters and police officers, and a burger joint.
http://historicphiladelphia.org/franklin-square/what-to-see/

Betsy Ross House, 239 Arch Street

Seamstress Betsy Ross is best known for purportedly sewing the first American flag in this house she shared with her husband, John Ross, and where they ran their upholstery business. The house was built in 1740 and the Rosses rented it. It’s an excellent example of the 18^th century colonial home, with its tiny rooms and tight staircases and is the only example of an 18^th century upholstery shop in the country. Audio tours are available. Tickets are $7 for adults, $6 for children, the military, and seniors.
http://historicphiladelphia.org/betsy-ross-house/what-to-see/

Washington Square, between Washington and Sixth

Washington Square, like Franklin’s Square, is one of the city’s five public squares laid out by William Penn in his original plan for the city. Located in the historic district, it has been a park for more than 200 years, so it’s likely that you will be strolling in the footsteps of some of the Founding Fathers. This 6.4 acre former potter’s field and pasture houses the Tomb of the Unknown Revolutionary War Soldier and was once the center of Philadelphia’s publishing industry. The “moon tree,” a sycamore, planted in 1975, was grown from seeds carried to the moon on the Apollo 14 mission.

Headhouse Square, Second and Lombard Streets

Ignore the cars and you can see old Philadelphia on Headhouse Square in Society Hill. There are cobblestone streets flanked by original late 18th- and early 19th-century buildings. It’s home to Headhouse Square Farmers’ Market, the oldest farmers’ market in Philadelphia, held every Sunday May through December underneath “the Shambles,” a shed erected in 1745 to shelter merchants selling their wares. http://thefoodtrust.org/farmers-markets/market/headhouse At one end of the square is the Head House, which was once a firehouse.

Delaware River Waterfront,  Columbus Boulevard and Delaware Avenue

Penn’s Landing is the focal point of the Delaware River Waterfront, where festivals are held and pop-up parks emerge and films are shown under starlight in the summer. The Independence Seaport Museum at water’s edge tells Philadelphia’s maritime history. You can board the Olympia, berthed outside, the oldest floating steel warship most famous for being Admiral Perry’s flagship during the Spanish-American War. You can also tour the Becuna, a submarine. Take a stroll along the Race Street Pier in the shadow of the Ben Franklin Bridge. Penn Treaty Park at N. Delaware Avenue and Beach Street marks the reputed spot where William Penn signed a peace treaty with the Lenape tribe in 1683. There are a number of restaurants along the waterfront area. You can also see Philadelphia’s own Tall Ship, the Gazela and dine aboard the Moshulu, the world’s oldest and largest square rigged sailing vessel still afloat, docked permanently as a restaurant at 401 S. Coumbus Blvd.