23 Best Sights in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The only surviving European-style opera house in America is the current home of the Opera Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Ballet; for the past century, it was home to the Philadelphia Orchestra. Designed by Napoleon Le Brun and Gustav Runge, the 1857 building has a modest exterior; the builders ran out of money and couldn't put marble facing on the brick, as they had intended. The lavish interior, modeled after Milan's La Scala, has elaborate carvings, murals on the ceiling, and a huge Victorian crystal chandelier.

Intended to make a contemporary design statement, the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts has some architectural oomph with its dramatic vaulted glass roof. The 450,000-square-foot venue by architect Rafael Viñoly includes the 2,500-seat Verizon Hall, the more intimate 650-seat Perelman Theater, Jose Garces's restaurant Volvér, a café, central plaza, and a rooftop terrace. Making their home at the Kimmel are the Philadelphia Orchestra, Philadanco, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, and the Philly Pops. Free performances are given before some performances and on many weekends in the center's Commonwealth Plaza.

Founded more than 175 years ago to honor Benjamin Franklin, this science museum is as clever as its namesake, thanks to an abundance of dazzling hands-on exhibits. To make the best use of your time, study the floor plan before exploring. You can sit in the cockpit of a T-33 jet trainer, trace the route of a corpuscle through the world's largest artificial heart (15,000 times life size), and ride to nowhere on a 350-ton Baldwin steam locomotive. Most visitors flock to a pair of exhibitions: Electricity, which focuses on sustainable energy and includes Franklin's famous lightning rod; and Changing Earth. One don't-miss is the 30-ton white-marble statue of Franklin; you can see the likeness (and an accompanying hourly multimedia presentation) without paying admission.

The Franklin Air Show celebrates powered flight with the Wright Model B Flyer. The Sports Zone conveys the physics, physiology, and material science behind your favorite sport by simulating surfing, testing your center of mass and reaction time, and more. The Fels Planetarium—which has a state-of-the-art aluminum dome, lighting and sound systems, and a related astronomy exhibit, "Space Command"—has shows about the stars, space exploration, comets, and other phenomena. The Tuttleman IMAX Theater, with a 79-foot domed screen and a 56-speaker sound system, screens recent Hollywood films and special documentaries.

The dioramas of animals from around the world displayed in their natural habitats give this natural history museum an old-fashioned charm. The most popular attraction is Dinosaur Hall, with reconstructed skeletons of a Tyrannosaurus rex and some 30 others of its ilk, as well as the "Big Dig," where you can hunt for real fossils, and "Outside-In," an interactive area where kids can crawl through a log, investigate a real beehive, and touch a legless lizard. Another draw is "Butterflies!," where colorful, winged creatures take flight in a tropical garden setting. Founded in 1812, the academy is considered the oldest science-research institution in the western hemisphere and a world leader in the fields of natural-science research, education, and exhibition; the present building dates from 1876. That history is celebrated in the Ewell Sale Stewart Library, a trove natural-history books and artworks.

This high-tech, hands-on science education center is the home of "Shark Realm," a 550,000-gallon tank stretching two stories high and thick with sharks, stingrays, and sawfish. The daring can "swim with the sharks" by snorkeling along the tank's perimeter under the careful supervision of aquarium staff. In the "Hippo Haven" hippopotamuses cohabit with birds, crocodiles, and porcupines. There are also daily "animal experiences," penguin feedings, live animal talks, and "4-D" theater presentations, in which the 3-D on-screen action is choreographed to motion in the theater's seats. To get here, drive or take the ferry from Penn's Landing.

It's easy to find this little brick house with the gabled roof: just look for the 13-star flag displayed from its second-floor window. Whether Betsy Ross, also known as Elizabeth Griscom Ross Ashbourn Claypoole (1752–1836) actually lived here and whether she really made the first Stars and Stripes is debatable. Nonetheless, the house, built around 1740, is a splendid example of a Colonial Philadelphia home and is fun to visit. Owned by the city and maintained by the nonprofit Historic Philadelphia Inc., the eight-room house overflows with artifacts such as a family Bible and Betsy Ross's chest of drawers and reading glasses. The small rooms hold period pieces that reflect the life of this hardworking Quaker (who died at the age of 84, outliving three husbands). You may have to wait in line, as this is one of the city's most popular attractions. The house, with its winding narrow stairs, is not accessible to people with disabilities. Alongside the house is a courtyard with a fountain, as well as the graves of Betsy Ross and her third husband, John Claypoole. Visitors can meet Betsy in her upholstery shop (the only working Colonial upholstery shop in the country) and enjoy free, interactive historical programming in the courtyard from May to September.

