A Tourist's Guide to Philadelphia
From the Liberty Bell to the Cheese Steak
When planning a visit to the United States consider Philadelphia, and come prepared as you don't want to miss anything the city has to offer...and it has a lot to offer!
The city of Philadelphia is rich in history and offers a vibrancy that rivals most other major cities in the U.S. When visiting the "City of Brotherly Love" the points of interest seem almost limitless. Here are a few places any tourist in Philadelphia must visit.
Philadelphia Museum of Art - one of the largest museums in the U.S., this beautiful structure houses over 225,000 works of art by such artists as Van Gogh and Salvador Dali. The museum hosts a number of special exhibitions during each year and attracts almost a million visitors annually. Many people will recognize the steps leading to the front of the museum as those featured in Sylvester Stallone's Rocky films. When visiting the museum it is very likely that you will see someone trying to imitate Rocky Balboa's triumphant run up the stairs.
Independence National Historic Park - encompassing a large area of historic downtown Philadelphia, or "Center City," this park is home to Independence Hall - location of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776 - and the Liberty Bell Centre, where the famous cracked bell that was rung to initiate the reading of the Declaration of Independence now hangs. Other historic sites in and around this area include a home that writer Edgar Allan Poe once lived in and the residence of Betsy Ross, the woman who is believed to have sewn the first official American flag.
The Franklin Institute Science Museum - named in honor of one of the most important Founding Fathers in American history and the inventor of the lightning rod and bifocals, this museum features exhibits - many of them interactive - that focus on science and technology. The museum features a rotating schedule of exhibits and a number of permanent exhibits such as the "Giant Heart," which has been featured at the museum since it opened in 1954.
Eastern State Penitentiary - opened in 1829 this revolutionary prison was one of the most expensive American buildings of its time. Instead of focusing on punishment of the prisoners, this prison attempted to direct its inmates towards spiritual reflection and change via a system of isolated labor. This architectural gem remained open until 1988 and once featured legendary gangster Al Capone as one of its inmates. The penitentiary has recently been used as the backdrop for several television and film projects, including the 1995 film Twelve Monkeys and the Sci-Fi Channel's Ghost Hunters. Today, the penitentiary offers guided tours and becomes an amazing haunted house during its "Terror Behind the Walls" event that runs from late September to early November.
Philadelphia Eagles (NFL), Phillies (MLB), Flyers (NHL), and 76ers (NBA) - Philadelphia has one of richest sports histories of any city in the U.S. and its fans are renowned for their excessive devotion to their teams. While no Philadelphia sports team has won a major championship since the 1983 76ers, the fans remain devoted as each year the teams seem to show lots of promise. All of the major league teams play in recently-constructed sports complexes in the same area of South Philadelphia so if you are there during the right time of year you can easily walk from one game to another.
Pat's King of Steaks and Geno's Steaks - no trip to Philadelphia is complete without eating a delicious cheese steak. These two restaurants are located across the street from one another and, while Pat's takes credit as the originator of the steak, they each claim to make a tastier steak than the other. If you are particularly hungry you can make that decision for yourself by tasting both at one sitting. But be careful how you order your cheese steak as it requires a certain Philly lingo that will make an unsuspecting tourist stick out in any lunch-time crowd.
Philadelphia Zoo - the first zoo in the U.S. (opened in 1874), it sits on an 42-acre plot of land and features more than 1,300 animals, many rare and endangered. The zoo attracts more than 1-million visitors each year with such exhibits as its "Reptile and Amphibian House" and "Big Cat Falls," an exhibit of lions, tigers, pumas,and other wild cats. The zoo also offers a air balloon ride that rises 400 feet to offer spectacular views of the zoo and the city's skyline.
