Happy birthday, America!
Philadelphia puts a fun spin on our nation’s history

Often referred to as the birthplace of our nation, Philadelphia is home to the Liberty Bell, an international symbol of freedom, and Independence Hall, where both the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution were created.

Philadelphia was also the capital of the United States from 1790 to 1800.

“It’s a great place to take your family to learn about American history,” said Caroline Bean, media relations manager of the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp. “My favorite place is the National Constitution Center. I go there with kids of all ages. It has more than 17 hours of interactive activities.”

The National Constitution Center sits on the mall at Independence National Historical Park, along with Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell Center.

According to Ashley Berke, the director of media relations at The National Constitution Center, the center explores and explains the Constitution through interactive exhibits, artifacts and displays. Visitors can take the Presidential oath of office, give opinions on Supreme Court cases and view an original copy of the Constitution.

The Liberty Bell Center, the new home of the Liberty Bell, treats visitors to exhibits on the history, myths and facts of the bell, as well as views of the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall, which lies just across the street.

Bean highly recommends families visiting Philadelphia during the summer participate in tours connected with “Once Upon a Nation” at Independence National Historical Park.

“There are both free elements and paid elements,” said Bean. “The free elements include things like people stationed around Independence Mall who can tell you the under told stories of the different historical attractions. It’s always there and it’s always free.”

An example of a paid element would be “Lights of Liberty,” a nighttime sound and light show about the American Revolution, she said.

“Visitors wear headsets, that play the Philadelphia symphony orchestra, and follow a costumed guide through Independence National Historical Park, while hand-painted images are projected onto Independence Hall and other historic buildings,” Bean said.

Despite being up north, it gets pretty hot in Philadelphia during the summer, so Bean suggested that families visiting the historic district walk over to Market Street and cool down at The Franklin Fountain.

“It is an old soda shop-looking place,” Bean said.

The Berkley brothers, owners of The Franklin Fountain, prefer the moniker “ice cream saloon.” They create banana splits, fruit phosphates, root beer floats and other traditional soda shop fare.

“They wax mustaches and sell ice cram sodas and all kinds of goodies,” Bean said. “It looks historical but is also fun.”

Chase the clouds away

“My son knows Sesame Place very well,” said Audrey Shapiro, director of communication for Sesame Place. “This year his favorite attraction is Elmo’s World. That’s our brand-new attraction with three new rides. They’re colorful and fun — not scary, but thrilling.”

Sesame Place is where Sesame Street comes to life through interactive education, Shapiro said.

“We have a nice balance between water and dry attractions and the shows,” Shapiro said. “Families who want to do everything just need to plan things out a little. But if you don’t bring a swimsuit we have swimsuits here that you can purchase.”

Shapiro recommends families take time and enjoy the interactive exhibits at the pace of their children.

“Little ones will go at their own pace and a lot of times they enjoy repeating the same activity over and over and over again,” she said. “But with so much to do I would recommend seeing the ‘Rock Around the Block Parade’ or the live-action ‘Elmo’s World.’”

Hands-on museums

The Franklin Institute Science Museum opened in 1824 to honor the inventiveness of its namesake. Its hands-on attractions explore science in disciplines ranging from sports to space.

“There are a lot of things at the Franklin Institute that are really interesting,” said Columbia resident and father Jack Holdford. “When you first walk in, there is a huge statue of Ben Franklin. That was kind of awe-inspiring.”

Holdford took his children Sean and Katie —  along with about 20 other South Carolina children — on a Boy Scout field trip to the Franklin Institute. Highlights of their trip included watching people ride the Skybike — a unicycle on the second floor — across a high wire and the Titanic traveling exhibit.

“Being able to stick your fingers through the Plexiglas and touch the bulkhead of the Titanic was pretty great,” Holdford said.

Other highlights include The Sports Challenge, which uses virtual-reality technology to illustrate the physics of sports; The Train Factory’s climb-aboard steam engine; Space Command’s simulated earth-orbit research station; a fully equipped weather station; and exhibits on electricity. Holdford said that the exhibits are probably best suited for children 8 years old and older.

Shapiro agreed.

“With a 5 year old and a 2 year old, I would say visit the Please Touch Me Museum,” Shapiro said. “We used to have a membership there and my son loved it. It’s very hands-on and definitely age appropriate for 2- and 5-year-olds.”

Off the beaten path

Paul Skilton-Sylvester, a Philadelphia parent of 3-year-old twins, likes Philadelphia because the city can be easily navigated on foot.

“You don’t have to drive somewhere to be someplace,” he said. “When my kids were infants we would walk to Rittenhouse Square and there would be a dozen other kids playing out by the goat statue or climbing on the lion or sailing boats in the fountain. It’s a great place for families to visit.”

Some of Skilton-Sylvester’s favorite attractions include the Please Touch Museum, The Franklin Institute, the zoo, the Camden Aquarium in New Jersey, the Liberty Bell and Constitution Center.

“These are the standards,” he said. “I think that most people who visit Philadelphia don’t see what’s best about it. Philadelphia is still what cities used to be — little neighborhoods with corner stores and a porch-stoop life. People hang out, do double Dutch and talk to their neighbors.”

Skilton-Sylvester said neighborhood sights are must-see family attractions. One he cited in particular was the Smith Memorial Playground and Playhouse, which opened in 1899 through the wills of Richard and Sarah Smith. Nearly 10 million children have visited since its opening.

Today, children up to 10 years old can enjoy a trip down a giant wooden slide, which is 12 feet wide, 40 feet long and 10 feet high. For children ages 5 – 10, there’s a giant see-saw and spinning jungle gyms.

“About 100 years ago the Smith family lost their son,” Skilton-Sylvester said. “In memory of that child they built a huge mansion with the sole purpose of it being a playhouse for kids. They built the best playground anybody had ever seen. They included a slide the size of a ski hill made out of wood.”

He said the house is filled with everything young children could want to play with, including a huge wooden train, a basement full of cars, roads and stop lights, building blocks, and play stores.

Food was next on Skilton-Sylvester’s suggestion list.

“At Ninth and Passyunk Avenue you have two Philadelphia landmarks, Pat’s Steaks and Jeno’s Steaks,” he said. If you want a Philly cheese steak, these are the places to go. All Philadelphians eat there.”

Looking for a family-friendly hotel?

Hotels in Philadelphia are going out of their way to offer specialized services for families. According to Caroline Bean, media relations manager of the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp., the Philly Overnight Hotel Package is available through Sept. 4 at dozens of hotels throughout the region.

The package includes two-night accommodations, free hotel parking and a gift upon check-in. Two hotels on the list are the Hyatt Regency on Penn’s Landing and the Park Hyatt at the Bellevue.

“The Hyatt Regency on Penn’s Landing has childproof suites for younger children and welcome bags stuffed with goodies,” Bean said. “And there is a kidsierge at the Park Hyatt at the Bellevue.”

The kidsierge is a special concierge for children ages 4 – 14 years old. Bean said the kidsierge gives parents traveling with children a personalized letter, a goody bag and an invitation to visit the kidsierge for ideas and discount coupons for fun attractions.

Visit www.gophila.com for more information.

Transportation Made Easy

Caroline Bean, media relations manager of the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corp., said families looking for a way to see all of Philadelphia’s attractions should definitely take the Phlash.

The Plash is a purple trolley that connects 20 visitor attractions in a loop between Penn’s Landing and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, including the National Constitution Center and the Franklin Institute.

Daily passes are $4 for individuals and $10 for families of four. Children under 5 years old are admitted free.