After a short drive from Baltimore, we were finally in Pennsylvania, more precisely Philadelphia! With nicknames like "The City of Brotherly Love" and "The Athens of America," it had a great reputation to live up to. Hubby had been really looking forward to this, being the history buff that he is. And we were not disappointed! With our list of must-see historic places and a few bonuses in hand, we set off to explore. By the way, all of the stuff in this blog can be visited on foot, so park somewhere and get your good shoes on!
After parking (it's expensive here, so buckle up! -- no pun intended), we headed toward the Christ Church Burial Grounds, where Benjamin Franklin and other American leaders and historic figures are buried. Contrary to what one would believe, you can't just go in and visit; there's a 5$ admission fee. If you just want to catch a glimpse of Franklin's grave, you can do so through the gate, but if you want the full self-guided tour, you'll have to pay up.
Only 3 minutes away on foot is Old City Pizza, where we had the most delicious pizzas we'd eaten in a while, so make sure if you're in the area that you stop by and grab a bite! Cheap and delicious. 😋 Also super close by is the Benjamin Franklin Museum in Franklin Court! It's quite cheap and very nice, and features original structures from the Franklin house. Instead of going about his life chronologically, the museum is divided into a room for each of his "traits" (like curious, strategic...), which makes it a very unique experience. That weird musical instrument in the second picture is Franklin's glass harmonica!
We then headed over to the Independence National Historical Park to see the legendary Liberty Bell. There's usually quite the lineup here, so be prepared for it! It's a little underwhelming to be honest, but definitely has some cool history to make up for it. And just south of that, you'll find Independence Hall, where the Constitution was signed. You'd better get tickets in advance if planning to visit, they're free and go fast... so we didn't get to see it. 😔
Finally, a bit more downtown, you can visit the famous Reading Terminal Market, one of America's oldest farmers' markets. Our favourite part? The pig coin bank that eats your cash and poops it out, of course! 💰🐖💩
To top off such a nice day, we went to Hard Rock for dinner. We had to come back with a souvenir glass from Philly, for sure! And look at this beautiful shrine, too... epic.
We surely had trouble believing we only had one destination left to visit before going back home... but we were SO excited about it! Can you guess? Stay tuned, folks! 💜
TL;DR: Philly was a pleasant surprise and a lot of fun for us history aficionados! Park and walk to Ben Franklin's grave, to the Benjamin Franklin Museum, Independence National Historical Park to see the Liberty Bell, and swing by Independence Hall (with reservations!) to see where the Constitution was signed. Check out the Reading Terminal Market and its pooping piggy bank, too!
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