20 Best Sights in Pennsylvania, USA

This 160,000-square-foot attraction brings the U.S. Constitution to life with exhibits tracing the development and adoption of the nation's guiding document. The interactive “The Story of We the People” takes you from the American Revolution through the Constitution's ratification to major events in the nation's constitutional history, including present-day events like the inauguration of President Barack Obama, Hurricane Katrina, and the recent economic crisis. Later, you can play the role of a Supreme Court justice deciding an important case, walk among the framers in Signers' Hall, and add your signature to the list of Founding Fathers. The facility has 100-plus exhibits and plays host to many events with major historians, authors, and political figures.

The museum and visitor center is the place to start your exploration of the events and impact of the Battle of Gettysburg. A dozen galleries display a compelling mix of the museum's more than 40,000 artifacts, such as scores of weapons, uniforms, and a wooden desk believed to have been used by General Robert E. Lee. Interactive video and audio displays further illuminate the events, the centerpiece being the 377-foot-long "Battle of Gettysburg" cyclorama, a painting in-the-round depicting Pickett's Charge. Made in 1884, the painting is the largest in North America and one of the last cycloramas in existence, now completely restored. Stand in the center with the lights down while stirring narration and special effects immerse you in the story. It's paired with a documentary film, A New Birth of Freedom, in a 45-minute experience. In the main entry hall the National Park Service has an information desk offering help with everything from battlefield walking tours to free ranger-conducted programs. Private, licensed guides may also be hired at the center. There is a restaurant and a bookstore on-site.

Within walking distance of the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, the Constitution Center, and the First Bank of the United States, the Museum of the American Revolution resides in the heart of historic Philadelphia. Divided into four parts—Road to Independence (1760–75), The Darkest Hour (1776–78), A Revolutionary War (1778–83), A New Nation (1783–present)—the museum’s impressive collection has been in the making for more than a century. Several thousand artifacts, many of which have never been shown before, include General George Washington’s actual tent that he used as his war headquarters; a pair of English holster pistols carried throughout the war by a German American brigadier general; an early-19th-century summer coat worn by a Revolutionary War soldier; and a pair of infant shoes crafted from the stolen coat of a British soldier. Many of the exhibits are interactive and family-friendly, too.

This is considered one of the world's finest archaeological and anthropological museums and research institutes—and would likely be a bigger draw to the city if its location next to a hospital megaplex made it easier to visit. The vast collection includes a large Egyptian sphinx, numerous mummies, a crystal ball once owned by China's dowager empress, some of the oldest writing known to humanity—Sumerian cuneiform clay tablets—and 4,600-year-old golden jewels from the royal tombs of Ur (modern-day Iraq). Other collections focus on artifacts from Africa, Asia, Central and North America, ancient Europe, and more. Much revamped (and still revamping), the museum mixes in contemporary culture to connect the past to the present, such as with Native American tribes, who helped reimagine the North American galleries. Two of the main Egyptian galleries will be closed until about 2027, but some Egyptian highlights remain on view in other rooms. The museum specializes in tours like Ancient Alcohol or Global Guides, where guides are native to the area they are speaking about. You can download self-guided tours like Amazing Artifacts from the museum's website, where you can also check out what events might be happening during your visit. The koi pond and gardens out front are free to enter and a great hideaway to enjoy a snack and a little respite.

Philadelphia's maritime museum houses many nautical artifacts, figureheads, and ship models, as well as interactive exhibits that convey just what the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers have meant to the city's fortunes over the years. You can climb in the gray, cold, wooden bunks used in steerage; unload cargo from giant container ships with a miniature crane; or even try your hand at designing your own boat. Enter the museum by passing under the three-story replica of the Benjamin Franklin Bridge, and be sure to check out the Seaport Boat Shop and Ship Model Shack, where members of the Philadelphia Ship Model Society put together scale-model ships in front of visitors' eyes. Tickets to tour the USS Becunia in addition to the museum cost slightly more. During summer season only, visitors can dine at the adjacent Liberty Point restaurant.

Opened in the Bicentennial year of 1976, this is the first museum of its kind funded and built by a city. The centerpiece is "Audacious Freedom: African Americans in Philadelphia 1776–1876," an interactive and immersive exhibit that uses technology to tell the stories of pioneers in the freedom movement. The list includes Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, a suffragist and conductor on the Underground Railroad; Thomas Morris Chester, the first black lawyer to argue before the U.S. Supreme Court; and Elizabeth Taylor Greenfield, a renowned singer who performed for Queen Victoria. Visiting and rotating exhibitions dive deep into the artistic, cultural, and political contributions of African Americans. The museum's gift shop stocks one of the city’s widest selections of books on black culture, history, fiction, poetry, and drama, along with textiles, sculpture, jewelry, prints, and tiles.

This neoclassical building in FDR Park celebrates Swedish contributions to American history. The Swedes settled the Delaware Valley in the mid-1600s, and it was a pair of Swedish brothers who sold William Penn the land that became Philadelphia. Modeled after a 17th-century Swedish manor house, the museum features galleries and rooms that concentrate on specific eras and industrious characters. The John Ericsson Room honors the designer of the Civil War ship the USS Monitor; the Jenny Lind Room contains memorabilia from the P. T. Barnum–led American tour the soprano known as the “Swedish Nightingale” embarked upon in 1850. Other rooms display handmade dolls, crafts, paintings, and drawings, all in addition to rotating cultural exhibitions. It's not the most riveting place on paper, but the unconventional location, combined with its examination of overlooked history, make for an interesting visit.

