Top-15 Places to Visit in Pennsylvania – Most Independent US State

Pennsylvania is largely the first state in the United States. And although historically it was the second in the US, being founded on December 12, 1787, it was here that the first newspaper was published, the first sugar factory was built, the first bank, the first university, the first social hospital was opened, the first steamer was launched. And even in 1790 Pennsylvania was the first among the North American states to pass a law on the liberation of slaves. Since then, the motto of the state has been “Virtue, Liberty and Independence”. Its unofficial name is the “State of Independence.”

The state may boast a fairly low level of crime and unemployment, a high standard of living for local citizens, as well as first-class health and education systems. All these aspects give the right to boldly call Pennsylvania an excellent place for all activities and recreation. People feel comfortable both in large metropolitan areas, as well as in small remote communities. That’s why Pennsylvania is a great destination if you are looking for an interesting and safe place to stay during your vacation.

Contents

• Place to visit number 1: Dupont Gardens
• Place to visit number 2: The Liberty Bell
• Place to visit number 3: Rodin Museum
• Place to visit number 4: The Philadelphia Museum of Art
• Place to visit number 5: Chinatown
• Place to visit number 6: The Philadelphia Municipality
• Place to visit number 7: Second Bank of the United States building
• Place to visit number 8: The Drake Well Museum
• Place to visit number 9: Pittsburgh University
• Place to visit number 10: Harrisburg International Airport
• Place to visit number 11: Park PPL
• Place to visit number 12: Fairmont Park
• Place to visit number 13: The Church of Christ
• Place to visit number 14: The Franklin Institute Museum
• Place to visit number 15: Fisher Fine Arts Library
• Video

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Place to visit number 1: Dupont Gardens

Dupont Gardens in Pennsylvania are stunningly beautiful examples of landscaped gardens created by the best examples of English traditional gardening. Here – on flower beds, lawns, in its 20 open and 20 winter gardens, in extensive heated greenhouses you can find a collection of 11 thousand various flowers and plants. The greenhouse includes many halls:

• The first one is an absolutely amazing hall with cacti;
• The second one is no less interesting than the previous one as here you will see tropical exotic palms and lianas, stream and waterfall;
• Other halls are bonsai and orchid halls.

In the courtyard, in a heated pond, there are mystical lotuses and beautiful water lilies: white, cream, pink, blue, lilac, raspberry. Five times a year in Dupont Gardens, the “Fireworks and Fountains Show” is held – a holiday that will not soon be forgotten.

Interesting: It is the most visited gardening complex in the USA.
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Place to visit number 2: The Liberty Bell

The Liberty Bell is one of the main symbols of the Americans’ struggle for independence from Great Britain. July 8, 1776 to ring the bell of Freedom residents of all neighborhoods came in order to hear the announcement of the Declaration of Independence.

Some interesting facts about the bell:

• The Liberty bell weighs about 943 kilograms,
• It has 3.7 meters in circumference,
• It is 1 meter in height,
• It was made of a copper and tin alloy in 1752 in London.

Since 1778, the Bell of Liberty has annually announced with its ringing the beginning of the Independence Day holiday. This continued until 1846, when the bell formed a crack that worsened the sound. The last time the bell was called on February 23, 1846, at the celebration of George Washington’s birthday.

Interesting: Today the Liberty Bell is in Philadelphia, in the pavilion on Market Street and is available for public viewing.
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Place to visit number 3: Rodin Museum

The Pennsylvania Museum of Augustin Rodin is dedicated to the works of the famous French sculpture.

Here there is a huge collection of sculptures of the master – the second largest in the world.

Things to know before you visit the museum:

• The museum began to work thanks to the American millionaire Jules Mastbaum, who in a few years bought up 133 sculptures of his idol and presented them to Philadelphia.
• Unfortunately, Mastbaum did not live to see the opening of the museum – the building was completed only three years after his death.
• Before entering the Rodin Museum, visitors are greeted by a statue of the Thinker that is familiar to everyone, which is an exact copy of the original one located in Paris.

Interesting: In addition to the main collection of original works by Auguste Rodin, the museum has a large number of reproductions.
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Place to visit number 4: The Philadelphia Museum of Art

The Philadelphia Museum of Art is one of the largest in the United States. It stores:

• over 227,000 exhibits of Far Eastern and American art,
• a collection of drawings,
• engravings,
• ceramics,
• textiles,
• glass,
• carpets.

Every year the museum is visited by more than 800 000 people. The museum was founded in 1876 in connection with the World Exhibition. In 1919, according to the decision of the city authorities, a new building was built for the museum in the style of neoclassicism, nicknamed in the people “The Great Greek Garage”. Exhibits of the Far Eastern and American art of the 13th-20th centuries are represented in the museum’s expositions: drawings, engravings, ceramics, fabrics, carpets. A total number is more than 227,000 samples. Particular pride of the Philadelphia Museum there are works of Pennsylvanian artists, as well as painting of the Modern Times. In front of the museum there is a square in the center of which a horse sculpture with J. Washington stands on the pedestal.

