Independence National Historical Park

Why Visit

INHP welcomed more than 4.5 million visitors in 2018.

Many line up around the block to see what is the park’s most visited and most famous attractions: Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.

At Independence Hall in 1776, the Founding Fathers came together to sign the Declaration of Independence.

Eleven years later, representatives from a dozen states met here to lay the framework for the U.S. Constitution.

Today, the building is the centerpiece of Independence National Historical Park, and guided tours are available to visitors year-round.

With a handful of exceptions like the National Constitution Center, most attractions in INHP do not charge for admission.

The bell that was later named the Liberty Bell was originally cast in Great Britain and recast in 1753 in Philadelphia to adorn the State House.

Used to call the Pennsylvania Assembly to meetings, it was soon adopted by abolitionists, suffragists, Civil Rights advocates, Native Americans, immigrants, war protesters and others as a symbol of freedom. Visitors can tour the Liberty Bell Center year-round free of charge.

Independence National Historical Park includes several additional sites of interest, including Congress Hall, Franklin Court, Christ Church, the National Constitution Center, Carpenters’ Hall, the President’s House Site and more.

The Independence Visitor Center at 6th & Market Streets offers resources, information and assistance to help guests make the most of their time.

The center also houses a gift shop and a small cafe.

The Independence National Historical Park welcomes over 4 million visitors a year. — Photo by C. Smyth for Visit Philadelphia

History

The four blocks between Walnut and Arch Streets and 5th and 6th Streets, now known as Independence Mall, were where 18th-century leaders worked, lived and socialized, making it one of the city’s first focal points for residential and commercial development.

For instance, throughout parts of the 18th century, while the Articles of Confederation (1781), the Declaration of Independence (1776) and the U.S. Constitution (1787) were being created and ratified inside Independence Hall, Presidents George Washington and John Adams lived at 190 High Street, now the 500 block of Market Street.

Just two blocks north, where the National Constitution Center now stands, the streets bustled with a community of vendors, artisans, shopkeepers and free African American families.

It was in this neighborhood that the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas opened in 1792 to assist Philadelphia’s free Black population.

The first Free Quaker Meeting House was also built here in 1783 as a place of worship for Quakers who had been “read out” of the religion, many for disregarding its pacifist obligations and taking up arms in the Revolution.

The site of INHP has not remained static in the nearly two-and-a-half centuries since the Declaration of Independence was adopted there on July 4, 1776.

Instead, it has grown and progressed with the times. The area was designated as part of the National Park Service in 1948.

The Independence Visitor Center at 6th & Market Streets offers resources, information and assistance to help guests make the most of their time. — Photo by M. Kennedy for Visit Philadelphia

Admission & Info

With a handful of exceptions like the National Constitution Center, most attractions in INHP do not charge for admission.

Tickets to Independence Hall are free but still required between March 1 and December 31, and they can be picked up at the Independence Visitor Center.

Guests should arrive for the Independence Hall tour 45 minutes early to allow time for the security line.