Fodor's Expert Review Powel House

Built in 1765 and later purchased by Samuel Powel, the last mayor of Philadelphia under the Crown and the first in the new republic, this brick Georgian house remains one of the city's most elegant historic homes. It’s furnished with important pieces of 18th-century furniture. A mahogany staircase from Santo Domingo embellishes the front hall, and there is a signed Gilbert Stuart portrait in the parlor. In the second-floor ballroom, renowned hostess Mrs. Powel served floating islands and whipped syllabubs to distinguished guests (Adams, Franklin, Lafayette) on Nanking china that was a gift from George and Martha Washington. Today the ballroom can be rented for parties and special events.