1-Night Trip to Philadelphia

Upon arrival in Philadelphia, you’ll meet your Tour Manager.

You’ll visit the National Constitution Center where you’ll see a multimedia presentation about the US Constitution and have time to view the exhibits. In Signers’ Hall you’ll see life size bronze statues of all the signers of the Constitution.

You’ll visit the Reading Terminal Market for lunch. You’ll have a chance to browse and choose from the numerous choices including some Pennsylvania Dutch specialties.

After lunch, you’ll head to the Liberty Bell Pavilion for a visit. In 1915, the bell came home to Philadelphia, where it now silently reminds us of the power of liberty. For more than 200 years people from around the world have felt the bell’s message. No one can see liberty, but people have used the Liberty Bell to represent this important idea.

You’ll visit and tour Independence Hall. From 1775 to 1783 (except for the winter of 1777 – 1778 when Philadelphia was occupied by the British Army) this was the meeting place for the Second Continental Congress. It was in the Assembly Room of this building that George Washington was appointed commander in chief of the Continental Army in 1775 and the Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776. In the same room the design of the American flag was agreed upon in 1777, the Articles of Confederation were adopted in 1781, and the U. S. Constitution was drafted in 1787.

You’ll visit Franklin Court, the site of the handsome brick home of Benjamin Franklin, who lived here while serving in the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention. Franklin died here in 1790; the house was torn down 22 years later. Today the site contains a steel “ghost structure” outlining the spot where Franklin’s house stood and features the Benjamin Franklin Museum, a new museum that explores Franklin’s life and character through artifacts, animations, and hands-on interactives. The Franklin Court complex also includes a working reproduction of an 18th century printing office, an architectural/archeological exhibit, and an operating post office.

After dinner, you’ll discover the secrets hidden in the shadows of America’s most historic and most haunted city on a guided Ghost Tour.

You’ll arrive at your hotel and check in.

After breakfast, you’ll check out of your hotel.

You’re going to prison! Eastern State Penitentiary set the standard for penal reform, with its soaring, castle-like Gothic architecture and its founders’ Quaker-inspired belief that solitary confinement could reform criminals. The 11-acre prison even had central heat, running water and flush toilets before the White House! A Who’s Who of the underworld – bank robber Willie Sutton, who staged a breakout in 1945, and Al Capone, who furnished his cell with antiques, rugs and oil paintings – both served time here. During your guided tour you’ll get a look at life inside the prison’s historic cell blocks, Al Capone’s restored 19th-century cell, stories of inmate escapes, and critically acclaimed art installations.

After lunch, you’ll visit the Zoo. Situated on 42 acres of beautiful gardens, the Philadelphia Zoo, America’s first zoo, is home to nearly 1,300 animals, many rare and endangered. Polar bears, African lions, Amur tigers, a white rhino, giraffes and more call this oasis home.

You’ll board your bus and begin the return trip home.