12 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.

Now Philadelphia's second-tallest building, the 975-foot Comcast Center is also one of its most eco-friendly: the 58-story design by Robert A. M. Stern Architects uses 40% less water than a traditional office building and also deploys its glass-curtain-wall facade to reduce energy costs significantly. Not to be missed is The Comcast Experience, a 2,000-square-foot high-definition video "wall" in the building's lobby, which also features Humanity in Motion, an installation of 12 life-size figures by Jonathan Borofsky that appear to be striding along girders 110 feet above. The building is also the site of an upscale food court and a seasonal outdoor café.

Designed by Japanese architect Junzo Yoshimura, this exquisite replica of a traditional 17th-century house, reassembled here in 1958 after being exhibited at the Museum of Modern Art in New York City, is set in 1.2 acres of gardens with a teahouse, tiered waterfall, Japanese trees, and a koi pond. Shofu-So means "pine breeze villa," and the roof is made of the bark of the hinoki, a Japanese cypress. The house was created as an example of buildings that influenced mid-20th-century architecture. Twenty murals by acclaimed Japanese contemporary artist Hiroshi Senju decorate the main rooms, enhancing the serene spirit of the compact house and gardens. Staff is on hand to answer questions. Check the website for periodic tea ceremonies (reservations required) and events; Shofuso is one site of Philadelphia's Cherry Blossom Festival each spring. Note: Shofuso is not wheelchair accessible, and visitors must remove their shoes to enter the house.  Timed tickets are required, so it's best to reserve ahead. A visit takes 30 minutes to an hour, more if you linger and soak in this escape from the urban bustle. 

Graduates of this tuition-free school for outstanding students include Leonard Bernstein, Samuel Barber, Ned Rorem, and Anna Moffo. The school occupies four former private homes and Lenfest Hall for student housing and practice rooms; the main building is in the mansion that belonged to banker George W. Childs Drexel. Built in 1893 by the distinguished Boston firm of Peabody and Stearns, it's notable for Romanesque and Renaissance architectural details. Free student and faculty concerts are given from October through May, usually on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday evenings.

Designed by Frederick Graff to look like a country estate, this National Historic Landmark completed in 1815 was the country's first steam-pumping station of its kind, and the assemblage of Greek Revival buildings is one of the city's most beautiful sights. The waterworks, down the hill behind the Philadelphia Art Museum, include a small interpretive center with historical features such as an 1851 turbine and family-friendly exhibits about the region's water and wildlife. A short film on the site's history, a mussel hatchery (seasonal progagation Mar.–Aug.), and changing exhibits are other attractions. Nearby paths provide good views of the waterworks.

The University of Penn campus is worth a stroll around, and here the public is welcome inside (admittance is 9–6 weekdays for non-Penn visitors). One of the finest works of Frank Furness, this was the most iconoclastic library building in America when it opened in 1891. The acclaimed Philadelphia architect adorned the enormous reading room with Romanesque archways and skylights, and separated the soaring stairwell from study areas and stacks to minimize distractions. The unusual aesthetic extends to the exterior, with its terra-cotta panels, short heavy columns, and gargoyles on the north end. The mottoes inscribed on many of the original leaded-glass windows were chosen by Horace Howard Furness, Frank's older brother and a Shakespeare scholar on Penn’s faculty. Energetic visitors can make the long climb up the main staircase to see the upper half of the tower.

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. The building is now mostly home to apartments and offices, while 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.

One of the city's architectural jewels, this temple remains a hidden treasure even to many Philadelphians. Historically, Freemasons were skilled stoneworkers who relied on secret signs and passwords. Their worldwide fraternal order—the Free and Accepted Masons—included men in the building trades, plus many honorary members; the secret society prospered in Philadelphia during Colonial times. Brother James Windrim designed this elaborate temple as a home for the Grand Lodge of Free and Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania. The ceremonial gavel used here at the laying of the cornerstone in 1868, while 10,000 brothers looked on, was the same one that Brother George Washington used to set the cornerstone of the U.S. Capitol. The temple's ornate interior consists of seven lavishly decorated lodge halls built to exemplify specific styles of architecture: Corinthian, Ionic, Italian Renaissance, Norman, Gothic, Oriental, and Egyptian. The Egyptian hall, with its accurate hieroglyphics, is the most famous. The temple also houses an interesting museum of Masonic items, including Benjamin Franklin's printing of the first book on Freemasonry published in America and George Washington's Masonic apron.

The Contributionship, the nation's oldest fire insurance company, was founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1752; the present Greek Revival building with fluted marble Corinthian columns dates from 1836 and has some magnificently elegant salons (particularly the boardroom, where a seating plan on the wall lists Benjamin Franklin as the first incumbent of seat Number One). The architect, Thomas U. Walter, was also responsible for the dome and House and Senate wings of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. This is still an active business, but a small museum is open to the public by appointment.

Designed by the well-known Philadelphia architect William Strickland and built in 1832, this impressive Greek Revival building served as the city's commercial center for 50 years. It was both the stock exchange and a place where merchants met to trade goods. In the tower a watchman scanned the Delaware River and notified merchants of arriving ships. The exchange stands behind Dock Street, a cobblestone thoroughfare. The building houses a small exhibit on its history and now serves as the headquarters for Independence National Park.

This is the headquarters of the American Philosophical Society, founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1743 to promote "useful knowledge." The members of the oldest learned society in America have included Washington, Jefferson, Lafayette, Emerson, Darwin, Edison, Churchill, and Einstein. Erected between 1785 and 1789 in what has been called a "restrained Federal style" (designed to complement, not outshine, adjacent Independence Hall), Philosophical Hall is brick with marble trim, has a handsome arched entrance, and houses the Society's museum, open to the public Friday to Sunday. The society's library is across the street in Library Hall.

The first U.S. mint was built in Philadelphia at 16th and Spring Garden streets in 1792, when the Bank of North America adopted dollars and cents instead of shillings and pence as standard currency; the current mint was built in 1971. During a self-guided tour you can see blank disks being melted, cast, and pressed into coins, which are then inspected, counted, and bagged. Historic artifacts such as the Key to the First Mint and the gold medal awarded to General Anthony Wayne for his capture of Stony Point during the Revolutionary War are displayed. Seven Tiffany glass tile mosaics depict coin making in ancient Rome. A shop in the lobby sells special coins and medals—in mint condition.