222 Best Sights in Pennsylvania, USA

The only surviving European-style opera house in America is the current home of the Opera Philadelphia and the Pennsylvania Ballet; for the past century, it was home to the Philadelphia Orchestra. Designed by Napoleon Le Brun and Gustav Runge, the 1857 building has a modest exterior; the builders ran out of money and couldn't put marble facing on the brick, as they had intended. The lavish interior, modeled after Milan's La Scala, has elaborate carvings, murals on the ceiling, and a huge Victorian crystal chandelier.

Nearly sequestered from public view for a century in Lower Merion, Pennsylvania, this legendary collection of 19th- and 20th-century masterpieces made world headlines when it relocated to this spectacular new home in May 2012. While the statistics are impressive—81 Renoirs, 69 Cézannes, 59 Matisses, 46 Picassos, 7 Van Goghs, 6 Seurats (and many more)—almost more inspiring is this soaring marble-and-glass museum. Largely thanks to a brilliant modernist setting, the greatness of this collection of art is only now revealed, due to a new design that lends a sense of intimacy between viewer and object, while at the same time increasing one's appreciation of capital-A art.

The collection was amassed (in the 1920s and 1930s) thanks to the millions Dr. Albert C. Barnes made in pharmaceuticals. As a theorist, he wanted to help people "see as an artist saw" and to do this, he created for each gallery wall an "ensemble" of mirror-like symmetry: a Matisse could hang side-by-side with a Goya, above an African sculpture, and below a Old Master sketch and a French tin shoe buckle. As his will decreed that nothing could be changed, everything had to be transported—lock, stock, and Modigliani—to this new showcase.

Warmed by walls of tawny-colored Negev sandstone, centered around an enormous "Light Court"—the perfect place for gallery-goers to reflect on art—and entered through a narrow "mood tube" of reflecting pools and tall trees, the design of architects Tod Williams and Billy Tsien may be minimalist in style but remains mellow in impact. Inside, an interior garden, art library, restaurant, two classrooms, and café are winningly used as buffer zones to the rooms hung with the core collection.

Highlights include some of the most fabled paintings of Impressionist, Post-Impressionist, and Modern art, including Cézanne's The Card Players, Georges Seurat's Models, Van Gogh's Postman Roulin, Monet's Studio Boat, Matisse's Joy of Life and La Danse mural, Renoir's The Artist's Family, and Picasso's Acrobat and Young Harlequin. Thanks to a new lighting system, the art looks so fresh that it seems the artists had just put down their palettes. It is safe to say that most museum-goers will find this new Barnes Foundation a work of art in itself. For information about the museum's packed calendar of classes, lectures, and concerts, see the website. It's wise to make a reservation in advance.

These architecturally varied, quaint-looking 19th-century buildings—city icons built in Victorian Gothic, Gothic Revival, and Italianate styles—are home to the rowing clubs that make up the Schuylkill Navy, an association of boating clubs organized in 1858. These clubs host various races, including the Dad Vail Regatta and the Head of the Schuylkill. The view of the boathouses from the west side of the river is splendid—especially at night, when they're outlined with hundreds of small lights. Lloyd Hall, at 1 Boathouse Row, is a public recreation center with a gymnasium, bicycle rentals in season, and a café.

In a converted Civil War–era gristmill, the Brandywine River Museum contains the art of Chadds Ford native Andrew Wyeth, a major American realist painter, as well as his father, N. C. Wyeth, illustrator of many children's classics; and his son, Jamie. The collection also emphasizes still lifes, landscape paintings, and American illustration, with works by such artists as Howard Pyle and Maxfield Parrish. The glass-wall lobby overlooks the river and countryside that inspired artists from the area. The museum uses a system of filters, baffles, and blinds to direct natural light. Outside the museum, you can visit its wildflower and native plant gardens and follow a 1-mile nature trail along the river.

