Philadelphia is known for its historical sites and museums. Just one block away will take you to some of the city's most important cultural institutions including the Barnes Foundation, the Franklin Institute, the Academy of Natural Sciences at Drexel University and the crown jewel, the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Take a stroll along the street Benjamin Franklin RoadModeled after the Champs-Élysées in Paris, it's called Philadelphia's most artistic place for good reason. Some of these great museums are available through Philadelphia CityPASS® Card – So be sure to take advantage of these discounts. As part of the pass, Big Bus Tours stop at many of these museums.
1. National Constitution Center
It's only four pages long, but the U.S. Constitution is among the most influential and important documents in world history. The building is 160,000 square feet. National Constitution Center This exhibition delves into all aspects of this amazing document – drafted just a few streets away – through high-tech exhibits, artifacts and interactive displays.
2. Franklin Institute
An innovator in interactive exhibition design before “interactive” became a buzzword, Franklin Institute This museum offers a unique experience like the Benjamin Franklin Museum of the same name. It is a science and technology museum, and its tangible features explore science in fields ranging from sports to space.
Movies take on massive dimensions on the 79-foot-tall IMAX dome screen at the Tuttleman IMAX Theater, and galaxies form and deep space is explored at the Fels Planetarium.
3. Betsy Ross House
America's most famous flag maker welcomes guests to her 18th-century upholstery shop, part of a small residence where visitors learn about Ross' life and legend, and enjoy programs, storytelling and activities.
4. Museum of the American Revolution
Just steps from Independence Hall, Museum of the American Revolution This exhibition traces the development of the American colonies from the early days of turmoil to the legendary war and unexpected victory that led to the birth of a new nation. Immersive exhibits and priceless artifacts include General Washington's original headquarters tent, Revolutionary War weapons, centuries-old military documents, and hundreds of other original objects.
5. Philadelphia Museum of Art
You may recognize the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Benjamin Franklin Pkwy from rocky, Where the famous training scene starring Sylvester Stallone was filmed.
One of the largest art institutions in the country, Philadelphia Museum of Art The museum rises majestically at the end of Benjamin Franklin Parkway. It houses extensive collections, including Renaissance, American and Impressionist art, and rotating special exhibitions. A one-acre sculpture garden extends into the museum's outdoor galleries, as do its famous steps.
6. Barnes Foundation
The Barnes Foundation houses one of the world's most important collections of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, and early modern paintings by such famous artists as Renoir, Cézanne, Picasso, and van Gogh. The museum also displays American paintings and decorative arts, African metalwork and sculpture, Native American textiles, jewelry, and ceramics, all displayed in distinctive arrangements created by philanthropist Albert C. Barnes.
7. Rodin Museum
Home to the first American city to display his work, the Musée Rodin on Benjamin Franklin Parkway houses the largest public collection of Auguste Rodin's work outside Paris, including 20 of the French master's sculptures, as well as exhibits of drawings, paintings and academic studies. The museum's garden displays a bronze cast of The thinker The only original crew Gates of Hell In North America.
8. Drexel University Academy of Natural Sciences
The Academy of Natural Sciences at Drexel University is America's oldest natural history museum. Visitors can wander through a tropical garden filled with live butterflies, meet live animals, see three continents of wildlife in their natural habitats, and come face to face with towering dinosaurs.
9. African American Museum in Philadelphia
The African American Museum in Philadelphia has a permanent core exhibit, Bold Freedoma groundbreaking two-story historical and cultural display that tells the stories of African Americans such as Richard Allen, Octavius Cato, and Harriet Tubman through a series of interactive and informative presentations. The upper galleries host a rotating calendar of special exhibitions.
10. Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History
Take a journey through 360 years of Jewish history in the United States at the Weizmann National Museum of American Jewish History, filled with more than 1,200 artifacts and documents, 2,500 photographs, 30 original films and 13 state-of-the-art interactive media displays—all free to visit (with a suggested donation). The experience offers a rich narrative that traces the path of the Jewish diaspora in the country from struggling immigrants to integrated citizens. While you’re there, snap a photo of the sassy girl Oh oh Sculpture It was installed outside the museum entrance.
11. Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts
The Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the nation's first art museum and school, features Frank Furness's elaborate architecture that is as impressive as the American art displayed within. Highlights include Gilbert Stuart's portrait of George Washington, as well as other famous paintings by classic and contemporary artists such as Winslow Homer, Kehinde Wiley, John Singer Sargent, Jacob Lawrence, Edward Hopper, and Cecilia Poe.
12. Simeone Foundation Museum
Within the walls of the Simeone Foundation Museum – the only museum of its kind in North America – visitors will find 60 of the world's rarest and most famous racing cars from manufacturers such as Alfa Romeo, Bentley, Mercedes-Benz, Jaguar and Maserati.
The collection begins with a 1909 racing car and continues through the mid-1970s.
13. Eastern State Prison
The massive Eastern State Penitentiary, once the most famous and expensive prison in the world, operated from 1829 to 1970, and introduced Americans to the concept of prison as a reformative tool (prison for “atonement”).
Today, the site—which once housed notorious criminals like Al Capone and Willie Sutton—offers self-guided tours that explore the history of the attraction, along with modern social justice issues surrounding the prison. If you visit in October, be sure to check out an immersive haunted house experience on the site’s popular Halloween nights.
14. Please Touch Museum
Since 1976, Please Touch has been Philadelphia's children's museum. Over three decades and more than two million visitors later, Please Touch has become one of the nation's leading children's museums by gaining expertise in play.
The Museum's mission is to enrich children's lives by creating opportunities for learning through play, laying the foundation for a lifetime of hands-on learning and cultural awareness.
