May 05 2009
Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
One of the highlights of our Philadelphia trip was Independence Hall. Being in the room where George Washington and Benjamin Franklin and so many others made history was an awesome experience.
To visit Independence Hall, you must get tickets at the Independence Visitor Center, about 2 blocks away. It is advisable to get your tickets early in the day, as there are a limited number available. We were there early enough in the morning to get in on the first tour. (If you have kids in your group, pick up Junior Ranger Guides at the Visitor Center as well.)
Once you walk to Independence Hall, you pass through a security checkpoint and then wait outside until it’s time for your tour to begin. A National Park Service ranger begins the tour in a waiting room with chairs before taking visitors to the two historic meeting rooms.
The tour itself does not last long, only about 15 minutes, as you see the areas where our nation’s founding documents were formed.
After the tour, you can visit the West Wing, where historical documents are located, or remain in the courtyard before exiting the secure area.
[...] touring Independence Hall, visitors are welcome to stop in the “West Wing” before leaving the secure area. The [...]
[...] we parked in the garage under the visitor center and then went upstairs to get our tickets for Independence Hall. Near the ticket desk is the place to get National Park passport stamps for several Philadelphia [...]
Oh, I wish I’d seen this before we visited the chocolate factory yesterday! I agree with you- it was such a HUGE disappointment. I think I was expecting it to be something similar to the Disney experience.
We did not even get a free chocolate sample at the end of the car ride that you mentioned. Later, we also decided to take the 45-minute trolley ride through Chocolate town. We were under the impression that they would take us to the factory where we’d be shown the chocolate making process. Nothing of the sort!! We were just given a brief history of the town and an overview of what the place had to offer. They gave us exactly 3 tiny pieces of chocolate during the ride and we were asked not to take more then that as the bucket of chocolate was passed around the trolley. We paid 26 dollars for 2 people- an absolute waste of time & money, in my opinion. We could have just driven around in our car itself!
The only saving grace of our trip was our visit to the Hershey Garden.
I don’t think I’ll recommend Hershey, PA to anyone!
TBC’s last blog post..Lemon Cupcakes With A Greek Yogurt Topping