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Liberty Bell Pavilion -

If the idea of exploring Philadelphia chimes with you, then the first thing to do is visit the Liberty Bell. Housed in a dedicated pavilion, the bell is an iconic symbol of freedom and independence in the United States. In the 1840s, a narrow crack developed in the bell's waist after nearly 90 years of constant use, and it was subsequently retired.

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Independence Hall -

Sitting across from the Liberty Bell Pavilion is Independence Hall. This venerable building is where the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress on July 4, 1776. It's also here, 11 years later, that the United States Constitution was drawn up.

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Assembly Room -

A tangible sense of history pervades the Assembly Room, where these hugely significant documents were ratified. Indeed, gathering here is the highlight of the Independence Hall tour.

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Independence National Historic Park -

The pavilion and the hall are both housed within the Independence National Historic Park, the center point of which is the leafy and carefully manicured 18th-century garden. A network of cobbled streets surround the park, in what is arguably the nation's most historic district.

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Elfreth's Alley -

One of these timeworn thoroughfares is Elfreth's Alley. Dating back to 1702, it's often referred to as America's oldest residential street.

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Philadelphia Museum of Art -

One of the finest museums of its kind in the United States, the Philadelphia Museum of Art holds one of the largest collections of sculpture, paintings, prints, drawings, photographs, and decorative arts in the country. It also houses an impressive display of medieval armor.

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Philadelphia Museum of Art collection -

Besides examples of medieval artwork, and Renaissance and Baroque artwork from the 18th and 19th centuries, modern pieces preserved in the museum include those by Picasso, Chagall, Matisse, and this painting, 'Man in a Café,' by Juan Gris (1887–1927), completed in 1912.

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'Rocky' steps -

There are 72 broad steps in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art—the same steps Rocky Balboa (Sylvester Stallone) heroically ran up in an iconic scene from 'Rocky' (1976). For some visitors, the steps are as much a tourist attraction as the museum itself.

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'Rocky' statue -

But here's the real knockout. The bronze Rocky statue that first made an appearance in 'Rocky III' (1982) has been permanently installed near the bottom of the steps to commemorate the location as a major city visitor attraction.

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Reading Terminal Market -

One of America's largest and oldest public markets, housed since 1893 in a National Historic Landmark building, the market at Reading Terminal hosts more than 100 merchants offering a bewildering range of local produce, anything from free-range meats, artisan cheeses, and specialty and ethnic foods, to flowers, clothing, and handmade crafts.

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The Barnes Foundation -

A remarkable Philly cultural institution, the Barnes Foundation is a museum located on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. It's home to an astonishing collection of art amassed by chemist and businessman Albert Coombs Barnes (1872–1951).

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Barnes Foundation collection -

The collection features—wait for it— 181 paintings by Pierre-Auguste Renoir, 69 by Paul Cézanne, 59 by Henri Matisse, 46 by Pablo Picasso, 21 by Chaïm Soutine, 18 by Henri Rousseau, 16 by Amedeo Modigliani, 11 by Edgar Degas, seven by Vincent Van Gogh, and six by Georges Seurat, among others. The hoard is valued at US$25 billion! Pictured is Cézanne's 'The Card Players' (1890–1892).

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LOVE Park -

A favorite gathering point for locals and visitors alike is under the iconic LOVE sculpture, installed in John F. Kennedy Plaza for America's Bicentennial celebration in 1976. It's the work of Robert Indiana (1928–2018), and one of several similar designs found elsewhere in the country and abroad, including editions fashioned in different languages.

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Please Touch Museum -

Visiting Philly with young ones? Let them loose in the fabulous Please Touch Museum. As its name suggests, this is a place where kids can "look with their hands" instead of just their eyes. The museum is brimming with all sorts of interactive exhibits that encourage children to learn through play.

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Philadelphia Zoo -

Family-friendly Philadelphia Zoo is designed to replicate wildlife habitats, and is deserving of its reputation as one of the world's leading zoos for breeding animals that are difficult to breed in captivity. Besides the usual crowd-pleasers such as big cats and primates, other residents include this bright-eyed crowned lemur. 

