Before heading to ski at Elk, we want to spend the day in Philly with 6 and 8 year old. What are the highlights suited to their age group, please?
We will be in a rented car, what central parking lots are recommended? THANKS!

What are their interests?
They would probably enjoy the Franklin INstitute Museum. It has a lot of interactive displays.
There is the entire historical area...would that interest them? The Liberty Bewll, Constitution Center, Independence Hall, etc.

I think they would be interested in the tour to see Independence Hall and Liberty Bell. That should take a couple of hours. Plenty of parking garages in that area... I would NOT try for street parking unless this is a Sunday.
http://www.nps.gov/inde/index.htm

For lunch, you should check out the Reading Terminal Market.
http://www.readingterminalmarket.org

In the afternoon, go to the Franklin Institute.
http://www2.fi.edu/

You can walk from Independence Hall area to Reading terminal for lunch. After that, either go get your car and drive to Franklin Institute, or take a taxi to FI and then taxi back to your car garage at the end of the day.

This site should also gibe you some ideas:
www.gophila.com

The Liberty Bell and Independence Hall are mandatory for every visitor. Note that, to get inside IH, you must get timed tickets from the visitor center. If you arrive early in the morning, your wait should not be long. Be aware that, to get to either IH or the Bell, you must pass through a security check point not unlike that at an airport.

For children this age, I would skip the Constitution Center and the Art Museum, although make certain they see the Rocky Statue on the outside.

Lunch at Reading Terminal Market is an excellent idea. You've now gone toward Franklin Parkway, where you can take them to either the Franklin Institute (with the giant heart) OR the Academy of Natural Science (with its dinosaur fossils).

For museums, I agree with the suggestions of the Academy of Natural Sciences and Franklin Institute. For children interested in mummies, there is the Archeology and Anthropology Museum at Penn. Also, the National Liberty Museum is great, but thought provoking and maybe a bit "heavy" for a pre-ski visit.

For info on parking, locate garages and lots using this site: http://www.philapark.org/parkingloca...stinationID=45 . Don't try to navigate on street parking. Not worth the aggrevation given an increasingly aggressive Parking Authority.

Forgot to add, children may also enjoy the US Mint tour or the Camden Aquarium.

Thanks everyone. I like the idea of the Bell etc. They are 6 and 8 and just learning a bit about US history at school(I am a brit so I am learning along with them!)There is so much to do, a day is not enough, but we will certainly enjoy the sights anyway!

Just went to the site for the Bell as recommeded, and the good news is NO reservations or fees in January and February!

dendleju - Just to clarify: The Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell are at 2 seperate sites. They are right across the street from one another, but you should plan on visiting both while you are there.

There is never a fee to go visit either of the 2, but like you said, you don't need to get a free timed ticket if one visits in Jan/Feb. During the summer mmonths, it's so popular that the timed tickets for the entire day can be gone by late morning.