Floating bars, impressively beautiful sculptures and a lifetime of information about Benjamin Franklin. Veronica Stivala explores Philadelphia.

The Benjamin Franklin Bridge crosses the Delaware River connecting Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Camden New Jersey. The suspension bridge has been in service since 1926.

I confess, my first impression of Philadelphia, was as a child, through the catchy tune of Will Smith. Smith sang about how he was born and raised in West Philadelphia and, because he started hanging out with a dodgy crowd, was sent to Bel Air to live with his well-off aunt and uncle. While I can still rap the opening number to the 1990s TV series The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, I suspect readers may prefer finding out more about this city.

Philadelphia came up again my radar more recently, when I stumbled across an article in The New York Times that listed it as the third best place to go in 2015. In case you’re wondering, the top two are Milan and Cuba. I had already planned to go to New York City and, just a two-hour drive away, Philadelphia made for a great start to my mini US tour.

The Rodin Museum is an attraction in itself. As its main gate it has the French sculptor’s Gates of Hell

One of the main reasons for pushing Philly this high up the list is the many projects that have been carried out in the city. These include Dilworth Park, which used to be an ugly concrete block next to City Hall and which recently reopened as a green, pedestrian-friendly public space with a winter ice-skating rink. The Delaware River waterfront has been given a facelift with the Spruce Street Harbour Park, complete with hammocks, lanterns, and, yes, a floating bar. You can also do a free yoga class on a strip of high-design decking and grass. Other attractions include public art installations, mini ‘parklets’ and open-air beer gardens.

Statues at Eakins Oval and the Museum of Art.

What I liked about Philadelphia is that the city centre is small enough for you to be able to see it on foot. We took advantage of this

and signed up for a walking tour of the city. Entitled Franklin’s Footsteps Colonial Walking Tour, we were taken around key sights in the city. The tour started inside the Independence Hall Visitor Centre and went through what was once the colonial core of Philadelphia. Our guide Clark – a journalist and part time history buff – was very knowledgeable and was keen to give us added detail when we asked about particular details.

Dilworth Park

For some two hours, we followed in the footsteps of the remarkable Benjamin Franklin, seeing on the way Christ Church, Franklin’s grave, the Betsy Ross House (Betsy Ross is credited with making the first American flag), the first US post office, Independence Hall and the more recent, N3RD Street, a tech business corridor, populated with tech and web-centric office buildings.

I was pleasantly surprised to find myself being taken in by my tour of the Eastern State Penitentiary. This is a former prison built in gothic style, so yes, it is a little bit eerie, especially when you hear some first-hand accounts of former prisoners on your audio guide. The audio guide, narrated by Steve Buscemi, is excellent and you really must look out for Al Capone’s cell, which features oriental rugs, fine furniture and a cabinet radio.

Betsy Ross House

Sadly, we got a real life taste of a power cut that left nearly 200,000 people in the Philadelphia region without electricity. Just as we arrived at the Philadelphia Museum of Art – one of the largest museums in the US – we were met with gallery employees handing out cups of coffee as a meagre alternative to having had to close their doors to the public.

If I had to pick, my favourite tourist outing turned out to be an unplanned one. During a morning exploratory stroll, we passed the Rodin Museum. The building is an attraction in itself and is probably what first caught our eyes. As its main gate it has the French sculptor’s Gates of Hell, the defining project of the artist’s career and whose initial inspiration came from Dante’s Inferno.

The Eastern State Penitentiary is a little bit eerie, especially when you hear some first-hand accounts of former prisoners

As with many of Rodin’s works, this was never cast in bronze in his lifetime (because it was too expensive), but only in a full-size plaster model. The Rodin Museum in Philadelphia owns the first bronze cast of The Gates, commissioned in 1925.

The museum is relatively small, but do not be put off by this. You can easily spend a good two hours here, viewing other famous pieces like The Thinker and Eternal Springtime, as well as lesser-known works.

Independence Hall

An art connoisseur conveniently made himself available to answer any questions we had about the collection and which he answered with enthusiastic passion. Take some time to explore the gorgeous surrounding gardens, designed by architect Paul Cret and landscape architect Jacques Gréber.

Three must-dos

Franklin’s Footsteps Colonial Walking Tour
The best way to explore a city is most definitely on foot and what better way than through the eyes of well-informed guide dressed head to toe in colonial garb.

The Eastern State Penitentiary
A disused American prison that you can explore with a great audio guide. Look out for Al Capone’s luxurious cell.

The Rodin Museum
See the first bronze cast of French sculptor Rodin’s defining project of his career, The Gates of Hell.