Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation
30 S. 17th St.
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 599-0776
Population
1585577
Time Zone
Eastern
Latitude/Longitude
39.95° /-75.16°
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HIGH: 66
LOW: 46
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Unlike the other English religious sects that colonized North America's eastern shores in the 17th century, the Quakers in the Delaware Valley welcomed people of different faiths and ethnicities to share their land. In 1682 their spiritual leader, William Penn, founded the "City of Brotherly Love," and Philadelphia quickly became a populous cultural mosaic. A century later, this utopian melting-pot community played a pivotal role in uniting the Colonies as one nation, and Philadelphia served as the new republic's capital until 1800. Today it is the fifth-largest U.S. city, more diverse than ever, and full of historic neighborhoods that beg to be explored.
map of Pennsylvania
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Begin your tour where the Founding Fathers created a nation -- in the Old City. Your first stop should be the Independence Visitor Center across from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell in Independence National Historical Park. Maps, orientation films and interactive computer stations there will help you get your bearings before exploring the rest of the city. Next head to Independence Hall where you'll see historic treasures including the Sun Chair where George Washington sat and the inkstand used for the signing of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
Franklin Court, site of Benjamin Franklin's home (demolished in 1812) features three surviving homes designed by Franklin, an 18th-century garden, a printing office, post office, and archaeological excavations. Be sure to see the Todd House (home to Dolly Madison during her first marriage to lawyer John Todd) and the opulent Bishop White House. The historical park also encompasses Carpenters' Hall (where the First Continental Congress met), Congress Hall, and other historic structures. Just outside the park boundaries, visitors can watch money being made at the United States Mint.
A walking tour of nearby sites could take in Old Christ Church (where the Founding Fathers worshipped), Elfreth's Alley (the oldest continually occupied residential street in America), numerous surviving Quaker meeting houses, and the Betsy Ross House. The Ross legend may be in dispute, but her 18th-century cottage is worth touring nonetheless.
Other notable attractions near the waterfront include the National Museum of American Jewish History, the Edgar Allan Poe National Historical Site, Gloria Dei Church, and the Independence Seaport Museum at Penn's Landing, a riverfront park where festivals and concerts are held throughout the summer.
Fashionable colonial "Society Hill" is fashionable once again, with old cobblestone streets, gardens, and restored homes bearing informative historical markers. Another notable residential area for walking is Rittenhouse Square (named for the Dutch Rittinghuysen family, among the city's earliest settlers), where you'll see handsome homes and a large public green that hosts outdoor events throughout spring and summer.
For a look at the city's art and science museums, visit Museum Row along Benjamin Franklin Parkway. Choose from the Rodin Museum, the Please Touch Museum, the Academy of Natural Sciences, the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial in the rotunda of the Franklin Institute Science Museum, and the Philadelphia Museum of Art (renowned for its period rooms).
The stunning Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, which opened in late 2001, is home to the world-famous Philadelphia Orchestra, while the orchestra's old home, the historic Academy of Music, continues presenting evenings of opera, ballet, and Broadway touring shows. In Fairmount Park, see colonial mansions and gardens, the nation's first zoo, and the Mann Music Center, another site of summer music concerts.
A bit farther afield, the Barnes Foundation Art Gallery (in suburban Merion) features rare works by Cezanne, Manet, Mattisse, Picasso, Modigliani, and many more. Bartram's Garden, first developed by pre-Revolutionary botanist John Bartram, attracts lovers of horticulture.
Fans of professional sports will be hard pressed to complain of a dull moment in Philadelphia. Venerable Veterans Stadium may have bitten the dust (it was imploded in 2004), but Philadelphians enjoy sterling new facilities at the South Side sports complex. The Phillies, who came to play ball in 1883, now call Citizens Bank Park home, while the Eagles of the NFL play at Lincoln Financial Field. And the Wachovia Center (the oldest facility in the complex, dating all the way back to 1996) is home court and home ice, respectively, for the 76ers and the Flyers.
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