Sights & Attractions in Philadelphia

Mobile App

Download Fodor's City Guide App for FREE!

Worth Noting

Name	Category	Location

Gazela of Philadelphia Built in 1883 and formerly named Gazela Primeiro, this 177-foot...	Nautical Sites	Penn's Landing and Camden Waterfront

Academy of Music The only surviving European-style opera house in America is the...	Arts / Performance Venues	Rittenhouse Square and Avenue of the Arts South

Academy of Natural Sciences The dioramas of animals from around the world displayed in their...	Museums / Galleries	The Benjamin Franklin Parkway

African American Museum in Philadelphia The centerpiece of this museum is "Audacious Freedom: African...	Museums / Galleries	Old City

American-Swedish Historical Museum Near the sports complex in deep South Philly, this neoclassical...	Museums / Galleries	Queen Village and South Philadelphia


Arch Street Meeting House Constructed in 1804 for the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the...	Religious Sites	Old City

Arthur Ross Gallery Penn's official art gallery contains treasures from the university's...	Museums / Galleries	University City

Athenaeum Housed in a national landmark Italianate brownstone dating from...	Libraries	Society Hill

Avenue of the Arts Broad Street, the city's main north-south thoroughfare, has been...	Neighborhoods / Streets	Rittenhouse Square and Avenue of the Arts South

Bartram's Garden Begun in 1728 by the pioneering botanist John Bartram (1699-1777)...	Gardens / Arboretums	Queen Village and South Philadelphia

Battleship New Jersey The World War II-era USS New Jersey, one of the most decorated...	Nautical Sites	Penn's Landing and Camden Waterfront

Belmont Plateau Belmont Plateau has a view from 243 feet above river level, which...	Viewpoints	Fairmount Park

Benjamin Franklin Bridge When the bridge opened in 1926, its 1,750-foot main span made...	Bridges / Tunnels	Old City

Bishop White House Built in 1786, this restored upper-class house embodies Colonial...	Houses / Mansions	Historic Area

Bouvier's Row Three of the Victorian brownstones on a stretch of 3rd Street...	Neighborhoods / Streets	Society Hill

Camden Children's Garden Located adjacent to the Adventure Aquarium on the Camden waterfront...	Gardens / Arboretums	Penn's Landing and Camden Waterfront

Carpenters' Hall This handsome, patterned red-and-black brick building dating...	Museums / Galleries	Historic Area

Cathedral of Saints Peter and Paul The basilica of the archdiocese of Philadelphia is the spiritual...	Religious Sites	The Benjamin Franklin Parkway

Cedar Grove Five styles of furniture—Jacobean, William and Mary, Queen...	Houses / Mansions	Fairmount Park

Chinatown Centered on 10th and Race streets two blocks north of Market...	Neighborhoods / Streets	Center City

Christ Church The Anglicans of the Church of England built a wooden church...	Religious Sites	Old City

Christ Church Burial Ground Weathered gravestones fill the resting place of five signers...	Cemeteries	Old City

Clothespin Claes Oldenburg's 45-foot-high, 10-ton steel sculpture stands...	Public Art (Mural / Sculpture / Statue)	Center City

The Comcast Center Now Philadelphia's tallest building, the 975-foot Comcast Center...	Architectural Sites	Center City

Congress Hall Formerly the Philadelphia County Courthouse, Congress Hall was...	Museums / Galleries	Historic Area

Curtis Center The lobby of the Curtis Publishing Company building has a great...	Public Art (Mural / Sculpture / Statue)	Historic Area

Curtis Institute of Music Graduates of this tuition-free school for outstanding students...	Arts / Performance Venues	Rittenhouse Square and Avenue of the Arts South

Declaration House In a second-floor room that he had rented from bricklayer Jacob...	Museums / Galleries	Historic Area

Delancey Place At No. 2010 is the Rosenbach Museum and Library. Cypress Street...	Neighborhoods / Streets	Rittenhouse Square and Avenue of the Arts South

Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion Philadelphia's only mid-19th-century house-museum is a Victorian...	Houses / Mansions	Germantown

Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site One of America's most original writers, Edgar Allan Poe (1809-49)...	Houses / Mansions	Old City

