Day 1 - A quick historical tour

Your first stop should be the Independence Visitor Center, located in the heart of Independence National Historical Park. Here you can receive personal assistance from experienced staffers and procure entrance tickets to the Liberty Bell and to Independence Hall. These are free, time-specific admissions that you must have in order to enter these attractions. The Visitor Center should give you a good map to follow. You can either walk this historic area or you can choose to ride some of the tourist buses and trolleys, which also take you to the top historic spots.

 

After leaving the Visitor’s Center, make your way to the National Constitution Center, which is the only museum that is solely dedicated to the history of the U.S. Constitution. Next stop will be the Liberty Bell. You must pass through the security checks at the Liberty Bell before being allowed to cross the street to Independence Hall, where both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were signed. While you are here, do not forget to also visit Congress Hall, which flanks Independence Hall on the right as you are looking from the Liberty Bell. It was here that the first Congress met.   Independence Hall is flanked on the left by Old City Hall, which first housed the U.S. Supreme Court. After leaving these three halls, make your way a few blocks over to the Carpenter’s Hall, where the First Continental Congress convened.

 

Just a few blocks down the street, you can enjoy a dining experience at the City Tavern, which boasts 18^th century furnishings and attire for the service staff and 18^th century menu choices.

 

After a relaxing lunch, your next stop will be Christ Churchand then on to the Betsy Ross House. You may also want to visit nearby Elfreth’s Alley, which is the nation’s oldest, continuously inhabited street. You can also visit the Elfreth’s Alley Museum, if you wish to learn more. If you have time and energy at the end of your first day, you may want to squeeze in one more historical spot, the Declaration (Graff) House, where Thomas Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence.