Independence National Historical Park

07Jun15

There is so much to see at the Independence National Historical Park in Philadelphia it was hard for me to determine what to skip.

Independence Hall, where both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were debated and eventually signed, is a must. The Liberty Bell Center, the relatively new home to the historic Liberty Bell, isn’t far behind.

After that, I’m guessing many visitors will pick and choose from the multitude of other historic sites to see.

Here are the ones I took the time to tour.

Franklin Court is the site of the brick home where Benjamin Franklin lived. Highlights of this location include the Benjamin Franklin Museum, which I didn’t visit, and the Franklin Court Printing Office, which is a working reproduction of an 18^th century printing office. On the day of my visit a park ranger demonstrated the printing press much to the delight of a little boy who was there. Side note: I enjoyed it immensely.

Carpenters’ Hall hosted the First Continental Congress and was the home to the First and Second Banks of the United States among other institutions. My time at Carpenters’ Hall was short because frankly, outside of some exhibits, there’s not much to see here.

I didn’t venture inside Christ Church instead opting to tour the adjacent historic cemetery where several Revolutionary War era patriots are interned including Benjamin Franklin and Benjamin Rush. There is a minimal fee to walk the grounds, but it’s not enough to deter you from this site.

A memorial to George Washington and the unknown soldiers of the American Revolution highlights Washington Square. The city park is a larger version of squares you find in Savannah and worth the short trip away from Independence Hall.

There are many, many other historic stops you can make in historic Philadelphia. From the City Tavern, which was established in 1773 and still serves meals, to the National Constitution Center, a sparkling, new museum whose focus is the U.S. Constitution.

If you are a history buff or a patriotic American, you can’t go wrong in seeing any of these sites or other locations in the Independence National Historical Park.

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