I just love crossing items off my bucket list, and I can now officially say I have been to Philadelphia! I flew into Philadelphia a couple of years ago, but I didn’t get the chance to visit the city. So when looking for a destination for a weekend getaway, Philadelphia came to mind as the perfect place for an adventure!
As a complete and total history nerd, I wanted to see all the historical sites and Philadelphia is full of them! Instead of participating in a paid walking tour, we borrowed The Constitutional Walking Tour map to navigate our way through the historic sections of the city. I recommend starting at the Independence Visitor Center to get all the information you need to make the most of your trip, and to get your free tickets to Independence Hall.
We decided to start with Independence Hall, and I was absolutely giddy once we were able to finally enter. It’s really special to stand in the same rooms as Jefferson, Hancock, Madison, Adams, Washington and others where they discussed the implications of the American colonies breaking away from England then writing the doctrine that not only started our country, but the one that is the basis of the United States of America.
After getting our fill of Independence Hall, we followed Chestnut Street where we saw Library Hall, Second Bank of the U.S., Carpenters’ Hall, New Hall Military Museum, and The First Bank of the United States. This little stroll brought us to our next destination, City Tavern.
City Tavern is not only a historic site, but a fantastic award-winning restaurant with 18th-century cuisine and drink. We showed up for an early dinner, and let me tell you the food is ah-mazing! We highly recommend taking a meal here!
After dinner we headed downtown to One Liberty Observation Deck for a bird’s eye view of the city at sunset before heading to Field House to watch Alabama take on the Florida Gators in the SEC Championship! (Roll Tide!)
On Sunday, we started off with a delicious brunch at Bank & Bourbon downtown. (Click here for Philadelphia’s top brunch places.) We enjoyed a delightful meal of Blueberry Sour Cream Pancakes and Cinnamon Swirl French Toast. Yum! Our next item to cross off was LOVE Park, so we walked over after brunch to take a look at Robert Indiana’s iconic LOVE statue.
Lastly, our trip would not be complete without a visit to the Liberty Bell. The Liberty Bell Center is located across the street from Independence Hall. As you walk through the center toward the bell, you will learn about the history of the bell, how it was cracked, and the importance of the symbolism it has taken on for different groups. Then you round the corner, and there she is with Independence Hall as the backdrop.
And with that our time in The City of Brotherly Love came to a close. If you have a spare weekend, I highly recommend visiting Philadelphia. It is such a beautiful city with a rich history.
