Like most cities, Philadelphia has invisible layers of history running through the streets. Decide what you’re looking for on a particular day and then everywhere you look it will seem there are examples of it to see, like a game of “Where’s Waldo?” that’s put together specifically for you. First, a look at Colonial history tours:

The Revolution that Never Ended

Any historic tour of Philadelphia starts with the new government that formed in the rooms of Independence Hall one stifling, sticky summer. This is where the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights were signed. This is where Benjamin Franklin said, “We must all hang together, or we shall surely hang separately.” This is where the Liberty Bell cracked as it rang out the good news.

The Park is a loose amalgamation of buildings and gardens throughout the east end of town, centered at Fifth and Chestnut Streets where Independence Hall stands. The Visitors’ Center is at Third and Chestnut. There are also private companies that provide tours on foot or by bus, built around a theme: architecture, horticulture, the Revolutionary War, even ghost stories.

Once you’ve been immersed in the broad view of how the United States began, you’ll begin to seek out your own connection to the major stream of events: The first African Methodist Church at Sixth and Lombard was the cornerstone of the free black experience in America even prior to the Revolution. The Polish American History Museum traces the contribution of Polish freedom fighters to the American cause even as their own freedom was threatened at home. The cemeteries are filled with graves of the great and the unknown who played their part.

Chinatown

Philadelphia’s Chinatown isn’t quite as big as its more famous sisters in San Francisco or New York. Nonetheless, the neighborhood has found a niche in the cultural consciousness of the city. Most visitors come to Chinatown for its restaurants. People have been enjoying Eastern cuisine in Chinatown since the restaurant Mei Hsian Lou opened in 1870. Today, Burmese, Japanese, Vietnamese and Thai restaurants have joined the fray of Szechuan, Mandarin and Hunan establishments. Take restaurateur Joseph Poon’s Wok and Walk tour for Oriental-cooking tips and an insider’s view on this exotic enclave of the city.

Chinatown is located to the left, right and behind the Pennsylvania Convention Center, from 13th and Arch to Eighth Street, and up to Vine Street.

Get Out of Town

Day trips out of town are easy. Amusement parks such as Sesame Place, Six Flags Great Adventure and Dorney Park aren’t far. State parks and the Jersey seashore are one to three hours away. An hour north on I-95 is New Hope, a pleasant little river town filled with restaurants and shops. From there the antique shops of Lambertville, New Jersey are located right across the Delaware River. A half hour south on 202 is the Brandywine region where you’ll find Longwood Gardens and the Wyeth collection at the Brandywine Museum in Chadd’s Ford. New York City is two hours away to the north and Baltimore an hour and a half to the south. Or just get a boat up the Delaware or Schuykill Rivers.