The N. C. Wyeth House and Studio, where N. C. painted and raised his children, is open part of the year. The 1911 home, set on a hill, holds many of the props N. C. used in creating his illustrations. His daughter, Carolyn, lived and painted here until 1994. You can also tour the Kuerner Farm, a mile away. Andrew discovered it on a walk when he was 15; he used the farm's landscape, buildings, and animals as the subjects of many of his best-known paintings. A shuttle takes you from the museum to the house and studio or to the farm for an hour-long guided tour.

The the Museum of Art, the Museum of Natural History, the Music Hall, and the Carnegie Library, are all under one Beaux-Arts roof. Don't miss the 19th-century French and 20th-century American paintings, the Hall of Architecture, the Hall of Mammals, Egyptian collections, and one of the country's oldest dinosaur collections.

A must-see in Lancaster City is the Romanesque Central Market, constructed in 1889. The market began as open-air stalls in 1742. Here, local people shop for fresh fruits and vegetables, meats, fresh flowers, and baked goods such as sticky buns and shoofly pie. In recent years, Central Market (which has the distinction of being the oldest continuously-operating farmers' market in the country) has added some decidedly modern vendors. In addition to Lebanon bologna and chowchow, you can also count on picking up great third-wave coffee and fresh pressed green juice made from local crops.

Topped by a 37-foot bronze statue of William Penn, City Hall was Philadelphia's tallest building until 1987; you can study the trappings of government and also get a panoramic view of the city here. With 642 rooms, it's the largest city hall in the country and the tallest masonry-bearing building in the world: no steel structure supports it. Designed by architect John McArthur Jr., the building took 30 years to build (1871–1901) and cost taxpayers more than $23 million. The result has been called a "Victorian wedding cake of Renaissance styles." Placed about the facade are hundreds of statues by Alexander Milne Calder, who also designed the statue of William Penn at the top. Calder's 27-ton cast-iron statue of Penn is the largest single piece of sculpture on any building in the world.

Not only the geographic center of Penn's original city plan, City Hall is also the center of municipal and state government. Many of the magnificent interiors—splendidly decorated with mahogany paneling, gold-leaf ceilings, and marble pillars—are patterned after the Second Empire salons of part of the Louvre in Paris. On a tour each weekday at 12:30 you can see the Conversation Hall, the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania, the City Council chambers, and the mayor's reception room. You can attend the frequently heated City Council meetings, held each Thursday morning at 10.

To top off your visit, take the elevator from the seventh floor up the tower to the observation deck at the foot of William Penn's statue for a 30-mile view of the city and surroundings. The elevator holds only six people per trip and runs every 15 minutes; the least crowded time is early morning. The 90-minute building tour, including a trip up the tower, steps off weekdays at 12:30. The tour office is in Room 121.

The grounds take up an entire block, and its unique history, impressive architecture, and the guides who spin a good yarn combine to make Cliveden perhaps the best visiting experience of the historic Germantown homes. The elaborate country house was built in 1767 by Benjamin Chew (1722–1810), a Quaker and chief justice of the colonies, and something of a fence-straddler during the Revolution. Cliveden was at the center of the Battle of Germantown, occupied by British troops, and the walls still bear the marks of American cannon fire. Except for a brief period of time in the late 1700s when it was owned by a privateer (legalized piracy), the house remained in the Chew family until 1972, when it was donated to the National Trust for Historic Preservation. The original house has been completely opened to the public. A shining example of Georgian style, it has Palladian windows and an elegant entrance hall. The family-owned furniture includes a mahogany sofa by Thomas Affleck and looking glasses by James Reynolds. An elaborate reenactment of the Battle of Germantown is held here annually on the first Saturday in October. The house, on 6 acres, can be seen on a 45-minute guided tour.

