Most Charming Colonial Walking Tour: Society Hill + Old City

We begin at Philadelphia’s oldest surviving tavern, a 1700s watering hole once a lively stop for sailors and dock workers from Dock Street. Arrive a little early to enjoy an ale and get into the colonial spirit before the tour sets off.

Walk beneath the Shambles, the oldest open-air market structure still standing in Philadelphia.

Built between 1758–1761 in Society Hill, this elegant Georgian church was attended by early US leaders and stands almost unchanged since the 18th century.

Admire the stately Federal-style mansion once owned by wealthy merchant Henry Hill and later by Dr. Philip Physick, the “Father of American Surgery.” You’ll see one of Society Hill’s best-preserved 18th-century façades and its charming garden setting, a reminder of the neighborhood’s early elite.

Pause outside the elegant Society Hill residence where James Madison lived while serving in the Continental Congress.

See the grand Georgian mansion of Samuel Powel, Philadelphia’s last colonial mayor and a trusted host to Washington, Adams, and Franklin.

Stand before the refined Society Hill home once connected to Governor John Penn and statesman Benjamin Chew. Its dignified façade hints at the wealth, influence, and political tension that surrounded Philadelphia’s Loyalist leadership during the 1760s and 1770s.

Stand at the site of Philadelphia’s most influential colonial tavern, once a bustling hub for delegates of the First Continental Congress. Imagine the clatter of tankards, heated debates, and late-night strategy sessions that shaped the Revolution.

Stroll through this peaceful garden honoring Dr. Benjamin Rush, a signer of the Declaration and a leading Patriot voice in Philadelphia. From here you can view the Bicentennial Bell, gifted by Queen Elizabeth II in 1976, a fitting reminder of how far the city had come since the Revolution Rush helped inspire.

See the historic hall where the First Continental Congress met and the colonies first coordinated their response to British rule.

Admire the monumental Greek Revival building that once housed the nation’s central bank.

Stand in the landscaped square where Philadelphians gathered to hear the first public readings of the Declaration of Independence.