34 Best Sights in Pennsylvania, USA

Wheatland was the home of James Buchanan, the only U.S. president from Pennsylvania, who served from 1857 to 1861. A National Historic Landmark, the restored 1828 Federal-style mansion and outbuildings display the 15th president's furniture just as it was during his lifetime. A one-hour tour, departing from the LancasterHistory museum, includes a profile of the only bachelor to occupy the White House; a movie; and access to the arboretum on the grounds. There are holiday candlelight tours with costumed guides.

A good choice for those who enjoy history and the decorative arts, the Naomi Wood collection of antique household goods, including Colonial furniture, unusual clocks, and English delftware, and "Colonial household gear" designated in Wood's will, can be seen on guided tours (required) in this Georgian mansion. This National Historic Landmark was built about 1756 as an elegant summer retreat from the city. The tour includes stories about the families who lived here and also presents a room representative of where some servants, including enslaved people, lived.  

Just a few blocks from the waterfront, Wright's Ferry Mansion was the residence of English Quaker Susanna Wright, a silkworm breeder and intellectual who counted Benjamin Franklin among her friends. Docents guide visitors around the 1738 stone house, which showcases period furniture in the William & Mary and Queen Anne styles as well as an extensive collection of English needlework, clothing, ceramics, and glass, all predating 1750.

Between the 1690s and 1973, Wyck sheltered nine generations of the Wistar-Haines family. Their accumulated furnishings are on display, along with ceramics, children's needlework, dolls, and artifacts generally contemporary with the mid-1800s. On one side is the oldest rose garden in the United States, dating to the 1820s, which blooms in May, as well as a magnolia tree from that time. Out back are a large lawn, where you can picnic, and a vegetable garden—the land has been continuously farmed since 1690, and during the summer it hosts many kid-friendly garden-related events as well as workshops. Known as the oldest house in Germantown, Wyck was used as a British field hospital after the Battle of Germantown. Walk-in tours are offered April–November, Thursday–Saturday, noon–4 pm, and the grounds are open for wandering Tuesday–Friday 10 am–4 pm. Off-season and specialty tours are available by appointment.