I have been to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania twice before in my life, having seen essentially nothing on either occasion. Both of these visits were for musical endeavors, for a combined duration of 12 hours at most. In the birthplace of America, with so many historical sites, this seemed like such a shame. I decided this needed to change, so I arrived in Philadelphia early on Saturday with the plan to make the most of my weekend there.
My main goal in visiting Philadelphia was to finally see Independence Hall, the place where both the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were signed. Independence Hall would also be my 13th UNESCO World Heritage Site. I found this fitting, as Independence Hall is where the Thirteen Colonies essentially broke free from British rule.
The Independence National Historical Park was one of four National Park Service Sites I visited during my weekend in Philadelphia. Two were within the city itself and two were a short drive from the city.
- Independence National Historical Park
- Edgar Allen Poe National Historic Site
- Valley Forge National Historical Park
- Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site
I had every intention of visiting a fifth site (Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial), but it was closed for the winter season. I’ll have plenty of more photos and words to share about each site within the next week or two, so stay tuned.
