Exploring Philadelphia: History, Food, Museums & More

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is one of the largest and most renowned museums in the country with a collection of over 227,000 objects and items.

Located at the west end of Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the museum is one of the top Philadelphia attractions, home to a range of works from the Western world that date back to the first century CE and from Asia that date back to third millennium BCE. Modern art collections include works by Pablo Picasso, Marcel Duchamp, and Salvador Dali, as well as American modernists, with contemporary art being showcased in works by Jasper Johns and Sol LeWitt.

The Museum is also home to the Rodin Museum, the Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Building and several historic houses in Fairmont Park. The Museum hosts around 25 special exhibitions every year, including traveling and touring shows.

2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, PA, Phone: 215-763-8100

Independence Hall is the historic site of the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution. Resting at the center of the Independence National Historical Park on Chestnut Street, Independence Hall was completed in 1973 and is now a World Heritage Site.

Visitors can explore the famous building on a guided tour, which includes visiting the famous Assembly Room where George Washington was appointed Commander in Chief of the Continental Army in 1775, the design for the American flag was decided, and the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were both signed. Tickets are needed to tour Independence Hall and are available at the Independence Visitor Center.

520 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Phone: 215-965-2305

Nestled between the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Free Library of Philadelphia is the Rodin Museum. Dedicated to showcasing the works of Auguste Rodin, the museum was designed by French architect Paul Cret in the beautiful Beaux-Arts style and is surrounded by formal French gardens designed by French landscape designer Jacques Gréber, which serve as a magnificent backdrop for some of Rodin’s sculptures.

Today, the Rodin Museum houses one of the most comprehensive public collections of Rodin’s work outside of Paris and is one of the city’s most defining icons.

2151 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Phone: 215-763-8100

The Morris Arboretum of the University of Pennsylvania is a historic public garden and educational institution that aims to promote and inspire an understanding of the relationship between plants and people. Spanning 92 acres, the beautifully maintained gardens are home to over 12,000 labeled plants, trees and flowers across a range of collections, including an azalea meadow, an English park, a holly slope, a Japanese Garden and a stunning sculpture garden.

The Arboretum also boasts a variety of exhibits, collections, and educational programs to enjoy: see the forest from a 50-foot high canopy walk through the treetops on the interactive Tree Adventure exhibit, or delight in the Garden Railway, which features a quarter mile of looping, winding and tunneled model railroad tracks, complete with cable cars, bridges and model trains.

100 E. Northwestern Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Phone: 215-247-5777

The Barnes Foundation was founded in 1992 by Albert C. Barnes to promote and inspire an appreciation of the fine arts and horticulture.

The Foundation has two main campuses that are open to the public: one on Benjamin Franklin Parkway, which houses a world-famous art collection, and the other in the suburb of Merion, which houses the Arboretum and the Foundation’s archives. The facility on Benjamin Franklin Parkway boasts one of the world’s finest Post-Impressionist and Modern collections with works by European masters such as Picasso, Renoir, Matisse and Modigliani, as well as Old Master paintings, Native American ceramics, African sculpture and decorative arts and antiquities.

The Barnes Arboretum, located at the Merion campus, contains more than 2,000 species/varieties of trees and woody plants.

2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Phone: 215-278-7000

The Philadelphia Zoo is located at the corner of 34th Street and Girard Avenue in Philadelphia's historic Fairmount Park and is home to more than 1,300 animals, many of which are rare and endangered.

The zoo’s 42-acre landscape is home to several eco-friendly animal habitats designed to offer personal encounters with the animals, from lions to lizards, as well as a variety of top attractions and adventures, including the Amazon Rainforest Carousel, Lorikeet Encounters, draft horse and pony rides, camel safaris, paddleboats and a train ride. If you are wondering what to do in Philadelphia with kids, this is a great place to visit.

The Philadelphia Zoo features a world-class breeding program and works alongside many groups around the world to protect the natural habitats of the animals in their care.

3400 W Girard Ave, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Phone: 215-243-1100

The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University is the place where scientists reveal the mysteries of nature through exciting exhibits and activities. You can see the real skeletons of giant dinosaurs, meet live birds or tarantulas, and watch butterflies flutter around in their natural habitat. The Academy is the oldest institution of its kind in the West, founded in 1812 when Philadelphia was the center of the new nation.

Its numerous exhibits are the result of 200 years of research and samples’ collection of hundreds of scientists, who travel the world looking for answers to the Earth’s natural history. The Academy also offers fun activities such participating in the real archeological dig, talking to the researchers, or meeting the feathered, furry and scaly residents of the museum.

1900 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Phone: 215-299-1000

Please Touch Museum is the foremost children’s museum in the state of Philadelphia, providing families with children under the age seven with a variety of interactive and fun-filled experiences to encourage learning through play. The Museum offers an array of educational programs, including exhibits and displays, theater and art, music and movement, carousels and collections. The Please Touch Museum features two floors of stimulating and interactive exhibit zones designed to encourage education through immersion, such as ‘City Capers’, ‘Roadside Attractions’, ‘River Adventures’, and ‘Wonderland’.

Children can also partake in several educational programs like theater shows, story times, sing-a-longs, and special programs based on mathematics, engineering, science, and technology.

Memorial Hall, Fairmount Park, 4231 Avenue of the Republic, (formerly North Concourse Drive), Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Phone: 215-581-3181

The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA) is made up of a working art school and modern museum, which is internationally known for its collections of 19th- and 20th-century American paintings, sculptures, and works on paper.

Established to “promote the transformative power of art and art making”, PAFA’s nationally acclaimed art school offers classes in painting, drawing, printmaking, and sculpture, and the opportunity for students to exhibit their works in the institution's museum. Visitors can explore America's rich artistic heritage on a guided tour through the museum, which features temporary and permanent exhibitions.

118-128 North Broad Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Phone: 215-972-7600

The Benjamin Franklin National Memorial is located in the vast rotunda of The Franklin Institute. The memorial features a colossal statue of the statesman that stands 20 feet high. Designed and sculpted by James Earle Fraser, the sculpture rests on a pedestal made from white Seravezza marble and is the focal point of the Memorial Hall.

Visitors can enjoy a short multimedia show entitled Benjamin Franklin Forever, which takes a look at Benjamin Franklin’s impact on the world. The memorial is open to the public at all times when The Franklin Institute is open, and admission is free.

222 N 20th St, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Phone: 215-448-1200