Located adjacent to the Adventure Aquarium on the Camden waterfront, this delightful 4-acre garden is an interactive horticultural playground with theme exhibits. You can smell, hear, touch, and even taste some of the elements in the Dinosaur, Cityscapes, Picnic, and Storybook exhibits, as well as in the gardens and the Butterfly House. Other attractions include Amaze, Carousel, Train Ride, Tree House, and more. To get here, drive or take the ferry from Penn's Landing.

Designed by Frederick Graff, this National Historic Landmark completed in 1815 was the first steam-pumping station of its kind in the country, and the notable assemblage of Greek Revival buildings is one of the city's most beautiful sights. The buildings, just behind the Philadelphia Museum of Art, include an interpretive center with some original features on display and kid-friendly exhibits about the region's water and the history of the water works; there's also a short film. Nearby paths provide good views of it and the Art Museum.

Housed in an authentic 1876 firehouse, this museum traces the history of firefighting, from the volunteer company founded in Philadelphia by Benjamin Franklin in 1736 to the professional departments of the 20th century. The collection includes early hand- and horse-drawn fire engines, such as an 1796 hand pumper, an 1857 steamer, and a 1907 three-horse Metropolitan steamer; fire marks (18th-century building signs marking them as insured for fire); uniforms; other memorabilia; and a 9/11 memorial. There is also a gift shop on-site and online.

Philadelphia's maritime museum houses many nautical artifacts, figureheads, and ship models, as well as interactive exhibits that convey just what the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers have meant to the city's fortunes over the years. You can climb in the gray, cold, wooden bunks used in steerage; unload cargo from giant container ships with a miniature crane; or even try your hand at designing your own boat. Enter the museum by passing under the three-story replica of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, and be sure to check out the Ship Model Shack, where members of the Philadelphia Ship Model Society Society put together scale-model ships in front of visitors' eyes. Admission to the museum includes the USS Becunia and USS Olympia.

In Northeastern Philly, a neighborhood not known for its tourist attractions, is a bug lover's heaven. Revel in this ugly-yet-beautiful collection of thousands of creepy crawlers—tarantulas, giant centipedes, assassin bugs, and metallic beetles that look like pieces of gold jewelry. Started by an exterminator, the museum is home to more than 50 live species and mounted insects from around the world. The 5,000-square-foot space has one of the largest butterfly and moth collections in North America, a working beehive, a man-made (and kid-sized) spider web, and a kitchen teeming with live cockroaches. It's definitely a place for screaming kids, but it's hard not to enjoy at any age. It's easier to drive here than to take public transportation. By public transit, take the Market-Frankford subway to the end (Frankford Transportation Center); transfer to SEPTA bus 66 to Welsh Road.

One Liberty Place is the 945-foot office building designed by Helmut Jahn that propelled Philadelphia into the "ultrahigh" skyscraper era. Built in 1987, it became the city's tallest structure; however, that distinction now belongs to the 975-foot Comcast Center. Vaguely reminiscent of a modern version of New York's Chrysler Building, One Liberty Place is visible from almost everywhere in the city. On the 57th floor is the One Liberty Observation Deck, which offers panoramic views of the Philadelphia skyline. Downstairs are dozens of stores and a food court. In 1990 the adjacent tower, Two Liberty Place, opened. Zeidler Roberts designed this second building with Murphy & Jahn, which now holds the Westin Philadelphia, luxury condominiums, and a restaurant on the 37th floor.

This is one of the best arboretums in the country, and makes for a great stroll. Begun in 1887 and bequeathed to the University of Pennsylvania in 1932, this 92-acre arboretum was based on Victorian-era garden and landscape design, with its romantic winding paths, hidden grotto, a fernery, a koi pond, and natural woodland. The highlights are the spectacular rose garden and the swans. Large modern sculptures, some of which are spectacular, are sprinkled throughout the property. The arboretum has 3,500 trees and shrubs from around the world, including one of the finest collections of Asian plants outside Asia. Twice annually, the popular Garden Railway exhibit features an elaborate model railroad surrounded by miniature replicas of historic Philadelphia landmarks and other notable buildings crafted from natural materials. You may want to drive, as it's a good hike from the top of Chestnut Hill and a very hilly but short bike ride.

Even if you aren't in Philadelphia on New Year's Day, you can still experience this unique local institution. Famous for extravagant sequin-and-feather costumes and string bands, the Mummers spend the year preparing for the all-day parade up Broad Street. A 45-inch screen shows filmed highlights of past parades.

