Pennsylvania travel guide

Independence National Historical Park

On 8 July 1776, the Liberty Bell at Independence Hall summoned citizens to hear the first reading of the Declaration of the Independence. Today, the building stands proudly and is revered as the birthplace of the American nation.

The Independence National Historical Park is an eight-block neighbourhood in the very centre of old Philadelphia. The Liberty Bell itself is on display in a pavilion in Market Street between 5th and 6th Street.

Originally built as the Pennsylvania State House in 1732, Independence Hall on Chestnut Street is now famous for being where the Declaration of Independence and later the Constitution of the United States were ratified.

Historically significant buildings and museums pack out the rest of the 34 acre park, interpreting the events and lives of main figures involved in Philadelphia's years as the capital of the USA from 1790 and 1800. These include former presidents George Washington and John Adams.

About 20 buildings are open to the public daily, with times varying according to season. Advance tickets are required for Independence Hall, obtainable from the adjacent Visitors Centre or bookable in advance through the National Parks Service.

Franklin Institute Science Museum

One of Philadelphia's most frequented museums, the Franklin Institute on Benjamin Franklin Parkway opened in 1934 and fast became recognised for its innovative and imaginative exhibits, demonstrating the influence of science in our lives.

The museum complex divides into various sections. Firstly, the Franklin National Memorial is dedicated to Benjamin Franklin. It features a huge statue of its namesake and a collection of memorabilia associated with the famous statesman.

Another section features hands-on and interactive science and technology exhibits, ranging from a walkthrough model of heart to a lightning gallery. This section also includes the Discovery Theatre, with scientific shows each afternoon and a puzzle area. The basement is the location of the Fels Planetarium.

There are numerous permanent exhibitions in addition to an ever-rotating roster of temporary offerings, such as Amazing Machine, The Franklin Air Show, and The Train Factory. Topics and themes covered include space, the earth, computers, chemistry, health, and electricity.

There is also an IMAX theatre, showing a variety of films. Located on the lawn between the main museum buildings, the CoreStates Science Park is a garden full of high-tech play structures like a stand-on organ, maze and a high-wire bicycle. The museum also features several restaurants and a snack bar.

Philadelphia Museum of Art

Established in the 1870s, the elegant Philadelphia Museum of Art houses a permanent collection of more than 225,000 works in 200 galleries. The museum is recognised as being one of the finest art collections in the USA.

Exhibits include not only magnificent paintings, but also sculptures, period furniture, and faithfully restored historic rooms. Built in the style of a Greco-Roman temple, the beautiful building housing the collection stands upon a hilltop off Benjamin Franklin Parkway.

The two storeys are designed with L-shaped wings leading off a central court, and exhibits are arranged in period groupings. The museum also has a cafeteria and a formal restaurant, and regularly hosts visiting exhibitions.

Franklin Court

The part of the Independence National Historical Park between 3rd and 4th Street is where the home of Benjamin Franklin once stood. While the actual house no longer exists, a 54-foot-high (16m) steel skeleton ghost structure covers the remaining courtyard.

It provides a novel and fascinating tribute to the life of Franklin, allowing great insight into the iconic former statesman. His many vocations included printer, diplomat, inventor, publisher, author, and postmaster, as well as the founder of the University of Pennsylvania.

Visitors can peruse an underground museum filled with paintings, objects, and inventions associated with Franklin. There is a bank of telephones with many testimonies from famous personalities about the achievements of the great man.

There's also a US Postal Service Museum and a nearby home displays an architectural exhibit explaining Franklin's fire-resisting building techniques. Another building houses an 18th-century printing office and bindery with demonstrations. Alongside sits the restored office of the newspaper published by Franklin's grandson Benjamin Franklin Bache.

Philadelphia Zoo

Philadelphia Zoo opened in 1874, the first of its kind in the USA. Today, it's one of the world's most renowned zoological gardens, replete with animal exhibits, award-winning education and conservation programmes, recreational opportunities, and scientific accomplishments.

More than one million visitors flock to this leading city attraction. Among special features offered are more than 1,600 rare and exotic animals and 42 acres of picturesque Victorian gardens. Highlights include the Peco Primate Reserve, an interactive exhibit featuring around 10 primate species.

The Rare Animal Conservation Center allows intimate views of some of the world's most endangered animals. The Reptile and Amphibian House has an interactive adventure path, showcasing dozens of species like the King Cobra. Additionally, there is an African animal section, and a children's petting zoo.