A former and singular monastic community, Ephrata Cloister was founded in 1732 by German immigrant Conrad Beissel. Originally set on 250 acres of Native American wilderness, Beissel and his believers built 30 structures, including a monastery and a printing press and named their community "Ephrata." The monastic society of brothers and sisters were celibate and lived an austere life of work, study, and prayer. In the 1940s, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania took over the property and has been running it as a museum, with 45-minute tours of three restored buildings, after which you can browse through several others, including the stable, printshop, and crafts shop. Self-guided cell-phone tours are also available.

About an hour and a half southeast of Pittsburgh is Frank Lloyd Wright's residential masterwork—a stone, concrete, and glass house dramatically cantilevered over a waterfall. In 1936, Edgar J. Kaufmann—who'd made a fortune as owner of Kaufmann's, Pittsburgh's premier department store—hired Wright to design a weekend retreat for his family on a piece of land in Mill Run. Wright's design incorporated much of what was already on the site, including rocks, trees, and a rushing creek. Battles of will between Kaufmann and Wright over the details of the house design became legendary. Wright wanted to cover the concrete parapets of the house with gold leaf; Kaufmann didn't. Kaufmann wanted a swimming pool on one of the balconies; Wright didn't. And so on. Despite their many differences, they produced an amazing house. The only way to see the house is on a guided tour; children under six cannot tour the house. Reservations are essential for the detailed tour.

There are few landmarks as touching as the Gettysburg National Military Park, where General Robert E. Lee and his Confederate troops encountered the Union forces of General George Meade. There are more than 1,300 markers and monuments honoring the casualties of the battle in the 6,000-acre park. More than 30 miles of marked roads lead through the park, highlighting key battle sites. In the first week of July, Civil War reenactors dress in period uniforms and costumes to commemorate the three-day battle.

Self-guided tours as well as tour guides for hire are both available, as are tours on horseback.

In 2008 the Gettysburg National Military Park Museum and Visitor Center moved to a $103 million facility, which makes for an excellent starting point to understand the events leading up to the battle, its significance to the Civil War, and its impact on the town. The center includes a dozen interactive galleries, which feature a compelling mix of artifacts such as a wooden desk believed to have been used by General Robert E. Lee, paired with the latest in interactive video and audio displays. Each section takes its name from a phrase used in Lincoln's Gettysburg Address. It is also home to the 377-foot "Battle of Gettysburg" cyclorama painting from 1884, which has been completely restored including a 3-D foreground. The painting, a must-see in its colorful, life-like depiction of Pickett's Charge, along with a documentary film, "A New Birth of Freedom," are packaged together as a 45-minute ticketed experience. There is a restaurant and a bookstore on site. The Park Service also provides a free map with a 25-mile driving tour through the battlefield, walking-tour guides, and schedules of free ranger-conducted programs which range from walks and talks about the battle to the aftermath and the Civil War experience. Private, licensed guides may also be hired at the center. Value package information and online purchase specials are available on the Web site.

Friday is bustling at the Green Dragon Farmers Market and Auction, one of the state's largest farmers' markets, occupying 30 acres. The 400 indoor and outdoor stands run by Amish and Mennonite farmers sell meats, cheeses, fruits, vegetables, baked goods, flowers, and crafts. It's a traditional agricultural market with a country-carnival atmosphere. There's also a flea market, a household goods auction, and an evening auction of small animals.

A registered historic landmark, the Hans Herr House is the oldest surviving homestead in Lancaster County and the oldest original (and remaining) Mennonite meeting house in the Western Hemisphere.

The subject of several paintings by Andrew Wyeth, it was the Colonial home of the Herr family, to whom the Wyeths were related. Today the house is owned by the Lancaster Mennonite Historical Society, which educates the public about the Mennonite religion. The 45-minute tour covers the grounds and the 1719 Mennonite meeting place. A separate 45-minute tour covers a reconstructed Native American longhouse.

