Fodor's Expert Review Hill-Physick House

Built in 1786, this is one of the oldest freestanding houses in Society Hill, with elegantly restored interiors and some of the finest Federal and Empire furniture in Philadelphia. Touches of Napoléon's France are everywhere—the golden bee motif woven into upholstery; the magenta-hue Aubusson rug; and stools in the style of Pompeii, the Roman city rediscovered at the time of the house's construction. Upstairs in the parlor, there’s an inkstand that retains Benjamin Franklin's actual fingerprints. Originally built by a wealthy wine importer, the house's most famous owner was Philip Syng Physick, the "Father of American Surgery" and a leading physician in the days before anesthesia. His celebrated patients included President Andrew Jackson and Chief Justice John Marshall. The garden planted outside the house is filled with plants common during the 19th century; complete with an Etruscan sarcophagus, a natural grotto, and antique cannon, it’s one of the city’s loveliest.