This site has been home to a Quaker gathering place since 1682. The current simple-lined building, constructed in 1804 for the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting of the Society of Friends, is still used for that purpose, as well as for weekly services. Among the most influential members in the 19th century was Lucretia Mott (1793–1880), a leader in the women's suffrage, antiwar, and antislavery movements. A small museum in the building presents a series of dioramas and a slide show depicting the life and accomplishments of William Penn (1644–1718), who gave this land to the Society of Friends. Tours take place during the day April through October, and by appointment only November through March.

Becoming Chester County, the center's excellent permanent exhibition, uses its collection of 70,000 historical objects and modern interactive displays to tell compelling stories of the challenges and opportunities Delaware Valley inhabitants faced from the late 1600s to today. Galleries address the Lenape people, the American Revolution, slavery, industrialization, women's suffrage, immigration, and other issues, often using the examples of local residents. The collections are gorgeous, including furniture, quilts, period clothing, tall-case clocks, and cross-stitch samplers. A hands-on history lab lets kids try some old-style tools and dress up in a hoop skirt, and the center's library has extensive records and photographs. The society's two-building complex includes a former horticultural hall that was the site of the first women's rights convention in Pennsylvania.

Housed in an authentic 1876 firehouse, this museum traces the history of firefighting, from the volunteer company founded in Philadelphia by Benjamin Franklin in 1736 to the professional departments of the 20th century. The collection includes early hand- and horse-drawn fire engines, such as a 1796 hand pumper, an 1857 steamer, and a 1907 three-horse Metropolitan steamer; fire marks (18th-century building signs marking them as insured for fire); uniforms; other memorabilia; and a 9/11 memorial. There is also a gift shop on-site and online.

This museum presents the story of the Civil War era and the Battle of Gettysburg through artifacts, a 20-minute film, 3D videos and photos, and interactive displays. At the front desk, you can book battlefield tours (for a fee) by Victorian carriage, horseback, electric bike, or foot. Costumed guides lead 90-minute walking tours of the town (also for a fee).

Proximity to the Mason-Dixon Line helped make Kennett Square particularly active in the Underground Railroad: slavery was legal in nearby Delaware, so Pennsylvania was the first free state encountered by many escaping enslavement. Among the area's abolitionists were Quakers and members of the local African American community. The Kennett Underground Railroad Center, based in one room in the Kennett Heritage Center, preserves this history, offering a two-hour guided bus tour of related sites on one Sunday a month most of the year. The tours are family-friendly and stop at historic houses, Quaker meetinghouses, and documented Underground Railroad sites. The Kennett Heritage Center ( kennettheritagecenter.org), located downtown in a 1901 house, presents town history with modern, information-packed panels and also has some photographs and artifacts. The focus is on the Battle of Brandywine in 1777, the Underground Railroad, and agricultural history. 

The modern architecture of this museum belies the deep collection of Lancaster County artifacts within. Exhibits illuminate the history of Lancaster County going back 350 years. Furniture, tools, crafts, and Native American objects are on display. On the grounds, the peaceful Tanger Arboretum features 250 kinds of trees. Also on the grounds is Wheatland, the home of President James Buchanan, which you see up close on a tour run by LancasterHistory.

This small but first-rate museum about Mennonite history and culture has exhibits of furniture, needlework, tools, and photographs. The highlight of the center is a reproduction of the tabernacle carried by the Hebrews on their journey through the wilderness; a 35-minute multimedia presentation tells the story. There is also an extensive bookstore and a gift shop selling international crafts. Don't miss the Fraktur—elaborate, usually illustrated, works of Gothic calligraphy on paper (think needlework samplers).

Located downtown, this eccentric museum opened in 1916. It displays a selection of the 50,000 pre-industrial, mostly American tools and objects collected by archaeologist and Arts and Crafts tile maker Henry Chapman Mercer, who worried that industrialization would wipe out evidence of the past. To house them, Mercer built a concrete, castle-like building similar to his nearby home, Fonthill Castle. The result is Instagrammable but tricky to navigate; use the museum's map. Boats, tables, chairs, and more hang from the six-story central court's ceiling; elsewhere, rooms are packed with objects organized by trade or purpose. A modern wing has a helpful introduction to Mercer and galleries for changing exhibits. The engaging The Doan Gang: Outlaws of the Revolution, about a local Loyalist family, will be on display throughout 2026. 

Even if you aren't in Philadelphia on January 1, you can still get a feel for one of the city’s unique traditions by stopping by this museum. Famous for their extravagant sequin-and-feather costumes and boisterous behavior, the Mummers spend all year practicing for their New Year’s Day parade down Broad Street, a tradition since 1901. With roots in old European folk performance traditions, today’s Mummers clubs fall into several different categories, including satirical Comics, musical String Bands, and theatrical Fancies. All this and more is covered at the museum, which features family-friendly exhibits on Mummers culture; there are outdoor concerts in the summer.

Using interactive exhibits, video, and works of art, the museum aims to combat bigotry in the United States by putting a spotlight on the nation's rich traditions of freedom and diversity. Galleries celebrate outstanding Americans and contemporaries abroad. The "Heroes from around the World" exhibit celebrates everyday heroes, including teachers, first responders, and extraordinary children working to better their communities. The museum's collection of glass art is symbolic of the fragility of peace; its highlight is Dale Chihuly's 21-foot-tall red glass sculpture Flame of Liberty. Sandy Skoglund's colorful Jellybean Kids wall is a reminder that many of our differences are only skin deep.

When it was originally built in 1791, this building housed the U.S. Department of War. Today’s reconstruction outlines early American military history and the formation of the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps. On display are Revolutionary uniforms, medals, and authentic weapons, including powder horns, swords, and a blunderbuss. Dioramas depict highlights from the Revolutionary War through the late 18th century, and there are several scale models of warships and frigates as well. This museum is typically open for special events and occasions only.

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.

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.