Interesting: Annually more than 25 specialized exhibitions are held in the museum, attracting thousands of people from all over the world.
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Place to visit number 5: Chinatown

In the middle of the XIX century, the first Chinese immigrants arrived in Philadelphia. They opened their laundries and restaurants here. This was the beginning of the formation of the Chinatown area. After 1998, in the Chinatown area other immigrants from Asian countries began to found their business – Koreans, Thais and Vietnamese.

In the 1960s, parts of the Chinatown were demolished in connection with the renovation of Philadelphia. In their place the Conference Center and expressway appeared. Today in Chinatown you can see:

• a lot of buildings, decorated in the traditional Chinese style,
• temples,
• gates
• and, of course, shops and restaurants.

Interesting: The Race Street, where the first Chinese laundry was opened, in the following years became the center of concentration of Chinese firms.
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Place to visit number 6: The Philadelphia Municipality

The building of the Philadelphia Municipality is a National Historic Landmark, one of the city’s main attractions.

What makes this building so remarkable?

• The height of the building is 167 meters. This is an absolute world record for the masonry building.
• The walls of the building are made of brick and granite, and the outer lining is made of marble, granite and limestone.
• The sculpture of the founder of the city William Penn crowns the building.

In the period from 1901-1908 the Philadelphia building was the tallest residential building in the world, and until 1932 – the highest point in Pennsylvania.

To date, the City Hall, as before, remains the tallest building in Philadelphia and dominates the panorama of the city.

Interesting: There is an agreement according to which in Philadelphia it is forbidden to build objects that exceed the height of the city mayor’s office in height.
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Place to visit number 7: Second Bank of the United States building

The Second Bank was the central bank of the United States. Its main difference was that 20% of its capital belonged to the government of the United States, unlike other private banks.

The Bank carried out all state operations:

• storage and transfer of US deposits,
• receipt,
• procession and payment of tax payments.

The building of the bank was built in the Greek style of the Renaissance by the American architect William Strickland. Outwardly it resembles an ancient Greek temple. The effect is further enhanced by the eight powerful Doric columns entering its facade. Construction of the building continued from 1819-1824.

Interesting: Today the bank acts as an art gallery, which features works by famous early American artists, among them you can see Charles Wilson Peel. The entrance to the gallery is free for everyone.
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Place to visit number 8: The Drake Well Museum

The museum opens the entire history of the development of the modern oil industry. It is noteworthy that this museum has:

• a large collection of audio and video materials,
• an exhibition of tools,
• an exhibition of search and drilling machines that help to find oil deposits.

Visitors are offered to enjoy unique special events and educational and cognitive programs. Here you will also be offered membership in professional communities and participation in the life of the museum on a voluntary basis.

In the national oil park of the Oil Creek State Park Museum, cycling and hiking routes have been created and specially designed, which allow you to travel around the park with your family and, if you wish, arrange a picnic or enjoy fishing. If you like an active holiday, you can, by renting a canoe, swim along the oil stream. And if you prefer a tranquil journey in a comfortable environment, the national oil railway Oil Creek & Titusville Railroad is open to you.

Interesting: Plan to spend the day at the National Oil Park of the Drake Museum in Pennsylvania and you will discover the secrets of the US oil industry.
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Place to visit number 9: Pittsburgh University

Pittsburgh University is a public research institution, famous primarily for medical research. It is included in the top 50 in the Academic Ranking of Universities of the World. The University was founded in 1787 by Hugh Henry Brackenridge as the Pittsburgh Academy. Soon the educational institution received the status of the university, after which it was placed in new, more spacious premises. However, the Great Fire of 1845 destroyed almost all the buildings of the university, so for some time the places of the classes were scattered all over the

city, temporarily they were located in the Trinity Church. At the end of the XIX – beginning of the XX century, a complex of university buildings was completed, the brightest part of which, of course, is the 163-meter-high Temple of Science.

At the moment more than 28600 students are studying at the university in the following faculties:

• astrology,
• psychology,
• virology,
• aviation,
• organ transplantation,
• broadcasting,
• project management.

Interesting: Graduates of the University are many well-known politicians, athletes and scientists, including Nobel Prize laureates.
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Place to visit number 10: Harrisburg International Airport

Harrisburg International Airport is located about 5 km south of Harrisburg city center, in a picturesque location, right on the east bank of the Susquehanna River. The airport is the base of the National Guard of the US Air Force. In its fleet there are:

• military planes,
• jet planes,
• one helicopter.

