Philadelphia's Top-Rated Attractions
Art
- Philadelphia Museum of Art, 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The museum holds more than two hundred and fifty thousand works that span over two thousand years. While visiting the museum, you can visit the Rocky Statue that stands in front and take a picture. You can even run up the steps of the Museum of Art, just like Rocky. It is Philadelphia’s largest museum and one of the largest art museums in the nation. philamuseum.org
- Rodin Museum, 2151 Benjamin Franklin Parkway. The Rodin museum has one of the largest art and sculpture collections of Auguste Rodin’s works outside Paris. A replica of Rodin’s The Thinker statue sits outside the entrance. Before visiting the museum, plan your visit at rodinmuseum.org.
- The Free Library of Philadelphia Parkway Central Library, 1901 Vine Street. For the librarians and bibliophiles, visit Philadelphia’s largest library. The Free Library has more than one hundred thousand books, manuscripts, maps, and music. Daily tours of the library give visitors a chance to see Edgar Allan Poe’s first poem, held in the Rare Book Department.
History
- Historic District. The Historic District is the birthplace of the nation. In the district, you can see the Liberty Bell at the Liberty Bell Center, Independence Hall, the President’s House, the National Constitution Center, and the Independence Visitor Center. Independence Hall (520 Chestnut Street) is the birthplace of America. This is where both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were signed. To visit the hall, you need to schedule a tour of the historical site. The Liberty Bell Center (101 S. Independence Mall West) is free to the public, but you may have to wait in line to enter the glass structure. To access the Independence Hall, reserve tickets at recreation.gov before going.
- Mütter Museum, 19 S. 22nd Street. A medical and science history museum that is part of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, it is the oldest private medical society in the nation. The museum has a gallery of nineteenth-century specimens, instruments, and photographs. muttermuseum.org
- Franklin Institute, 222 North 20th Street. Franklin Institute is one of the oldest science museums in the country. The Institute was designed to include hands-on exhibits that involve science and technology. The Institute was founded by its namesake, Benjamin Franklin. fi.edu/en
- Museum of the American Revolution, 101 S. 3rd Street. The museum uncovers stories of the events of the American Revolution and showcases regions where major events took place. amrevmuseum.org
- African American Museum in Philadelphia, 701 Arch Street. The African American Museum is the first museum to preserve and exhibit the history of African Americans in the United States. aampmuseum.org
Author Sunny Blake owns SunnySide Indexing. She holds an MLS from Clarion University and graduated from the UC Berkeley Extension introduction to indexing course. Her specialties are history, medicine textbooks, and cookbooks. She lives in the Philadelphia Area.