Philadelphia is known for just as many museums as New York City .
Everyone knows about all the historical museums in the city as well as the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall .
I recently visited Philadelphia and went into the newest museum in the city .
It’s called the Museum of the American Revolution and it opened on April 19th of this year , which just happens to be the day the colonists fired ” the shot heard round the world ” at Lexington and Concord .
The museum in Philadelphia is located at South Third Street , not that far from Independence Hall .
Before you enter the building , you notice the cannons pointing towards you , right above the name of the museum .
Also above you on the wall , is a copy of the Declaration of Independence .
When you enter the lobby , which is very impressive , including the marble staircase , you pay your admission fee.
Hold on to your ticket , because if you come the next day , that ticket is your admission .
Believe me , you will need two consecutive days to see everything in this museum .
Even then , two days just isn’t enough to see everything .
As you can gather by the name , this museum tells the story of the American Revolution .
But it doesn’t start from the events at Lexington and Concord , but what LED up to those events and what happened to our country after we achieved independence.
This museum may seem boring to you and possibly your children .
However , if your children are old enough to know about the Revolutionary War , they really need to see this museum even if you aren’t doing a 30 Plus Teams Tour of Philadelphia .
You think that you know all there is to know about the Revolutionary War because you learned it in school all those years ago .
After you visit this museum , you realize that you really didn’t know ANYTHING about the Revolutionary War .
In school , the war was only talked about from the Colonists and British side .
There was actually two other groups of people whose point of view we were never told about .
The Native Americans and the Slaves .
This museum makes you look at the Revolutionary War from four different sides , something a lot of American children didn’t learn in American History class .
In every room of the museum , there are exhibits .
Children will definitely enjoy seeing the life size replica of John Paul Jones’ boat and what it was like to be a sailor during the war .
I particularly liked the story of George Washington’s headquarters at Valley Forge .
It was a tent , just like his men had .
You are allowed to take pictures at the museum , but for the exhibit on George Washington’s headquarters , no photos are allowed at all .
Once you see the exhibit , you’ll understand why .
I was saddened to see the exhibits showing that while the colonists were fighting for independence from England , half the population in the 13 colonies were slaves .
To say that I really enjoyed myself at this museum would be an understatement .
As a history major in college oh so many years ago , seeing the exhibits on Lexington and Concord , Yorktown and all those Revolutionary War battles fascinated me.
I even liked the exhibit showing the slaves who fought for the British side because they were promised freedom .
I would strongly advise visiting the museum of the American Revolution while you’re in Philadelphia .
The museum gives you a perspective of our history from a different view .
One that is very refreshing to see .
Spending two or three hours in the museum won’t bore you , nor will you be disappointed .
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