Daily the airport carries out about 225 flights. The airport has 12 terminals. The passenger terminal is in the very center of the airfield. The 10 busiest flight destinations are New Jersey, Chicago, North Carolina, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Detroit, Virginia, Florida, Kentucky, Ohio.

In the Airport there is a convenient parking – a multi-level garage near the entrance to the territory. It is equipped with the most advanced technologies:

• moving footpaths,
• lifts and bridges.

Interesting: Free buses to the airport are available 24 hours a day. The airport also provides car rental services.
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Place to visit number 11: Park PPL

Park PPL is a football stadium, which is located in Chester, in the state of Pennsylvania. The stadium is home to the Philadelphia Football Club. The stadium was specially built on the shoreline of Chester along the Delaware River to develop this economically promising zone: water walks, retail. Discussion of plans for construction and the construction of the stadium itself lasted 4 years, from 2006-2010. The land and the stadium itself belong to the Delaware County, and the football team has a lease for 30 years.

Annually, since 2011, the PPL Park hosts the University Rugby Championships. They are of great importance in the US and even are broadcasted live. The following teams played here:

• MLS All-Stars,
• Seattle Sounders FC
• and others.

Now the stadium holds 17,800 fans, and by 2014 it is planned to expand the fan zone to 30,000 spectators. The stadium is made of natural stone and brick.

Interesting: The whole design is made in such a way that 60% of the fans sitting in their seats can see the Delaware River and the Barry Bridge.
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Place to visit number 12: Fairmont Park

Fairmont Park is a whole municipal park system consisting of 63 parks under the jurisdiction of the Philadelphia Department of Parks and Recreation. The park area, with a total area of 3,700 hectares, is on the American National Register of Historic Places.

Currently, the Fairmount Park area includes:

• Centennial Arboretum,
• Philadelphia Center,
• Belmont Plateau,
• Japanese House and Garden,
• Bartram Garden,
• the Philadelphia Museum of Art,
• Boathouse Row,
• the monastery and the Woodford mansion,
• the Mansion Belmont,
• Hatfield House,
• Randolph House,
• Strawberry Historic Mansion,
• and various wellness centers, ponds and countless sculptures of Florentine lions.

In addition to all of the above, it is worth noting the many picturesque views of the park and the abundance of greenery.

Interesting: Bartram Garden is the oldest existing botanical garden in the USA.
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Place to visit number 13: The Church of Christ

The Church of Christ was erected in 1695. It is a sample of Greek colonial architecture.

There are:

• a symmetrical, classical facade,
• arched windows,
• corrugated columns,
• wooden benches.

The tower and the spire made the building the tallest in America until 1856. The Church of Christ is the first Protestant episcopal church in the United States. The Church of Christ is open to everyone, regardless of religion. Every year more than 250 thousand people visit the Church of Christ.

Interesting: There was time when it was visited by Benjamin Franklin, Betsey and Deborah Ross, John Adams and George Washington.
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Place to visit number 14: The Franklin Institute Museum

The Franklin Institute Museum was founded in 1824. It is one of the oldest in the United States. In 1930, the construction of a new building began, and four years later the museum opened its doors to visitors in the heart of Philadelphia.

Today it is the most visited museum in the whole of Philadelphia. In the main building of the museum, in the marble hall, there is the statue of Franklin, reaching a height of 6 meters. In addition, the building has a number of interesting places and objects, for example:

• the Planetarium,
• 4-D flight simulators,
• the IMAX cinema,
• as well as items made in the Wright brothers workshop and other exhibits.

The museum has both temporary and permanent exhibitions. Among the latter: expositions dedicated to the physics of sports, electricity, space, weather phenomena, aviation and many others.

Interesting: A large number of exhibits suppose having physical experiments.
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Place to visit number 15: Fisher Fine Arts Library

Fisher Fine Arts Library received its current name only in 1991, in honor of the patrons of Anna and Jerome Fisher, thanks to which the building was completely reconstructed. Prior to this, the library bore the name of Furness, the famous architect of Philadelphia, who in 1890 built this beautiful building of red sandstone.

The Fisher Library is located on the campus of the University of Pennsylvania. Half the fortress and the cathedral, a huge building in the style of the Venetian Gothic style was built as the main library of the university. They also planned to place an archaeological collection here. Semicircular arches of the building are supported by short columns, in the design of the building there are many grotesque elements peculiar to the Victorian Romanesque architecture. There are even gargoyles, some of which work rainwater. In the library you will find:

• a huge collection of materials in the field of art history,
• urban and landscape architecture,
• planning and visual arts.

The information is collected on different media.

Interesting: The library is well equipped technically, the visitor can always go to the help desk, access the wireless Internet, work with the computer at any time.
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