The Benjamin Franklin Parkway was modelled on the Champs-Élysées, and while Philadelphia's version swaps the Arc de Triomphe for a neoclassical art museum on a hill, the ambition is the same: a grand boulevard built to show off the city's culture. Walk its length from Center City and you'll pass some of the best museums in the country, all within a mile of each other.
The Franklin Institute, Where Science Gets Hands-On
Named for Philadelphia's own Benjamin Franklin, the Franklin Institute is built around getting curious families actively involved rather than just looking at exhibits behind glass. Highlights include the Fels Planetarium and the Giant Heart, a walk-through model that's been a rite of passage for visiting children for generations. It's the kind of museum that works just as well for a rainy afternoon as a sunny one.
The Barnes Foundation's Extraordinary Private Collection
A short walk further up the Parkway sits one of the world's great collections of modern European painting: Renoir, Cézanne and Matisse among them, gathered by Dr Albert Barnes between 1912 and 1951. What makes the Barnes Foundation genuinely different is how it's displayed. The works are arranged in unique ensembles designed to highlight visual relationships between pieces, with no explanatory labels in sight, closer to walking through a private home than a conventional gallery.
Calder Gardens, the Parkway's Newest Addition
The newest stop on the Parkway is dedicated to Philadelphia-born artist Alexander Calder, whose career spanned 50 years and several distinct bodies of work. Rather than a fixed collection, Calder Gardens rotates its installations to respond to the space and the seasons, meaning some pieces stay for years while others are on view for only a few months. It rewards a repeat visit as much as a first one.
The Rodin Museum, Paris Without the Flight
Home to one of the largest collections of Auguste Rodin's sculpture outside Paris itself, the Rodin Museum is a compact but rewarding stop. The Thinker greets visitors in the gardens out front before they head inside to see the intricacy of Rodin's work up close, a manageable, focused visit for anyone who doesn't want to commit an entire day to a museum.
The Philadelphia Museum of Art, and Those Steps
At the top of the Parkway sits the Philadelphia Museum of Art, a neoclassical building holding more than 2,000 years of art, from ancient artefacts to modern masterpieces, including the world's most significant collection of Marcel Duchamp's work and an outstanding group of Constantin Brancusi sculptures. It's also, famously, the museum Rocky Balboa sprinted up in Rocky, and a statue of Rocky still stands at the foot of the steps for anyone wanting the obligatory photo before heading inside for the art.
Posted by: Philadelphia Convention & Visitors Bureau
Posted on: 28/08/2026