3 Best Sights in Pennsylvania, USA

Weathered gravestones fill the resting place of five signers of the Declaration of Independence and other Colonial patriots. The best known is Benjamin Franklin; he lies alongside his wife, Deborah, and their son, Francis, who died at age four. According to local legend, throwing a penny onto Franklin's grave will bring you good luck. The burial ground is open to the public—except in January and February—for regular visits.

Also known as Soldiers' National Cemetery, this is the final resting place for more than 3,500 Union soldiers who died on the battlefield. Dedicated by President Abraham Lincoln in his Gettysburg Address, the cemetery is also where some 3,000 veterans of subsequent conflicts were laid to rest. A stroll through the beautiful grounds past row after row of white grave markers is a sobering reminder of the cost of war. 

John Notman, architect of the Athenaeum and other noted local buildings, designed Laurel Hill's eastern section in 1836; it is an important example of an early rural burial ground and the first cemetery in America designed by an architect. The striking, hilly location overlooking the Schuylkill River, rare trees, and impressive monuments and mausoleums made it a popular picnic spot in the 19th century, and today it is an accredited arboretum as well as a cemetery. The 78-acre eastern necropolis in Philadelphia has a visitor center and exhibition space at the Ridge Avenue entrance. It's a tranquil place to stroll or bike, take a guided thematic tour on history or nature (fee; see website for all programs), or download an app for a self-guided tour. Among the notables buried here or in the 200-acre western section in suburban Bala Cynwood (opened in 1869 across the river) are General George Meade and 39 other Civil War–era generals. Burials still take place, so visit respectfully.