Philadelphia is a city overflowing with history, art, and community. Join the Philadelphia Freedom Band for the Pride Bands Alliance 2026 and explore all our city has to offer!
Many amazing museums, restaurants, & other attractions are walkable from the host hotel. So many more attractions are accessible via public transit! SEPTA (Southeastern Pennsylvania Transit Authority) buses, subway/elevated rail, trolley, and trains provide an easy way to get around the city, and beyond. There’s also plenty to see and do by ride-share, taxi, or car.
Restaurants & Bars
Shopping
Arts & Culture
History (and More!)
Sports
Science, Nature, & More
Parks & Outdoor Attractions
Day Trips Outside the City
A City of History, Art, & Community
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, is one of the oldest and most well-known cities in the United States due to its pivotal place in American history. And yet, the rich spirit and beauty of the city of Philadelphia today are not necessarily well-understood. Philadelphia is a diverse city of more than 1.5 million people and many distinct neighborhoods, with a thriving LGBTQ+ community. Today, the city is home to a vibrant and proud LGBTQ+ community, centered in “the Gayborhood” in Washington Square West.
History, art, and community are embedded in the very nature of Philadelphia. The city is home to 68 National Historical Landmarks, more than 100 museums, and over 4,400 public art murals and sculptures that can be stumbled upon while wandering the “most walkable city in the U.S.” and the “best city for street art” (USA Today’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards). Philadelphia was voted the best U.S city to visit in 2024 (Lonely Planet) and offers visitors a dynamic cross-section of consequential history, world class art, unparalleled cuisine, and authentic people who are passionate about their city.
1.5
Million People
68
National Historical Landmarks
100+
Museums
4,400+
Public Murals & Sculptures
CONTINUING A HISTORY OF REVOLUTION AND FREEDOM
Philadelphia is sometimes referred to as “the birthplace of America,” where the ideas for a new nation were debated and adopted. On July 4, 1776, the Declaration of Independence was adopted by the Continental Congress at Independence Hall, severing ties with Great Britain. The next year, newly-minted Americans threw a giant party to commemorate the anniversary in the place where it happened. Fireworks, bonfires, lights, decorations, music and joyful gatherings filled the streets of Philadelphia. In 1787, the United States Constitution was ratified in the very same building.
In the following centuries and decades, the spirit of revolution and freedom has stayed an essential characteristic of the city and its people, including notable events in LGBTQ+ rights movement.
On April 25, 1965, 150 protesters staged a sit-in at Dewey’s ice cream parlor, which routinely denied service to LGBTQ+ and gender non-conforming patrons, and were consequently arrested.
In response, another sit in was organized on May 2; this time, the management agreed to halt their discriminatory practices.
From 1966-1969 on July 4th, protesters gathered for “Reminder Days,” peaceful protests in front Independence Hall.
The activism of Philadelphia’s LGBTQ+ community in these years is often considered to have set the tone for the Stonewall protests that ignited the LGBTQ+ rights movement in June 1969.
Today, this early display of LGBTQ+ activism is commemorated with a historical marker at the corner of 5th and Chestnut Streets. Other LGBTQ+ historical markers can be found across the city. Among others, there’s one for Alain Locke, known as the “Father of the Harlem Renaissance” for his promotion of African American artists, writers, and musicians, and one for Barbara Gittings, known as the “Mother of the homophile movement,” in the heart of the city’s Gayborhood.
As 2026 approaches, America – and Philadelphia, in particular – is poised to take the celebration of independence, revolution, and freedom to the next level as the nation commemorates its 250th anniversary (or, the Semiquincentennial, if you’re feeling fancy). While the Fourth of July is always big in Philadelphia, Independence Day 2026 is going to be a year-long celebration. Over the course of the Semiquincentennial, Philadelphia is planning a series of concerts, parades, exhibitions, events, and festivals. Our goal is to include the 2026 Pride Bands Alliance National Conference as a featured event, ensuring that the LGBTQ+ community has an indelible presence in the honoring of a country where we deserve to be safely and fairly included with all the people of this nation. A celebration of America, and of freedom, would not be complete without us.
Philadelphia AREA Attractions
Check out Visit Philadelphia’s guide to LGBTQ+ Philly!
