About Philadelphia

The Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau (PCVB), a private non-profit membership corporation, is the official Tourism Promotion Agency for the City of Philadelphia.

The Official Visitor Site for Greater Philadelphia is gophila.com — your gateway to Philadelphia and The Countryside™. It is now easier than ever for you to plan your visit — restaurants, hotels, itineraries and much more are all at your fingertips.

Tours

Trusted Tours & Attractions provides easy and safe online ticketing for numerous sightseeing tours, attractions and museums.

The Liberty Bell

The Liberty Bell, an international icon for freedom, hangs in its own pavilion within eyesight of Independence Hall in Philadelphia.

But did you know that…

* The Bell was sent from England on the ship Hibernia, captained by William Child. (Not the Myrtilla as is commonly believed)

* The bell cracked the first time it was rung.

* The bell weighed 2080 pounds when it was cast.

* The strike note of the Bell is E-flat

* On June 6, 1944, when Allied forces landed in France, the sound of the bell was broadcast to all parts of the country

* There are three known recordings of the Bell. Two were made in the 1940s for radio stations to play; the third is currently owned by Columbia Records.

* About 1,500,000 people annually make a pilgrimage to the Bell.

* On the bell, “Pennsylvania” is spelled “Pensylvania”

* When the Liberty Bell first cracked, it was given to Pass & Stow to recast. A replacement bell was ordered from Whitechapel Foundry in England. The Pass & Stow bell is the Liberty Bell.

* As an April Fools (1996) joke, Taco Bell ran a full-page ad in various newspapers, including The New York Times, claiming to have bought the Liberty Bell.

Valley Forge

Valley Forge is the story of the six month encampment of the Continental Army of the newly formed United States of America under the command of General George Washington, a few miles from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Though no battle was fought here from December 19, 1777 to June 19, 1778, a struggle against the elements and low morale was overcome on this sacred ground.

“Naked and starving as they are we cannot enough admire the incomparable patience and fidelity of the soldiery.” -General George Washington at Valley Forge, February 16, 1778.

What’s Near Our Venue?

Less than 1/2 mile away:

- Manayunk Shops/Galleries
- Shops at Liberty Place
- Pyramid Club
- Philadelphia Trolley Works
- Rittenhouse Square
- The Union League of Philadelphia
- Top of the Tower
- The Merriam Theatre
- Crystal Tea Room
- Academy of Music
- Please Touch Museum
- Wilma Theatre
- Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts
- Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts

1/2 to 1 mile away:

- Ballroom at the Ben
- South Street
- Philadelphia Museum of Art
- Christ Church
- Betsy Ross House
- Independence National Park
- Independence Hall
- National Constitution Center
- Rodin Museum
- Fairmount Park
- Franklin Institute/Academy of Natural Science
- United States Mint
- Liberty Bell
- The Gallery at Market East
- Reading Terminal Market

More than 1 mile but less than 5 miles:

- Italian Market
- Penn’s Landing
- University of Pennsylvania
- Drexel University
- New Jersey State Aquarium
- Citizens Bank Park
- Philadelphia Zoo