Liberty Bell on display at the Liberty Bell Center in Philadelphia, Independence National Historical Park

SITE OVERVIEW

The Liberty Bell Center is a large museum where the Liberty Bell is housed.

LOCATION

The Liberty Bell Center is located at 526 Market Street (corner of Market and 6^th streets next to the President’s House exhibit).

Liberty Bell on display at the Liberty Bell Center in Philadelphia, Independence National Historical Park

OPERATING HOURS

• Open daily from 9 AM to 5 PM
• Open 9 AM to 3 PM on Christmas Eve, but closed on Christmas

Times can always change, so before making travel plans be sure to get the latest schedule on the National Park Service’s official Operating Hours and Seasons web page for Independence National Historical Park.

TICKETS AND FEES

There are no tickets or fees associated with entry into the Liberty Bell Center. However, you must pass through airport-type security, so on a busy day you will be standing in the longest line of any attraction at Independence National Historical Park, all for what amounts to for most people as a ten-minute visit to the see the bell. I stopped by three times, turning around each time when I saw the line. Oddly enough, it never seemed to get any longer or any shorter no matter what time of day I stopped by. Therefore, my suggestion is just to get in line and wait. Coming back later most likely won’t change the situation. In truth, the line moves rather fast. If the line is halfway down the building—which is where it was for me on a 4th of July visit–expect about a 15-miute wait.

Line to get in the Liberty Bell Center in Philadelphia, Independence National Historical Park

WHAT TO DO

When I first entered the Liberty Bell Center and saw the massive museum, all I could think was, “How much can you say about the Liberty Bell?” Well, it turns out that the museum is not only about the bell. There are as many, if not more, exhibits about liberty, or the lack of it. There are exhibits on slavery, the LGBT movement, the Civil Rights movement, the Women’s Rights Movement… Just about any group that’s ever been oppressed in this country has an exhibit.

Liberty Bell Center museum, Independence National Historical Park

Exhibit on the Women’s Rights movement at the Liberty Bell Center museum, Independence National Historical Park

Most of the exhibits are nothing more than information panels and old photographs. However, there are a few artifacts such as Liberty Bell memorabilia.

Liberty Bell memorabilia on display at the Liberty Bell Center museum, Independence National Historical Park

There is a 10-minute film about the Liberty Bell that pretty much summarizes all of the exhibits. If you are not particularly interested in reading information but still want to learn something, I suggest watching the film instead.

Visitors to the Liberty Bell Center in Philadelphia watch a film about the Liberty Bell, Independence National Historical Park

The Liberty Bell Center museum is like a high-profile summer action movie nobody wanted to see. The National Park Service spent millions on a museum to house a bell that can fit into the back of a pick-up truck in order to appease every minority group that ever existed, and nine out of ten people who enter the building make a bee-line for the bell, snap a photo, and leave. In fact, it’s nearly impossible to get a photo of the bell by itself because so many people are milling around.

Visitors to the Liberty Bell Center take a selfie with the Liberty Bell, Independence National Historical Park

SCHEDULING YOUR TIME

It is difficult to say how long a visit to the Liberty Bell Center will take because so much depends on the line. I visited on a busy summer day in Philadelphia, and as mentioned, the line seemed to be the same length no matter when I went by, so figure a half hour just to get in. Once inside, if you are like the large majority of visitors, you’ll need no more than ten minutes to see the Liberty Bell and take a few photos. I, on the other hand, read all of the information in the museum, and that took me about 45 minutes. From the time I got in line to the time I exited the building was a little over an hour. Thus, I’d block out at least an hour for a visit, though you could be done in less time if the line is short and all you want to do is see the bell.

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