The world is packed with fascinating historical landmarks that are worth discovering, whether you are an explorer, history enthusiast or just curious to see what has evolved through human civilisation over time.
Visit Philadelphia to witness where American history began at Independence Hall and pay your respects to the Declaration of Independence by paying a visit to the Liberty Bell.
1. Colonial Williamsburg
Williamsburg, part of Colonial National Historical Park, is home to one of the world’s largest living history museums. Here you’ll see skilled artisans wearing authentic costume creating products such as silverware and ironwork from materials of past centuries.
Historic taverns and restaurants feature Colonial Williamsburg-inspired dishes. Additionally, you’ll discover shops offering everything from jewelry and pewter to fine arts and quality clothing – each store offering something different than its counterpart. Colonial Williamsburg strives to foster its mission through diligent research.
2. Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie
Fort Sumter saw the opening shots of America’s deadliest war fire on April 12, 1861 – sparking nearly four years of conflict and bloodshed in its wake. Tour this historic site with a park ranger to walk in the footsteps of heroes that first battled.
Fort Sullivan on Sullivan’s Island played an essential role for both Union and Confederate army forces during the American Civil War. Union forces vied for control over its entrance into Charleston Harbor – crucial for ship navigation.
3. Women’s Rights National Historical Park
Established in 1980, Women’s Rights National Historical Park commemorates the site of the First Women’s Rights Convention. Visitors can explore reconstructed Wesleyan Chapel as well as homes belonging to organizers like Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton who played key roles in organizing it all.
M’Clintock House offers visitors an exemplary window into this historical movement by hosting the Declaration of Sentiments that was drafted here, supported through a 2020 Women in Parks grant from NPF. A similar grant from National Park Foundation also helps this park expand storytelling about this movement through expanding storytelling about it.
4. Museum of the American Revolution
Philadelphia’s Museum of the American Revolution (MoAR) stands as an excellent institution devoted to America’s fight for independence. Boasting more than just guns and kiddie amusement, MoAR explores how ordinary people became revolutionaries.
Experiences such as theater and tableaux bring Revolution history alive in this core exhibit, featuring artifacts like George Washington’s headquarters tent, replica Liberty Tree and an 18th century privateer ship.
5. United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Located adjacent to Washington DC’s National Mall, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum serves as our country’s national institution for documenting, studying and interpreting Holocaust history. It serves to inform citizens and leaders globally on ways they can work against hatred, prevent genocide and advance human dignity.
The museum features an innovative exhibit which provides visitors with access to a diary kept by a 12-year-old boy during the Holocaust, making this exhibit truly groundbreaking.
6. Federal Hall National Memorial
History enthusiasts shouldn’t miss seeing America’s first government building – where George Washington took his oath of office, the first Congress met, and other pivotal historical events took place.
Neoclassical building stands out as one of the city’s finest examples of Federal architecture, featuring Doric columns reminiscent of Parthenon that represent democracy and a domed ceiling that recalls Pantheon for added effect.
The bronze statue of Washington on the front steps marks approximately where he stood to take his oath of office, while inside it is displayed the original Bible used at that time for this purpose.
7. World Trade Center Memorial
The National September 11 Memorial Museum provides visitors with an intimate encounter with history. Spanning 110,000 square feet, its space combines architecture, archaeology and historical records for an engaging visit experience.
Within, you’ll discover wrecked emergency vehicles, 911 recordings, photos of victims and more. While outside, The Twin Reflecting Pools and The Survivor Tree provide poignant memories.
Ground Zero offers visitors a chance to remember those lost during 9/11 attacks and learn how New York has triumphed from this tragic experience and rebuilt stronger. Give yourself at least two hours for this visit.
8. Whitney Plantation
Whitney Plantation Museum in Louisiana was the first plantation museum dedicated solely to slavery when New Orleans attorney John Cummings reopened it as a museum in 2014. Cummings took a distinct approach when opening his site as a museum compared with traditional tours.
Although the tour does take visitors through the Mansion House, its primary focus is the lives of Haydel family slaves. This is accomplished by honoring those who worked on the property through a Wall of Honor and sharing first-person narratives from Federal Writer’s Project writers; sculpture installations serve as reminders that slavery affected children as well as adults.
9. Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park was the inaugural US national park and boasts majestic peaks, abundant wildlife, and natural beauty that’s both magical and mysterious. Rugged explorers returned with tales of an unusual landscape filled with hot springs and geysers; many dismissed these tales as myths.
Reports from these expeditions convinced Congress to establish Yellowstone National Park in 1872. Today, its management is guided by enabling laws which provide broad congressional guidance while leaving day-to-day management duties up to its superintendent.