This open-air Colonial marketplace, extending from Pine Street to Lombard Street, is a reminder of the days when people went to central outdoor markets to buy food directly from farmers. It was first established as New Market in 1745. George Washington was among those who came here to buy butter, eggs, meat, fish, herbs, and vegetables. The Head House, a boxy building with a cupola and weather vane, was built in 1803 as the office and home of the market master, who tested the quality of the goods. Today, every Sunday from May through December, it is the site of a farmers' market, featuring about two dozen vendors selling everything from honey and flowers to pickles and pastries. On some summer weekends the square also is home to a crafts-and-fine-arts fair featuring the work of more than 30 Delaware Valley artists.

Billed as the "Sweetest Place on Earth," Hersheypark offers more than 65 rides and attractions, a boardwalk with a lazy river and wave pool, a wildlife park called ZooAmerica with hundreds of animals, as well as tons of live-entertainment options. Founded in 1907 as a town park for chocolate factory workers, Hersheypark, set on more than 100 acres, is prized as one of America's cleanest and greenest theme parks. Among its historical rides are the Comet, a 1946-vintage wooden roller coaster, and a carousel built in 1919 that has 66 hand-carved wooden horses. "Chocolatetown" is the latest park expansion that includes Candymonium, its tallest and longest roller coaster to date, a virtual-reality experience, a Hershey merch flagship store, and a full-service restaurant.

The birthplace of the United States, this redbrick building with its clock tower and steeple is one of the nation's greatest icons. America's most historic building was constructed in 1732–56 as the Pennsylvania State House. What happened here between 1775 and 1787 changed the course of American history—and the name of the building to Independence Hall. The delegates to the Second Continental Congress met in the hall's Assembly Room in May 1776, united in anger over the blood that had been shed when British troops fired on citizens in Concord, Massachusetts. In this same room George Washington was appointed commander in chief of the Continental Army, Thomas Jefferson's eloquent Declaration of Independence was signed, and later the Constitution of the United States was adopted. Here the first foreign minister to visit the United States was welcomed; the news of Cornwallis's defeat was announced, signaling the end of the Revolutionary War; and, later, John Adams and Abraham Lincoln lay in state. The memories this building holds linger in the collection of polished muskets, the silver inkstand used by delegates to sign the Declaration of Independence, and the "Rising Sun" chair in which George Washington sat. (After the Constitution was adopted, Benjamin Franklin said about the sun carving on the chair, "I have the happiness to know that it is a rising and not a setting sun.")

In the East Wing—attached to Independence Hall by a short colonnade—you can embark on free tours that start every 15 to 20 minutes and last 35 minutes. Admission is first-come, first-served; pick up free, timed tickets from the visitor center to avoid waiting in line. The West Wing of Independence Hall contains an exhibit of the national historical park's collection of our nation's founding documents: the final draft of the Constitution, a working copy of the Articles of Confederation, and the first printing of the Declaration of Independence.

In front of Independence Hall, next to the statue of George Washington, note the plaques marking the spots where Abraham Lincoln stood on February 22, 1861, and where John F. Kennedy delivered an address on July 4, 1962. With Independence Hall in front of you and the Liberty Bell behind you, this is a place to stand for a moment and soak up a sense of history. From March through December and on major holidays, free, timed tickets from the Independence Visitor Center are required for entry. Tickets also can be reserved online (www.recreation.gov).

It's more Naples than Philadelphia: vendors crowd the sidewalks and spill out onto the streets; live crabs wait for the kill, while it's too late for the lambs and pigs displayed in butcher-shop windows; fresh, seasonal produce is piled high. The market dates to the turn of the last century, when it was founded by Italian immigrants. You'll find fresh pastas, cheeses, spices, meats, fruits and vegetables, and dry goods and kitchen equipment, as well as junky dollar-stores and funky boutiques. These days the market has become more diversified, with the addition of several Mexican grocers, a natural foods grocer, taquerias, a sandwich shop popular with foodies, and several coffee spots.