* — indicates places within walking distance of host hotel (within ~10 blocks)
RESTAURANTS, BARS, & SHOPPING
- Midtown East fine dining restaurants*
- Gayborhood bars*
- Reading Terminal Market*
- South Street*
- Italian Market
- Cherry Street Pier
ARTS & CULTURE
- Avenue of the Arts*
- Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens*
- Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts*
- Philadelphia Museum of Art
- Also home to the famous “Rocky” stairs which you can run up just like Rocky Balboa! (Or walk up and act like you ran!)
- Barnes Foundation
- Rodin Museum
- Free Library of Philadelphia Parkway Central Library (Logan Square)
- Includes the library’s Music Department
- Penn Museum (University of Pennsylvania)
- Institute of Contemporary Art (University of Pennsylvania)
HISTORY (AND MORE!)
- Gayborhood*
- Museum of the American Revolution
- History of Philadelphia musicians:
- Marian Anderson Historical Society & Museum
- Paul Robeson House & Museum
- Independence National Historical Park
- Independence Hall – be “in the room where it happened” (and yell “Sit down, John!”)
- Liberty Bell
- The President’s House: Freedom and Slavery in the Making of a New Nation
- National Constitution Center
- The African American Museum in Philadelphia
- Old City
- Betsy Ross House
- Elfreth’s Alley – oldest street in America
- Christ Church and Christ Church Burial Ground
- National Liberty Museum
- Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History
- Mütter Museum – medical history and science museum
- Eastern State Penitentiary – visit the first “modern” jail
- Independence Seaport Museum
- Battleship New Jersey Museum (Camden, NJ – just across the river)
SCIENCE, NATURE, & MORE!
- The Franklin Institute (Logan Square)
- The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University (Logan Square)
- The Philadelphia Zoo
- Please Touch Museum
- Shofuso Japanese Cultural Center
- Adventure Aquarium (Camden, NJ – just across the river)
PARKS & OUTDOOR ATTRACTIONS
- Love Plaza, City Hall, and Dilworth Park*
- Murals!
- Philadelphia has more murals and street art than any other city in the nation!
- Guided Tours – Mural Arts offers a range of paid tours, including a number in the area near the conference hotel
- Self-Guided Mural Tour
- Rittenhouse Square*
- Washington Square*
- Delaware River waterfront:
- Spruce Street Harbor Park
- Penn’s Landing
- Race Street Pier
- Schuylkill River Trail/Boardwalk
- Boathouse Row & Kelly Drive
- Wissahickon Valley Park
- Fairmount Park
- The Woodlands Cemetery
- Laurel Hill Cemetery
- Bartram’s Garden
- Awbury Arboretum
- John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum
- FDR Park
- Morris Arboretum & Gardens
SPORTS
- Phillies may be at home that weekend for MLB games
- 76ers may be in the playoffs for NBA games
OUTSIDE THE CITY – SHORT EXCURSIONS
<1 hour one-way from the city by car
*Requires transit ride or own transportation
- King of Prussia Mall — King of Prussia, PA (30 min)
- Valley Forge National Historical Park — King of Prussia, PA (35 min)
- Sesame Place — Langhorne, PA (35 min)
- Chanticleer Garden — Wayne, PA (35 min)
- Ridley Creek State Park — (40 min)
- Longwood Gardens — Kennett Square, PA (50 min)
- Brandywine Museum of Art — Chadds Ford, PA (50 min)
OUTSIDE THE CITY – DAY TRIPS
> 1 hour one-way from the city by car
*Requires transit ride or own transportation
- Washington’s Crossing (1 hour)
- Mercer Museum & James A. Michener Art Museum — Doylestown, PA (1 hour)
- Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom — Dorneyville, PA (1 hour)
- Six Flags Great Adventure — Jackson Township, NJ (1 hour 15 min)
- Atlantic City, NJ (1.5 hours)
- Lancaster, PA (1.5 hours)
- Hersheypark — Hershey, PA (1 hour 45 min)
- Baltimore, MD (2 hours)
- New York City (2 hours)
- Knoebels Amusement Park — Elysburg, PA (2.5 hours)
- Gettysburg National Park — Gettysburg, PA (2.5 hours)
- Washington, D.C. (3 hours)
