Franklin Court
Franklin Court
4
About
With levels above and below ground, the complex houses a theater and museum devoted to Franklin's life and inventions.
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Address
Neighborhood: City Center East
How to get there
- 2nd St • 3 min walk
- 5th St • 4 min walk
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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4.0
114 reviews
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Walther von der Vogelweide
Pescina, Italy11,142 contributions
Aug 2024 • Friends
Franklin Court is the site of the brick house of Benjamin Franklin, who lived here while serving in the Continental Congress and Constitutional Convention. Franklin died here in 1790; the house was torn down 22 years later. Today the site contains a steel "ghost structure" that outlines the spot where Franklin's house and printing house stood. Nearby is the Benjamin Franklin Museum.
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Written August 12, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
92075
San Diego624 contributions
This was one of the most enjoyable experiences of my recent trip to Philly.
It is tucked away (sandwiched between Market and Chestnut) and I am sure I have walked past it on previous visits to the city.
I started in the underground museum and cinema, where there were a variety of films and exhibits to keep me occupied for an hour or so. I then progressed back up to ground level where the post office, printing works, house etc are located.
The staff were friendly and extremely knowledgeable. It was a cold, winter day and I was the only visitor for a while, so I got personal attention and came away with a copy of the Declaration of Independence in my hand, a huge smile on my face and knowing far more than when I went in!
The only negative was that the signage in the courtyard was rather poor and I had trouble finding some of the exhibits. The staff told me that in the summer months more personnel are stationed there to guide folk in the right direction.
Don’t make the same mistake as me and visit the Liberty museum which is located next door on Chestnut. In my opinion, it is certainly not worth the $5 entrance fee. Stick to the other ‘must sees’ in Philly, the majority of which are free!!
It is tucked away (sandwiched between Market and Chestnut) and I am sure I have walked past it on previous visits to the city.
I started in the underground museum and cinema, where there were a variety of films and exhibits to keep me occupied for an hour or so. I then progressed back up to ground level where the post office, printing works, house etc are located.
The staff were friendly and extremely knowledgeable. It was a cold, winter day and I was the only visitor for a while, so I got personal attention and came away with a copy of the Declaration of Independence in my hand, a huge smile on my face and knowing far more than when I went in!
The only negative was that the signage in the courtyard was rather poor and I had trouble finding some of the exhibits. The staff told me that in the summer months more personnel are stationed there to guide folk in the right direction.
Don’t make the same mistake as me and visit the Liberty museum which is located next door on Chestnut. In my opinion, it is certainly not worth the $5 entrance fee. Stick to the other ‘must sees’ in Philly, the majority of which are free!!
Written March 19, 2006
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Adventure M
San Francisco, CA45 contributions
May 2013 • Family
This was a surprising gem in our visit to Philly, esp finding the Franklin Post Office and mailing ourselves (and friends) a postcard with the Franklin post mark. Franklin Court is a step back in time, and an enjoyable one at that. Can also visit the print shop, underground RR museum and more within close walking distance.
Written May 20, 2013
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
HaveSuitcaseWillTrvl
Illinois196 contributions
Jan 2014 • Solo
Fronting the Court are the original post office and printer's office once run by Ben Franklin. Park Rangers demonstrate how early broadsheets were printed with cotton paper on large presses in the Printing Office. If you are lucky enough to have Matt as your guide, he will tell you endless interesting facts about printing in the colonial era and the various printers in Philadelphia at the time.
The post office in the court is still an operating US Post Office, so you can pick up stamps here and mail packages. Be sure to mail postcards from the Franklin Post Office, so they have the special B Free cancelation mark on them--don't forget to mail yourself one too, it will be a nice souvenir of your trip once you return home.
Behind the post office is the plot of land where Franklin's house once stood. Steel beams sketch a 3 dimensional outline of the original home. In what now feels like a peaceful oasis tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the historic district.
The post office in the court is still an operating US Post Office, so you can pick up stamps here and mail packages. Be sure to mail postcards from the Franklin Post Office, so they have the special B Free cancelation mark on them--don't forget to mail yourself one too, it will be a nice souvenir of your trip once you return home.
Behind the post office is the plot of land where Franklin's house once stood. Steel beams sketch a 3 dimensional outline of the original home. In what now feels like a peaceful oasis tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the historic district.
Written January 24, 2014
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Winkie51
Philadelphia220 contributions
This wonderful, free of charge exhibit has wonderful furniture and musical instruments designed by or for Ben Franklin. There is a great movie shown about Franklin. There are clean bathrooms and interactive exhibits.
Written December 14, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sanju_222323
New Jersey16,812 contributions
May 2016 • Friends
Philadelphia keeps the same importance as Boston in American independence history. and their downtowns are almost similar. franklin court was in our check list of Phila and it did not disappoint us when we get to know how Mr. Franklin started post office, how he lived there. Remains of the old house are still preserved and well maintained. The old path which Mr. Franklin used to take to reach his house, is still in use. See pics for more
Written June 2, 2016
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
QuickWhitTravel
Washington DC, DC3,776 contributions
Jun 2015 • Solo
This is a pretty cool site. I like the house frame, since the house is no longer there. And I love the privy! That is the place where so many facts about people's lives come from. You can learn so much from someone's trash and waste!
Written June 26, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
funtobeme
Denver, CO240 contributions
Feb 2015 • Solo
This post is about the actual B Free Franklin Post Office. I did not realize until now that it was part of the Franklin Court, though now I understand and I missed the Printing Press bit – I would have like to have seen that. And w/o realizing it at the time I was walking around BF’s house.
That said the B Free Franklin Post Office is kinda of neat – the only Post Office that does not fly a flag since one was not around when this Post Office opened. This Post Office still hand stamps the letters, so send out some postcards, I even sent on to myself.
There is a museum, but when I asked about it they said it was closed. They also informed me that it is mainly just stamps – which was underwhelming to me. I would have figured a Post Office museum to have artifacts and dioramas about how mail was handled and delivered.
That said the B Free Franklin Post Office is kinda of neat – the only Post Office that does not fly a flag since one was not around when this Post Office opened. This Post Office still hand stamps the letters, so send out some postcards, I even sent on to myself.
There is a museum, but when I asked about it they said it was closed. They also informed me that it is mainly just stamps – which was underwhelming to me. I would have figured a Post Office museum to have artifacts and dioramas about how mail was handled and delivered.
Written February 14, 2015
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
i82much
Meadowbrook, Pennsylvania, USA49 contributions
Fascinating historical presentation. Be sure to see the timeline of his life achievements.
Written January 19, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
oftheseas
Yorkville, IL509 contributions
This place is interesting..especially if you are a Franklin buff. We went into his printing store and the underground musuem. There is also a couple other places in the court to visit. In back, they have a "footprint" of where his actual house and store stood with an artifact viewing of sorts. In the printing shop, they give demonstrations of how the Declaration of Independence was printed and the room is nice and cool. The underground musuem was small, although I did like seeing his actual furniture. The phone part as described in another review was lame to us. If you are looking to do historic Phiilly, then go here.
Written July 23, 2008
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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