A Visit to Old Town Philadelphia, Travel Guide

If you’re visiting Philadelphia, the one place you must see is Old Town.  In this historic section of town covering just a few blocks almost every historic artifact dealing with the foundation of the United States is present.And there are a number of great shops, cafes, restaurants and coffee houses too!

In the video above we take you along our steps in Old Town.  We approached the area on I-95 along the Delaware River and then entered on Market Street.  From there you can see the Ben Franklin Bridge,  If you are after some iconic pictures of the Philadelphia skyline, then go to the New Jersey side of the Ben Franklin Bridge and shoot it from there with the bridge forming the leading lines to downtown Philadelphia.

Penn’s Landing is also right there.  It was named in honor of William Penn’s historic landing in Philadelphia in 1682.  Penn’s Landing has an amusement park and is a never ending location for events and gatherings.  During the summer months you can take a 12 minute river tour of the Delaware on the River Link Ferry.

Gaze across the Delaware to the New Jersey shore and you can see the Battleship New Jersey Museum.

Then work your way up Market Street and take in the charming shops, cafes, and coffee houses.  Treat yourself to a coffee of pastry and continue on five blocks to Fifth Street.  You’ll arrive at Independence National Historic Park bordered by Independence Hall, the Independence Visitors Center and the Liberty Bell Center.  Admission to see the Liberty Bell is free. (See our earlier post for more information about the Liberty Bell)

Most every corner you pass has signs pointing the direction to the other historic locations and they are all within walking distance.  Some of the places you’ll want to check out are the National Constitution Center (our politicians should all be required to visit this location), Fireman’s Hall Museum, The Franklin Fountain, the Museum of the American Revolution, Washington Square, National Museum of American Jewish History, the Benjamin Franklin Museum, Spruce Street Harbor Park, and the Betsy Ross House.  For our international visitors, Betsy Ross hand sewed the first American Flag.

This was my first time in Philadelphia and I was surprised to learn how much there is to see and do there.  It also has a very beautiful skyline and rush hour traffic in Philadelphia was more like what we seen in the wee hours of the morning in Los Angeles.  I was sorry I didn’t have more time to explore more of the city but this trip into history is one you must take when you are there!

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More Old Town Philadelphia photos after the break….

Background Music: Thomas Jefferson March by The United States Marine Band and Star Spangled Banner by the U.S. Army Band, both from the YouTube music library.

Produced by Mark Stout Photography