Philadelphia Museum of Art
Even without Rocky's famed antics on the east stairs, this gigantic art museum would stand out as Philadelphia's preeminent cultural institution. Before leaving the movies behind and focusing instead on the magnificent pieces of art from Europe, Asia, and the Americas shown in the galleries within, each visitor is allowed to one two-glove salute to the city at the top of the stairwell.
Many sites in Philadelphia are free, but the Philadelphia Museum of Art is well worth the admission cost. Walking inside the massive, column-flanked gateway is like entering an art temple. You can take a whirlwind tour through Asian creativity, from Japan and Korea to the Indian subcontinent, and be transported to other worlds by complete architectural ensembles, including a medieval cloister, Chinese and Indian temples, and a Japanese teahouse, in addition to works by great European masters and modern artists.
The Renaissance, post-impressionism, and French impressionism are particularly well-represented in the painting collection. Renoir's The Large Bathers, Rubens' Prometheus Bound, Picasso's Three Musicians, Turner's The Burning of the Houses of Lords and Commons, and Benjamin Franklin Drawing Electricity from the Sky by Benjamin West, which commemorates an event that occurred just a mile away in 1752, are among the highlights.
Location: 2600 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy, Philadelphia, PA 19130
Website: philamuseum.org
