Philadelphia is one of America’s most fascinating cities for families because every cobblestone and brick reeks of history.
Over a two-day weekend, I was struck by how much we learned about America by just walking in and out of the remarkable museums of the Historic District.
The city’s oldest section, much of it dating to the early 1700s, comprises important landmarks between Front (or 1st Street) and 7th Street, and from Vine to Lombard. Beautifully preserved colonial homes still stand between Front and 2nd Streets, from Chestnut to Walnut Streets, for a closer look.
Before you head out a for a walk, share some of these intriguing stories with your kids.
1. President Woodrow Wilson’s second wife, Edith Bolling, claimed to be a descendant of Pocahontas and renamed a four-masted sailing barque Mosholu, which means “one who fears nothing” in the Seneca language. We learned this on that Moshulu, now a restored tall ship moored at Penn’s Landing that serves excellent seafood and steak in a dress-up atmosphere. Their casual upper deck bar is a great place to orient all ages to the city.
2. Samuel Fraunces was a Jamaican-born restauranteur nicknamed “Black Sam.” His popular lower Manhattan place, Fraunces’s Tavern, was a favorite haunt of the Revolutionaries, especially General George Washington. When Washington moved to the new capital of Philadelphia as president, Black Sam came to run the staff and, from 1791-94, they lived together in the Presidents’ House. The house foundation can be seen today at 6th and Market in Independence National Park.
3. The Franklin Fountain has been serving ice cream, floats and house-made sodas since 2004 in a building that is much older. They credit Philadelphian Dr. Philip Syng Physick, considered the “father of American Surgery,” for flavoring the soda water he gave patients and inventing the first soft drink in 1807.
4. Jacob Graff may have been America’s first Airbnb host. He rented two rooms to Thomas Jefferson of Virginia on the top floor of his red brick house in June 1776. Within three weeks, Jefferson had completed writing the Declaration of Independence. Be inspired by the reproduction rooms at Declaration House, 7th and Market Streets.
5. In 1838 at age 13, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper began to educate herself while working as a servant in a Quaker household. She grew up to be a teacher, writer and noted poet yet faced discrimination because she was of African descent. We heard how that realization launched her career as a public speaker, abolitionist, Christian leader and suffragette from a life-size video re-enactor at the African American Museum of Philadelphia.
6. Ben Franklin was the da Vinci of his time. A respected printer from Boston, he also discovered the Gulf Stream, experimented with electricity and was a Founding Father who worked on both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution – the latter when he was 81! There is much more to learn at the fascinating Ben Franklin Museum in Franklin Alley.
7. “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal…” These words from the Declaration of Independence, while accepted and ratified by the Continental Congress, caused great anxiety among the Founding Fathers, most of whom were slave holders. Dive deeper into 18th-century morality at the Museum of the American Revolution.
8. The Oneida Nation of Native Americans was loyal to the Revolutionaries’ cause and fought alongside colonists throughout the American Revolution. According to the Museum of the American Revolution, their crucial assistance was given in exchange for having their lands returned, but it never happened.
9. Martha Washington’s personal slave, Oney Judge, escaped from their Mount Vernon estate and successfully fled to New Hampshire when she heard that she was being given to Martha’s beloved grandchildren. It is one of many stories told through video re-enactments at the President’s House.
10. When President John Adams and his wife Abigail, both abolitionists, moved into the President’s House in Philadelphia, they had no slaves. They employed four servants of both European and African descent and paid wages themselves, as the new United States government would not cover household expenses.
11. Hot chocolate comes in flights. At the ca. 1911 Shane Confectionary, the nation’s oldest operating chocolatier, roasted cacao beans are pounded by hand and melted over a burner to produce cocoa. You can try several flavors, plus historic buttercreams, at their vintage store on Market and 1st Street.
12. Liberty, and the concept of living life as you choose, has been fought over throughout history, something the National Liberty Museum makes clear. This small museum feels like a Hall of Fame of those who fought for freedom, and shares many powerful lessons for school-age children.
There’s much more to see and do with the family in Philadelphia. While some attractions are free or low-cost, a Philadelphia CityPASS provides discounted admission to the top places, both inside and outside the Historic District. For more information and current hotel packages, please go to VisitPhilly.com.
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Have you ever actually traveled with kids? It doesn’t seem like it by the tone of this article.
Hello Dr Ramesh,
If both legal guardians or birth parents of the child are traveling with the child, you will not need any other documentation, except everyone’s visas and passports. Check with your employer about medical insurance. If they will not provide medical coverage overseas, you can inquire with your U.S. based insurance company about what they provide. Some travel insurance companies sell one-year policies to cover students studying overseas and that might be another option. Safe Travels!
Sir, we both are going Europe with work visa on base of permit. Taking our 3year old child with us. Any letter or medical form/ paper we need to carry with us?
A Great Family Activity and one that will bring the family back together in the future when they all grow up!!
Take a look at our adventures. https://www.youtube.com/user/00Shaddow00 . We just started doing this to bring the family together and stop wasting our time setting in front of the television. We are filming our trips to document our adventures to remember and to share with family and friends. Maybe to motivate others to get out there with there family.
good article..
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Dubai is such a nice place to stay and famous for its wonderful sightseeing’s attractions. The best trip is Dubai sightseeing’s tour and desert safari in Dubai. We had great time couple of years ago.
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Let me add http://www.babyquip.com to the list.
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YAY THAT’S MY TWIN! So proud of you Tali!
