The Liberty Bell gets the long line and the selfies. A short walk away, Carpenters’ Hall is where the colonies first got together to push back on Britain in 1774, and it’s small, free and easy to walk right past.
That’s how history works in Philly: the famous two are only the start. Within a few blocks you’ve also got the church where the founders worshipped, Ben Franklin’s grave and the site of the first presidents’ home. Farther out there’s a Revolutionary War fort by the airport and a stone mansion that got shot up in the Battle of Germantown. Here are 12 worth your time, starting with the ones you can walk between.
Before you go: Several of these are part of Independence National Historical Park and cost nothing. Hours and ticket rules shift by season, so check each site’s page (we’ve linked them) before you head out.
In Old City (Walking Distance from the Liberty Bell)
These seven sit within a few blocks of each other, so they’re easy to string together on foot.
1. Carpenters’ Hall
📍 320 Chestnut St, Old City
Before there was a Declaration, there was this. The delegates of that First Continental Congress met inside this Georgian building, and it’s still owned by the Carpenters’ Company that built it. Opening days vary, so check the hall’s website first.
2. Christ Church and its Burial Ground
📍 Church: 20 N American St (2nd St above Market). Burial Ground: 5th and Arch Streets.
Christ Church was the spiritual home of many of the founders, and you can still see the pews where George Washington and others sat. Its burial ground, a few blocks away at 5th and Arch, holds Benjamin Franklin’s grave. Toss a penny on it. Everybody does (a penny saved is a penny earned, get it).
Both the church and the burial ground are listed as open every day, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. (check before you go).
3. Betsy Ross House
📍 239 Arch St, Old City
Betsy Ross, upholsterer and flag maker, is said to have lived and worked in this little house on Arch Street, and costumed interpreters show what 18th-century working life looked like. Kids love it, and it’s a block from Elfreth’s Alley and Christ Church, so do all three at once.
4. Benjamin Franklin Museum at Franklin Court
📍 Franklin Court, entered from Market St or Chestnut St, between 3rd and 4th Streets
Franklin’s house is long gone, so a steel “ghost structure” outlines where it stood, and walking into the courtyard is free. Underground, the Benjamin Franklin Museum gets into his inventions, his politics, his wit and his contradictions. If you only make one Franklin stop, make it this one.
The museum itself has a fee. The NPS page has the details.
5. Congress Hall
📍 6th and Chestnut Streets, on Independence Square
Congress met here from 1790 to 1800, back when Philadelphia was the temporary capital, and both George Washington’s second inauguration and John Adams’ inauguration happened inside. You can still see the original House and Senate chambers. It’s right next to Independence Hall, so there’s really no excuse to skip it.
6. The President’s House Site
📍 6th and Market Streets, next to the Liberty Bell Center
An open-air memorial at 6th and Market marks where George Washington and John Adams lived while serving as president. It also tells the stories of the people Washington enslaved in this house, and that’s the part that stays with you. It’s outdoors, so stop even if you only have ten minutes.
7. National Constitution Center
📍 525 Arch St, Old City
A whole museum about the Constitution sounds like homework. It isn’t. The theater show and exhibits make a dry document surprisingly gripping, and in Signers’ Hall you can walk among life-size bronze statues of the delegates.
Book tickets on the center’s website.
Beyond Old City
Once you’ve done Old City, these five are worth the extra trip, from Society Hill and Queen Village out to Fort Mifflin and Germantown.
8. Mother Bethel AME Church
📍 419 S 6th St, Society Hill
Mother Bethel is the founding church of the African Methodist Episcopal Church. It was started by Richard Allen, who was born into slavery and became one of the most important leaders of early Black America, and the church houses the Richard Allen Museum.
To see the museum, reach out through the church’s website to set up a visit.
9. Gloria Dei (Old Swedes’) Church
📍 916 S Swanson St, Queen Village
Swedish settlers built this brick church near the Delaware, and it was consecrated in 1700, which makes it one of the oldest churches in the country. The churchyard is quiet in a way that doesn’t seem possible this close to South Street. Pair it with the Magic Gardens.
10. Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site
📍 532 N 7th St, Spring Garden
Poe lived in Philadelphia for several years and wrote some of his best-known stories here. This is the only one of his Philly homes still standing, and the creepy cellar is said to have inspired “The Black Cat.” Book lovers, go around Halloween if you can. It’s open limited days, so check the NPS page first.
11. Fort Mifflin
📍 Fort Mifflin Rd and Hog Island Rd, Southwest Philadelphia
Down by the airport on the Delaware, Fort Mifflin held off the British Navy through a brutal siege in the fall of 1777 and bought Washington’s army time. You can poke around the walls, casemates and barracks, usually without much of a crowd, and it has a reputation as one of the most haunted places in Philadelphia.
Reenactment weekends and events are on the calendar on its website.
12. Cliveden
📍 6401 Germantown Ave, Germantown
During the 1777 Battle of Germantown, British troops held out inside this stone mansion while Washington’s army attacked, and the house still shows the scars. The site tells the stories of everyone connected to it, including the enslaved people who lived there.
Make an afternoon of it and walk up Germantown Avenue to Chestnut Hill. Our guide to Philly neighborhoods has more on that end of town.
Short on time? Do Carpenters’ Hall, Franklin Court, the President’s House and Christ Church’s burial ground in one afternoon. They’re all within a few blocks of each other, and you’ll want a penny for the last one.
When you need a break from the history, our list of the best things to do in Philadelphia and our guide to the Philly foods you have to try will keep you going.
Which one are you adding first? And if we skipped your favorite Philly history spot, tell us in the comments.