Philadelphia, Pennsylvania is pivotal in the history of the United States. In fact, it is strongly connected to the independence of our country. Philadelphia, known as the City of Brotherly Love, is considered to be our nation’s birthplace. It was founded in 1682 by William Penn. Prior to that; it was inhabited by Native Americans and Swedish settlers. In 1681, King Charles II gave Pennsylvania to Penn in a trade for a debt that was owed Penn’s father. Philadelphia rapidly became a vital city in the United States. Because of its location, it became an agricultural and industrial leader and its shipyards quickly prospered.

Textiles, printing, and papermaking were among Philadelphia’s major industries, and many immigrants arrived to keep the mills going. Because of this, Philadelphia continues to be a cultural melting pot. The city became the financial center of the country. Among Philadelphia’s earliest occupants was Benjamin Franklin, who moved there at age 16 and worked as a printer and eventually signed the Declaration of Independence. During the early 1700s, lots of exceptional private and public buildings were built, such as Independence Hall. Therefore, because of its strategic location, delegates chose Philadelphia as the site of both the 1st and 2nd Continental Congress, which took place in 1774 and 1775. The history of the city was closely linked to the American Revolution and on July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was approved in Philadelphia. In addition, when the war began, Philadelphia became the capital of the Revolutionary Movement. In fact, Philadelphia was the capital of the United States from 1790 to 1800 and at one time, it was our largest city. The founding fathers had a dream for a new country and it was in Philadelphia that these visions were formed and discussed. Philadelphia is home to the famous Liberty Bell, which is one of the most important symbols of freedom in the United States.

By the 20th century, however, the city began to deteriorate as crime rates dramatically increased due largely in part because gang and mafia-related violence were rampant. The city was portrayed as corrupt and the population suddenly declined. In 1992, Edward Rendell was elected mayor of Philadelphia and he vowed swift change over the historic city. The rejuvenation of certain neighborhoods started bringing people back into the city. Philadelphia’s image was reborn and the downtown area escalated. Currently, Philadelphia’s downtown area is the 3rd most populous in the United States, only behind New York City and Chicago. Furthermore, in 2000, Rendell’s friend, John Street, replaced him as mayor. Together, they are credited for saving the city from bankruptcy and resurrecting Philadelphia.

Today, Philly is one of the leading tourist destinations in the United States. Many people wish to journey to the famous city to gain an understanding about various aspects of Colonial History and to visit momentous landmarks that are icons of our nation’s independence. People usually fall in love with the city once they leave it. You often see them sporting a “I Love Philadelphia” t shirt shortly after visiting this great city. They want to see the 1st capital of our great country.

Philly is home to America’s leading brick and mortar businesses such as: Lincoln National Corporation , Liberty Property Trust, Monument Online Insurance Quotes, T.H. Builders, Philadelphia Consolidated Holding Corp, MK Management Group and many more companies that have been in business for 100s of years.

Landmarks

From 1790 to 1800, the city of Philadelphia was our new nation’s capital home to Presidents George Washington and John Adams. The best way to see wonderful historic landmarks of Philadelphia (Philly) are through guided walking tours which takes you through the Founding Father’s historical lives’ and the beginnings of this Nation. Walk the Market Street tours to visit Ben Franklin’s home which today is a Post Office, Independence Hall, the famous Liberty Bell and Carpenters’ Hall where the Continental Congress assembled. The walk goes by Christ Church and the Burial Ground, where Benjamin Franklin and other Founding Fathers who signed the Declaration of Independence worshiped and is their final resting place and also Betsy Ross’s Home where she made the first American flag.

Other tours include riding in a double decker bus that allow you to hop off and on at landmark stops; ride on stylish carriages to continue exploring Philadelphia’s popular attractions. “Philly by Night” gives visitors an early evening bus tour of the South Street area of Chinatown etc. al., famous sites. Additional sites include the Academy of Music at Broad and Locust Streets. It is the current home of the present Philadelphia ballet and opera companies and is the oldest opera house in the United States.

Nationally and internationally, people come to visit the Liberty Bell. The Liberty Bell once rang out from the tower of Independence Hall to summon the citizens to hear the first public read of the Declaration. The Liberty Bell is located at 6th and Market Streets, in the Historic District. In 1777, the British occupied Philadelphia and were destroying all the bells. To save the Liberty Bell, it was hidden under the floor at the Zion Reformed Church in Allentown, Pennsylvania that you can also visit. How the Liberty Bell cracked is still debatable, but it is agreed that the final crack that stopped it ringing permanently was on George Washington’s birthday in 1846.

