15 Best Things to Do in Philadelphia for First-Time Visitors

Even though New York City is our favourite U.S. city, we found lots of fun places to visit in Philadelphia too! Philly is well-known for its rich history and culture, with lots of national historical landmarks and world-class art museums. We also had a good time indulging in the delicious food here, especially the famous Philly cheesesteaks. And of course, I had to pose with the iconic Rocky Statue! This is a list of 15 best places to visit in Philly, which will be useful for first-time visitors. Be sure to check out our two-day Philly itinerary too.

1. Elfreth’s Alley

Elfreth’s Alley is the oldest residential street in United States, dating back to 1702. It is a National Historic Landmark. Today, 32 houses line the alley and they are a rare example of 18th-century working class houses.

When we visited the alley, we were pleasantly surprised at how pretty and well-preserved the houses were. The quaint Federal-style houses and classic cobblestone pavement made this the perfect Instagram spot. We took many nice photos here. Like the other tourists, we took special care to stay quiet as the alley is still occupied by actual residents.

2. Eastern State Penitentiary

Those who are brave can visit the chilling Eastern State Penitentiary, a former American prison. It was operational from 1829 until 1971, and is now a National Historic Landmark. Notorious criminal Al Capone was held inside this prison. There are various haunted stories of this compound. If you are interested, there are daily public tours of the prison.

3. Fairmount Water Works

The Fairmount Water Works was once Philadelphia’s public water supply center. However, it ceased operation in 1909 and is now a popular tourist attraction. Today, it houses a restaurant and a museum. We visited the water works in the evening, and it was nice to see the neo-classical architecture in the orange glow of the sunset. We also saw many locals strolling and relaxing in the surrounding park.

4. Independence National Historical Park

The Independence National Historical Park is a National Park with lots of historic landmarks such as the Independence Hall, Liberty Bell Center, Korean War Memorial, Christ Church, and many many more. However, we only visited the Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell Center.

5. Independence Hall

The Assembly Room

The Independence Hall is a historic building known as the birthplace of the United States. This is because both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were signed here. The building is listed as a Unesco World Heritage Site, and is located within the Independence National Historical Park.

It is necessary to get tickets to visit the Independence Hall. Tickets are free if you get them on the same day. However, we made advance reservations through this site and paid $1.50 per person for handling fees. On the day of our visit, we were brought around on a guided tour by a park ranger. The first room that we visited was the Courtroom of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. This room served as the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania in the 1700s. Next, we went to the The Assembly Room, a historically significant room where both the U.S. Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution were adopted. Most of the furnishings here are replicas but the Sun Chair is original and was actually used by George Washington.

6. Liberty Bell Center

The Liberty Bell is a large metal bell that is widely seen as an iconic symbol of American independence. The bell was completed in 1753 and used as a city bell to inform the Philadelphia locals of proclamations or danger. It is so famous because it has been claimed that the bell was rung on July 4, 1776, upon adoption of the Declaration of Independence. As for the prominent crack on the bell, a widespread story is that it was formed in 1835 while being rung to proclaim the death of  Chief Justice John Marshall. Today, the bell is located in the Liberty Bell Center, a building located inside the Independence National Historical Park.

We didn’t need tickets to enter the Liberty Bell Center. After queuing for about 20 minutes, we entered the building and went straight to the famous bell. There was already a crowd of people trying to get a picture with the bell, and luckily we managed to take a few decent pictures. I stood there for about one minute to admire the bell and appreciate its significance, before I was jostled out by the next wave of tourists.

7. Logan Circle

Logan Circle is a traffic circle with an open-space park in the center. At the park’s centre is the iconic Swann Memorial Fountain, where people will dip in the water during summer. The park is surrounded by various famous buildings such as the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter & Paul, the Academy of Natural Sciences and the Franklin Institute. The pretty AMOR sculpture is located here as well.

