Philadelphia Trip Part 1: Independence NHP

the less-well known side of the Liberty Bell

Last week we went to Philadelphia so we could tour the new Philadelphia Temple during the Open House before it's dedicated. Since we went through the effort of driving up there and we weren't about to do the whole trip in one day, we used the extra time to do some sightseeing. After we arrived in Philadelphia we went to Independence National Historical Park. 

I made reservations for us to visit Independence Hall, but we had some time before the appointed time, so we stopped in to see the Liberty Bell.

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After we saw the Liberty Bell we headed across the street to Independence Hall. We still had a little bit of time, so we found a spot to sit so Sunshine could work on her Junior Ranger packet. The boys weren't super thrilled. I miscalculated the timing of everything- I thought the boys would take a nap as we traveled, but at this point (3 pm, I think), Ocean had only taken a short nap and River hadn't slept at all. 

Independence Hall

waiting...

waiting...

working...

Pennsylvania Supreme Court Chamber. 

This was across the hall from the Assembly Room pictured below.

I missed most of the portion of the tour in the Supreme Court Chamber and all of the Assembly Room because Ocean was losing it. He was not a happy camper and wasn't afraid to let everyone know it. The combination of teething, being strapped in to his car seat, the stroller, and to me, and the lack of sleep made him a very cranky little boy. Sunshine got to hear the presentation at least.

The Assembly Room. That chair in the center is the Rising Sun chair that Washington sat in while presiding over the Constitutional Convention. Both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were debated and signed in this room. The guide told us that if you see a picture and you're not sure which event it's depicting, look for the presence of the Rising Sun chair. If it's present, it indicates that it's a painting of the Constitutional Convention. Neat, right?

After touring Independence Hall and a couple other exhibits Sunshine had finished her Junior Ranger packet, which we took to the Visitor Center.

Sunshine got two badges this time because this year is the National Park Service's 100th anniversary. The plastic badge on the left side of the picture is the one for Independence NHP, and the wood one on the right side is to commemorate the centennial.

Look for two more posts about our trip to Philadelphia :)