Philadelphia Travel Guide (and day trip ideas!)

We spent a whirlwind 3 days in Pennsylvania. During those few days we drove all over the state and experienced a lot of fun and interesting things. In this post, I've put together the perfect one day travel guide for Philadelphia as well as a few other day trip ideas.

Philadelphia:

Make sure to start out your day as early as possible. We chose to park at the National Constitution Center for the day. Your first stop should be to the Visitor's Center just across the street from the Constitution Center to pick up your tickets to see Independence Hall. 

After your tickets are picked up, we suggest going right to the Liberty Bell first thing. The line gets longer as the day goes on. When we went shortly after it opened, we didn't have to wait in line at all. Also when we got to see the Liberty Bell, we were able to easily get around it and have good views. 

If you have early tickets for Independence Hall, head over there right after you finish the Liberty Bell. You need to be at the security line about 20 minutes before the time on your tickets. Check out more info on Independence Hall here. After your tour, there are a few other free tours in the same building that do not require tickets that we highly recommend you visit. 

After Independence Hall, make sure to head back over to the National Constitution Center. There are lots of fun and interactive exhibits. 

The rest of the afternoon, you can spend at Franklin Court. There is a really fun museum, a print shop and a few other exhibits about Benjamin Franklin. We found this to be a true hidden gem in Philadelphia. 

If you have time at the end of your day, make sure to head over to see the LOVE Statue. Usually it is housed at LOVE Park (JFK Plaza), but while they are renovating the park it has been temporarily re-located to Dilworth Park. Reading Market is in the same area and is also a great stop!

Other Day Trips:

If you're in Philadelphia for more than a day, here are a few other things that we did while we were there that we highly recommend you take the time to visit. 

Valley Forge

Valley Forge is just outside of Philadelphia and it is such a great stop! It doesn't take more than a few hours to go through and is so beautiful and full of history. Check out our experience at Valley Forge here. 

Gettysburg

Gettysburg is another beautiful and historic place that you could spend all day at. There is a beautiful museum and fun experiences as well as the battleground itself. If you finish visiting the grounds and museum, check out the cute little tourist town of Gettysburg. Check out our full review here. 

Susquehanna

Located in northern Pennsylvania, Susquehanna is a small town that you have to want to go to to get there. If you are LDS (or even if you're not) going to Susquehanna and seeing the Priesthood Restoration Site is an amazing experience. This was one of my favorite things we did during our trip to Pennsylvania. The surrounding area is absolutely beautiful and the site is absolutely amazing. You can see what we thought by reading our post here.

Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell

No trip to Philadelphia would be complete without visiting Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. These are two of the most historic sites in all of Philadelphia and they so key to the beginning of our American history.

How to Get There:

Once you get to downtown Philly, there are a few places you can park. The easiest places are at The Constitution Center (that is where we parked) or there is a small lot underneath the building that houses the Liberty Bell. 

For Independence Hall, you will need to go first to the Visitor's Center which is right next to the Liberty Bell. Go to the National Parks desk and you can get tickets to Independence Hall. Tours start at 10:00 and go every 30 minutes or so. 

For the Liberty Bell, be sure to go early to get in line at the building. As the day goes on the line can get very long. 

What You Will See:

At Independence Hall, you will first meet in a small waiting room where a park ranger will give you some information about the hall and introduce you to the site. You will then go to the main hall and see first the court room and then you will be taken to the room where the Constitution was signed. In each room, the park ranger will give you some more historical information and context for each room. After you tour you will exit the hall and then you can go to two of the other parts of Independence Hall. Those other parts do not require tickets. 

The Liberty Bell is housed inside of a small building. After going through security you will go through some nice displays that give the history of the Liberty Bell and how it is still a national symbol today. At the end of the display, you will see the actual Liberty Bell. Again, if you go early it won't be too crowded. But just be warned that the lighting for the bell is not that great so pictures do not turn out that great. 

Sum Up:

Make sure you stop at the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall on your next trip to Philadelphia. For each place make sure that you come early and for Independence Hall make sure you get your tickets early.