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Part of the U.S. National Park Service and Independence National Historical Park, the Liberty Bell’s home on Independence Mall looms as powerful and dramatic as the Bell itself.
Throughout the expansive, light-filled center, larger-than-life historic documents and powerful images explore the facts and the myths surrounding the bell.
People from around the world snag a photo in front of the iconic American symbol and its dramatic backdrop: Independence Hall.
Best of all: The Liberty Bell Center is free to visit, with no advance tickets required.
The Liberty Bell shines as one of the world’s most recognizable symbols of freedom, offering continuous inspiration for believers in civil rights.
At the Liberty Bell Center, visitors get an up-close-and-personal experience, where they can enjoy a self-guided tour and a 360-degree view of the iconic relic.
Pro tip: If you’re short on time — and the line is too long — there is an alcove on the side where the Bell is visible through a window, perfect for taking a Bell-fie.
— Photo by D. Knoll for Visit Philadelphia
Commissioned to celebrate the 50th anniversary of William Penn’s 1701 Charter of Privileges, the Bell was originally named the State House bell and hung in — you guessed it — the Pennsylvania State House, now known as … Independence Hall.
Originally cast by Thomas Lester and Thomas Pack of Whitechapel Foundry (1752), the Liberty Bell stands 3 feet tall and weighs 2,080 lbs. It’s composed primarily of copper (70%) and tin (25%), with small amounts of lead, gold, arsenic, silver and zinc.
There’s no evidence that the Liberty Bell was rung on July 4, 1776, or during the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence on July 8, 1776. Historians do believe it chimed for the signing of the U.S. Constitution (1787), and after the deaths of Benjamin Franklin (1790), George Washington (1799) and Thomas Jefferson (1826).
Look for a visual reproduction of the detailed engraving, Congress Voting Independence, depicting Founding Fathers John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and more inside Independence Hall during the Constitutional Convention.
It wasn’t until the 1830s that abolitionists — supporters of anti-slavery efforts — adopted the Bell, with its inscription “Proclaim Liberty Throughout All the Land Unto All the Inhabitants thereof …,” as a symbol for their movement and began calling it “The Liberty Bell.”
Note: You can’t touch the Liberty Bell itself, but there’s a casting of the Bell’s famous inscription that you can see and feel.
In 1915, the Liberty Bell embarked on a whistle-stop tour to the Panama-Pacific International Exposition of San Francisco, stopping at cities and towns all over the country after schoolchildren petitioned Philadelphia to share the symbol of freedom.
That fateful trip would end up being the Bell’s final voyage after metal workers determined the Bell’s famous crack was widening to the point of permanent detriment. In all, the Bell endured seven cross-country tours between 1885 and 1915.
It underwent a series of moves in Philadelphia after World War II, from Independence Hall to its forever home at the Liberty Center in 2003, but always remained safely guarded as a national landmark for people to visit.
Fun fact: In 1777, following the British occupation of Philadelphia, the Liberty Bell was escorted to Allentown, Pennsylvania, where it was hidden under the floorboards of Zion’s Reformed Church.
The Liberty Bell likely incurred its first cracks during a test ring shortly after its 1750s arrival in Philadelphia, leading to it being melted down and recast by two local metal workers named John Pass and John Stow. Their surnames remain imprinted prominently on the Bell.
At the center, don’t miss the X-ray images that give an insider’s view (literally) of the Bell’s crack and inner workings and memorabilia containing Bell fragments discarded during attempts to repair it.
Then, after 90 years of heavy use, it sustained a major crack that took it out of commission for good during George Washington’s birthday celebration in 1846. A telling quote from The Public Ledger, dated February 1846, hangs above an exhibit at the Liberty Bell Center. It reads: “This venerable relic of the Revolution … irreparably cracked.”
During the late 19th century, several of the Bell’s caretakers were accused of filing fragments off to keep as souvenirs. Myth? Maybe. What we do know is that its trademark lightning-shaped fissure is the result of a (largely unsuccessful) repair job meant to prevent a thinner crack from spreading in a process known as “stop drilling.”
Look closely, and you’ll notice a screw and 40 drill marks.
The iconic Bell has loomed large in the country’s consciousness for centuries and inspired its fair share of lore.
While soaring glass walls offer dramatic views of the Liberty Bell (and nearby Independence Hall), several exhibits lead the way to the main attraction, laying helpful groundwork for how it became an international symbol for liberty and civil rights.
Since the 1830s, it’s continued to play a major role in every major American freedom movement, including the Annual Reminders (LGBTQ+), Civil Rights and Women’s Suffrage Movement, along with the true story behind the Justice Bell, aka the Women’s Liberty Bell.
Headlines and quotes from the front lines adorn the walls of Liberty Bell Center, including:
Don’t miss the archival photos of visits from worldwide leaders and peace activists like Martin Luther King Jr. (1959), Nelson Mandela (1993) and the Dalai Lama (1990). Also, a photo of Chief Little Bear of the Blackfeet Tribe with the Bell taken during the 1915 Panama-Pacific Exposition in San Francisco.
Open daily from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Liberty Bell Center is located in the heart of Independence National Historical Park — just a few steps away from the Independence Visitor’s Center and Independence Hall. Guests must pass through a security screening area to enter.
Visiting the Liberty Bell requires no tickets or fee, though be advised that lines can be long during peak tourist seasons. (Pro tip: If there’s rain in the forecast, bring an umbrella. Visitors wait outside in an uncovered area.)
For more information on the Liberty Bell Center, click the button below.
A visit to the Liberty Bell Center is one of the 10 most essential things to do on your first visit to Greater Philadelphia. Make sure to leave time to do the other nine!
Independence Hall — Photo by D. Knoll for Visit Philadelphia
The Liberty Bell Center is also one of 26 sites that make up Independence National Historical Park. Get the lowdown on all 26 in our guide to Independence National Historical Park.
Plus, Philly has history for days. Explore our guides for more on historic sites throughout the Greater Philadelphia Area.
It’s Philly’s biggest year yet!
Make the most of it by booking the Visit Philly Overnight Package, which comes with free hotel parking and complimentary tickets to some of the most popular attractions in each of Greater Philadelphia’s five counties including Universal Theme Parks: The Exhibition at The Franklin Institute, the Mercer Museum in Bucks County, Longwood Gardens in Chester County, the Brandywine Museum of Art in Delaware County and Elmwood Park Zoo in Montgomery County.
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