What’s better than a trip to Philadelphia? One that won’t cost you much! Here are activities that have free admission throughout the City of Brotherly Love so you can spend time making memories without stressing about the cost.
Embrace the Country’s History
Philadelphia is known as the birthplace of America. Independence National Historic Park includes the Liberty Bell Center, Congress Hall, Independence Hall and the National Constitution Center – making this a great first stop for your family as an introduction to Philly. Inside the Visitor Center, aside from shopping for lunch or getting tickets for nearby attractions, there’s a small historical exhibit with free interactive activities.
You can spend time relaxing on the green, or line up outside The Liberty Bell Center. Visiting the famous symbol of freedom won’t cost you anything, except some time to get through the security line. Once you’re inside the museum you can take your time looking at the exhibits, and then gather around the bell to take a selfie.
Tickets to go inside Independence Hall are free (though there is a $1 per ticket handling fee) but you do need to schedule in advance, since timeslots fill up quickly. You can go on a self-guided tour, or take a 20-minute guided tour at select times during the day. You’ll see where the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were signed.
Pro Tip: Ask any Park Ranger for collectible trading cards that feature historical figures in Philly’s history. They’ll talk to your kids about the person’s role, and let them know where to find more.
Walk Along the Waterfront
The Delaware River waterfront is highlighted by Penn’s Landing Historic Walk. You can check out Cherry Street Pier, Race Street Pier and Spruce Street Harbor Park for a packed schedule of farmers markets, concerts, art exhibits, beer gardens, yoga, roller or ice skating (depending on the season), hammocks and food stands (note: some events do charge). While here, you can visit the Independence Seaport Museum, but note there is a charge for admission and for guided tours. You can also visit the outdoor Philadelphia Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial.
Pro Tip: Make the Hilton Philadelphia at Penn’s Landing part of your walking route, because aside from it being the only waterfront hotel in the city, you can add a lock to the Philadelphia Hope Fence along the exterior of the hotel, for good luck.
Embrace Nature
William Penn divided Philly into five squares, and Franklin Square near the Historic District, Old City and Chinatown is especially fun, because its 7 acres have the Parx Liberty Carousel, Philly Mini Golf course, SquareBurger and a fountain from 1838 (note: additional fees may apply). It’s a nice place to relax and take in the sites.
Dilworth Park and LOVE Park (which was originally a skateboard park) are in the middle of the city, and aside from sitting on the benches to people-watch, several events and markets are held throughout the year. You can walk around for free, and pay as you go if a craft or food vendor catches your eye. Rittenhouse Square and Independence National Historic Park are also serene, pretty areas where you can picnic or get your steps in.
Or, take a walk along Elfreth’s Alley, which is the oldest continuously lived-on street in the U.S. There’s a museum open from April to November that is free, or you can add on an audio tour.
Pro Tip: New this year is the Philadelphia Marketplace at Dilworth Park, which brings pop-up shops on select Fridays and Saturdays from May to October. And there’s a portal to Ireland, Lithuania and Portland at LOVE Park (aka John F. Kennedy Plaza) where you can interact with foreign residents via a large video screen.
Get Money in the Making
A gem you may not know about is the U.S. Mint building, which is open to the public for free tours. The U.S. Mint is very strict with security, but once you get up the escalator you’ll see a museum-like exhibit that includes an interactive screen that follows the journey of a coin. The real treat is up the next set of escalators, when you get to look down on the production floor! Walk at your own pace through the hallways that are lined with informational posters and videos – but once the area brightens up and you see lights, you’ll notice coin production taking place before your eyes. The machines move, the employees count money and the stacks of coins, especially pennies, take over the facility. Everything is labeled so you know what you’re looking at, and individual video presentations guide you through the process. There’s also a set of binoculars so you can zero in on the floor. There’s a series of screens where you can make your own coin design (though you can’t keep it), plus a board where you can guess the flaws of each misprinted coin.
Pro Tip: At the end of the tour at the U.S. Mint, you can ask for a pressed penny, and check out a bunch of activities for kids online when you get home.
And on your walk over, stop at Christ Church Burial Ground to see where Ben Franklin and some of his relatives are buried. People leave coins on this gravesite to mark their visit. Four other signers of the Declaration of Independence are buried there, too.
Learn Something New
There are many museums around the city that make learning fun.
The Science History Institute Museum & Library is a two-story space with lots of interactive activities. What catches your eye first is a huge touchscreen table, where you place a 3D object such as an ear of corn, a flip-flop or a lightbulb on the board, and you’ll see its history come to life. There is info on instruments, medicine and fashion on the first floor; plus an entire exhibit dedicated to school lunches – everything from lunchbox options to nutrition to an old-school cafeteria table. Upstairs is a mezzanine dedicated mostly to chemistry. You can ask about a drop-in tour with a Gallery Guide, check the schedule of special events, or roam around on your own.`
Philly has the third-largest and one of the oldest Jewish populations in the U.S., which you can learn about at the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History. Through the Philadelphia Sister Cities Program, the City Seal of Torun, Poland, was installed in 1999; learn about Polish culture at the Polish American Center.
It’s hard to miss the large red doors marking the Fireman’s Hall Museum, which is inside an 1898 firehouse. It focuses on Philly’s history, since Philadelphia was the birthplace of the first volunteer fire companies (in 1736 Ben Franklin founded the first one, The Union Fire Company) but you can also teach your kids some fire safety tips while you’re there.
The Arch Street Meeting House welcomes you to learn about the history of the Quakers, either by taking a self-guided tour or by attending a religious service.
Pop into the Free Library of Philadelphia for a book, or go to the patio deck and overlook Logan Square. Or browse home goods, handbags, clothing and other fashionable items at The Fabric Workshop and Museum.
Embrace Art
As you drive around town, there will be lots of art murals and sculptures to see because of an art requirement established years ago in the city. Very interesting are four Chinese dragons that mark the entrance to Chinatown. There are also busts of Ben Franklin sporadically. And lots of murals painted on buildings.
Look high above City Hall for an elephant made entirely out of stone. By the Rodin Museum is an Italian Renaissance sculpture inspired by Dante’s Inferno called The Gates of Hell, and rumor has it it’s actually good luck to take pictures by it.
People also love to take selfies in front of the LOVE and AMOR signs that are tell-tale marks of the city. The Bicentennial Bell is on display in the Benjamin Rush Garden. Plus, who can resist running up the steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art ala Rocky Balboa?
Join a Walking Tour
Check inside the Independence Hall Visitor Center for the History Hangouts walking tour, which will take you around the park and historic buildings at select times.
Pro Tip: Reach out to Tom, a U.S. history teacher from a local school, who offers GuruWalk tours of Independence Mall, Washington Square park, and parts of Society Hill and Old City.
See a preview of some of Philly’s best free sites on our Instagram page.
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