Independence Hall

Visiting

Independence Hall is open 365 days a year. Hours vary by season.

Tickets

Tickets are required for admission. Free, walk-up tickets are available for pick up at the Independence Visitor Center on the day of your visit starting at 8:30 a.m. Arrive early — during the busy season, tickets are often gone by 1 p.m.

To guarantee a ticket and to avoid waiting in the walk-up ticket line, consider purchasing timed tickets ($1.50 each) in advance, either by phone or online. Click here for more information about tickets.

Location

Independence Hall is located at the sout side of Chestnut Street between 5th and 6th Streets.

The Experience

They risked everything — “their lives, their fortune and their sacred honor.” During the blistering summer of 1776, 56 courageous men gathered at the Pennsylvania State House and defied the King of England. Eleven years later, representatives from 12 states gathered to shape the U.S. Constitution, finally creating one unified nation.

The guided tour of Independence Hall, led by National Park rangers, begins in the courtroom where lawyers from opposing sides shared tables and law books.

George Washington’s “rising sun” chair dominates the Assembly Room which is arranged as it was during the Constitutional Convention. In the adjacent West Wing, the original inkstand used to sign the Declaration and an original draft of the Constitution are displayed.

Video
Click the video thumbnail in the photo gallery above for a rare, up-close look at Independence Hall’s historic bell tower. Or click here to watch the video on Youtube.

History

After the Revolutionary War, the fledgling nation was in chaos and bordering on collapse. Each state had its own monetary system and trade laws. There was no centralized system of defense. Yet many were wary of a strong central government. Debates were bitter but the checks and balances provided by three branches of government alleviated concerns. In 1787, the US Constitution was adopted.

Independence Hall Tower Restoration Project

Beginning in July 2010, the Tower of Independence Hall underwent a 14-month rehabilitation project. The project helped preserve Independence Hall for many more generations to come and allows the National Park Service to improve the visitor experience for the millions of visitors to Independence National Historical Park each year.

The project included repointing and replacing damaged brick masonry, installing or replacing wood shingle roofing and flashings, restoring and painting window sashes and frames and doors and frames of Independence Hall Tower. Carpentry repairs included painting and caulking on all exposed wood decorative building elements over the full height of the tower.

This project also included the installation of new clock faces, bracing at all building elevations, refurbishing historic copper urns, replacing the supporting weathervane structure, providing borate fungicide treatment of interior structural elements, and replacing the tower’s outdated lightning protection system.