Ellen Phillips Samuel Memorial Sculpture Garden Bronze and granite sculptures by 16 artists stand in a series...	Public Art (Mural / Sculpture / Statue)	Fairmount Park

Faire Mount This is now the site of the Philadelphia Museum of Art. In 1812...	Viewpoints	Fairmount Park

Fairmount Waterworks Designed by Frederick Graff, this National Historic Engineering...	Architectural Sites	Fairmount Park

Fireman's Hall Museum Housed in an authentic 1876 firehouse, this museum traces the...	Museums / Galleries	Old City

First Bank of the United States A fine example of Federal architecture, the oldest bank building...	Government Buildings	Historic Area

Fisher Fine Arts Library One of the finest examples remaining of the work of Philadelphia...	Libraries	University City

Fort Mifflin There are number of strange, forgotten sights in Philadelphia...	Military Sites	Queen Village and South Philadelphia

Franklin Square One of five squares William Penn placed in his original design...	Parks	Historic Area

Free Library of Philadelphia Philadelphia calls its vast public-library system the Fabulous...	Libraries	The Benjamin Franklin Parkway

Free Quaker Meeting House This was the house of worship for the Free "Fighting" Quakers...	Religious Sites	Old City

Gloria Dei One of the few relics of the Swedes who settled Pennsylvania...	Religious Sites	Queen Village and South Philadelphia

Historic RittenhouseTown North America's first paper mill was built here in 1690 by Mennonite...	Historic Districts / Sites	Germantown

Historical Society of Pennsylvania Following a merger with the Balch Institute for Ethnic Studies...	Libraries	Rittenhouse Square and Avenue of the Arts South

Horticulture Center On the Horticulture Center's 27 wooded acres are a butterfly...	Gardens / Arboretums	Fairmount Park

Independence Square On July 8, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was first read...	Museums / Galleries	Historic Area

Insectarium In Northeastern Philly, a neighborhood not known for its tourist...	Zoos / Aquariums	Old City

Institute of Contemporary Art This museum, part of the University of Pennsylvania, has established...	Museums / Galleries	University City

Japanese House This reconstructed 16th-century guest house was reassembled here...	Architectural Sites	Fairmount Park

John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum Part of the appeal of this refuge is its truly strange location...	Nature Preserves	Queen Village and South Philadelphia

Johnson House After bringing visitors through the hidden back entrance of this...	Houses / Mansions	Germantown

Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts Intended to make a contemporary design statement, the Kimmel...	Arts / Performance Venues	Rittenhouse Square and Avenue of the Arts South

Laurel Hill Built around 1767, this Georgian house on a laurel-covered hill...	Houses / Mansions	Fairmount Park

Laurel Hill Cemetery John Notman, architect of the Athenaeum and many other noted...	Cemeteries	Fairmount Park

Lemon Hill An impressive example of a Federal-style country house, Lemon...	Houses / Mansions	Fairmount Park

Liberty Place One and Two One Liberty Place is the 945-foot office building designed by...	Architectural Sites	Center City

Library Company of Philadelphia Founded in 1731, this is one of the oldest cultural institutions...	Libraries	Rittenhouse Square and Avenue of the Arts South

Library Hall This 20th-century building is a reconstruction of Franklin's...	Libraries	Historic Area

Logan Circle One of William Penn's five squares, Logan Circle was originally...	Squares	The Benjamin Franklin Parkway

Loxley Court One of the restored 18th-century houses in this lovely court...	Neighborhoods / Streets	Old City

Macy's The former John Wanamaker department store, this building is...	Stores / Malls	Center City

Mario Lanza Museum In this museum you'll find memorabilia devoted to the famous...	Museums / Galleries	Queen Village and South Philadelphia

Masonic Temple The temple is one of the city's architectural jewels, but it...	Archaeological Sites	Center City

Mikveh Israel Nathan Levy, a Colonial merchant whose ship, the Myrtilla, brought...	Religious Sites	Old City

Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church Society Hill holds a notable landmark in the history of African-Americans...	Religious Sites	Society Hill

Mt. Pleasant Built in 1761 by John Macpherson, a Scottish sea captain, Mt...	Houses / Mansions	Fairmount Park

Mütter Museum Skulls, antique microscopes, and a cancerous tumor removed from...	Museums / Galleries	Rittenhouse Square and Avenue of the Arts South

