Philadelphia

Historic and Beautiful Philadelphia

Text by Valerie Mellema

The “city of brotherly love,” Philadelphia is a great town for walking. In fact, if you are interested in history it is almost a requirement to set your feet along the same walkways and cobblestone streets as the founding fathers of the United States. In the historic old city a visitor could easily walk from the home of Betsy Ross, to the Liberty Bell, the United States Mint and the Fire Museum.

Any historic tour of the city must begin with the Independence National Historic Park. Spanning over 55 acres and including approximately 20 city blocks, the area could easily provide several days worth of exploration and wonder. Beginning a visit with a stop at the Liberty Bell, currently housed in an all-new facility directly across the street from Independence Hall.

Tours of Independence Hall are free, but tickets are required. Each ticket holder is assigned a time for their tour, and many tours are filled before the morning is over, so it is advisable to arrive early in order to make a tour for the day.

Within the immediate area of the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall is the National Constitution Center, Benjamin Franklin’s Grave, the First and Second Banks of the United States, the United States Mint, Carpenter’s Hall, the Betsy Ross home and many other significant sites.

A wise choice for many travelers to Philadelphia is to join one of the open-top bus tours that begin along the Park. This gives a comprehensive view of the entire city and also provides a good sense of location and direction among the many old and meandering streets.

Nearby to the old city area is Center City, where visitors will find the world famous Reading Terminal Market – the city’s historic marketplace where Amish farmers sell their homemade foods and wares alongside an enormous array of other foods and edibles.

Center City is also the true business district of the city and houses the phenomenal City Hall, which took over thirty years to construct and used over 80 million bricks. It is told that a bus could drive around the brim of the statue of Penn that crowns the cupola at the top of the building.

Most of the city’s most popular museums, galleries, restaurants and theaters are also found in the area of town. Center City is also home to the historic collection of antiques vendors and dealers that dwell along Pine Street and also houses the city’s busiest jewelry trade along Seventh Street.