The oldest learned society in the US was founded in 1743 by Benjamin Franklin with the aim of 'promoting useful knowledge.' It continues on its mission by mounting a different themed exhibition each year on American history and science in their museum on the east side of the Independence Hall, the only section of the complex not run by the National Park.
American Philosophical Society
Philadelphia
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
Independence National Historical Park
0.16 MILES
This L-shaped Philadelphia park, bound by 6th, 2nd, Walnut and Arch Sts, protects and honors the institutions that formed the foundation of the United…
2.07 MILES
The premier cultural institution in Philadelphia, this epic art museum would stand out even without Rocky's famous antics on the east steps. Every visitor…
1.47 MILES
Since 2012, Dr Albert C Barnes' eye-popping collection of artworks – predominantly focused on French masterpieces from the late 19th and early 20th…
0.04 MILES
The 'birthplace of American government', this modest, early 18th-century Georgian building is where delegates from the 13 colonies met to approve the…
0.6 MILES
Getting the balance just right between food shopping hub and dining destination, Reading Terminal Market opened way back in 1893 and it's been a…
0.79 MILES
Although the fortress-like exterior of this 1873 building is pretty impressive, it's the spectacular interiors – which took a further 15 years to complete…
0.8 MILES
Completed in 1901 following 30 years of construction, City Hall takes up a whole block, and at 548ft is the world's tallest structure without a steel…
Museum of the American Revolution
0.18 MILES
This impressive, multimedia-rich museum will have you virtually participating in the American Revolution; interactive dioramas and 3-D experiences take…
Nearby Philadelphia attractions
0.01 MILES
It was in this building, Philadelphia's Old City Hall, that the US Supreme Court made its first decisions between 1791 and 1800.
0.04 MILES
The 'birthplace of American government', this modest, early 18th-century Georgian building is where delegates from the 13 colonies met to approve the…
0.05 MILES
Modeled after the Greek Parthenon, this 1824 marble-faced Greek Revival masterpiece now houses a Portrait Gallery. Many of the paintings are by Charles…
0.06 MILES
Congress Hall is where the first legislators met when Philly was the nation's capital. Entrance (no ticket necessary) is through the security checkpoint…
0.1 MILES
A glass-walled building protects this icon of Philadelphia history from the elements. You can peek from outside, or join the line to file past, reading…
6. National Museum of American Jewish History
0.12 MILES
Covering four floors, with lots of multimedia displays and intriguing items such as Iriving Berlin's piano and a Yiddish typewriter, this excellent museum…
0.13 MILES
In the east lobby of the Curtis Center is a masterpiece of American craft: a luminous, wall-size Tiffany mosaic of more than 100,000 pieces of glass…
0.14 MILES
Erected as a calling card for the skillful work of the Carpenters' Company of Philadelphia in 1774, this is where the First Continental Congress met.