Intended to make a contemporary design statement, the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts has some architectural oomph with its dramatic vaulted glass roof. The 450,000-square-foot venue by architect Rafael Viñoly includes the 2,500-seat Verizon Hall, the more intimate 650-seat Perelman Theater, Jose Garces's restaurant Volvér, a café, central plaza, and a rooftop terrace. Making their home at the Kimmel are the Philadelphia Orchestra, Philadanco, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, and the Philly Pops. Free performances are given before some performances and on many weekends in the center's Commonwealth Plaza.

This open-air museum showcases Pennsylvania German rural life and folk culture between 1750 and 1940. Founded by brothers Henry and George Landis on their homestead in the 1920s, the farm and village are now operated by the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. You can visit more than 15 historical buildings, with costumed guides providing interesting bits of history. There are demonstrations of skills such as spinning and weaving, pottery making, and tinsmithing. Many of the crafts are for sale in the museum shop.

The bell fulfilled the words of its inscription when it rang to "proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof," beckoning Philadelphians to the State House yard to hear the first reading of the Declaration of Independence. Ordered in 1751 and originally cast in England, it cracked during testing and was recast in Philadelphia by Pass and Stow two years later. To keep it from falling into British hands during the Revolution—they would have melted it down for ammunition—it was spirited away by horse and wagon to Allentown, 60 miles to the north. The Liberty Bell is the subject of much legend; one story says it cracked when tolled at the funeral of Chief Justice John Marshall in 1835. Actually, the bell cracked slowly over a period of years. It was repaired but cracked again in 1846 and was then forever silenced. It was called the State House Bell until the 1830s, when a group of abolitionists adopted it as a symbol of freedom and renamed it the Liberty Bell.

After more than 200 years inside Independence Hall, the bell was moved to a glass-enclosed pavilion for the 1976 Bicentennial, which for many seemed an incongruous setting for such a historic object. In mid-2003 it once again moved to another glass-enclosed pavilion with redbrick accents. This time, great care was taken to improve access and viewing of its former home at Independence Hall, which is seen against the backdrop of the sky—rather than 20th-century buildings. The Liberty Bell complex houses a bell chamber, an interpretive exhibit area with historic displays and memorabilia, and a covered area for waiting in line.

During construction for the bell's current home, the foundation and other archaeological remains of The President's House, the home of the nation's chief executives before the capital shifted to Washington, D.C., were discovered, as well as evidence of slaves owned by President George Washington who lived there during his time in office. A new permanent installation includes a series of video panels focusing on the stories of the nine enslaved African Americans, as well as glass panels through which you can view the remains of the structure's foundation.

Longwood Gardens has established an international reputation for its immaculate, colorful gardens full of flowers and blossoming shrubs. In 1906 Pierre S. du Pont (1870–1945) bought a simple Quaker farm and turned it into the ultimate early-20th-century estate garden. Attractions include magnolias and azaleas in spring; roses and water lilies in summer; chrysanthemums in fall; and camellias, orchids, and palms in winter. You can stroll in the Italian water garden or explore a meadow full of wildflowers on the garden's 350 acres. Bad weather is no problem, as 4 acres of cacti, ferns, and bonsai plants, and the biggest green wall in North America, are housed in heated conservatories. Outdoors is the Bee-aMazed Children's Garden, with a honeycomb maze, queen bee throne, and small splashing fountains. The Indoor Children's Garden has a bamboo maze, a grottolike cave, and a drooling dragon. There is a regular summer concert series, as well as special fireworks and fountain events. The cafeteria (open year-round) and dining room (closed January–March) serve reasonably priced meals.

The former John Wanamaker department store, this building is almost as prominent a Philadelphia landmark as the Liberty Bell. Wanamaker began with a clothing store in 1861, and became one of America's most innovative and prominent retailers. The massive building, which occupies a city block with grace, was designed by the noted Chicago firm of D. H. Burnham and Company. Its focal point is a 2,500-pound statue of an eagle, a remnant of the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis. "Meet me at the Eagle" remains a popular way for Philadelphians to arrange a rendezvous. The store's 30,000-pipe organ—the largest ever built—is used for free concerts Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at noon and 5:30, and Wednesday and Friday at noon and 7. They offer a spectacular holiday light show between Thanksgiving and New Year as well.

