If you’ve been to Philadelphia before or if the standard tourist attractions don’t appeal, then here’s a few alternative options for you.
Mütter Museum - Perfect for medical professionals. This museum is America's most famous museum of medical oddities, and home to slides containing remnants of Einstein's Brain! There are displays of beautifully preserved collections of anatomical specimens, models, and medical instruments in a 19th-century “cabinet museum” setting. Today, it is an independent research library devoted to the history of medicine and the medical humanities, serving hundreds of scholars, health professionals, students and popular writers each year.
America's Oldest Operating Theatre - Keeping with the medical theme, you can visit America’s oldest operating theatre! Within the walls of Philadelphia’s modern Pennsylvania Hospital is the original hospital, founded in 1751 by Ben Franklin and Dr. Thomas Bond. The Pine building, in addition to having a beautiful medical library (featuring 13,000 books and a series of plaster anatomical casts) holds the famous theatre. Built in 1804 and used until 1868, the operating theatre was the first of its kind in America.
The Masonic Temple of Philadelphia - or as it’s properly known “The Right Worshipful Grand Lodge of the Most Ancient and Honourable Fraternity of Free and Accepted Masons of Pennsylvania and Masonic Jurisdiction Thereunto Belonging.” The temple was constructed in 1873 and was described by the New York Times described it as “the largest, costliest, and most magnificent structure consecrated to Masonry in the World.”
Both George Washington and Ben Franklin were members of the Freemasons, which, like any good club, provided members with networking opportunities.
Elfreth's Alley - The United States oldest continuously used residential street in the United States. It is named after silversmith Jeremiah Elfreth who is said to have commissioned and developed it in 1706. The narrow cobblestone alleyway, with residences built in the Federal and Georgian styles, housed people from different walks of life and was an active site of commerce, as many tradespeople like grocers and cabinet-makers used the first floor of their homes to run their businesses.
Other places to visit are:
- Eastern State Penitentiary
- Philadelphia's Magic Gardens
- Wagner Free Institute
- Rosenbach of the Free Library of Philadelphia
- Cave of Kelpius
- Camac Street
- Bartram's Garden
- Diana of the Tower
- Foucault Pendulum at the Franklin Institute
Additional Information
Mütter Museum
America's Oldest Operating Theatre
The Masonic Temple of Philadelphia
Elfreth's Alley