Experience Vivid History in Philadelphia

ByABC News
May 10, 2002, 3:56 PM

June 3 -- America's major cities get all the ink, but its smaller cities can steal your hearts with their delightful mix of small-town ease and big-city personality. One of the small cities you might like to explore on your next family getaway is historic Philadelphia.

Go there, and you'll come to know what the locals know: Good things don't always come in the biggest, fanciest packages.

History at Its Most Vivid

"They're coming! They're coming!" the kids shouted. Cannons boomed and rifles crackled as British Redcoats descended upon us. We were smack-dab in the middle of the American Revolution, eavesdropping on the Continental Congress, cheering Washington and Jefferson, declaring freedom!

Not surprisingly, history vividly comes to life in Philly, but we discovered there's quite a bit more to this energetic, feel-good City of Brotherly Love.

We peeked at the giant river otters at the famous Philadelphia Zoo, crawled around Maurice Sendak's oversize creatures at the Please Touch Museum and met the jelly bean kids (life-size statues of children made entirely of multicolored jelly beans) at the National Liberty Museum.

When it was time to leave, still sporting a few patriotic goose bumps, kids fast asleep with their arms wrapped around Ben Franklin dolls, we vowed to return.

Who Knew?

The 16-foot-high statue of Franklin was made out of 80,000 copper pennies, in honor of one of Franklin's sayings: "A penny saved is a penny earned." Look for it on Arch Street, east of 4th.

Don't Leave Home Without

your curiosity. Take it to the Franklin Institute Science Museum, where you can spin a magnet to make electricity, play a glass "armonica" (yet another Ben Franklin invention) and walk through a giant human heart; call 215-448-1200. Also, check out the kaleidoscopic-colored tropical butterflies and giant dinos at the Academy of Natural Sciences; call 215-299-1000.

Don't Leave Town Without

hanging around Independence National Historical Park (call 215-597-8974). Best bets for kids: a horse-drawn carriage ride ('76 Carriage Co., 215-923-8516) and hands-on history activities (Franklin Court Courtyard, weekends only).