Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA

Day 1: Franklin Court, Independence Hall, Liberty Bell and Eastern State Penitentiary

Day 2: Philadelphia Zoo

Day 3: Rocky Statue and stairs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

We started our trip of six states and Washington DC by flying into Philadelphia, PA. We spent three days in Philadelphia, it is such a fun place to visit. It’s full of history and my kids had so much fun exploring the city and walking along the same path Benjamin Franklin did. There are so many things to do in this city that our vacation could have ended there. The city was founded in 1682 and is the location where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were signed. Not only was this city fun, but it was filled with amazing food. I would highly recommend eating a Philly Cheesesteak every day, maybe even three times a day. So good! A few of our favorites were Dalessandro’s Steaks, Oh Brother Philly and Philly’s Gourmet Steaks.

Our first stop was Franklin Court. Benjamin Franklin’s house was located within this courtyard. It doesn’t stand today, but in its place is a reconstruction of the house frame. You can walk along the path that Franklin traveled to and from work, my kids thought this was really fun and cool. I was surprised to learn how much they already knew about Benjamin Franklin. I use trips like this to teach my kids. I will usually do a bit of research before I visit these historical places so that we can all learn together. The print shop that Franklin built for his grandson is located within the courtyard, as well as the Benjamin Franklin museum.

Our second stop was Independence Hall, located at Independence National Historical Park. It doesn’t close until 5:00pm, but we didn’t realize that the tour for that day was already sold out, so we didn’t get to go inside. If you want to do the tour, you will want to purchase the tickets online prior to visiting, they are $1 per ticket. With the tour you will see the Assembly Room where the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were both signed. Luckily, we were standing outside when the bell rang, so we did get to experience that. I would recommend visiting the small museum within the historical park. It does not require tickets. After visiting I discovered there is a plaque, in front of Independence Hall, where Abraham Lincoln raised the flag after declaring that he would rather be “assassinated on the spot” than give up the ideals of the Declaration of Independence. It is located on the east side of the statue of George Washington if you want to visit the spot and stand where he stood in 1861.

Our third stop was The Liberty Bell. You definitely have to grab a photo at the Liberty Bell. It is located across the street from Independence Hall. This bell rang in the tower of the Pennsylvania State House, known today as the Independence Hall from 1753 and 1846. We learned that no one really knows when the bell cracked, but it was repaired prior to George Washington’s birthday holiday in 1846. The wide crack you see today is actually the repair job and if you look closely at the bell you will see over 40 drill bit marks within.

Our fourth stop was the Eastern State Penitentiary. This is definitely a must see. It’s a bit pricey, but you do receive a headset and are guided through the prison. It was one of my favorite stops in Philly and was so fascinating. A bit creepy, especially since it didn’t close until 1971. Eastern State Penitentiary was one of the most famous and expensive prisons in the world. Its cells held 85,000 people over its long history, including bank robber “Slick Willie” and “Scarface” Al Capone. My kids really enjoyed this. I would highly recommend you don’t miss out on this.

Philadelphia Zoo is considered the oldest zoo in America. It opened its gates in 1874. I felt a bit disappointed with our experience at the zoo. I thought it was fun, but if you have to cross something off of your list, I would recommend this. I was looking for something special about this place, but it really wasn’t much different from other zoo’s. Visit one in-state and go and see the other historical sites in this amazing city.

Before leaving Philly we visited the Rocky Statue and ran up the famous stairs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. This was so fun! My kids didn’t even know who Rocky was, but they had so much fun that day. A majority of the scenes in Rocky were filmed in Philadelphia. I would highly recommend grabbing a picture with Rocky and taking a jog up the stairs. I would put this on your must do list. You can have a Rocky marathon when you get home.

I believe there are around 20 museums in Philadelphia, so you can definitely find a lot to do there. A few other places you can visit are the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Museum of American Revolution and the Franklin Institute. Don’t forget to eat a philly cheesesteak!

If you have time to travel outside of the Philadelphia area it would be fun to visit Gettysburg, the Amish Country, PNC Park or Hersheypark.