Independence Hall, Pennsylvania, United States

4Andy Y 5:00 PM Jul 18, 2022

Interesting visit to learn the history of American Independence, short and sweet
I would recommend booking a tour of Independence Hall online on the National Park Service website as it can be busy if you try to turn up on the day. You have to pay a $1 but it saves queuing up early and there was plenty of availability. The tour itself is very short, there are only two rooms you can visit inside of the main Hall but there is a tour guide who will explain what the rooms were used for (one is obviously the court room, the other room has a little more history to it). The guides were very knowledgeable and entertaining and it was nice to learn more about the history of American Independence, as a Brit I feel ignorant not knowing it too well previously. There are a couple of other smaller buildings to the side of Independence Hall which are worth a visit, one holds copies famous documents, like the declaration of independence. Also if you're lucky there was a re-enactment outside the hall every couple of hours when we visited, I think it was more aimed at Kids but the staff were all in character and it seemed like it would be fun - we didn't hang around.

4CaptMancuso 5:00 PM Jun 27, 2022

Every American should visit this site
This should be on the list of things to see for every American and a must see for any student of American history. The National Park Service does an outstanding job of running the operation and the Rangers are very knowledgeable. The tour inside Independence Hall is 20 minutes long and you get to see a good portion of the interior. Frankly, that’s about the right amount of time. After seeing Independence Hall, you are free to walk around the rest of the area and take a guided tour of Congress Hall (worth it). There is no extra charge, and you can spend as little or as much time as you wish. However, once you leave the compound, there’s no re-entry without a new reservation. A few negatives that must be mentioned. Due to the world we live in, there is a TSA style security checkpoint. It’s quick and they get the tour groups through efficiently but it’s still a bit annoying that we must have this at a historic site. You cannot just walk up and get in line; you must purchase the tickets on-line and reserve a time slot. The ticket fee is minimal. This appears to be more about tracking who is visiting, how many are visiting and control of the visitor load than the desire to make a profit. The process isn’t difficult (although you will need access to the internet). They read the QR code off your smart phone, so no paper ticket is needed.