Philadelphia Car Rental
City of Independence
It might be a strange place to start off with, but this museum is a real find. The Mutter Museum is medical museum of human oddities and strange medical occurrences.
Doctors, medical students and the curious will adore this place, while those with squeamish stomachs should have a rethink, or at least do a little bit of eye shielding in some sections.
This museum exhibits all the really nasty stuff that can happen to a persons’ body, like deformities, weird diseases and freak happenings like “The world’s largest colon”. Beware if you do take the kids, there are some graphic displays and jars of body parts etc. that might freak them out.
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Still, it’s a fascinating and hugely educational museum, one that will keep you interested for hours and gross out the strongest of brothers, boyfriends, husbands and dads, too. Take your time there, there’s a lot to get through but you won’t be disappointed.
Real history
If you need something less creepy to distract you from the visions of the giant eight foot colon, the Independence Hall (right) on Chestnut Street takes tours frequently.
This hall is the setting of two major happenings in the history of the United States; the Declaration of Independence and US Constitution were drafted and signed in this building over two hundred years ago. Tickets go for free in mornings, but run out quickly. If you want to do a tour of the two main halls, you’ll have to pre- arrange tickets which have time slots for the guides, but you’ll also get to 
see the Liberty Bell with these tickets.
Time for lunch? The Italian Market on 9th Street is a treasure trove of goodies to eat and look at. It’s a fair few blocks from the Independence Hall, but worth the blisters. There are all sorts of food stuffs and restaurants to tempt you plus specialty stores to wander in and out of. While you are on you’re feet (or maybe when you have your energy back) the South Street shopping area is a few blocks away. Over 300 specialty shops are located here, food, clothes, antiques and cafes. It’s here that you can do all your people watching, plus it’s energetic and contemporary.
Things to do
A picnic in the park is perfect at Fairmont Park, one of the largest municipal public parks in the world at 9,200 acres. It also has around 7 million trees! It’s good for lazy days, walking trails, hiking and is even a little bit romantic for afternoon cuddles on the grass.
For a more swank approach to your afternoon Rittenhouse Square (right) is full of upscale cafes and bars, boutiques and beautiful people. You’ll find your Burberry and Tiffany and Co. here. It’s all based around the Square park, which has plenty of benches for you to sit and watch the people walk by.
If you’re not satisfied with this stuff, you can head closer to the water for some fun. Festival Pier has a winter ice skating rink and loads of concerts while Camden Waterfront has an aquarium, minor league baseball, concerts, tours and a ferry service.
All of these places are well and good, but they're no use if you either can't get to them, or you don't have enough time to sit around on public tranport. Philadelphia is a seriously big city so if you need some temporary transport while you sight see, or just a way to get back and forth from the Philadelphia airport, check out our cheap car rental deals and save some cash!
By Leah Bradicich
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