Early English settlers brought to the colonies their Christmastime custom of dressing in costume and performing pantomimes—the name Mummers derives from the German Mumme, meaning "mask" or "disguise." In Philadelphia, families would host costume parties on New Year's Day; on January 1, 1876, the first individual groups paraded informally through the city. The parade caught on, and by 1901 the city officially sanctioned the parade and 42 Mummers' clubs strutted for cash prizes.

These days the Mummers also stage a summer Mummers Parade around July 4 (during the city's Welcome America! celebration). The museum presents free outdoor concerts (weather permitting) on most Thursday evenings 8–10 from May to September.

Opened in 1874, America's first zoo is home to more than 2,000 animals representing six continents. It's small and well landscaped enough to feel pleasantly intimate, and the naturalistic habitats allow you to get close enough to hear the animals breathe. The Amphibian and Reptile House houses 87 species, from 15-foot-long snakes to frogs the size of a dime. The 2½-acre Primate Reserve is home to 11 species from around the world. Notable attractions include Big Cat Falls, where you'll find leopards, jaguars, mountain lions, tigers, and lions; the McNeil Avian Center, the state-of-the-art nest for some 100 birds; and African Plains, stomping ground of giraffes and zebras. The new children's zoo, KidZooU, has a goat bridge, where kids can test their climbing skills against live goats, a duck pond, an outdoor grooming area, a butterfly habitat, and more. You can get a bird's-eye view of the zoo and Fairmount Park on the Channel 6 Zooballoon, a 30-passenger helium balloon anchored by a high-tensile-steel cable.

Philadelphia's children's museum occupies one of the city's most stately buildings, a gorgeous example of Beaux Arts–style architecture constructed for the 1876 Centennial Exhibition and one of just two public buildings still standing from the event. The facility, which is aimed at children seven and younger, instills a sense of wonder from the get-go, with its marble-floored Hamilton Hall, which has an 80-foot-high ceiling and a 40-foot-tall sculpture of the torch of the Statue of Liberty as its centerpiece. (The real statue's torch was displayed here for the nation's 100th birthday celebration.) The 38,000-square-foot facility is set up as six engaging exhibits, plus three areas designed for toddlers, where kids can learn through hands-on play at a mock supermarket, a hospital area, a space gallery with a rocket-making station, Alice's Wonderland, and a theater with interactive performances. Children can climb aboard with an interactive exhibit based on the railroad, or head outside to explore the Imagination Playground or Please Touch Garden. Another highlight is a circa-1908 Dentzel Carousel ride with 52 gleaming and colorful horses, pigs, cats, and rabbits that's housed in an adjacent, enclosed glass pavilion; separate tickets can be purchased for carousel rides. There also is a café serving lunch items and snacks.

Rare treasures from the deepest jungles and ancient tombs make this one of the finest archaeological and anthropological museums in the world. The collection of about 1 million objects includes the world's third-largest sphinx from Egypt, a crystal ball once owned by China's Dowager Empress, some of the world's oldest writing—Sumerian cuneiform clay tablets—and the 4,500-year-old golden jewels from the royal tombs at the ancient site of Ur (in modern-day Iraq). The museum's Worlds Intertwined galleries presents its Greek, Roman, and Etruscan collections. Children run to see the Egyptian mummies and to exhibits such as "Imagine Africa."

You can tour this 307-foot-long "guppy class" submarine, which was commissioned in 1944 and conducted search-and-destroy missions in the South Pacific. The guides—some of whom are World War II vets—tell amazing stories of what life was like for a crew of 88 men, at sea for months at a time, in these claustrophobic quarters. Then you can step through the narrow walkways, climb the ladders, and glimpse the torpedoes in their firing chambers. Children love it, and it's fascinating for adults, too. Tickets must be purchased at the Independence Seaport Museum and include admission to the museum and the USS Olympia.

Commodore George Dewey's flagship at the Battle of Manila in the Spanish-American War is the only remaining ship from that war. Dewey entered Manila Harbor after midnight on May 1, 1898. At 5:40 am he told his captain, "You may fire when ready, Gridley," and the battle began. By 12:30 the Americans had destroyed the entire Spanish fleet. The Olympia was the last ship of the "New Navy" of the 1880s and 1890s, the beginning of the era of steel ships. You can tour the entire restored ship, including the officers' staterooms, galley, gun batteries, and pilothouse, while "behind the scenes" tours are offered the first Saturday of the month from April through November. Tickets must be purchased at the Independence Seaport Museum and include admission to the USS Becuna and the museum.