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Walking in Benjamin Franklin's Footsteps
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Benjamin Franklin Parkway
Photo by E. Savaria
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Location:
Old City, Society Hill and the Historic District
Transportation:
On Foot
Duration:
One day, or longer
Benjamin Franklin may have left big shoes to fill, but walking in his footsteps is easy in Philadelphia, thanks to this new self-guided tour developed for the Founding Father’s 300th birthday in 2006.
The one-hour walking tour takes you to city landmarks that were significant in Franklin’s time as well as to innovative new attractions that bring to life the forward thinker’s insights.
Depending on whether you are just taking a quick look or stopping to take in each and every site, this tour can take anywhere from an hour to an entire day. So grab a comfortable pair of walking shoes and make this tour your own in Benjamin Franklin's footsteps!
Part 1
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Independence Hall
Photo by B. Krist for GPTMC
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Begin at the Independence Visitor Center, where the film Independence traces Ben Franklin’s role in the nation’s earliest days. While you’re there, gather brochures about Philadelphia’s many other attractions, and pick up your free, timed tickets for Independence Hall.
When you leave the Independence Visitor Center, make a right onto 6th Street and head to the Federal Reserve Bank, located on 6th Street between Market and Arch Streets. The interactive Money in Motion exhibit explains everything you ever wanted to know about money—except how to make more of it. You can even “Match Wits with Ben” in a hands-on, question-and-answer game.
Next, make your way to the National Constitution Center, which is directly across Arch Street between 5th and 6th Streets. Inside, interactive exhibits reveal what those “four little pages” really mean. Of course, you can also see Benjamin Franklin: In Search of a Better World, a traveling exhibition making its world debut in Philadelphia from December 15, 2005, through April 30, 2006.
Directly across from the National Constitution Center is the Free Quaker Meeting House, one of many religious organizations that benefited from Franklin’s support. Cross the street to see the Christ Church Burial Ground. Although “a penny saved is a penny earned,” it is a long-standing tradition to toss a penny on Ben Franklin’s grave for good luck.
When you leave the Burial Ground, make a right and continue east on Arch Street to 3rd Street, where you’ll make a left for a sweet treat at Petit 4 Pastry Studios. Satisfy your sweet tooth and grab some coffee at this little café, awarded a “Best of Philly” nod by Philadelphia Magazine.
Exit the shop, turn right and walk to the corner of 3rd and Race Streets. At Race Street, turn right and proceed to 2nd Street. Turn right on 2nd Street, and stop at the Fireman’s Hall Museum. It is located on the site of Engine Company Number Eight, a descendent of the Union Fire Company, which Franklin established in 1736. Check out the 10 antique fire trucks, including the early hand- and horse-drawn models.
Exit and make a left. Continue past Elfreth’s Alley, the nation’s oldest continuously inhabited street, to 2nd and American Streets, where you’ll see Christ Church. Franklin and his wife Deborah were members of the church and even had their children baptized here. Before entering the Church, take special note of the steeple, which was the tallest structure in North America for 75 years. The repair of the steeple was financed through a lottery organized by Franklin.
Part 2
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Franklin Court
Photo by K. Ciappa for GPTMC
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Start off on 2nd and Market Streets. Cross Market Street and make another right to get to Franklin Court. Have your postcards hand-stamped at the B. Free Franklin Post Office, and then head upstairs to the U.S. Postal Service Museum, which explains Franklin’s role as the nation’s first Postmaster General.
Next door at the Print Shop, Franklin’s career as a printer is demonstrated using 18th-century printing techniques and machinery. An underground museum displays many of his inventions, family portraits and highlights of his career as an international diplomat, writer, philosopher and Founding Father.
Leave Franklin Court via the Chestnut Street exit. Head west (right) on Chestnut to 4th Street. Cross 4th Street and enter the Second Bank of the United States. Among the 185 portraits of the Founding Fathers are a painting and bust of Franklin. Recently restored, the Bank’s exhibits focus on 18th-century stars of business, arts, agriculture, science and culture.
When you exit the Bank, make a right onto Chestnut Street. Head to 5th Street, where you’ll see the American Philosophical Society (APS). Founded in 1743 as America’s first learned society, Franklin created the APS to encourage the great minds of his time to explore and share useful knowledge. The Museum of the American Philosophical Society features changing exhibits from its vast and diverse collections.
Return to the corner of 5th and Chestnut Streets for your final stop at Independence Hall. Of all Franklin’s accomplishments, his most important contributions took place here, where he played a role in declaring the nation’s independence and, more than a decade later in his final years, helped frame the Constitution. During the Constitutional Convention debates, Franklin frequently wondered whether the sun carved into the chair used by George Washington (still on display today) symbolized the rising or the setting of the new nation. When the Constitution was finalized, he decided it was a rising sun, symbolic of a united America.
After your tour...
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City Tavern
Photo by E. Savaria
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Traveling through centuries can be tiring. When you’ve completed your walking tour, enjoy a hearty meal or a refreshing beverage at City Tavern, a reconstruction of the 18th-century tavern, where Franklin and other Founding Fathers dined, debated and discussed the hot topics of the day.
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