Welcome to an historic tour of the Johnson House at 6306 Germantown Avenue. This house is Philadelphia’s Underground Railroad home which looks very close to its original structure. The Johnson House was the home of Quaker families who worked to free slaves.

This nation’s history was settled in a war of wars. Whether you like civil war history or not, a visit to Valley Forge Park is worth the trip. Valley Forge is located 22 miles northwest of Philadelphia and was the site of George Washington’s winter camp in 1777-1778. Visitors can tour the log cabins that Washington and his men used. Today, visitors can bike or walk the trails or enjoy a scenic picnic.

From 1790 to 1800, the President’s House was this Nation’s executive mansion for Presidents George Washington and John Adams. It is located at the Independence National Historical Park site, near the Liberty Bell. This historic landmark shows visitors archaeological fragments that were just unearthed in 2007, as well as brief videos of its history.

Nightlife Spots

If you’ve seen the Rocky Movies, then you’re familiar with this city. It’s the sixth most popular city in the United States at this moment in time, and the term “City of Brotherly Love ‘ will always be associated with it. That city is the great city of Philadelphia, in the heart of the state of Pennsylvania.

But what is it that makes this city so great; well it has a lot to do with its historic past and it fantastic nightlife. And that’s what we are focusing on in this article, the great Nightlife Hot Spots of Philadelphia.

Well for all the folks who just love to go out with their friends on a Friday evening, let’s start out with a few of the popular bars in the city shall we.

Lucy’s Hat Shop is an old city favorite that has been going strong for many years now. Managed by Steve Ellis, the bar is actually a bar and Lounge which. Lucy’s houses two large bars and is able to accommodate up to 400 people. And depending on where you’re sitting you can enjoy either rock and roll or hip hop provided by two separate DJ’s. Lucy’s is part of a triple bar hopping New Year’s Eve extravaganza that also includes the Top Hat and Drinker’s Tavern

Drinker’s Tavern has to be “The Hippest Rock & Roll Bar ” in all of Philadelphia! Drinker’s Tavern is located in the busy area of Market Street, The bar while not holding the same capacity crowd as Lucy’s, offer someone the chance to get away from the crowed atmosphere and enjoy themselves with a few close drinking pals. Manager Chris Palmer has an energetic feel going through this bar and I’m sure that you and your friends will enjoy the atmosphere and the fact that the bar actually has two levels with ample seating to choose from.

Okay, how about a change of pace and a bit of Improvisational Comedy? Then you may just have a great time at the Philly Improv Theater. Originally established as a non profit in 2005, the Philly Improv Theater or PHIT for short embraces improvisational comedy for the art form that it is. The theater promotes and supports the art by producing and creating improv, and also supports alternate types of comedy in the tradition of such comedy institutions as the “Second City “from Chicago, and Upright Citizens Brigade from New York.

Let’s finish this article with a bit of Blues and Jazz. One of Philadelphia’s better night life hot spots for some Jazz and Blues and great food and atmosphere is Le Cochon Noir. This is a club that offers up a little bit of everything that can be offered to a couple that wants to get that jazzy, blues atmosphere and also sample the great tastes of barbecue and more from this establishment, they even have offer karaoke music every Tuesdays. The restaurant is a very large, thus you can have a nice conversation with family and friends even as a jazz band is playing in the background. And the food is just beyond compare. The ribs are just great and are put through a special three day process before they are ready to be cooked for patrons, add sides such as Mustard Greens or Macaroni and Cheese and that’s a meal. And if you’ve still got room, there’s always dessert, such as strawberry-shortcake crepes, or a bread pudding that is served no frills with a blanket of caramel and as many forks as are needed to consume it.

We hope that you found this informative article about the night life of Philadelphia, was helpful and informative.

Sightseeing

If you and your family are looking for the perfect place to take a vacation this summer, you cannot go wrong planning a sightseeing trip to Philadelphia. Tourists find there are so many things to see and explore which include several attractions of interest for children as well as preserved historical sights of interest.

