Free Walking Sightseeing Tour #17 in Philadelphia, United States

Legend

Churches & Art
Nature
Water & Wind
Historical
Heritage & Space
Tourism
Paid Tours & Activities

Tour Facts

Number of sights 11 sights
Distance 9.9 km
Ascend 174 m
Descend 178 m

Explore Philadelphia in United States with this free self-guided walking tour. The map shows the route of the tour. Below is a list of attractions, including their details.

Individual Sights in Philadelphia

Sight 1: Smith Memorial Arch

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Smith Memorial Arch

Smith Memorial Arch is an American Civil War monument at South Concourse and Lansdowne Drive in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Built on the former grounds of the 1876 Centennial Exposition, it serves as a gateway to West Fairmount Park. The Memorial consists of two colossal columns supported by curving, neo-Baroque arches, and adorned with 13 individual portrait sculptures ; two eagles standing on globes; and architectural reliefs of eight allegorical figures.

Wikipedia: Smith Memorial Arch (EN)

1310 meters / 16 minutes

Sight 2: Pennsylvania Railroad, Connecting Railway Bridge

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Pennsylvania Railroad, Connecting Railway Bridge

Pennsylvania Railroad, Connecting Railway Bridge is a stone arch bridge in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, that carries Amtrak Northeast Corridor rail lines and SEPTA and NJT commuter rail lines over the Schuylkill River. It is located in Fairmount Park, just upstream from the Girard Avenue Bridge.

Wikipedia: Pennsylvania Railroad, Connecting Railway Bridge (EN)

1408 meters / 17 minutes

Sight 3: Philadelphia Zoo

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The Philadelphia Zoo, located in the Centennial District of Philadelphia on the west bank of the Schuylkill River, is the first true zoo in the United States. It was chartered by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on March 21, 1859, but its opening was delayed by the Civil War until July 1, 1874. The zoo opened with 1,000 animals and an admission price of 25 cents. For a brief time, the zoo also housed animals brought to U.S. from safaris by the Smithsonian Institution, which had not yet built its National Zoo.

Wikipedia: Philadelphia Zoo (EN), Website

1738 meters / 21 minutes

Sight 4: Lemon Hill Mansion

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Lemon Hill is a Federal-style mansion in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, built from 1799 to 1800 by Philadelphia merchant Henry Pratt. The house is named after the citrus fruits that Pratt cultivated on the property in the early 19th century.

Wikipedia: Lemon Hill (EN)

682 meters / 8 minutes

Sight 5: Turtle Rock Light

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The Lighthouse on Turtle Rock is a lighthouse built in 1887 to aid traffic on the Schuylkill River near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The lighthouse was constructed by Frank Thurwanger at a cost of $2,663 on an area of land just west of Boathouse Row. The lighthouse has a hexagonal lantern room with an octagonal walkway. Gas was first used to power the light, but in 1990, when the lighthouse was repainted and received a new wooden balustrade and newel posts, the beacon was electrified.

Wikipedia: Turtle Rock Light (EN)

61 meters / 1 minutes

Sight 6: Thorfinn Karlsefni

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Thorfinn Karlsefni

Thorfinn Karlsefni is a bronze statue of Norse explorer Thorfinn Karlsefni, created by Icelandic sculptor Einar Jónsson. The first casting was located in Fairmount Park in Philadelphia, United States, before being toppled by vandals in 2018. A second casting of the statue is in Reykjavík, Iceland, and the original plaster model is located in the Einar Jónsson Museum.

Wikipedia: Thorfinn Karlsefni (sculpture) (EN), Website

436 meters / 5 minutes

Sight 7: James A. Garfield Monument

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James A. Garfield Monument

The James A. Garfield Monument is a monument honoring the 20th president of the United States in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Sculptor Augustus Saint-Gaudens and architect Stanford White collaborated on the memorial, which was completed in 1896. It is located in Fairmount Park, along Kelly Drive, near the Girard Avenue Bridge.

Wikipedia: James A. Garfield Monument (Philadelphia) (EN), Website

657 meters / 8 minutes

Sight 8: The Cliffs

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The Cliffs is a historic country house located near 33rd and Oxford Streets in East Fairmount Park, Philadelphia. It is a Registered Historic Place.

Wikipedia: The Cliffs (EN)

441 meters / 5 minutes

Sight 9: General Ulysses S. Grant

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The equestrian statue of Ulysses S. Grant is a public monument in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Located in Fairmount Park, the monument honors Ulysses S. Grant, who served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War and later as President of the United States. The monument was designed by Daniel Chester French and Edward Clark Potter and consists of an equestrian statue atop a pedestal. The statue was dedicated in 1899.

Wikipedia: Equestrian statue of Ulysses S. Grant (EN), Website

1351 meters / 16 minutes

Sight 10: The John Coltrane House

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The John Coltrane House

The John Coltrane House is a historic house at 1511 North 33rd Street in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA. A National Historic Landmark, it was the home of American saxophonist and jazz pioneer John Coltrane from 1952 until 1958. On his death in 1967 the house passed to his cousin, who sold it in 2004. Efforts for restoration and reuse as a jazz venue are struggling. In 2022, two of Coltrane's sons filed a lawsuit contesting the ownership of the home.

Wikipedia: John Coltrane House (EN), Disused Website

1790 meters / 21 minutes

Sight 11: Roberts Vaux Junior High School

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Roberts Vaux Junior High School

The Promise Academy at Roberts Vaux High School is an historic, American high school building that is located in the North Central neighborhood of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

Wikipedia: Roberts Vaux Junior High School (EN)

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Disclaimer Please be aware of your surroundings and do not enter private property. We are not liable for any damages that occur during the tours.

GPX-Download For navigation apps and GPS devices you can download the tour as a GPX file.