Map view
Independence Hall
Best time to visit: March-May
Cost: $
- Historic civic building in Philadelphia, where both the United States Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were debated and adopted by America's Founding Fathers
- The building was completed in 1753 as the Pennsylvania State House
- It served as the first capital of both the United States and of the Province and later the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
- It was the principal meeting place of the Second Continental Congress from 1775 to 1781, and was the site of the Constitutional Convention, at which the U.S. Constitution, the longest-standing written and codified national constitution in the world, was ratified on June 21, 1788
#41 in Best Landmarks in the USA
SteelStacks, Bethlehem
Best time to visit: March-May
Cost: $
- In 2011, the city of Bethlehem opened Steel Stacks, a campus on the former grounds of Bethlehem Steel, that showcases music, art, festivals, films and educational programming throughout the year
- It is located in the backdrop of the blast furnaces of the former Bethlehem Steel plant
Reading Terminal Market, Philadelphia
Best time to visit: March-May
Cost: $
- Enclosed public market in Center City Philadelphia, opened originally in 1893 under the elevated train shed of the Reading Railroad Company after the city of Philadelphia advocated to move public markets from the streets into indoor facilities for both safety and sanitary reasons
- Presently, over one hundred merchants offer fresh produce, meats, fish, artisan cheese, groceries, ice cream, flowers, grilled cheese, baked goods, smoothies, crafts, books, clothing, and specialty and ethnic foods
- Two of the vendors are descendants of original merchants from the initial opening in the late 1800s
Philadelphia Museum of Art
Best time to visit: March-May
Cost: $
- Art museum originally chartered in 1876 for the Centennial Exposition in Philadelphia
- The main museum building was completed in 1928, and the museum administers collections containing over 240,000 objects including major holdings of European, American and Asian origin
- The various classes of artwork include sculpture, paintings, prints, drawings, photographs, armor, and decorative arts
#14 in Best Museums in the USA
Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens, Pittsburgh
Best time to visit: March-May, Sept-Nov
Cost: $
- Botanical garden set in Schenley Park, Pittsburgh, founded in 1893
- It features formal gardens (Roman, English, etc.) and various species of exotic plants (palm trees, succulents, bonsai, orchids, etc.)
- In addition to its primary flora exhibits, the glass and metalwork of the Lord & Burnham conservatory offers an example of Victorian greenhouse architecture
Gettysburg Museum and Visitor Center
Best time to visit: March-May, Sept-Nov
Cost: $
- Gettysburg National Military Park facility, with a museum about the American Civil War, the 1884 Gettysburg Cyclorama, and the tour center for licensed Battlefield Guides and for buses to see the Gettysburg Battlefield and Eisenhower National Historic Site
- The museum displays artifacts including cannon, firearms, and uniforms, and includes an exhibit gallery and theater
Gettysburg Trail, Gettysburg National Military Park
Walk difficulty: Moderate
Best time to visit: March-May, Sept-Nov
Cost: $
- The Gettysburg National Military Park protects and interprets the landscape of the 1863 Battle of Gettysburg during the American Civil War
- Properties include most of the Gettysburg Battlefield, many of the battle's support areas during the battle, and several other non-battle areas, including the Gettysburg National Cemetery
#24 in Best Landmarks in the USA
Eastern State Penitentiary
Best time to visit: March-May
Cost: $
- Former American prison in Philadelphia, and was operational from 1829 until 1971
- Notorious criminals such as Al Capone and bank robber Willie Sutton were held inside its wagon wheel design
- At its completion, the building was the largest and most expensive public structure ever erected in the United States, and quickly became a model for more than 300 prisons worldwide
Mauch Chunk Opera House, Jim Thorpe
Best time to visit: March-May
Cost: $
- Theater in Jim Thorpe, Pennsylvania, built in 1881, on "millionaires row" in the former community known as Mauch Chunk
- Originally designed as a nine hundred-seat concert hall with a farmers' market on the first floor, the Mauch Chunk Opera House was one of the earliest Vaudeville theaters in America
Liberty Bell
Best time to visit: March-May
Cost: $
- The Liberty Bell is an iconic symbol of American independence located in Philadelphia
- The bell was commissioned in 1752, and was cast with the lettering "Proclaim LIBERTY Throughout all the Land unto all the Inhabitants Thereof", a Biblical reference from the Book of Leviticus (25:10)
- The bell first cracked when rung after its arrival in Philadelphia, and was twice recast by local workmen John Pass and John Stow, whose last names appear on the bell
- In its early years, the bell was used to summon lawmakers to legislative sessions and to alert citizens about public meetings and proclamations
Gerold Wildflower, Maple, Bluff, and Bellefonte-Central Rail Trail, The Arboretum at Penn State
Walk difficulty: Easy
Best time to visit: March-May, Sept-Nov
Cost: $
- Arboretum at The Pennsylvania State University featuring themed gardens
- Extensive natural areas lie beyond the botanic gardens, and they include a remnant of old-growth forest, the Hartley Wood, a rare native prairie, and the Big Hollow Valley
- The Bellefonte Rail Trail, which converted an old stretch of railroad into a walking and biking path, runs through Big Hollow
Wissahickon Gorge North Loop, Wissahickon Valley Park
Walk difficulty: Moderate
Best time to visit: March-May
Cost: $
- Large urban park located in Philadelphia, that features woodland surrounding the Wissahickon Creek
- For several miles, the creek winds through a dramatic wooded gorge known as the Wissahickon Valley
American Music Theatre, Lancaster
Best time to visit: March-May
Cost: $
- Theater with 1,600+ seats that features music concerts, Broadway tours, and comedy acts, as well as, hosting 300 live performances each year
Fallingwater
Best time to visit: March-May, Sept-Nov
Cost: $
- House designed by the architect Frank Lloyd Wright in 1935 in the Laurel Highlands
- It is built partly over a waterfall on Bear Run
- The house was designed to serve as a weekend retreat for the owner of Pittsburgh's Kaufmann's Department Store
- Fallingwater stands as one of Wright's greatest masterpieces both for its dynamism and for its integration with its striking natural surroundings
Longwood Gardens
Walk difficulty: Easy
Best time to visit: March-May
Cost: $
- Botanical garden that consists of gardens, woodlands, and meadows in Kennett Square,
- It is one of the premier horticultural display gardens in the United States and is open to visitors to enjoy native and exotic plants and horticulture (both indoor and outdoor), events and performances, seasonal and themed attractions, as well as educational lectures, courses, and workshops
The Franklin Institute
Best time to visit: March-May
Cost: $
- Science museum and the center of science education and research in Philadelphia
- It is named after the American scientist and statesman Benjamin Franklin, and houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial
- Founded in 1824, the Franklin Institute is one of the oldest centers of science education and development in the United States
- The Science Museum holds the largest collection of artifacts from the Wright brothers' workshop