National Constitution Center This 160,000-square-foot museum brings the U.S. Constitution...	Museums / Galleries	Historic Area

National Liberty Museum Using interactive exhibits, video, and works of art, the museum...	Museums / Galleries	Historic Area

National Museum of American Jewish History Established in 1976, this museum in 2011 moved to a new, $150...	Museums / Galleries	Old City

New Hall Military Museum The original of this reconstructed 1790 building briefly served...	Museums / Galleries	Historic Area

Old City Hall Independence Hall is flanked by Congress Hall to the west and...	Museums / Galleries	Historic Area

Old Pine Street Presbyterian Church Designed by Robert Smith in 1768 as a simple brick Georgian-style...	Religious Sites	Society Hill

Old St. Joseph's Church In 1733 a tiny chapel was established by Jesuits for Philadelphia's...	Religious Sites	Society Hill

Old St. Mary's Church The city's second-oldest Catholic church, circa 1763, became...	Religious Sites	Society Hill

Park Hyatt Philadelphia at the Bellevue Though its name has been changed many times, this building will...	Hotels	Rittenhouse Square and Avenue of the Arts South

Pennsylvania Convention Center It's big: a massive expansion completed in 2011 covers 20 acres...	Convention Centers	Center City

Pennsylvania Hospital Inside the fine 18th-century original buildings of the oldest...	Hospitals	Society Hill

Philadelphia Contributionship for the Insurance of Houses from Loss by Fire The Contributionship, the nation's oldest fire insurance company...	Museums / Galleries	Society Hill

Philadelphia History Museum Formerly known as the Atwater Kent Museum, this museum chronicling...	Museums / Galleries	Historic Area

Philadelphia Merchant's Exchange Designed by the well-known Philadelphia architect William Strickland...	Architectural Sites	Historic Area

Philosophical Hall This is the headquarters of the American Philosophical Society...	Architectural Sites	Historic Area

Samuel S. Fleisher Art Memorial The result of founder Samuel S. Fleisher's invitation to the...	Museums / Galleries	Queen Village and South Philadelphia

Second Bank of the United States When Second Bank President Nicholas Biddle held a design competition...	Museums / Galleries	Historic Area

Smith Civil War Memorial Built between 1897 and 1912 with funds donated by wealthy foundry...	Memorials / Monuments	Fairmount Park

Smith Memorial Playground and Playhouse Founded in 1899, this beloved facility has been completely refurbished...	Parks	Fairmount Park

South Street Philadelphia's most bohemian neighborhood is crammed with crafts...	Neighborhoods / Streets	Society Hill

St. Peter's Episcopal Church Founded by members of Christ Church in Old City who were living...	Religious Sites	Society Hill

Stenton James Logan may not be a household name, but he was a seminal...	Houses / Mansions	Germantown

Strawberry Mansion The largest of the Fairmount Park Historic Mansions is scheduled...	Houses / Mansions	Fairmount Park

Sweetbriar This three-story Federal mansion dating from 1797 was the first...	Houses / Mansions	Fairmount Park

Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial A Polish general who later became a national hero in his homeland...	Museums / Galleries	Society Hill

Todd House Built in 1775 by John Dilworth, Todd House has been restored...	Houses / Mansions	Historic Area

Transit Museum Located, appropriately enough, in the headquarters of the Southeastern...	Museums / Galleries	Center City

USS Becuna You can tour this 318-foot-long "guppy class" submarine, which...	Nautical Sites	Penn's Landing and Camden Waterfront

USS Olympia Commodore George Dewey's flagship at the Battle of Manila in...	Nautical Sites	Penn's Landing and Camden Waterfront

Washington Square This leafy area resembling a London park has been through numerous...	Squares	Society Hill

Welcome Park A scale model of the Penn statue that tops City Hall sits on...	Parks	Historic Area

The Wissahickon Of the Philadelphia areas that William Penn encountered, the...	Parks	Fairmount Park

Woodford The Naomi Wood collection of antique household goods, including...	Houses / Mansions	Fairmount Park

Wyck Between the 1690s and 1973, Wyck sheltered nine generations of...	Houses / Mansions	Germantown
Sights Overview »