Must-see attractions in Pennsylvania

  • Rodeph Shalom Synagogue

    Philadelphia

    Home to the oldest Jewish Ashkenazi congregation in the US, Rodeph Shalom is one of the most beautiful pieces of religious architecture in Philadelphia…

  • Church of the Advocate

    Philadelphia

    A fine example of Gothic Revival architecture, this 1897 Episcopal church was a center of activism during the Civil Rights movement and the site of the…

  • Comcast Center

    Philadelphia

    This glass-clad 58-story tower is one of the tallest 'green' buildings in the US. It's 140ft-tall atrium lobby is the location of Humanity in Motion, a…

  • Valley Forge National Historic Park

    Pennsylvania

    After defeat at the Battle of Brandywine Creek and the British occupation of Philadelphia in 1777, General Washington and 12,000 continental troops…

  • Anne & Jerome Fisher Fine Arts Building

    Philadelphia

    U Penn's magnificent library, completed in 1891, is one of the finest examples of the work of Frank Furness – hence it is also known as the Furness…

  • Christ Church Burial Ground

    Philadelphia

    Hard to believe, but back in the early 18th century this was the outskirts of town, thus the ideal location for a burial ground. The cemetery is the final…

  • First Bank of the US

    Philadelphia

    Although closed to the public, it's impossible to ignore the grand neoclassical architecture of this 1797 building that housed the First Bank of the US…

  • Physick House

    Philadelphia

    Home to the 'Father of American Surgery,' Philip Syng Physick, this stately house has been well preserved. Physick is credited with inventing the stomach…

  • Michener Art Museum

    Pennsylvania

    Housed in an impressive-looking stone building (a refurbished prison from the 1880s), this museum is named after the popular Pulitzer Prize–winning author…

  • Germantown White House

    Philadelphia

    George Washington lived here twice making this the oldest presidential residence in the US. In 1793 the first US president sought refuge here from the…

  • Woodlands

    Philadelphia

    This National Historic Landmark is a 54-acre cemetery that was once the country seat of William Hamilton, who hailed from a family of wealthy colonial…

  • Washington Square

    Philadelphia

    On the northwest edge of Society Hill, this attractive tree-planted square dates back to William Penn's original city plan. In the center is the Tomb of…

  • Athenaeum of Philadelphia

    Philadelphia

    Free exhibitions are held at this special collections library, occupying a National Historic Landmark brownstone building designed in 1845. Curiously,…

  • Clark Park

    Philadelphia

    Established in 1895, this 9-acre park is named after the former landowner Clarence H Clark, who was the first president of the First National Bank of…

  • Institute of Contemporary Art

    Philadelphia

    Worth a stop if you're in the area, this place usually hosts two exhibits at a time, from retrospectives to themed group shows. An impressive Virgil Marti…

  • Washington Crossing Historic Park

    Pennsylvania

    This 500-acre park, which marks the spot where George Washington crossed the Delaware River, is now occupied by a preserved historic village complete with…

  • Elfreth's Alley

    Philadelphia

    This picturesque, cobblestone lane has been occupied since the 1720s, making it America's oldest residential street. The 32 well-preserved Federal and…

  • Blanche P Levy Park

    Philadelphia

    This green space, ringed by mainly Gothic Revival structures, is dotted with public art including a 1899 bronze of Benjamin Franklin by John Boyle; Split…

  • Franklin Court

    Philadelphia

    This peaceful courtyard, which can be accessed from both Market and Chestnut St, is where Benjamin Franklin's home once stood. The house was demolished in…

  • Race St Pier

    Philadelphia

    In 2011, as part of the masterplan for transforming the central Delaware River waterfront, old municipal pier 11 was converted into this park with…

  • Grumblethorpe

    Philadelphia

    Built in 1744, this colonial stone home exemplifies Germantown's residential architecture of the time. It was constructed for the prominent Wister family…

  • Rosenbach Museum & Library

    Philadelphia

    The list of famous authors in the collection here could fill a book itself: Edgar Allan Poe, James Joyce, Maurice Sendak, George Washington, Lewis Carroll…

  • Benjamin Franklin Bridge

    Philadelphia

    For breathtaking views of the city and Delaware River it's possible to walk or cycle across this 1.8-mile, 800,000-ton suspension bride, which was the…

  • Powel House

    Philadelphia

    This elegant Georgian brick mansion was home to Samuel Powel, a mayor of Philadelphia in the colonial era, thus a focal point of the city's social life in…

  • Penn's Cave

    Pennsylvania

    At Penn's Cave, boats glide you through a long tunnel filled with pretty rock formations, stalagmites, stalactites, and even 'cave bacon' (it's a real…

  • Manayunk Canal Towpath

    Philadelphia

    In commercial use from 1818 until the early 20th century, the 2-mile towpath along the Manayunk Canal has been revived as part of the Schuylkill River…

  • Franklin Court Printing Museum

    Philadelphia

    These rooms are set up as a recreation of an 18th-century printing press operation similar to that used by Ben Franklin. A costumed park ranger will take…

  • National Museum of American Jewish History

    Philadelphia

    Covering four floors, with lots of multimedia displays and intriguing items such as Iriving Berlin's piano and a Yiddish typewriter, this excellent museum…

  • Hopewell Furnace National Historic Site

    Pennsylvania

    Once eastern woodland, then the site of an early American 'iron plantation,' Hopewell is a fascinating historical detour. Pick among the ruins and…

  • Historic Rittenhouse Town

    Philadelphia

    For over 200 years eight generations of the Rittenhouse family lived and worked in this historic village along the Monoshone and Wissahickon Creeks. Tours…

  • Fireman's Hall Museum

    Philadelphia

    Learn about everything from fire safety and old fire engines to firefighting techniques and tools at this beautiful museum, housed in a restored 1876…

  • Allegheny Landing

    Pittsburgh

    They call Pittsburgh the 'city of rivers,' so it's only appropriate that it has a park from which to admire its internal waterways. Allegheny Landing was…

  • Simpler Times Museum

    Pennsylvania

    Less a museum than some guy's country warehouse full of weird stuff, this is still a fascinating peek into the psyche of a person who decided they really…

  • Washington's Headquarters

    Pennsylvania

    A major draw in the National Historic Park is this stone building, where General George Washington plotted his military and political maneuvers during his…

  • National Canal Museum

    Pennsylvania

    This museum is housed in a plain two-story brick building that's, appropriately enough, located alongside the canal. With fascinating exhibits on the…

  • Wyck

    Philadelphia

    Set in lovely gardens, which are open year-round, Wyck was the ancestral home of a Germantown family between 1690 and 1973. The house was renovated by…

  • Cliveden

    Philadelphia

    Home to the prominent Chew family for over 200 years, this 1767 Georgian house and estate was a key location in the Battle of Germantown in 1777. Every…

  • Dream Garden

    Philadelphia

    In the east lobby of the Curtis Center is a masterpiece of American craft: a luminous, wall-size Tiffany mosaic of more than 100,000 pieces of glass…

  • Christ Church

    Philadelphia

    George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and Betsy Ross, among other notable Philadelphians, worshiped at this handsome Episcopal church built in 1744. The…

  • Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site

    Philadelphia

    Often called the creator of the horror story, Edgar Allan Poe lived for six years in Philadelphia, in five different houses. This historic site, his only…