Pennsylvania attractions

Mt. Washington is a hilltop neighborhood directly south of downtown Pittsburgh. Towering 450 feet (137 meters) above the Ohio and Monongahela rivers, some of the earliest settlements in the city were here. The former Coal Hill was renamed Mt. Washington in the 1800s, a call back to when General George Washington first visited the area during the American Revolution.

A highlight of Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park, Carpenters’ Hall was completed in 1775. Best remembered as the host of the First Continental Congress in 1774, the landmark has been continuously operated by the Carpenters’ Company (the country’s oldest craft guild) and was declared a National Historic Monument in 1970.

Located where the residence of the country’s first presidents once stood, The President’s House: Freedom and Slavery in the Making of a New Nation exhibition area is a highlight of Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park. Erected in 2010, the open-air gallery explores how slavery tainted the country’s struggle for freedom.

Located on Philadelphia’s historic Independence Mall, the National Constitution Center is dedicated to honoring and exploring the United States Constitution, which (ratified in 1788) is the supreme law of the nation. The sprawling, tech-savvy museum brings the Constitution to life via interactive exhibits and dramatic presentations.

One of Philadelphia’s oldest and most popular destinations for food lovers, Reading Terminal Market has catered to hungry visitors since the 1860s. Just steps from Jefferson Station and the Philadelphia Convention Center, the market hosts dozens of stalls, from hot food vendors to gift shops and Pennsylvania Dutch baked goods sellers.

At the time of its construction in 1829, Eastern State Penitentiary was the most expensive public structure ever built, housing notorious criminals such as gangster boss Al Capone and bank robber Willie Sutton. No longer a functioning prison, the structure is now open to the public as a National Historic Landmark.

Sandwiched between Columbus Boulevard and the Delaware River on the east side of Philadelphia, Penn's Landing is skinny in shape but important in stature. The waterfront area served as the 1682 landing spot for William Penn, founder of the Pennsylvania colony, making it a must-see spot for any American history buff.

A century-old structure on the University of Pittsburgh campus, the Cathedral of Learning features a late Gothic Revival design and a limestone exterior and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. It’s the second-largest educational building in the world and was partially funded by the people of Pittsburgh.

An extension of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Rodin Museum houses the largest collection of works by French sculptor Auguste Rodin outside of Paris. Inside you’ll find more than 140 sculptures, including bronze casts of The Gates of Hell and The Thinker. Many of Rodin’s sculptures are displayed outdoors in the surrounding gardens.

Old City Hall was used by the first US Supreme Court from 1791 to 1800, when Philadelphia was briefly the nation’s capital. After the federal government moved to Washington DC, the building was occupied by Philadelphia’s city hall and mayor’s office. Today it’s maintained as a historic site, and visitors can see the restored courtroom.

One of the starts of Philadelphia’s museum scene, the Barnes Foundation is home to an enviable collection of Impressionist and modern art masterworks. Located next to the Rodin Museum and minutes from the blockbuster Philadelphia Museum of Art, it has been a must-see cultural destination since relocating to the city in 2012.

Set within Philadelphia’s Independence National Historical Park, the Second Bank of the United States was the country’s national bank from 1816 to 1833. An architectural inspiration for later American banks, the Greek Revival building now houses a “People of Independence” collection of portraits and sculptures of leading 18th-and 19th-century Americans.

After winning the Revolutionary War, America’s founding fathers established their original government in Philadelphia—among their goals was creating a single currency and founding a national bank to help build the nation. Today, the First Bank of the United States still stands on Independence Mall. Proposed by Alexander Hamilton, the bank was built in a Roman style to make the institution intentionally imposing.

Open since 1857, Philadelphia’s Academy of Music is the oldest active opera house in the United States. “The Grand Old Lady of Locust Street” is today host to the Opera Company of Philadelphia and the Philadelphia Ballet, as well as touring Broadway at the Academy performances, and is considered one of the city’s top cultural venues.

You can find the final resting place of American founding father Benjamin Franklin on the northwest corner of the Christ Church Burial Ground, which houses the graves of many other founding fathers—including four other signatories of the Declaration of Independence. Franklin’s grave is shared with his wife Deborah, and the simple stone merely says their names and 1790, the year of his death.