This 160,000-square-foot museum brings the U.S. Constitution alive through a series of highly interactive exhibits tracing the development and adoption of the nation's landmark guiding document. The heart of the sprawling museum, The Story of We the People, takes you from the American Revolution through the Constitution's ratification to major events in the nation's constitutional history, including present-day events like the inauguration of President Barack Obama, Hurricane Katrina, and the recent economic crisis. Later, you can play the role of a Supreme Court justice deciding an important case, and walk among the framers in Signers' Hall, where you can decide whether to add your signature to the list of Founding Fathers. The facility has 100-plus exhibits, plays host to many events with major historians, authors, and political figures, and also houses the Annenberg Center for Education and Outreach, a hub for constitutional education efforts that is not open to the public.

This High Victorian Gothic structure is a work of art in itself. Designed in 1876 by the noted, and sometimes eccentric, Philadelphia architects Frank Furness and George Hewitt, the multicolor stone-and-brick exterior is an extravagant blend of columns, friezes, and Richardsonian Romanesque and Moorish flourishes. The interior is just as lush, with rich hues of red, yellow, and blue and an impressive staircase. The nation's first art school and museum (founded in 1805) displays a fine collection that ranges from the Peale family, Gilbert Stuart, Benjamin West, and Winslow Homer to Andrew Wyeth and Red Grooms. Fox Hunt by Winslow Homer, and The Artist in His Museum by Charles Willson Peale, are just a few notable works. The academy faculty has included Thomas Sully, Charles Willson Peale, and Thomas Eakins. The latter painted what is now the museum's most prized work, The Gross Clinic, a dramatic depiction of Samuel D. Gross, a celebrated 19th-century surgeon, presiding over an operation under a skylighted roof; the masterwork is co-owned with the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and is displayed for six months at a time at each institution.

Supplementing the permanent collection are constantly changing exhibitions of sculptures, paintings, and mixed-media artwork in the adjacent Samuel M. V. Hamilton Building; the 11-story facility, which opened for the academy's 200th anniversary, is also the home to the Sculpture Study Center, which offers changing displays from the permanent collection, classrooms, group and private studios for more than 300 students, and Portfolio, the museum's gift shop. The 1400 block of Cherry Street, which runs between the two buildings, is a pedestrian plaza featuring Paint Torch, a 53-foot-tall sculpture of a paintbrush by Claes Oldenburg, a three-part serpentine bench, and outdoor seating.

The city's premier cultural attraction is one of the country's leading museums. One of the greatest treasures of the museum is the building itself. Constructed in 1928 of Minnesota dolomite, it's modeled after ancient Greek temples but on a grander scale. The museum was designed by Julian Francis Abele, the first African-American to graduate from the University of Pennsylvania School of Architecture. You can enter the museum from the front or the rear; choose the front and you can run up the 99 steps made famous in the movie Rocky.

Once inside, you'll see the grand staircase and Saint-Gaudens's statue Diana; she formerly graced New York's old Madison Square Garden. The museum has several outstanding permanent collections: the John G. Johnson Collection covers Western art from the Renaissance to the 19th century; the Arensberg and A. E. Gallatin collections contain modern and contemporary works by artists such as Brancusi, Braque, Matisse, and Picasso. Famous paintings in these collections include Van Eyck's St. Francis Receiving the Stigmata, Rubens's Prometheus Bound, Benjamin West's Benjamin Franklin Drawing Electricity from the Sky, van Gogh's Sunflowers, Cézanne's The Large Bathers, and Picasso's Three Musicians. The museum has the world's most extensive collection of works by Marcel Duchamp, including the world-famous Nude Descending a Staircase and The Bride Stripped Bare by Her Bachelors, Even. Among the American art worth seeking out is a fine selection of works by 19th-century Philadelphia artist Thomas Eakins, including The Gross Clinic, which the museum co-owns with the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts.

