Philadelphia, PA

It only took 35 years, but I finally made it back to New Jersey! This week was devoted to Philadelphia but our campground was located just over the Delaware River in New Jersey, where I lived for about 9 months when I was four. Just a blip on the radar I know, but it was still fun to feel like I was reconnecting with a part of my past. We started the week with a couple of days of much needed down time and we had a perfect site just steps away from the jump pillow!

This campground also offered “fun cycle” rentals for more outdoor fun.

For our first day out in Philly, I decided to take the kids to the Franklin Institute, a children’s science and technology museum. I also learned a valuable life lesson: trucks made for hauling trailers are not made for driving and parking in urban cities. Anyway, upon entering the museum, we were greeted by Mr. Franklin himself!

We had spent some time leading up to our Philly visit reading about Ben Franklin’s interesting life so it was really meaningful to experience exhibits designed around his discoveries and experiments. We also got to walk through the giant heart, a rite of passage for school children in Philadelphia.

Other highlights of the Franklin Institute were the live science demonstrations, the planetarium show, and the Baldwin locomotive that’s been at the Institute since the 30’s. We also found this Liberty Bell made out of LEGOs!

Our next day out was focused on history, with some cheesesteaks thrown in for good measure. The kids and I spent the morning at the Museum of the American Revolution and it was really well done. We could have easily spent a full day there and it really helped “bring to life” all of the American history we’ve covered this year.

They have an incredible video that ends in a presentation of George Washington’s tent that he used during the Revolutionary War. And we got to touch a piece of a Liberty Tree that once stood in Philadelphia. (Liberty Trees served as a place where locals would demonstrate opposition to British policies, either posting complaints on the trunk or hanging lanterns in the branches in celebration).

I was also interested to learn about the Rising Sun Chair that George Washington used during the Constitutional Convention. Benjamin Franklin said he had wondered all summer if the sun carved into the chair was rising or setting but after the constitution was signed, he determined the sun was rising – a symbol of the young nation at the dawn of its new government.

After the museum, we met up with Daniel to find some lunch – specifically some cheesesteaks! We got a chance to see how cute Philly is (really cute!) on our walk to Jim’s on South Street.

When you turn on South Street, the scene changes dramatically. Let’s call it…funky.

The cheesesteaks were delicious, but they came at a steep price and that price was missing our timed entry into Independence Hall. <Insert eye roll here.> Independence Hall is where the Declaration of Independence was drafted and signed. However, we were able to join a tour for Congress Hall, which was equally insightful and interesting! The park rangers we’ve encountered on this trip have all been exceptional. It was so easy to picture what those meetings would have looked like.

We also visited Carpenter’s Hall, which served as the meeting place of the First Continental Congress.

We wrapped up our day with a visit to the Liberty Bell, and it is another example of a well-done exhibit. We enjoyed reading about the long history of the bell and of course, having the opportunity to see it in-person.

Under normal circumstances, I don’t think I would have put Philadelphia at the top of my list of places to visit but I highly recommend it now. The city is clean and walkable, and it is packed with interesting history. And really, the Museum of the American Revolution is enough reason alone to plan your own Philly trip!