Ritz at the Bourse

This area contains the remnants of Benjamin Franklin's house (torn down 20 years after his death), the first post office (still in operation today), a Postal Service museum, an 18th-century printing office, and a Franklin museum. U.S. Park Rangers conduct printing demonstrations and performances of Franklin's "Glass Armonica." Great for kids.

The Second Bank was chartered in 1816, five years after the First Bank lost its charter. Founded a block away in the same building the First Bank was in (see above), it soon relocated to its permanent home. Its charter expired in 1836 and wasn't renewed; it then functioned as an ordinary bank until it went bankrupt in 1841. The building then served as the Philadelphia Custom House from 1845-1935; nowadays it houses a portrait gallery (the People of Independence exhibit) containing artwork depicting various colonial and federal leaders.

A small museum showcasing the role of the Army, Navy, and Marines in early American history. The building is a reconstruction of one built in the 1790s that housed the office of the first Secretary of War.

Free museum that has an interesting collection of multimedia with art, scientific instruments, books, photographs and other exhibits that document the history of chemistry, chemical engineering and the life sciences.

Near Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell, the National Museum of American Jewish History is dedicated to chronicling the American Jewish experience.

The second site of the first national bank (originally located at Carpenters' Hall). Its exterior is made of blue marble, and the pediment contains the oldest known architectural reference to the Great Seal of the United States (an eagle).