Your blog helped me to plan my family trip to Bangkok and Pattaya. Just made a video blog out if it, https://youtu.be/tok17yOR1W8 please watch ang give feedback.
Ranch Vacation with family is a real fun. Here we spent quality time with each other. Truly said, we eat a lot and on-time as well. Riding is also a fun in ranch vacation, Created a perfect picture.
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We have actually done the ATV tour in Cozumel Mexico, and had an amazing time. We booked with Cozumel Cruise Excursions. Net which is a family business and we had an amazing time. Theres nothing better than going to another country and getting great customer service and amazing people as guides. I would highly recommend checking them out next time your in Cozumel http://cozumelcruiseexcursions.net
This sounds like so much fun! From the haunted houses to the different drinks offered. I didn’t know HHN was such a major part for Universal Orlando. Good to know! Thanks for the article!
Hello Annetta,
Yes, one Permission to Travel or Consent Letter can list more than one child on it, if the contact information for the legal guardians/birth parents is the same.
Safe travels!
Can I use one concept form to apply for two sibling from the same father
Hey, very nice site. I came across this on Google, and I am stoked that I did. I will definitely be coming back here more often. Wish I could add to the conversation and bring a bit more to the table,but am just taking in as much info as I can at the moment. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for all of these suggestions.
Chicago is a wonderful place to visit.
Excellent very nice! No doubt Dubai is very famous for more activities but desert safari is very unique activity.i love this one…
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Thanks, recommendation cheap hotels is very useful for the preparation of our vacation that will not be soon. Really nice!
Nice article
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It’s amazing. I hope i can visit it soon T.T
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Our family of 3 adults booked a tour with Kalka Travels in April 2018. Our tour included transportation and accommodation in Delhi, Pushkar, Udaipur, Bundi, Jaipur and Agra. We then caught an overnight train to Varanasi where we met up with a third party contracted by Kalka Travel. Overall we were very happy with the tour company as they delivered on what we had pre-arranged with them. We upgraded our vehicle to a SUV rather than just a sedan, and added an elephant ride to Agra Fort, tickets to traditional dance show in Udaipur, a movie at the Raj Mandir theatre in Jaipur as well as water was supplied each day to us. All breakfasts were included. Our driver Ravinder was exceptional in that he was always on time and patient with us sometimes being late; the vehicle was always cleaned that morning and comfortable. He was highly attentive to our needs, very reliable, polite, and humorous, and told us what to expect at each stop. We always felt very safe with him as he was an excellent driver. His English was good in that we were able to ask many questions of him. Kalka Travels was flexible with our itinerary and our driver stopped at a few places that were not on our list of stops, unlike the other company we had considered booking who told us the drivers could not be flexible.Our wonderful driver, Ravinder, made our trip very special. Kalka Travels also only asked for a $100 deposit in advance and the remainder when we arrived in India, which put us at ease. Bobby Thakur was very quick to respond to any concerns we had. All in all, a wonderful vacation and experience with Kalka Travels.
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Great article & very practical. Thanks for all the tips – I’ll be thinking about them for a while as we work on our website redesign.
Great vacation ideas and post too..!!!
There are many famous forts and palaces along with wildlife sanctuaries and other monuments which has attracted thousands of visitors and some of them have become a part of UNESCO World Heritage Site as well.
We are completely in accord with these ‘not to miss 5 experiences in Dubai.’ We experienced them on a family trip last year. The one thing we missed out was the charter yacht. Now we have taken it as a priority for our next trip after reading your post.
Look like you had a great adventure trip. The ship looks awesome.
Dubai is amazing. I really enjoyed reading your article! 🙂
I just found a website that lists apple festivals all over the country! So you can find something in your area. They all seem a little bit different, which is fun. http://pickyourown.org/applefestivals.php
St john is more quite than other Caribbean islands. St John accessible only by ferry from the other U.S. Virgin Islands, St. John is a true gem in the Caribbean with crystal clear waters, lush green mountains and gorgeous white sand beaches. Though it is the smallest of the three U.S. Virgin Islands, St. John’s unspoiled beauty is perhaps the greatest found anywhere in the Caribbean.
Rajasthan is one of the most vibrant and colorful states in India with its rich culture and traditions since ancient times. It is known as the land of warriors and beautiful princess who even chose to die for saving their chastity and had a great affinity with their motherland. Whether it is the cuisine or the dress sense everything is unique about Rajasthan’s culture. There are many famous forts and palaces along with wildlife sanctuaries and other monuments which has attracted thousands of visitors and some of them have become a part of UNESCO World Heritage Site as well. The famous sites are described in this blog which is good for the history lovers and for those people who want to explore more about the diversity of Rajasthan.
Being in the city of Royal Tents in Jaisalmer of moving sand ridges, you can’t get away from the seat travel. A rough ride on a camel in the Thar Desert is one of the energizing things to do in Jaisalmer Royal Camps. It enables you to investigate the remote and segregated spots tucked amidst the abandon. Absolutely, the additional time you give on your safari, the more remote spots you are probably going to see and the more you may acclimate to and appreciate the abandon serenity.
I am going to Dubai next month thanks for sharing this information will come in handy
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Thanks, for posting such and Informatic blog. I had been to Amer Fort in Jaipur and it was an amazing experience.
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A rough ride on a camel in the Thar Desert is one of the energizing things to do in Jaisalmer Royal Camps. It enables you to investigate the remote and segregated spots tucked amidst the abandon.
I think that is a wonderful experience at Dubai. I’ve been to Dubai and it’s pretty