Revolution and the Founders: Philadelphia Historic Walking Tour

Every guide holds a history degree, most teach American history at the university level.

A two-hour guided walking tour of Philadelphia's Revolutionary sites with a historian who has studied the period formally. The tour covers the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, the President's House, Congress Hall, Franklin Court, Carpenters' Hall, and the homes and workplaces of the Founding Fathers: Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Franklin, Hamilton, Madison, and Monroe. Runs every morning and afternoon, rain or shine. The interior of the Liberty Bell Pavilion and Independence Hall's timed entry passes are optional additions you can arrange on your own time afterward.

Step-by-step itinerary

Philadelphia Revolutionary History Tour

• Check-in and introduction at Visitor Center
• Visit The Liberty Bell exterior and pavilion
• Quick visit inside East Wing of Independence Hall
• Visit America's first White House
• Visit Congress Hall
• Visit Franklin Court and discuss Benjamin Franklin
• Visit New Hall Military Museum
• Discuss Benjamin Franklin's life and experiments
• Visit Benjamin Franklin Post Office & Museum
• Visit Carpenters' Hall and discuss secret meetings
• Visit First Bank of the United States
• Visit Second Bank of the United States and discuss duels
• Walk by American Philosophical Society and discuss history
• Walk by Library Company and discuss its history
• Visit Dolley Todd House

The experience

Start at the Independence Visitor Center, where your guide orients you to the Revolutionary landscape before walking the core sites. The Liberty Bell sits behind glass in its pavilion: your guide covers its 1752 commission, the crack on its first ring, and the recast by John Pass and John Stow with the King James Bible inscription, all from the exterior, so you see the icon without the hour-long queue that often forms at the door. If you want to step inside the pavilion itself, that's a separate choice you can make on return.

Independence Hall comes next: the building where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were debated and adopted. Your guide hits the essential points and the East Wing's Supreme Court Chambers, the oldest part of the complex, without eating into the two hours. The full interior exploration is yours to do afterward with a timed pass. From there, the walk moves through the President's House, where Washington and John Adams both held office when Philadelphia was the capital from 1790 to 1800, then Congress Hall, which hosted two presidential inaugurations and housed Congress during those same years.

Franklin Court, Carpenters' Hall, the First and Second Banks of the United States, the Benjamin Franklin Post Office (the only active U.S. post office that still doesn't fly a flag, because there wasn't one in 1775), and the Dolley Todd House round out the stops. Your guide discusses Franklin's role in the Constitutional Convention and his secret December meetings with John Jay and the French spy Julien Achard de Bonvouloir at Carpenters' Hall: negotiations that brought French support without which the colonies likely would not have won the war. Hamilton's influence on the First Bank and the Second Bank's later loss of charter under Andrew Jackson get their due as well.

What’s included

• Two-hour guided walking tour with a historian.
• visits to the exteriors and key interior spaces of the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, the President's House, Congress Hall, Franklin Court, Carpenters' Hall, the First and Second Banks of the United States, the Benjamin Franklin Post Office, and the Dolley Todd House.
• discussion of the lives and roles of Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Franklin, Hamilton, Madison, Monroe, and other Founding Fathers.
• runs every morning and afternoon, rain or shine.

Before you book

Days and timesEvery dayDepartures at 10:00, 11:00, 13:00 and 14:00

Book up toStart time

AgesAdult (13 and older) · Child (under 13)

GroupUp to 24

Live guideEnglish

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24 h before the start. After that, no refund.It may be canceled due to bad weather or if the minimum number of travelers isn't reached. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund.

Prices and times updated today

Good to know

Low physical effortWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller-friendlyInfant seats availablePets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Grim Philly Twilight Tours

Is this one for you?Choose this tour if you're visiting Philadelphia for the first time and want the essential Revolutionary sites and their stories in a single morning or afternoon, guided by someone trained in the period rather than a general tour operator. The two-hour frame keeps the pace moving and leaves you free to explore the interiors of Liberty Bell and Independence Hall on your own schedule afterward.

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Top questions

Can children come?

Yes. Ticket types: Child (under 13).

What happens if it rains?

It may be canceled due to bad weather. If that happens, you're offered another date or a refund. Free cancellation up to 24 h before the start.

What exactly does the two-hour tour cover?

The tour visits the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, the President's House, Congress Hall, Franklin Court, Carpenters' Hall, the First and Second Banks of the United States, the Benjamin Franklin Post Office, and the Dolley Todd House. Your guide discusses the lives and roles of Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Franklin, Hamilton, Madison, Monroe, and other Founding Fathers across these sites.

Can I go inside the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall during the tour?

The Liberty Bell interior and Independence Hall's full interior are optional. Your guide covers the Liberty Bell's history and creation from outside the pavilion. You can enter the pavilion on your own afterward if you choose. Independence Hall requires a free timed entry pass, which you arrange separately. The tour hits the key highlights and the East Wing without using up the two hours.

Who are the guides on this tour?

Every guide has a history degree. Most are history teachers or American history professors at the university level. They lead the tour in English.