Perhaps the most spectacular objects in the museum are entire structures and great rooms moved lock, stock, and barrel from around the world: a 12th-century French cloister, a 16th-century Indian temple hall, a 16th-century Japanese Buddhist temple, a 17th-century Chinese palace hall, and a Japanese ceremonial teahouse. Among the other collections are costumes, Early American furniture, and Amish and Shaker crafts. An unusual touch—and one that children especially like—is the Kienbusch Collection of Arms and Armor.

The Ruth and Raymond G. Perelman Building, across the street in the former Reliance Standard Life Insurance Building, is home to the museum's permanent collection of photography, costume, and contemporary design.

Friday evenings feature live jazz and world music performances in the Great Hall. The museum has a fine restaurant and a surprisingly good cafeteria now under the management of well-known restaurateur Stephen Starr. A short stroll away is the Fairmount Waterworks and Boathouse Row, as well as a path well used by bikers and joggers that connects the museum to Center City's Fitler Square neighborhood.

The market is nothing short of a historic treasure, and a food heaven to Philadelphians and visitors alike. One floor beneath the former Reading Railroad's 1891 train shed, the sprawling market has more than 75 food stalls and other shops, selling items from hooked rugs and handmade jewelry to South American and African crafts. Here, amid the local color, you can sample Bassett's ice cream, Philadelphia's best; down a cheesesteak, a hoagie, a bowl of snapper soup, or a soft pretzel; or nibble Greek, Mexican, Thai, and Indian specialties. From Wednesday through Saturday the Amish from Lancaster County cart in their goodies, including Lebanon bologna, shoofly pie, and scrapple. Many stalls have their own counters with seating; there's also a central eating area. An open kitchen offers regular demonstrations by some of the region's top chefs. You can also take a guided Market Tour on Wednesdays and Saturdays at 10 am. The entire building is a National Historic Landmark, and the train shed is a National Engineering Landmark. The market is easily accessible by SEPTA's Blue Line subway, regional rail, and bus.

Once grazing ground for cows and sheep, Philadelphia's most elegant square is reminiscent of a Parisian park. One of William Penn's original five city squares, the park was named in 1825 to honor David Rittenhouse, 18th-century astronomer, clock maker, and the first director of the United States Mint. Many of Philadelphia's celebrities have lived here. Extra paths were made for Dr. William White, a leader in beautifying the square, so he could walk directly from his home to the exclusive Rittenhouse Club across the square and lunch with author Henry James. Until 1950 town houses bordered the square, but they have now been replaced on three sides by swank apartment buildings and hotels. Some great houses remain, including the former residence of Henry P. McIlhenny on the southwest corner. If you want to join the office workers who have lunch-hour picnics in the park, you can find many eateries along Walnut, Sansom, and Chestnut Streets east of the square. Or you can dine alfresco at one of several upscale open-air cafés across from the square on 18th Street between Locust and Walnut. The term "Rittenhouse Row" describes the greater Rittenhouse Square area, bordered by Pine, Market, 21st, and Broad Streets.

This jewel of a museum holds the biggest collection outside France of the work of sculptor Auguste Rodin (1840–1917). Occupying a 20th-century building designed by French architects Jacques Greber and Paul Cret, it reopened in June 2012 after a brief closing for interior renovations; the idea is to honor Cret's original idea that inside and out offer a "unified setting" for the presentation of sculpture. Entering the museum, you pass through a re-landscaped courtyard to reach Rodin's Gates of Hell—a 21-foot-high sculpture with more than 100 human and animal figures. In the exhibition hall, the sculptor's masterworks are made even more striking by the use of light and shadow. Here are The Kiss, The Burghers of Calais, and Eternal Springtime. A small room is devoted to one of Rodin's most famous sitters, the French novelist Balzac. Photographs by Edward Steichen showing Rodin at work round out the collection.