Penn's Landing Travel Guide

Just to the east of Old City along the Delaware River, where William Penn stepped off in 1682, spreads the huge and heavily industrialized port of Philadelphia. Along the port's southern reaches, on the river side of the I-95 freeway, the old docklands have been renovated as part of the Penn's Landing development, which includes the Independence Seaport Museum (daily 10am-5pm; $8; tel 215/925-5439) and a variety of historical ships , including the flagship USS Olympia and World War II submarine Becuna (both daily 10am-5pm; $5), and the three-masted Portuguese Tall Ship Gazela , built in 1883 (while in port, Sat & Sun 12.30-5.30pm; check on 215/923-9030; donation). All along the riverfront promenade are food stalls, landscaped pools and fountains, and there are regular outdoor concerts and festivals. A ferry crosses the Delaware (Riverlink Ferry; $5 round-trip; tel 215/925-LINK) to the down-at-heel town of Camden, where the main attraction is the New Jersey State Aquarium (daily: mid-March to mid-Sept 9.30am-5.30pm; mid-Sept to mid-March 10am-5pm; $10.95; tel 609/365-3300) - good for kids but otherwise eminently missable. A $21.50 River Pass covers the museum, ships, aquarium and a round-trip on the ferry.