Excellent reasons to visit Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, include Independence Hall, the National Constitution Center and Reading Terminal Market.
The Museum of the American Revolution
The Museum of the American Revolution is deadly earnest, but does well on the story-telling front. There are a series of “I didn’t know that” moments as it guides visitors through the causes, battles and aftermath of the Revolutionary War. For example, the term “USA” was first used as a brand on gunpowder casks, before appearing on soldiers’ buttons.
Independence National Historical Park
Philadelphia is the birthplace of the United States, and the Independence National Historical Park is home to several key buildings from the foundational era. The star is Independence Hall, where both the Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution were debated, drafted and signed. The look and furniture have been kept as close as possible to how they would have been in the day. The Liberty Bell Center is also here.
5 great things to do in Philadelphia
- 🥖 Taste the best of Philly on a food tour – including historic Reading Market.
- 🏛️ Get to know Philadelphia’s heritage sites – on a guided walking tour.
- 🍻 Go on a pub crawl – but learn the history between beers.
- 🎨 Let a guide show you Philadelphia’s best murals and street art – including Magic Gardens.
- 🌙 Discover Philly’s dark side – on an adults-only night tour.
The National Constitution Center
The National Consitution Center looks at the world’s first written constitution, and the fights that went into creating it. A rousing theatrical presentation, gives way to a circular hall that delves into slavery, worker unionisation, states rights and more. There’s plenty of interactivity, too, with touch screens telling the stories of 99 people and one mouse – Mickey – who played a major part in shaping the amended constitution as it is today.
Reading Terminal Market
You can turn up to Reading Terminal Market hungry, but you almost certainly won’t leave that way. There’s an amazing array of food stalls, selling everything from shaved meat sandwiches to cranberry cookies. It’s as much about the character as the food on offer, though – there’s a blue collar lack of frippery that feels very Philly.
The Rocky Steps
The slightly stuffy Philadelphia Museum of Art may well have one of the world’s great art collections – especially on the French impressionist front – but film fans will know it from the Rocky Steps at the front. It’s where Sylvester Stallone runs up and down in Rocky, and fans pay tribute by aping him outside the museum every day. There’s also a Rocky Balboa statue at the bottom of the steps.
Other key attractions around the Benjamin Franklin Parkway include the Franklin Institute, the Barnes Foundation and the Rodin Museum.
The Eastern State Penitentiary
The Eastern State Penitentiary, a fortress-like former prison on the hill, was the template for hundreds of prisons around the world. It’s a hulking, massively atmospheric place, with the excellent audioguided tour goes into penal history, escape stories and – admirably unflinchingly – the American system of mass incarceration in the 21st century.
More Philadelphia travel
Other Philadelphia travel articles on Planet Whitley include:
- Review of the Benjamin Franklin Museum in Philadelphia.
- Review of the very weird Mutter Museum in Philadelphia.
- How Philadelphia’s historic attractions provide an introduction to America’s past.
- Learning how Australia’s highest mountain got its name at the Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial.
