The Essentials
Visiting the statue, running up the steps and taking a picture at the top is a must on any first visit to Philly.
The Rocky Statue — a larger-than-life boxer — is one of Philadelphia’s most famous pieces of public art.
The fictional Rocky Balboa of Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky movies was immortalized in bronze by artist A. Thomas Schomberg in 1980 for a scene in the film Rocky III .
After the filming was complete, Stallone donated the statue to the City of Philadelphia.
Since 2006, the statue has been located at the bottom of the stairs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art , and there is a near-constant stream of people waiting in line to get their pictures taken with the “Italian Stallion.”


Snap a photo with the Rocky Statue, then run up the Rocky Steps. — Photo by J. Fusco for Visit Philadelphia
Just as famous as the statue are the steps leading to the east entrance of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, aka “The Rocky Steps.” Each year, tens of thousands of people recreate the scene from the legendary movie and make the trek up the steps.
Just be prepared to work for it — those 72 steps don’t climb themselves.
Snapping a photo with the Rocky Statue and running up the Rocky Steps is free . The Philadelphia Museum of Art has extensive info on getting to the museum area, which is accessible via walking, biking, public transit, ride share or driving.