Carnegie Museums

In 1895, Pittsburgh industrialist Andrew Carnegie established an institute, which he intended to improve and educate local people. Today, his ideal is realised in the form of a collection of four museums funded by the Carnegie Institute: a Museum of Art, Natural History, a Science Center, and The Andy Warhol Museum.

The Carnegie Museum of Art on Forbes Avenue has a notable collection of contemporary art that includes film and video works. The adjacent Natural History Museum takes visitors on a trip through time detailing the wonders of planet earth.

The Carnegie Science Centre at Allegheny Avenue offers planetarium and laser shows and a variety of hands-on activities and exhibits for old and young. The final museum in the Carnegie bouquet is the Andy Warhol in Sandusky Street, featuring extensive permanent collections of art and archives relating to one of the most influential American artists of the 20th century.

National Aviary

Situated in historic West Park on Pittsburgh's North Side, the National Aviary is a few minutes from downtown. It's the only independent indoor non-profit bird zoo in the USA and home to more than 600 birds of more than 200 species, many of which are threatened and endangered. There are birds from just about every corner of the world, from hummingbirds to Andean condors. The zoo places emphasis on rainforest and wetland habitats with most birds kept in natural planted exhibits, allowing for close up views. The National Aviary is a great family attraction in Pittsburgh.

Point State Park

Formerly a slum, Point State Park in Downtown Pittsburgh is now a recreational delight. Declared a National Historic Landmark, it played a key strategic role during the French and Indian War in the middle of the 1700s.

Paved promenades feature along the Ohio riverfront, providing dramatic views of the city with its busy waterways, scenic hillsides, and bridges. The park is naturally landscaped and enhanced by a 150-foot (46m) fountain. There's also a biking trail, outdoor amphitheatre, and an inline skating route.

The Fort Pitt Museum is housed in one of the five original bastions of the ruined fort, devoted to displaying local history. The Fort Pitt Blockhouse is the oldest authentic building in Western Pennsylvania and is also open to the public.

Please Touch Museum

The Please Touch Museum is located in Memorial Hall in Fairmount Park and is a shining example of what must be one of the rarest cultural attractions anywhere in the world: a museum where children are actually encouraged to lay their hands on exhibits.

Mainly aimed at kids aged seven years and younger, the museum seeks to educate and entrance its young visitors in equal measure, offering them a hands-on experience of an assortment of life-size interactive exhibition zones.

Although the exhibits change frequently, highlights have included an Alice in Wonderland area complete with rabbit holes and garden mazes, a miniature supermarket, and a scaled down SEPTA bus display.

Parents and grandparents are undivided in their approval of the museum and its child-friendly approach, describing it as an ideal way to spend a day out with the kids. The museum also offers a delicious selection of wholesome food and drinks.

PNC Park

Since its opening in 2001, PNC Park has awed all those who've entered it. Consistently voted in the top three of all baseball stadia in America, PNC Park is a breath-taking example of how sports stadium architecture can be both artful and spectator-friendly.

With a capacity of just under 40,000, it is a relatively small stadium. But even the cheap seats command perfect views of the playing diamond. Beyond the bleachers, views of the river, the Roberto Clemente Bridge, Pittsburgh's skyline, and towering Mount Washington catch the eye.

While daytime tours of the stadium are thoroughly rewarding, visitors to Pittsburgh should do their best to attend a Pirates game. A magical atmosphere bubbles inside PNC Park as evening descends, the city lights starting to sparkle in the distance.

Fallingwater

Just 60 miles (about 95km) southeast of Pittsburgh on Interstate 76, Fallingwater is a must-see attraction for visitors to the area. Designed by Frank Lloyd Wright in 1935 for retail giant Edgar J. Kaufman, the house sits among the waterfalls and woods of the beautiful Bear Run Nature Reserve.

It remains arguably the world's best example of organic architecture. A wondrous achievement, Wright managed to design a fully functioning personal residence that blends fluidly and harmoniously with its natural setting.

The sound of rushing water is a constant, a whispering presence within the house. A boulder juts out into the living room and doubles as a hearth, while the windows open outward from the corners of the walls and leave no panes to obstruct the natural view.

This triumphant feat of individualistic artistic expression so inspired Ayn Rand that she largely based her novel The Fountainhead on the ingenuous creation. Fallingwater is included in the Smithsonian magazine's list of '28 places to see before you die' and visitors to Pennsylvania shouldn't pass up the opportunity. Make sure to book well in advance.