Best Way to Spend One Day in Philadelphia

First of all, Philadelphia is one of those cities so full of history that you could spend forever exploring and still have places left to see. There are so many statues, monuments, and historic buildings that there was no way we could see them all in one weekend trip!

If you are like us and only have a short amount of time there, these are the things that I thought were the best of the best. Also, if you walk from place to place you are bound to see other awesome attractions along the way!

For example, we saw where Benjamin Franklin is buried and we saw The Betsy Ross house! Those places didn’t quite make our list but we walked to most of these attractions and saw these awesome things along the way.

But if I only had one day in Philly, these are the places I would make sure to visit!

Independence Hall

Okay, this one is an obvious. You can’t go to Philadelphia without seeing Independence Hall! That being said, if you go there and quote National Treasure the whole time, let’s be friends!

One thing I did not know is that Independence Hall is actually a national park. They have a wonderful set up with informational signs all around and a history of the Constitution. Normally they even do tours but it was not available when we were there.

Being able too stand where our great constitution was originally signed gives me a sense of wonder like nothing else. Many places in Philadelphia made me feel this way. It just takes your breath away thinking of our founding fathers and where we are today.

The Liberty Bell

Right across the street from Independence Hall is The Liberty Bell Center. Housing the one and only Liberty Bell it is a cute little museum with the bell clearly on display.

If the museum is closed or you just don’t wish to go in, no worries! There is a window perfectly placed so that all who walk by can peer in to get a peek at the Liberty Bell.

Outside also has a wonderful description of the bell and why it is so important. So even if you just check it out from the outside, it is totally worth it!

Love Park

Love Park in Philadelphia is just a nice open area in the center of the city. As far as history goes it is not full of wonder like Independence Hall. But it is home to one of my favorite statues, the LOVE sculpture!

There is kind of a cool history with these Love sculptures when it was briefly moved form Philadelphia to New York City and then finally brought back a few years later. Now NYC has a knock off version of it which I found on our trip there a few years ago.

I have always wanted to see the original and the inspiration for so many statues like it around the world. You may notice that Cabo also has a version of this statue and many other places as well!

Rocky Steps/Statue

I grew up an only child to a single father, if you think I haven’t seen every single Rocky movie you’re wrong. So obviously I was going to run up the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps just like my man, Rocky Balboa.

I was honestly amazing how many people really do work out here! It is apparently a great place to bring your weights and yoga matts and get your full body workout in. We just had some fun exploring the area and of course took a picture with the rocky statue.

Elfreth’s Alley

This place was recommended by another blogger on Instagram. And to be totally honest we probably never would have found it without their recommendation. Which would have been a bummer because it is such an awesome part of town!

This is actually the oldest part of town that people still live in today. It is so quaint and fun! We actually couldn’t believe that people are allowed to live here because it looks like something straight out of a movie. .

It is for sure a unique aspect of Philadelphia that you need to see while you are there!

Irish Monument

For some reason I see this monument on TV or social media all the time. It’s something I always notice. So obviously I wanted to see it in person!

It is located near Penn’s Landing which means there are tons of other things to see and do in this area as well. The monument itself is just iconic. It is dedicated to the immigrants from Ireland who were able to find freedom here in the states. It was not an easy trek and many didn’t survive.

This monument is a wonderful reminder that the United States is place that allows life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. We should not forget our roots and how many of our ancestors got here.

Valley Forge

This is a little bit outside of town and you will need to drive here. Also you’ll probably want to drive through Valley Forge as it is HUGE! If you don’t know about Valley Forge it is where George Washington trained his troop during the winter of 1777-78.

This park is dedicated to the citizens that came together to fight a revolutionary war and earn our freedom. The entire park is full of remnants of the continental army and General George Washington.

The history here is phenomenal and a place you should visit if you are ever in the area.