The Sites by Category
Historic Houses
For lovers of architecture and period furnishings, here is a list of sites that will be of special interest to you.
- Betsy Ross House, where the Stars and Stripes were created out of wholecloth. [Allow 1 hour]
- Bishop White House, clergyman to the Continental Congress, and Todd House, where Dolley Madison lived. [Free ranger-conducted tour of both these sites with ticket you must pick up from the Visitors Center — allow 1 hour]
- Declaration (Graff) House, the site where Thomas Jefferson penned the Declaration of Independence. [Allow 1/2 hour]
- Kosciuszko National Memorial, Thaddeus, an homage to a Polish soldier who came to the aid of the Colonials during the Revolutionary War.
- Pemberton House, this reproduction of a period structure now houses a historic bookstore and giftshop.
- Physick House, home of the Father of American Surgery. [Allow 1 hour]
- Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site, a tribute to this master of mystery and poetry, in the building where he wrote dozens of stories.
- Powel House, a Georgian townhouse and residence of Samuel Powel, Philadelphia's first mayor after the Revolution. [allow 1 hour]
- President's House, the home of the Executive Branch of the United States from 1790-1800, this house is no longer there. Take a minute to pay homage to the site when visiting the city. There are efforts afoot to mark its footprint on the pavement, including the location of slave quarters for Washington's slaves.
Churches, Synagogues, and Meeting Houses
William Penn wanted Philadelphia to be accessible to all religions, and here is a listing of those historic places of worship in Historic Philadelphia. Plan your own itinerary.
Quaker Meeting Houses
Synagogues Episcopal Presbyterian Roman Catholic- Old St. Joseph's Church & National Shrine
- Old St. Mary's Church & Cemetery
- Olde St. Augustine Church
Museums
Museum Lovers Rejoice!
- African-American Historical & Cultural Museum
- Atwater Kent Museum
- Fireman's Hall
- National Liberty Museum
- National Museum of American Jewish History
- New Hall Military Museum
- Philadelphia Museum of Art
- Polish American Cultural Center Museum
Societies, Cultural Centers, Institutes, and Libraries
This contains a list of sites with active membership, which welcome visitors.
- American Indian Cultural Center of the Delaware Valley
- American Philosophical Society Library & Museum
- The Athenaeum of Philadelphia
- Library Hall
- The Philadelphia Contributionship
Gardens and Parks
Bars, Banks, and Finance
- City Tavern
- Federal Reserve Bank
- First Bank of the United States
- Man Full of Trouble Tavern
- Philadelphia Merchant's Exchange
- Second Bank of the United States/Portrait Gallery
