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Philadelphia Events and Attractions >>
Philadelphia. Where the United States truly got its start. If you have any interest in American history at all, Philadelphia is a must-visit destination.
Philadelphia, the city known for cheesesteaks as well as the signing of the Declaration of Independence, actually was one the second-largest city in the British Empire, second only to London. But that changed plenty after 1776 and the Revolutionary War: Philadelphia was, for a time, the first capital of the new United States.
As you visit the city to get a sense of its importance to the United States, a first stop on your journey should be Independence National Historical, where you can see Independence Hall, location of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, as well as the site of the that iconic symbol of liberty, the aptly named Liberty Bell.
While in the Independence Hall area, you may want to walk over and see homes of other famous Philadelphians, such as the site of Benjamin Franklin’s house, as well as the old homesteads of Betsy Ross, writer Edgar Allen Poe, and others.
If you delight in museums, Philadelphia will delight you. For the scientist in you – and your children -- the Franklin Institute, home of the Academy Natural Sciences and the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial, will delight you. Take a walk through a giant human heart. See how science can help you become a better athlete at the Sports Challenge. See your house with a satellite tracking device at the Institute’s Space Command exhibit. There really is something for the “kid scientist” in all of us at the Franklin Institute.
Remember the famous scene in the first of the Rocky movies where the fighter Rocky Balboa runs up steps and turns around with fists in air in celebration? Those steps are at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Run up the steps yourself (don’t be surprised if you see other folks doing the same), and turn around at the statue of actor Sylvester Stallone as Rocky at their top.
Be sure to visit the inside of the museum while you’re there. The museum, founded in 1876, now houses more than 225,000 works of art, including a full-size Japanese teahouse, a medieval cloister, pieces of presidential china (with dinner plates used by U.S. presidents such as George Washington and Ronald Reagan), paintings by Winslow Homer and Mary Stevenson Cassatt, and so much more.
Naturally, no visit to Philadelphia is complete without sampling a Philadelphia cheesesteak (thinly sliced beef covered in cheese in a long roll), or a soft pretzel. You’ll find many small eateries throughout the city that will serve you, especially in downtown’s fabulous Reading Terminal Market.
If you’re in the City of Brotherly Love on New Year’s Day and you can brave cold (temperatures can hover in the teens or 20s in January), you must see the Mummer’s New Year’s Day Parade. “Clubs” of people dress in colorful costumes (they look like a cross between Aztec ceremonial garb and a Las Vegas showgirl’s costume) and parade through downtown. They’ve been doing this since before the American Revolution and it’s rare that a snowstorm or even “just” a rain storm coupled with bitter cold will stop them.
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