Now entering…. Pennsylvania! State #14 of 50-States-Before-They-Graduate. Stops for this trip were planned solely from the recommendations of Half-a-Hundred Acre Wood readers! For our Mid-Eastern States Itinerary, click here.
In light of the current situation with our National Parks (which makes me a bit sick), I continue our memoirs from our trip back in May and… pray. As an avid NPS visitor, this shut-down of our parks grieves me greatly.
But… Philadelphia was fantastic!
We were in awe at the entire city, as we expected it to be another concrete-crammed, treeless Washington, DC, and instead we saw a lovely city tucked into the hillside…
Would you believe they have trees there? {Insert amused laughter from my own stereotypical ideals and preconceived notions of what we will see when we get to a particular state or city.} And the bridges! Just look at them!
Not only that, there were beautiful murals tucked in many a nook and cranny throughout the city.
Upon arriving at Independence Visitor Center (which was surprisingly simple to get to), the boys asked for their Jr. Ranger Activity Booklets, because that’s what we always do when we get to a new National Park.
These boys love the Jr. Ranger program. And this year, many of the National Parks have offered “Civil War to Civil Rights” trading cards. {We’ve collected them from Pennsylvania to Louisiana! It’s such a great memento!}
As we stood in line to see the Liberty Bell, the boys continued exploring their Jr. Ranger booklets.
“Proclaim Liberty throughout all the land unto all inhabitants thereof.” Leviticus 25:10
As we waited for our tour of Independence Hall, we performed a question confirmation drill on the sentence inscribed on the Liberty Bell. Nothing like playing with English Grammar while on vacation! {Does anyone else out there do this? Like when I critically analyze the sentence “Play safe” on the side of the playground slide? Anyone?}
We strolled amongst the walls of the President’s House, which (disappointingly) did not include much at all about Presidents Washington and Adams, who served there as our first Presidents. Instead,
“The videos and panels of the exhibits showcase the enslaved men and women of African descent who lived and toiled on this site under Washington’s presidency.” (quote taken from the Independence Visitor Center website<.)
But then we moved on to see Carpenter’s Hall and other sites before our Independence Hall tour.
Unfortunately, many buildings (including Declaration House where Jefferson drafted the Declaration of Independence), were closed due to sequester.
Nevertheless, we enjoyed our tour of Independence Hall.
Levi, of course, fell asleep during the tour. Poor thing must have been worn out from the overwhelming feeling of being in such a special place. [Okay, maybe not. But it is just so amazing to visit a place like this!]
Of course, we had to eat a Philly Cheesesteak while in Philadelphia. How else could we immerse ourselves in the local culture?
We ended our tour of Philadelphia with a carriage ride through town…
For people who live here (or have visited), what is the above building called? Isn’t there something special about it?
Philadelphia really is a beautiful city. There are many more things to see (Betsy Ross house, Ben Franklin Memorial, etc.). Visit the Philadelphia Visitor Center website for more about places to go and things to do!
But, for us, it was time to leave. Only…
…exactly which lane should we get in here? AAACCCKK!
So… have you been to Pennsylvania? We’d love to read your story!