Discover the story of the nation’s founding at the Museum of the American Revolution. Located in the historic center of Philadelphia, the museum uses exhibit galleries, object theater, and recreated scenes to take visitors on a journey from the beginning of the conflict in the 1760s through to the creation of the nation.

Located in Independence National Historical Park, Independence Visitor Center is Philadelphia's official visitor center and a helpful introduction to its Revolutionary War landmarks. Visit the center to access tourism resources, get tickets to select landmarks—including Independence Hall—and stop by its gift shop and cafe.

Pennsylvania’s largest Catholic church, the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul makes a striking impression on the east side of Philadelphia’s Logan Square. One of Philadelphia’s most notable buildings, built between 1846 and 1864, the cathedral has been the site of two papal Masses. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

From a disc of precious metal to a shiny new coin, you can watch the entire process of creating money at the United States Mint in Philadelphia. Glass-lined hallways set above the operating floor let you view coins as they are cut to size, rolled across conveyor belts, stamped with designs, and popped out looking like the change in your pocket.

Travel back in time to the Battle of Gettysburg during a visit to the Gettysburg Heritage Center. Interactive exhibits, historic artifacts, and technologically advanced displays offer insight into this pivotal fight of the Civil War. Visitors will find engaging installations and 3D photographs that showcase stories of both civilians and soldiers, as well as information about the country’s bloodiest battle.

Families traveling with young kids won’t want to skip the Please Touch Museum, which has been the children’s museum of Philadelphia since 1976. The guiding principle of the museum is teaching through play, and it offers a multitude of engaging hands-on activities, especially geared toward infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and early elementary-age children.

The Philadelphia Zoo is perfect for families with kids looking for a break from the historical sites, though it has some historical significance as well—it was the nation’s first zoo. It’s home to over 1,300 different animals, many of them rare and endangered, and renowned for successfully breeding animals that are difficult to breed in captivity.

Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is one of America's most historic public gardens, full of exotic plant species since 1893. Its elaborate 15-acre (six-hectare) layout features mostly floral exhibits, as well as steel and glasswork Victorian greenhouse architecture. The conservatory was founded in the late 19th century by local steel magnate Henry Phipps and later given to the city of Pittsburgh. Today, it is a National Historic Landmark, as well as one of the greenest buildings in the country with a LEED-certified visitor center and production greenhouse.

The former estate of the du Pont family, Longwood Gardens comprises around 1,000 acres (400 hectares and showcases more than 11,000 plants. Highlights include a children’s garden, an orchid house, and one of the world’s largest greenhouses.

Old City is a neighborhood in Central City Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, known for its antiquated charm and many historic sites important to the birth of the United States. Wander down its narrow cobblestone streets and you'll feel like you're stepping through a time warp into 18th-century colonial America.

Station Square is a mixed-use complex featuring shopping, dining, and entertainment. Located in the South Shore neighborhood along the Monongahela River, the area was originally designed as a railroad complex for the Pittsburgh & Lake Erie Railroad in the late 1800s and was redeveloped in the 1970s as a commercial space. Today, it’s one of the city’s most popular gathering spaces for locals and visitors alike.

The largest park in Philadelphia—and one of the biggest swaths of urban green space in the country—Fairmount Park is also home to public artworks, museums, and historic highlights. With east and west sections divided by the Schuylkill River, Fairmount Park stretches across 2,052 acres (830 hectares).

At the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia, you can learn about Jewish heritage while browsing exhibits curated to showcase the culture and traditions of Jews in America. The Smithsonian-affiliated museum hosts special events and houses more than 30,000 objects, organized according to themes such as American-Jewish immigration, art, charity, sports, and religion.

Philadelphia’s grandest public square, Rittenhouse Square—and its surrounding neighborhood, which goes by the same name—is a popular destination for shoppers, sightseers, and foodies. Located in the heart of Center City, the leafy park is a popular public oasis, and the high-end stores and restaurants are their own draw.

There’s nowhere else quite like South Street—located at the southern border of Center City, this thoroughfare is known for its countercultural cool. Alternative shops, tattoo parlors, and dive bars attract the young and edgy, while performance venues, art spaces, and popular cheesesteak slingers draw Philadelphians of all ages.