Discover the USA, the online guide dedicated to your journey in the United States of America

Philadelphia

"Cradle of the Nation", the imposing metropolis located between the Delaware and Schuylkill rivers, was formerly the capital of the first States of the Union.

Founded in 1682 by the English Quaker William Penn, the city was named after the old biblical city of Philadelphia. During the 18th century it reached its economic and cultural golden age. Seat of the first American Congress since 1774, the city became the principal political center by the time of the Revolution.

The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776 in the Assembly Room of the gracious brick building of Independence Hall where Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and the signatories of the document met each other.

The mythical Liberty Bell, The Bell of Freedom, today not working any longer, is said to have been the first to be sounded after the Declaration of Independence;it is still exposed there.

Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790) is buried in the cemetery of Church Christ, in the North-East of Independence National Historical Park. From 1777 to 1788 Philadelphia fell down once again under the English domination, then, from 1790 to 1800, it became the capital of the United States of America.

Two typical houses are to visit: Betsy Ross House where the first American flag was sewn, and the house of Edgar Allan Poe, in which the author of The Gold Bug wrote his most famous works. Discover also Elfreth' S Alley, and its about thirty old residences, the oldest street in the United States. Do not forget to visit the splendid Philadelphia Museum of Art, the restored "Society Hill" district, close to the docks. Charming shops, restaurants and a bohemian atmosphere.

Lancaster
About 55 miles to the west we arrive at Lancaster, in the "Dutch country".The Amish (the Simple people) and Mennonite sects, originally from Switzerland and Germany, pushed by their deep religious convictions and their refusal to enter the modern world, chose to live there from 1709 to cultivate the land. Their members, today estimated to reach about 150,000 persons in the US, still wear clothes from 3 centuries ago, and still prefer to use horses rather than machines to work their lands.
Visit the Amish Farm and House, where the community members present an outline to their lifestyle. The Lancaster Central Market is full with culinary and handicraft products made by the Amish.

Gettysburg

Fifty miles to the southwest is located Gettysburg, where the Union and the Confederation armies fought each other in one of the Civil War's greatest battles. The merciless fight had costed the life of more than fifty thousand men.
Abraham Lincoln pronounced, on November 19, 1863, the moving speech titled Gettysburg Address.

Valley Forge, where the army of Washington, half dead with hunger, took its sad winter quarters in 1777-1778, is now a State Park, home to many monuments and memorials.

New Hope, on the other side of the Delaware river, facing New Jersey, is a pleasant colony of artists. You can take a tour on the Old Delaware Canal in a barge hauled by mules.

New Hope and Ivyland Railroad will take you along on a course of 14 miles in train, through the superb landscapes of the Bucks County.

Bucks County Playhouse, theatre installed in a mill build around 1780, presents all year long some of the very best of Broadway productions.

Pocono Mounts

The Pocono Mounts, in the North-East of Pennsylvania, about two hours away from New York City, offer 740 000 acres of green hills, lakes, rivers, cascades, splendid valleys and a spectacular foliage in autumn.

Delaware Water Gap is the gateway to Poconos. It is a very beautiful cliff with nice cascades. The area of Poconos conceals many stations of holidays, some of which function all year long. It is a paradise for ski, canoe-kayak or speleology lovers.