The city is one of the few that was well planned out for the times and designed using a grid system by William Penn Jr. back in the 1600s. For the age it was an amazing amount of forethought to consider future growth and make navigating the city simple and easy. The older downtown area is filled with historic buildings, whereas the newer sections are located uptown. We will take a look at a couple of really great historic landmarks to give you some ideas of what you might enjoy seeing when visiting the historic town of Philadelphia.

After a busy day of sightseeing, you should stop over to the Rittenhouse Square. It is the perfect park where you and your children can sit and relax or meander casually through this humongous park. It is a beautiful sight to see located right in the main portion of town, which is convenient to surrounding residential communities.

No trip is complete to this community without paying a stop to see the famous Liberty Bell. The very prominent William Penn Jr. was the designer of the bell back in the1700s. The Liberty Bell was created to represent “Liberty for All” and is well noted throughout the history books with notations about the famous crack on the side.

The bell was originally crafted in London, England and cracked for some unknown reason right after it was delivered to Philadelphia. At the time, local craftsmen created a new 2000-pound bell using portions of the old one. Since then even the new bell cracked twice more and was last rung in honor of George Washington’s birthday.

The Independence National Historical Park spreads across 45-acres with many historic building of interest including the most famous Independence Hall. This famous hall is where the U.S. Constitution and the Declaration of Independence were signed. It is well worth taking a guided tour of this impressive piece of history.

Schedule time on your trip to honor our brave men by visiting the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. There is a statue of an Unknown Soldier and George Washington placed at the tomb in the 1950s. The monument is dedicated to the fine men that served in the Revolutionary War. These brave men were unknown soldiers, which died from diseases and serving their country in battle.

While enjoying your vacation, you might want to add an evening excursion to see the Lights of Liberty. This glorious light show is held near the downtown area in the Independence National Historic Park. The show features live performances reenacting tales from the American Revolution.

This is just a small sample of some of the amazing history that you will enjoy while sightseeing in Philadelphia.

Things To Do

Philadelphia is an historic city with a variety of attractions to please everyone. Whether you want to learn more about our nation’s history, visit famous sites, or just have fun, Philadelphia has what you are looking for.

The first things most people want to see when they arrive in Philadelphia are Independence Hall and the most famous Liberty Bell. Take a guided tour through Independence Hall and watch a re-enactment of the Declaration of Independence being signed. Then gaze upon the cracked bell and learn about its history and significance to America.

The National Constitution Center has exhibits about the US Constitution and American history. And don’t forget to visit Betsy Ross’s house and see re-enactments of the famous flag maker.

For some family fun, head over to the Philadelphia Zoo. There are dozens of animal activities and feedings to enjoy and plenty of activities for the children. And check out the all new Amazon Rainforest Carousel!

Sesame Place is an outrageous theme park based on Sesame Street. There are 15 water attractions, the Vapor Trail roller coaster, parades, music and all your children’s favorite characters. It’s a day of fun for the whole family!

The Adventure Aquarium is an all new aquatic experience. Some new attractions are the West African River Experience, Shark Realm, and Jules Verne Gallery. Spend the day “under the ocean” with hundreds of sea creatures.

If you would rather take a leisurely tour of the city, there are walking tours to suit your preference. Walk through Welcome Park, where William Penn wrote his famous “Charter of Privileges” in 1701. Stroll through the Thomas Bond House, a restored 18th century house. Hungry? Stop into the City Tavern Restaurant where the staff all dresses in colonial attire to make your visit more realistic.

Give your eyes and your nose a treat at Longwood Gardens, the nation’s foremost horticultural garden. Stroll through 1,050 acres of gardens, meadows and woodlands. Visit the 20 outdoor gardens and 20 indoor gardens. Gaze at the Main Fountain Garden, as well as numerous other fountains throughout the park.

If nightlife is what you are looking for, there is plenty to be found. Market Street hosts most of the hot spots, but there are reasons to venture past City Center. Continental and Five Spot are excellent places to dance the night away.

For the dedicated shopper, The King of Prussia Mall and the shops at Liberty Place are a great place to start. There is no sales tax on clothes purchased here so shop till you drop!

And when you are done shopping and just want to relax and eat dinner, Cucina Forte and Mainland Inn are just a few top rated restaurants. Make sure you try a world famous Philly cheese steak sandwich while you are visiting.

Whether you are passing through or spending several days in Philadelphia, you will find everything you need to learn about the history of our nation, be entertained, or just plain have fun! So come visit Philadelphia Pennsylvania today.