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Sightseeing Tours
Philadelphia will offer a variety of Sightseeing Tours on Saturday, Jan. 8, 2011.
Registration will begin on Thursday, July 15.
SPORTS OF ALL SORTS
Go behind the scenes at Philadelphia’s state-of-the-art sports facilities. Your tour will take you inside the players’ locker rooms, media rooms where the announcers do the play-by-plays, luxury suites, and more. At Citizens Bank Park, you’ll see the World-Champion P hillies’ indoor batting cages and dugout; visit Ashburn Alley, the centerfield entertainment area with bi-level bullpens; and view Phillies memorabilia and 32 original oil paintings by artist Dick Perez in the Cooperstown Gallery. Basketball and hockey fans will enjoy seeing the inner sanctum of The Wachovia Center, home of the Sixers and Flyers. And, no Philadelphia sports tour would be complete without a visit to Lincoln Financial Field, home of the Philadelphia Eagles and site of the Army/Navy football games. Your sports tour will end at Yards Brewery, Pennsylvania’s first 100 percent
wind-powered brewery. See how beer is made and sample some of Yards' prize beers and ales, including those using recipes from Revolutionary times, and Philadelphia Pale, named one of the best Pale Ales in the country by the The New York Times.
ON THE WATERFRONT
Enjoy a breathtaking view of Philadelphia’s skyline as you make your way, via ferry, across the Delaware River
to Camden, New Jersey. There, you will board the Battleship New Jersey, the U.S. Navy’s most decorated battleship, for a guided tour including the ship’s weapons systems, berthing areas, command and control centers, galley, and other exhibits. Then, travel by motorcoach back to Philadelphia where you’ll explore the Independence Seaport Museum. Watch artisans build and restore traditional wooden boats as you learn about the region’s maritime history through displays and interactive exhibits. Berthed outside the museum on the Delaware River are the Olympia, the nation’s oldest floating steel warship and Admiral Dewey’s flagship during the Spanish-American war, and the Becuna, a classic World War II submarine that fought battles in the South Pacific. Enjoy receptions on the entertaining cruise ships Spirit of Philadelphia and Philadelphia Belle before quacking your way back to the Pennsylvania Convention Center on an amphibious Ride the Ducks vehicle.
THE CULTURAL SIDE OF PHILADELPHIA: MURALS, MUSIC AND MUSEUMS
See why Philadelphia is known as the “mural capital of the world,” with a tour of some of Philadelphia’s 3,000 super-sized outdoor murals. Each mural tells a different story! Find out the history behind the world-famous Mural Arts Program, which took the city’s graffiti writers off the streets and turned them into artists, and learn about the mural-making process. Then, visit Philadelphia’s Avenue of the Arts, the city’s premier
performing arts district, for a tour of the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts, home of the Philadelphia
Orchestra, and a stop at the Academy of Music, the oldest concert hall in America still in use. You will also
visit the Rodin Museum, which houses the largest collection of Rodin sculptures outside of Paris. For the
last stop, view the works of famous American painters at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, the first
art museum and school of fine arts in the country.
BEYOND THE LIBERTY BELL
Visit some favorite off-the-beaten-path sites and attractions that are unique to Philadelphia. Go on location to the movie sites filmed in Philadelphia, such as Rocky, The Sixth Sense and of course, Philadelphia. View the actual clips as they appeared in the movie and hear stories about how scenes were filmed. Then, explore America’s most historic prison, Eastern State Penitentiary, a haunting world of crumbing cellblocks and empty guard towers. See the “plush” cell of former inmate Al Capone, learn how “Slick Willie” Sutton made his escape (only to be recaptured within a few minutes) and get a guard’s-eye view of the prison from the TowerCam. Continue on to one of Philadelphia’s oddest museums, the Mütter Museum, to learn about America’s medical past as you view a collection of medical anomalies, including a tumor removed from the jaw of President Grover Cleveland.
HISTORIC PHILADELPHIA
Let history surround you as you enter Liberty 360, Philadelphia’s indoor, state of- the-art, 360-degree, 3-D panoramic attraction that takes you on a spectacular and emotional historic journey of America’s most beloved symbols of freedom. Across the street at Independence Hall you’ll visit the actual room where the Declaration of Independence was signed. Then, walk through the Liberty Bell Pavilion, which houses the world’s most famous symbol of freedom. Next visit, the President’s House Commemorative Site, where you’ll learn about the lives of the nine enslaved Africans who lived and worked in the nation’s first White House, which was located at that site. The tour also takes you to the cobblestone streets of Elfreth’s Alley, the oldest continuously occupied street in the country; the Betsy Ross House, where America’s most famous seamstress lived and worked; and Pennsylvania Hospital, the oldest hospital in America.
EXPERIENCE PHILADELPHIA’S DIVERSITY
Explore America’s multicultural heritage in Philadelphia. Tour the new site of the National Museum of American Jewish History, the only museum in the country dedicated to telling the history of more than 350 years of Jewish life in America. Learn about the history of African-Americans and those of the African Diaspora at the African American Museum in Philadelphia. Celebrate America’s ideals of freedom at the National Liberty Museum, featuring eight galleries of exhibits, interactive displays, videos and artwork, including Dale Chihuly’s 20-foot glass flame of Liberty. You’ll also visit the third largest Chinatown in America, where a 40-foot tall Chinese Friendship Gate stands as a welcome to this vibrant neighborhood of shops and restaurants. Then, stop by the Reading Terminal Market, a 118-year-old farmers market featuring a variety of ethnic foods from local vendors, including homemade baked goods from the Amish and the famous Philly cheesesteak.
