This is a must see in the old city of Philadelphia so make sure you get tickets to go on a ranger led tour of the actual building where the Declaration of Independence was signed and where The Constitution was was ratified. Wow, it all really happened right here!
Our Ranger guide gave us an amazing introduction and as we entered the room I could literally imagine Ben Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington and all the rest of our founding fathers engaged in vigorous debate making fateful decisions that directly led to the country our nation is today. The room is set up and decorated exactly as it was although almost all are reproduction pieces. The original pieces where burned by the British when Philadelphia was occupied between 1777 and 1778.
George Washington sat at the head of the room on a beautiful carved wooden chair with half of a sun carved into the arched top known as "The Rising Sun Chair". Besides one inkstand, it is the only other original piece of furniture in the room, Our ranger told a story that Ben Franklin remarked looking at the chair as he pondered their decisions, not sure whether the sun was rising on the new nation or setting. In fact we later saw that same carving from the chair in the Ben Franklin museum. The exterior of the building is original but almost all of the interior has been replaced. I can't even begin to describe the feeling as an American, feeling so grateful to those brave men who risked life and limb to declare our liberty.
Just an Fyi, Independence Hall was named by the Marquis De Lafayette, a strong supporter of the American revolution and close friend of George Washington. At the end of our tour a distinguished gentlemen with a strong french accent announced that he was a descendent of the Marquis. The skeptic instantly said, "yeah right", but as I felt swept up in the moment of being in that room, I decided "of course he is" and proceeded to applaud with everyone else in the room chanting "Vive' le France, G-d Bless America."
