Ultimate Philadelphia day trip with kids
I’ll be honest with you, Philly wasn’t really even on my radar as a must-visit-with-kids city. I love DC, have always loved Boston, and obviously NYC is incredible. So many East Coast cities to visit, so little time, right? Wrong. Do not miss visiting Philadelphia with kids!
Philadelphia is full of history, iconic landmarks like the Liberty Bell & Independence Hall, fan-atic sports teams, family-friendly attractions, and cheesesteaks. It’s also now my son’s favorite city he’s ever been to (DC is a close second, he says).
It’s also easy to get to from a variety of locations on the East Coast. We were staying in Wilmington, Delaware (thank you, A&M!) and it was super easy to drive into Philly for the day. We grabbed our BrewHaHa coffee, drove into the city, enjoyed exploring for the day, and headed back to Delaware for the night.
There is so much to explore in Philly! Read on for the ultimate one day itinerary for exploring Philadelphia with kids.
One day in Philly with kids
Independence Visitor Center:
Parking in the Autopark at Independence Mall is easy, safe, and not too expensive for city parking. As of now, it’s less than $25 for the full day & no need to worry about a meter expiring!
Walk upstairs (through the most delightful parking garage ramp ever) into the Independence Visitor Center. Here you can pick up Jr Ranger booklets and get your (free!) timed tickets to tour Independence Hall.
Use the restrooms if needed, and explain to your kids that you don’t need to visit the gift shops right now, but you’ll be back at the end of the day (I wish I were kidding). Grab a map, talk to a park ranger, visit the exhibits to get pumped for the day, stamp your National Parks passport if you have one, and get ready to explore!
Quick Tip – Choose your Independence Hall timed tickets wisely! We knew we wanted plenty of time to see the Old City and other sites early in the day before they got more crowded. We also planned to walk to City Hall & the surrounding area for lunch and to see the famous LOVE statue, so chose a later time slot knowing we’d have to walk all the way back (but then would end our day near our car!).
Exploring the Old City:
Liberty Bell – Head to the Liberty Bell first for the best chance to view it & take photos without crowds. Our kids were so excited to see “the bell with the crack in it,” so it being the first stop was an easy choice. It was truly incredible to see the bell up close and be able to take pictures with it (without having to edit any people out of it!).
Independence Hall (outside) – Walk by and take in the splendor of this historic building – and maybe a photo or two. You’ll tour the inside later, but it’s hard to walk by without gawking.
Christ Church Burial Ground – Open since 1719, Benjamin Franklin, his wife, and four other signers of the Declaration of Independence are buried here. You can view Ben Franklin’s grave site from outside the fence at 5th and Arch Streets. To keep with Philadelphia tradition, leave a penny on Franklin’s grave! If you’d like to explore more, you can pay to go inside the burial ground.
Christ Church – Founded in 1965, Christ Church was the place of worship for many of our nation’s Founding Fathers, including George Washington. It’s a gorgeous church, and definitely worth the stop to see the grounds & building. You can pay for a self-guided or guided tour, or view the grounds and peek in the building (and gift shop) free of charge.
Elfreth’s Alley – Our next stop, our nation’s oldest continuously inhabited street, is so full of charm. There is a museum open from April – November, but it’s also a public road that is open any time of day throughout the year. We enjoyed walking along the road and soaking up the history on such a gorgeous day!
Betsy Ross House – We loved this stop! The cutest house with so much history to explore! There is a lot to learn about our flag, an adorable gift shop, and a lovely square to sit for a moment.
US Mint – The nation’s first mint, you can stop by quickly or do a full tour inside. Allow 45 minutes for the (free!) inside tour. We weren’t sure we had time for this with all we wanted to do before our Independence Hall tour, but we’d love to come back.
Lunch Break & City Hall
Reading Terminal Market – Head to Reading Terminal Market for literally anything you could dream of wanting for lunch. It’s a decent walk from the Old City, but worth it because you’ll get to see City Hall and the LOVE statue, too! If anything there are maybe too many food options, but a farmer’s market stall-style market is always fun in a big city. We divided and conquered to get multiple types of food and it was all delicious!
City Hall – The world’s second largest freestanding masonry building, I couldn’t get over how beautiful Philadelphia’s City Hall is! You can climb to the top and run through the fountains down below. Even though our kids were “tired from walking” they found the energy to run when water fountains were involved!
LOVE Statue – Across the street from City Hall at JFK Plaza (Love Park) is the famous LOVE statue. To be honest it was smaller than I was expecting, but still a fun stop!
More History + a tour
Oldest US Post Office – Head back toward the Old City before your timed tour at Independence Hall. Stop by the Oldest US Post Office (and only one that doesn’t fly the flag!) and mail yourself a postcard complete with the “B. Free Franklin” postmark. We were so excited to get our postcard when we arrived home!
Tour at Independence Hall – Do not miss this! I wasn’t sure we needed the full tour, but it’s the only way to see inside Independence Hall during the hours we were there, so we went for it. I’m SO GLAD we did it! The National Park Rangers were incredible, especially with the kids. They really brought the history that happened in these rooms to life & made everyone in the group think about America and what we as a country stand for. On our recent trip to DC, the kids were so excited to see the Constitution & Declaration in person, and felt so proud that they had been inside Independence Hall before. I love watching history come alive for them in this way!
Get Jr Ranger badges and souvies – Once you’re done with your tour, head back to the Visitor’s Center to retrieve your hard-earned Jr Ranger badges! Again the National Parks Rangers did not disappoint. They asked our kids questions and had them recite the Jr Ranger oath before they got their badges! Of course we had to stop for some souvenirs before we headed back to our car.
One last stop!
Obviously when in Philadelphia you must try a Philly cheesesteak. We decided to stop by Pat’s “King of Steaks since 1930” on our way out of the city and it did not disappoint! I highly recommend wrapping your day in Philly with the most classic ending.
Rita’s “wooder” ice, Franklin Fountain, or Federal Donuts were also recommended as other famous Philly treats. We weren’t impressed with Federal Donuts, but I still regret not stopping by Franklin Fountain. We’ll definitely try it next time!
Other options to consider:
There were so many other things on our list, but the schedule above was a perfect 1-day tour of Philadelphia with kids. When we go back we definitely want to see these other sights:
National Constitution Center
Independence Seaport Museum
Spruce Street Harbor Park
Art museum + Rocky steps
Museum of the American Revolution
Library Company of Philadelphia (oldest lending library in the country)
Edgar Allen Poe Home
Fairmount Park
What are we missing? What other Philly favorites should we make sure to include on our next trip?!
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