Philadelphia Benjamin Franklin Parkway Walking Tour

You've seen the Liberty Bell, now enjoy this informative, entertaining, personalized experience exploring one of Philadelphia's most iconic yet often overlooked cultural gems: the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.
Your half-day on the Parkway includes multiple sitting opportunities as well as restroom and food breaks-- rare comforts on any other tour!

Your guide is also your group's photographer--another exceptionally rare amenity!

The day's photos, along with a tour information package, are delivered via email post-tour within 2 hours.

We take well-researched facts and transform them into engaging stories--true tales that bring to life many of Philadelphia's must-see locations and game-changing people.

Your experience is enhanced by multiple images displayed on an 11" iPad screen--yet another unique tour feature!

There will also be a few surprises! Of course we can't list them here, otherwise...

Looking forward to meeting you at LOVE Park for a memorable stroll on the Parkway!

Meeting Point

JFK Plaza (Love Park)

1501 John F Kennedy Blvd, Philadelphia, PA 19102, USA

Meet at the famous LOVE sculpture near the south east corner of the LOVE Park.
The park is also known as JFK Plaza.

What's included:

• iPad photo visuals enhance guide's presentation.
• Site visits and breaks happen at your pace.
• Short walk from tour's end at Barnes Foundation to the Rocky Statue, Rocky Steps, and Art Museum.
• Sun-reflecting white umbrellas and hand-hold fans provided for creating your own shade. and breeze.
• Sitting, restroom, food, souvenir/gift opportunities.
• Photos and post-tour information package emailed within 2 hours after tour.

What to expect:

Duration: 4 hours

Love Park

John F. Kennedy Blvd and North 15th St, , Philadelphia, 19102, Pennsylvania

Your half-day walking journey begins at the iconic LOVE sculpture. It's the perfect photo op to kick off the tour, as well as a few juicy tidbits such as how LOVE once left town and what artist Robert Indiana almost created instead.

20 minutes

Love Park Visitor Center

1569 John F Kennedy Blvd, Philadelphia, 19102-1524, Pennsylvania

Just steps from the LOVE sculpture, take a seat and enjoy as your guide shares engaging stories—accompanied by visuals on their iPad—about the park’s fascinating history. Both its celebrated highlights and one notorious challenge.

20 minutes

Cret Park

110 N 16th St, Philadelphia, 19102-1531, Pennsylvania

Just steps from the energy of LOVE Park, Cret Park (pronounced 'Cray" Park) offers a relaxing, shaded retreat featuring benches, mature trees, and seasonal plantings. It's an ideal place to share a few facts about the Parkway before making plans for the rest of our half-day adventure.

20 minutes

Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul

18th Street and Benjamin Franklin Parkway, , Philadelphia, 19103-1204, Pennsylvania

Completed in 1864, the cathedral was built during a period of intense anti-Catholic sentiment in Philadelphia — including the violent Bible Riots — which influenced its fortress-like design and elevated windows.
Today, it's peaceful interior reveals awe-inspiring Roman-Corinthian and Italian Renaissance Revival architecture that includes a strong Baroque influences--a majestic, contemplative space rivaling some of the finest cathedrals in Europe.

Pope John Paul II celebrated Mass here in 1979, followed by Pope Francis in 2015 during the World Meeting of Families.

The cathedral is open to the public most days.

20 minutes

Logan Circle

Benjamin Franklin Parkway at 19th Street, , Philadelphia, 19103, Pennsylvania

A once dreary public execution site and burial site,, Logan Circle (formerly Logan Square) today is the Parkway's crown jewel. Shaded by mature trees and including a small botanical garden, the Circle is defined by the picturesque Swann Memorial Fountain. Abraham Lincoln visited here in 1864 as part of a fundraising event for Union soldiers. At some point, you’re likely to stand in the same spot where Lincoln once stood!

20 minutes

Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University

1900 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy, , Philadelphia, 19103-1101, Pennsylvania

A few steps across the street is the oldest natural history museum in the western hemisphere. We will spend a short time in the stunning lobby, and talk outside about some very interesting Academy-related events and characters.
Lobby closed Mondays and Tuesdays.

15 minutes

Moore College of Art & Design

20th Street and the Parkway, , Philadelphia, 19103, Pennsylvania

A few steps away is the first and only women’s visual arts college in the country founded in 1848.
Here we can browse its 4 galleries and grab a snack or lite luch if you desire.

Closed Sundays.

Pass by without stopping

The Franklin Institute

222 N 20th St, , Philadelphia, 19103-1115, Pennsylvania

We'll step inside the massive rotunda that houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial for a great photo op beside the largest Benjamin Franklin statue in the world! You'll hear stories about one of the most story-worthy persons who has ever lived. And be prepared for the moment when details of Franklin's amazing life are dramatically revealed!

20 minutes

Free Library of Philadelphia

19th St. and Benjamin Franklin Pkwy., Logan Circle at 19th and Vine sts., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

The Free Library boasts over 1 million borrowers and circulates over 5.5 million items throughout its 54 branches. Browse the building's incredible interior architecture, and visit it's hidden treasure--the Rare Book Department where the infamous raven who inspired Edgar Allen Poe is waiting to greet you. Closed Mondays.

30 minutes

Shakespeare Memorial

Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Logan Square, between 19th and 20th Streets, Philadelphia, 19103, Pennsylvania

Situated appropriately across from the Free Library is the Shakespeare Memorial, defined by a large oval sitting space and a dramatic 14 foot bronze stature featuring Hamlet, dedicated to the city on Shakespeare’s birthday, April 23, 1929. If our stars be not crossed, there's a good chance we will se what many believe to be the spirit of the bard's famous lover, Romeo.

10 minutes

Barnes

2025 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy, , Philadelphia, 19130-3602, Pennsylvania

Here at the Barnes Foundation, we will explore the remarkable life and work of Albert C. Barnes—a man who rose from extreme poverty to co-invent a pharmaceutical breakthrough that earned him a billion dollar fortune, allwing him to devote much of his life to promoting art education--employing as a teaching tool one of the most extraordinary personal art collections the world has ever seen.

20 minutes

Rodin Museum

2151 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, , Philadelphia, 19130, Pennsylvania

Our half-day concludes with a dramatic close at the Rodin Museum, home to the world’s second-largest collection of works by this fascinating, trailblazing artist. Here we’ll explore the life and genius of a man rejected three times by Paris’s top art school—only to rise and challenge a centuries-old artistic system. Today, Auguste Rodin is celebrated as “The Father of Modern Sculpture.”
The picturesque Rodin Garden includes several of his most famous sculptures, and is free to browse. It is closed Tuesday through Thursday. However, as with all sites, your guide will display for you multiple supplemental images.

Rodin's most famous piece, The Thinker, and one of Philadelphia's top photo opportunities, is out front and always available.

20 minutes