8. Masonic Temple

The Masonic Temple is a Masonic building located directly across from Philadelphia City Hall. It was completed in 1873 and serves as the headquarters of a Masonic fraternity in Philadelphia. I was impressed by the ornate design of the building, which is designed in medieval Europe architectural style.

9. Pat’s and Geno’s Cheesesteak Rivalry!

No trip to Philly would be complete without checking out the cheesesteaks from Pat’s or Geno’s! Pat’s King of Steaks and Geno’s Steaks are two cheesesteak joints located along South 9th Street, almost directly across from each other. Pat’s was set up in 1930, while Geno’s opened shop in 1966. The two have been engaged in a famous cheesesteak rivalry ever since. After reading some reviews online, I decided to check out the cheesesteak from Pat’s. I also made sure to learn the cheesesteak lingo properly first (“one provolone wit”) to avoid incurring the wrath of the staff. I was not disappointed and the cheesesteak was indeed very satisfying!

10. Penn’s Landing

Penn’s Landing is a waterfront area along the Delaware River. It is named in honour of William Penn, who founded Pennsylvania in 1682. The area hosts many events and attractions against the backdrop of the river. You can find out more here.

When we visited in April, we were a little disappointed as there were no activities going on. I believe most of the festive activities take place during Summer and Winter. Therefore, make sure you do your research first before going down.

11. Philadelphia City Hall

The Philadelphia City Hall is a majestic building that serves as the seat of government of Philadelphia. This National Historic Landmark was completed in 1901, and was the tallest structure in Philadelphia until construction of One Liberty Place in 1986. Personally I found this to be a very beautiful building built in the Baroque architectural style.

12. Philadelphia Museum of Art, Rocky Statue, and Rocky Steps

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is one of the largest art museums in the world, with over 240,000 art pieces. However, the main reason why we came here was because we wanted to see the famous Rocky Statue and the “Rocky Steps”.

The Rocky Steps refers to the 72 stone steps leading to the entrance of Philadelphia Museum of Art. It is so famous because of an iconic scene in the “Rocky” movie, where Rocky runs up the steps during his training. Being a Rocky fan, I was of course excited to run up the steps and reenact the famous climb. To my huge disappointment, the steps were closed when we visited due to the NFL draft taking place at the same location.

Luckily, I was still able to visit the famous Rocky Statue, located at the bottom right of the steps. Raevian took some photos of me posing with Rocky, with my arms raised in victory (like Rocky).

13. Rittenhouse Square

Rittenhouse Square is a small public park that serves as a nice spot for picnics or a stroll among the trees, green spaces and pretty sculptures. The surrounding neighbourhood is one of Philadelphia’s most expensive residential districts. Rittenhouse Square is surrounded by a variety of cafes and restaurants overlooking the park. These are awesome places to have a relaxing meal while people-watching. We had a very nice meal at Parc, indulging in cold King Crab Legs and a Shrimp cocktail. This was one of our most pleasant experiences in Philly.

14. Rodin Museum

The Rodin Museum is an art museum that houses the world’s largest collection of Auguste Rodin’s art works outside of Paris. I had studied Rodin’s works for an elective in college, therefore I was quite excited to visit the museum. Unfortunately, the museum was closed by the time we arrived. However, we still managed to admire the several outdoor sculptures. And of course, we had to take pictures of the famous The Thinker sculpture, located in the museum courtyard.

15. South Street

Last but definitely not least, South Street is a vibrant area in Philadelphia known for its edgy culture and colourful variety of shops, bars and eateries. We visited on Easter Sunday and there were lots of fun activities going on in the streets. After queuing for about 15 minutes, we managed to get our hands on the delicious cheesesteaks from Jim’s Steaks, widely touted as one of the best authentic cheesesteaks in Philly! We highly recommend visiting South Street to revel in its bustling vibe.

This article is part of our completely free and fantastic Ultimate Philadelphia Travel Guide for First Timers. Why spend days researching when all your holiday information is simply a click away?