Independence National Historical Park

Both the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution were debated and signed in Independence Hall, the Georgian brick statehouse at the centre of this national park in Philadelphia. Its Assembly Room, where those debates took place, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the main reason more than three and a half million people come each year.

Across the street, the Liberty Bell hangs in its own glass pavilion, its famous crack visible up close. The surrounding blocks hold other sites from the founding era: Congress Hall, where the federal legislature met while Philadelphia was the national capital in the 1790s; Carpenters' Hall, meeting place of the First Continental Congress; the Benjamin Franklin Museum at Franklin Court; and the Second Bank of the United States, which displays a gallery of portraits of early American figures.

The park suits anyone interested in American history. Seeing the main buildings comfortably takes at least half a day.