The City of Brotherly Love (which is Philadelphia‘s literal translation from its Greek origins) is proud of its deep history. Home to the busiest port of the original thirteen colonies, it also served as the nation‘s capital while Washington D.C. was under construction. Take a step back in time along Philly’s cobbled streets and check out three must-dos on a trip to Colonial Philadelphia.
1. No tour of Philadelphia would be complete without a visit to Independence Hall. Now a World Heritage site, back in the day it served as the Founding Fathers’ meeting place where they debated the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. History buffs can view the bell tower that housed the original Liberty Bell, rung when the Declaration of Independence was read in 1776.
2. Make a b-line to the Liberty Bell Center on Independence Mall and join the 1.5 million people who visit this international icon of freedom annually. This (mostly) copper and tin icon (whose strike sounds an e-flat) got its name in 1839. That’s when William Lloyd Garrison, a prominent social reformer, first referred to it in The Liberator which promoted the anti-slave movement in the United States.
3. Make your third stop at the National Constitution Center, dedicated to the history of the Constitution and the meaning that it plays in American lives. Thanks to artifacts, photographs, texts, sculpture and even a theater, the National Constitution Center is one of the more fun, interactive ways to get educated on U.S. history.
And one must-do that’s a no brainer (but we’ll mention it anyway, just in case your brain is overloaded with history), pick up a Philly Cheesesteak on the way. (Honored by the Historical Society of Pennsylvania– it’s one serious sandwich.)