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Franklin Institute Science Museum -

One of the many uplifting exhibits displayed at the Franklin Institute Science Museum is this 1911 Wright Brothers Model B flyer. Founded in 1824, the Franklin Institute is one of the oldest centers of science education and development in the United States. It holds the largest collection of artifacts from the Wright brothers' workshop, but is also renowned for its collections representing many fields, including computers, information technology, space travel, astronomy, and oceanography.

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Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts Museum -

Pinpointed by the artist's brush art installation set outside on the sidewalk (far right of photograph), the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts Museum is a landmark city building. It opened in 1876.

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Academy interior -

The museum preserves a collection of American artworks from the 18th, 19th, and 20th centuries. The academy, the oldest of its kind in the United States, is one of the most magnificent Victorian-era buildings in the country.

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Rodin Museum -

Why go to Paris when there are close to 150 bronzes, marbles, and plasters of some of Auguste Rodin's most famous masterpieces set in the middle of Philly? One of the French sculptor's most famous works, 'The Thinker,' greets visitors outside the museum entrance.

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Fairmount Park -

Philadelphia's oasis of calm, Fairmont Park encloses flower-flecked gardens, ball fields, swimming pools, a network of walking trails, playgrounds, and picnic areas. The park is also where to find the aforementioned zoo, the Rodin Museum, and the Museum City of Art (pictured).

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Boathouse Row -

Philly has its own river, the Schuylkill. A designated Pennsylvania Scenic River, the waterway features  Boathouse Row, a historic site located on the east bank of the Schuylkill. Each boathouse is at least a century old, and some were built over 150 years ago.

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Eastern State Penitentiary -

Opened in 1829, Eastern State was the world's first "penitentiary," designed to rehabilitate prisoners through solitary confinement. Instead, it drove them insane. Mobster Al Capone was incarcerated here, as was infamous bank robber Willie Sutton. Closed in 1971, the jail reopened as a visitor attraction in 1994 and today welcomes a captive audience.

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City Hall -

Another venerable Philly landmark is City Hall. Built from brick, white marble, and limestone, and inaugurated in 1894, this is the United States' largest municipal building.

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Statue of William Penn -

City Hall's 167-m (548 ft) tower is topped by a bronze statue of Englishman William Penn (1644–1718), under whose direction Philadelphia was planned and developed. Located under Penn's feet is an observation deck that provides visitors with a jaw-dropping panorama of the city skyline.

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Society Hill Historic District -

Step back in time and wander the Society Hill Historic District for a sense of what the city looked like in the 18th century. A wealth of period buildings can be admired south of Walnut Street and east of Washington Square, including several churches, an old library premises, and rows of townhouses in Federal and Georgian architecture.

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Carpenter's Hall -

Look out for this building, Carpenter's Hall. Completed in 1775, this is the official birthplace of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and a key meeting place in the early history of the United States.

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Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site -

Get spooked by entering the Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site, a preserved home once rented by American author Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849). It was here that Poe wrote the poem 'The Raven' and other works. The former cobwebbed basement may have inspired his disturbing short story 'The Black Cat.'

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Wanamaker Building -

Philly's retail therapy options extend to shopping in what was America's first-ever department store, a classic mall housed in the former Wanamaker Building. The mall is now part of the well-known Macy's retail chain, but still features the imposing organ (left), the largest operating musical instrument in the world.

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30th Street Station -

You may well arrive in Philadelphia via rail at the monumental 30th Street Station. Opened in 1933, the terminal is officially known as William H. Gray III 30th Street Station, named in honor of a US congressman. Pause for a moment and admire the impressive interior before moving forward.

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Penn's Landing -

Any visitor with Irish heritage should seek out the Irish Memorial at Penn's Landing. The highly detailed sculpture commemorates the history of the mid-19th-century Great Famine—during which nearly one million people died—and subsequent Irish immigration to America. Penn's Landing is the location where many of these émigrés first set foot in the New World.

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Gettysburg National Military Park -

Worth making the two-hour drive west out of Philadelphia for is the Gettysburg National Military Park. This is the site of the Battle of Gettysburg (1863) and President Abraham Lincoln's famous Gettysburg Address.  

Sources: (National Park Service) (Artdex) (Britannica) (History)

See also: Historic battlefields you should visit

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