47 Best Sights in Pennsylvania, USA

Erected in 2003 to honor the victims of the Irish Famine (1845–1849), the memorial features 35 life-size bronze figures that depict the famine in Ireland, as well as people moving to and arriving in America; more than 1 million people died in the famine and more than 1 million people left the country. The memorial was designed by Glenna Goodacre. (Note: the statue is currently in a temporary location at 109 Spruce Street, until the construction project at Penn's Landing is completed). 

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 site commemorates the location of the home of U.S. presidents George Washington and John Adams from 1790 to 1800, as well as nine enslaved Africans who worked as household staff. This outdoor monument, which is open 24 hours a day, shows video clips that bring the house's history alive. Inside, take note of the bow window, which is thought to have inspired the shape of the Oval Office at the White House, as well as the remains of a passage torn down in 1832 that connected the main house to the slave quarters.

The first in a planned series of parks along the Delaware River, this green space offers dramatic views of the overhead Benjamin Franklin Bridge and allows for up-close views of the river itself. Designed by the same firm behind New York's popular High Line, the terraced promenade features lush plantings, including some three dozen trees and many perennials, as well as amphitheater-style seating near the river's edge, plenty of benches and green lawns for relaxing, and regular donation-based yoga classes during the summer months. 

The first phase of The Rail Park is a quarter-mile trail that turned an abandoned, elevated train line into a public park lined with greenery and offering stunning views of the city. The project is envisioned to eventually span 3 miles from near the Art Museum into Northern Liberties. While the open part of the park is small, it's a lovely way to understand the future of the city's unused spaces. There are swings for children, bike racks, and lots of native plants.

Created by artist A. Thomas Schomberg for the 1982 film Rocky III, the life-size statue was donated by the film’s director and star, Sylvester Stallone, to the City of Philadelphia after filming. The statue has moved around, but since 2006 it has stood at the bottom of the Philadelphia Art Museum’s steps. It continues to be one of the city’s most popular destinations, with visitors lining up patiently to get their selfie with the bronze version of the “Italian Stallion.” The city celebrates Rocky Day annually on December 3, and in 2026 celebrations around town will mark the 50th anniversary of the release of the first Rocky film. Steps from the Rocky statue, the Parkway Visitor Center kiosk sells Rocky merch among its offerings and services.  

In what is technically Roxborough but feels very removed from the dense row houses, visitors can explore more than 355 acres of woods and trails in what is part nature center, part education center, and part art exhibition and performance location (usually in connection with nature). Trails are free and open dusk till dawn every day, while most events and workshops have a fee. There is also access via a trail that connects to the Schuylkill River Trail.

On any given day, runners, cyclists, walkers, dog walkers, and loungers can be found at the expansive Schuylkill River Park. The park runs along the river from Lombard Street to Manning Street, spanning more than three city blocks on the edge of Center City before University City. Even during the coldest months, the park is packed with people and their dogs in the on-site dog parks, children on the playground, athletes shooting hoops at the basketball courts, and people enjoying the skyline vantage points.

Housed in a former grand bank building, this free museum in the heart of Old City features two floors of science-focused displays that tell the interesting "stories" behind the science of everyday items like dresses and batteries. A variety of fascinating exhibits feature science instruments, art, photos, videos, rare books, product packaging, and various displays such as their collection of microscopes and chemistry sets through the years. There's always a rotating temporary exhibit as well as educational programming and a gift shop. The museum produces a popular podcast called "Distillations" that does a deep dive on many scientific topics.  This small museum is a great place to visit in between the larger historical sites.

When Second Bank president Nicholas Biddle held a design competition for a new building, he required all architects to use the Greek style; William Strickland, one of the foremost architects of the 19th century, won. Built in 1824, the bank, with its Doric columns, was based on the design of the Parthenon and helped establish the popularity of Greek Revival architecture in the United States. The interior hall, though, was Roman, with a dramatic barrel-vault ceiling. Housed here are portraits of prominent Colonial Americans by noted artists such as Charles Willson Peale, William Rush, and Gilbert Stuart. Don't miss Peale's portraits of Jefferson and Lewis and Clark: the former is the only one that shows the third president with red hair, and the latter is the only known portrait of the famous explorers. The permanent exhibition, "The People of Independence," has a life-size wooden statue of George Washington by William Rush; a mural of Philadelphia in the 1830s by John A. Woodside Jr.; and the only known likeness of William Floyd, a lesser-known signer of the Declaration of Independence.

Marking the city's connections with eleven global "sister cities" such as Kobe, Japan, this small, family-focused park has a prime location near Logan Circle, the Logan Philadelphia hotel, and the Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. A play area for kids features a rocky area to explore and a toy-boat and wading pond, and kids can cool off in a fountain with water jets, April through October. Sister Cities is also home to Robert Indiana's AMOR (Spanish and Latin for "love") sculpture, a companion to nearby LOVE Park's famous LOVE. The handy seasonal café (closed mid-December to early March), in a modern building with floor-to-ceiling windows, has light fare including kid-friendly items.

Built between 1897 and 1912 with funds donated by foundry owner Richard Smith, this memorial to Pennsylvania heroes of the Civil War marks a major entrance to West Fairmout Park. Among those immortalized in bronze are Generals George Meade and Winfield Scott Hancock (both on horseback), and Smith himself.  At the base of each tower is a curved wall with a bench. If you sit at one end and listen to a person whispering at the other end, you learn why they're called the Whispering Benches. For information about the memorial's 14 statues and busts, see  associationforpublicart.org.

Founded in 1899, this beloved facility has more than 50 pieces of age-specific equipment for children 10 and younger. An outdoor favorite on the 6½-acre site in East Fairmount Park is the Ann Newman Giant Wooden Slide, measuring 39 feet long, 12 feet wide, and 10 feet tall. The playground, run by a nonprofit organization, includes the 16,000-square-foot Playhouse, a mansion-like building with areas such as Smithville (a miniature town), a library, and a climb-on train. Everyone using Smith must register and get a wristband to enter the site. 

This seasonal oasis—referred to by some as an urban beach—is a combination of three landscaped barges, a hammock lounge, and floating gardens that hug the Delaware River. More than 50 hammocks are strung throughout the park, and there's an award-winning beer garden that pours more than 15 local brews. You can get food from the Franklin Fountain and Chickie's & Pete's as well as pizza, classic boardwalk foods, and more. There's even a boardwalk that's lined with swings, hammocks, bocce courts, Ping-Pong, shuffleboard, and shipping containers that have been converted into an arcade with skeeball, air hockey, and other classic games.

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.

Established in 1976, this museum moved in 2010 to a new, James Polshek–designed, contemporary building near Independence Hall. The 100,000-square-foot facility, via multimedia displays, historic objects, and ephemera, traces the history of American Jews from 1654 to the present. Highlights include "Only in America," a showcase of the accomplishments of famed Jewish Americans, including Jonas Salk, Barbra Streisand, and Irving Berlin; a three-level timeline covering immigration, the formation of Israel, and the civil rights movement; Seinfeld; a Contemporary Issues Forum, where you can share your views on Post-it-style notes that are electronically scanned and displayed; and "It's Your Story," where you can record clips about your family history. The museum's exterior offers two contrasting sculptures symbolizing how American Jewish history is intertwined with the nation's story: a 19th-century marble monument dubbed Religious Liberty and a sculpture by contemporary artist Deborah Kass.