FASCINATING FINDS
Make your own discoveries right here in Philadelphia at some of the country’s leading museums. At The Franklin Institute you can walk through a giant heart; get a charge out of the electricity exhibit; explore how powerful forces, both natural and manmade, shape our planet; and challenge the athlete in you while learning the physics behind your favorite sports. Then, step into the prehistoric era at The Academy of Natural Sciences as you behold more than 30 species of dinosaurs including a full-scale skeleton of Tyrannosaurus rex. Step inside the butterfly exhibit, where you can walk through a lush, tropical garden filled with colorful plants and live butterflies from Central and South America, East Africa, and Southeast Asia. You’ll also go on an expedition to the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology’s galleries to gaze upon actual Egyptian mummies and a 12-ton Sphinx. Unearth the secrets of ancient civilizations at this museum containing one of finest collections of artifacts from around the world.
SHOP ‘TIL YOU DROP (DON’T WORRY…WE WON’T TELL!)
Go on a shopping spree at two of the region’s best and biggest shopping centers. Your first stop will be the King of Prussia Mall, the largest retail shopping complex in the country, featuring eight world-class department stores and more than 400 shops and boutiques – such as Versace, Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdale’s, Abercrombie & Fitch, Anne Taylor and Coach. Then, head over to Philadelphia Premium Outlets with 150 stores offering great deals on designer and name brands, including Banana Republic, Polo Ralph Lauren, J. Crew, and Kate Spade. Plan to save room in your luggage for all of your purchases – with no tax on clothing or shoes in Pennsylvania, you’re sure to come home with a bundle!
AMERICAN TREASURES AND REVOLUTIONARY SITES
Travel back in time with tours at some of Montgomery County’s popular attractions. Experience the sights and sounds of one of the world’s finest collections of antique nickelodeons, toys, and antique music boxes ever amassed on the American Treasures Tour. This 90-minute guided tram tour takes you through tens of thousands of treasures from America’s past. The tour also features more than 70 classic cars in their original “as-found” condition. Then, visit Valley Forge National Historical Park. Once the winter encampment of General George Washington and his army, it is now a 3,600-acre expanse dotted with replica soldier huts, earthen fortifications, and cannons. You’ll walk through Washington’s original stone headquarters, the nerve center of the encampment, investigate the Muhlenberg Brigade huts, and stop at the Visitor Center. While you’re there, view the exhibit, “Determined to Persevere.” Which tells the story of the park’s role in the American Revolution and features items from the encampment.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE BRANDYWINE VALLEY
Visit the bucolic Brandywine Valley where art and nature combine at two of the region’s most popular attractions. Become immersed in three generations of Wyeths at the world-famous Brandywine River Museum. Housed in a restored 19th-century grist mill nestled along the banks of the Brandywine River, the museum also features works by famous American illustrators, from Howard Pyle and Maxfield Parrish, to Charles Schultz and Theodor Geisel (Dr. Seuss). Next, visit Longwood Gardens, one of the world’s great garden treasures and the former estate of Pierre S. du Pont. Explore more than 325 acres of dazzling outdoor beauty and one of the largest conservatories in America. Experience the magic of the holiday season with spectacular floral displays, stunning trees, holiday music, 500,000 outdoor lights, and dancing fountains. Towering Christmas trees and thousands of poinsettias transform the four-acre indoor Conservatory into a holiday wonderland.
FLY AND BUY
From in the air to “on-the-air,” experience the technology of flight and broadcasting on this tour in the Brandywine Valley. Let your imagination soar at the American Helicopter Museum & Education Center, the only museum in the country devoted to rotary flight. Go inside some of the 35 civilian and military helicopters, autogiros and convertiplanes on display, learn about their role in American history, and see the innovative V-22 Osprey, a combination helicopter/airplane. Next, go behind the scenes of a national television network and inside the world of electronic retailing on the QVC Studio Tour. You’ll learn how products are selected and sold live on air to 91 million U.S. homes. This walkthrough will show you how the combination of technology and talent has changed the way America shops. See a live broadcast in action, and stop at the Studio Store for some shopping of your own.
IT TAKES A VILLAGE (FOR GREAT SHOPPING!)
Take a trip to one of Bucks County’s most popular and charming destinations, Peddler’s Village. The 18-century style “village” features 70 quality specialty shops, six restaurants, a 70-room luxury inn, a family entertainment center, landscaped gardens and winding brick walkways, plus year-round festivals and craft competitions. After an introduction and overview, you’ll be on your own to shop at the village’s art galleries, one-of-a-kind jewelry and clothing boutiques, and gourmet food stores. Channel your inner child with a visit to the village’s Giggleberry Fair where you can ride an antique carousel and test your skills on Giggleberry Mountain’s obstacle course.
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