My Favorite Places to Bring Visitors in Philly - Old City History & Museums

My favorite places in Philadelphias Old City

If you're anything like me, you always want to have an "authentic" experience when visiting another town, so if people come and visit, I'm always wracking my brain to come up with fun, new and unique things to do. I have spent a lot of time thinking of what to do with guests in the City of Brotherly Love. A necessary area of Philly to check out is Old City! Whether you want the super typical touristy things, or more a more off the guide book vibe, below are some of the many museum type things I suggest to in Old City this summer if you have loved ones coming to stay:

• Independence National Historic Park - This park includes Independence Hall and The Liberty Bell Center. Independence Hall does a great, very short and affordable, tour which I really recommend. The tickets are available online. When you're here, make sure you also visit the Old City Hall, the Portrait Gallery in the Second Bank of the U.S., President's House, Merchants Exchange Building and the Free Quaker Meeting House. There are endless things to see, even Independence Square, the park behind Independence Hall is a nice place to visit.

• Carpenter's Hall - I haven't been here since the brand new renovation, but when I visited, we had a really nice time! This building was the location of the First Continental Congress in 1774 and was once home to the Franklin Library Company, American Philosophical Society and the First and Second Banks of the United States. An absolute treasure in Philadelphia, Carpenter's Hall suffered a fire due to arson on Christmas Eve 2022, but is now open and better than ever. While visiting, you will see things like a beautiful fan window from the 1790s and centuries old furniture.
  

• National Constitution Center - Another great place to learn about the history of the nation is the Constitution Center. Here, you learn about, well, the constitution. Currently, you can traverse between dozens of life size bronze statues of the signers of the Constitution, visit an exhibit dealing with the Civil War and the clash over slavery, learn about women earning the right to vote through the 19th Amendment, and visit a document gallery.

• Elfreth's Alley - Even if you're just heading there to snap a few pics for your Instagram, you should visit Elfreth's Alley. This historic neighborhood dates back to 1703, which is older than the nation itself! It is known as the oldest residential street in the country and its still inhabited by people, which is super awesome for this bustling city. Make sure you visit the the museum while you're there.

• The Betsy Ross House - The Betsy Ross House is the 18th century home of the famous flag maker that's been turned into a museum dedicated to telling the story of Ross, colonial work life of women and the history of the flag itself. If you visit, make sure you visit Betsy herself in the Upholstery Shop.

Honorable mentions go out to all of the fabulous places in Old City I still have yet to visit. The list includes the Independence Seaport Museum, Museum of the American Revolution, Fireman's Hall Museum, the Arch Street Meeting House, Museum for Art in Wood, Science History Institute, Benjamin Franklin Museum, African American Museum in Philadelphia, Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, National Liberty Museum, Faith and Liberty Discovery Center. I'm sure I'm missing some stuff, let me know what places I should add to the list or check out myself.