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America turns 250 years old this July, and the city where it all started is at the center of the celebration all year.
Remember in 2005, when Moorestown featured various RCA decorative sculptures of “Nipper”, the RCA Victor dog, around town? And if you remembered the classic brand, how neat it was to spot one?
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania must have liked the idea. They are celebrating America’s semiquincentennial with a much larger-scale version of it.
It’s called “Bells Across PA”, and it’s fiberglass Liberty Bell-shaped sculptures, painted by local artists to reflect the location of each Bell. You can see one in Valley Forge, decorated with the Father of Our Country leading his troops into the most daring maneuver of the war. Or view a stunningly painted Bell in downtown Pittsburgh, adorned with the breathtaking city skyline.
As of this writing, there are 94 Bells Across PA to see. There’s at least one in every county, but if you don’t have the time to find them all, there are 23 in Philadelphia alone.
Go see Parris Stancell’s “A Tapestry of Hidden History” at the United Lutheran Seminary, Gail Gaines’s “Freedom Rising” at Mother Bethel AME Church, Sean Martorana’s “Heartbeat of the Fox” in Lions Park, or Tara Jacoby’s “We the People” at the Philadelphia Visitor Center to start. If you’re an art enthusiast, you’ll want to see as many of these treasures as you can.
You can find their locations at www.visitpa.com/2026/bells-across-pa.
Sports Take Center Stage
A semiquincentennial is a huge milestone for a nation, especially one that has come pretty far in a relatively short time. At age 250, the nation’s birthplace is the obvious choice not just for tourism, but for major sports leagues to host their biggest events.
JerseyMan and PhillyMan have already extensively covered the coming visit to Citizens Bank Park of America’s best ballplayers for the MLB All-Star Game on July 14. If you’re interested, have a look at our spring issue.
But the country’s 250th is viewed by another major sports organization as the perfect opportunity to showcase its biggest event here.
You’re probably aware that FIFA’s World Cup is featuring six of its matches at Lincoln Financial Field, including a Round of 16 elimination tournament on the Fourth. You might even have attended or are attending one of those matches. (If you are, congratulations on being successful enough to afford tickets. As this sentence was written, it’s over $800 just to get in the door.)
Better yet, our home state will also be hosting the World Cup final at MetLife Stadium in the Meadowlands. Thankfully, the much-maligned turf at MetLife is being temporarily replaced with a natural grass pitch for the event, as required by FIFA.
Interestingly enough, both stadiums have been given temporary names for the Cup. The Linc is now “Philadelphia Stadium”, while MetLife is now “New York New Jersey Stadium”. Not very imaginative…couldn’t they have at least called the Linc “Vince Papale Stadium”?…but that’s also a FIFA requirement: no corporate sponsors that aren’t affiliated with FIFA.
The FIFA Fan Festival, taking place through July 19 at Lemon Hill in East Fairmount Park is free, but you have to request a pass on the Philly World Cup 2026 website.
The fan festivals are likely to be a fascinating snapshot of a 250-year tradition of people across the globe coming to America for a better party. On match days, they’ll feature watch parties (and broadcasts on massive screens), concession offerings, and entertainment. Local artists, performers, and community groups will all make appearances and showcase their talents.
It’s the kind of party the Founders envisioned would be possible in a free country, complete with a rotating lineup of food trucks, arguably one of the standout features of a liberated nation. (That’s not sarcasm.) Lemon Hill will also be seeing improvements in the deal, including “removal of invasive plant species”, new sidewalks, accessible ramps, and road improvements.
After 250 years of celebrating some pretty big events, the city knows how to handle this. They’ll be offering enhanced public transit, residential parking protections, improved pedestrian and bicycle access, even increased tour bus service to Lemon Hill on the Philly PHLASH tour bus.
SEPTA is also well prepared, a reminder that two and a half centuries in, your taxation is still generating representation. Transit rides are still just $2.90 on match days, making it possible for the folks who spent $2,000 on hospitality packages to recoup at least some of their excess by avoiding triple-digit parking rates.
In addition to the Broad Street Subway, we all know and love for getting to the Linc, the G1 trolley (and of course, several SEPTA buses) can get you to Fairmount Park and the festivals at Lemon Hill. For late evening matches, there will be additional Regional Rail service.
If you’re planning to go to either a match or the festival, it’s probably a good idea to use transit…not just because of the parking cost, but because of the hassle and traffic on the way. It’s not likely that you’ll ever see so many visitors from across the globe ascending the Art Museum steps.
A Year of Celebration
The idea of 250 years of unprecedented success for a nation after throwing off its tyrannical shackles deserves special recognition, even beyond the world’s biggest sporting events calling the nation’s birthplace its championship destination.
Philadelphians especially deserve to be proud of our history, and the city is reflecting that in multiple ways. Sure, there will be a longer parade than usual and a spectacular fireworks display for all on the anniversary of the signing. But the celebration will keep going throughout our semiquincentennial year.
Interested in participating in the Block Party Bonanza? The city is giving a boost to block parties, with “Life, Liberty, and Happiness” kits. The kits, according to the America 250 website, include “giveaways, decorations, games, and activities for all ages”. ShopRite is even chipping in gift cards for food and beverages.
The city is also offering “Neighborhood Jawnts” through October, a tour series celebrating the history, small businesses, and culture of neighborhoods across the city. The East Passyunk Jawnt, for example, shared the history of the Moyamensing Prison, the Singing Fountain, and of course, the Pat’s and Geno’s rivalry. You can find out more on the city’s Visitor Center website.
Any time of any year for any American, the National Constitution Center is worth a visit. But if you’ve already been, it’s worth a return visit for two new exhibits in 2026.
There’s “America’s Founding”, an interactive gallery that brings to life the drafting, ratification, and adoption of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and “Governing the Nation”, a gallery featuring exhibits and interactive experiences detailing the checks and balances system of our branched government. Visit Philly called the America’s Founding exhibit “a sensory and aesthetic homage to what the United States has long stood for, offering hope for a brighter future”.
The great folks at Wawa are getting in on the fun, too. They’re sponsoring the Welcome America Festival 2026. From Juneteenth to July 4th, Welcome America features free museum days throughout the city, including visits to the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts, the Christ Church Preservation Trust, and the American Philosophical Society Museum.
From painted Liberty Bells to historical tours to new exhibits, there’s no better time to take advantage of being a Philadelphia area native.
As the Visit Philadelphia website pointed out, travel publications of all kinds are calling Philadelphia a top destination in 2026. Beyond the semiquincentennial milestone and the sporting events, festivals, and enhancements going with it, travel entities point out a wide range of what makes our city great anytime.
Travel & Leisure named Philadelphia one of the top 50 must-visit culinary destinations in 2026, praising award-winning chefs from around the world who call Philly home. CNN, in its listing of top places to visit, was smart enough to mention the 50th anniversary of Rocky. And Afar Magazine, in addition to gushing over the Nation of Artists exhibit at the Art Museum, chose scrapple as the one food you travel to Pennsylvania for.
Even The New York Times and The Boston Globe – two publications whose readers might not always have the highest opinion of the City of Brotherly Love – listed Philadelphia as a must-visit place in 2026.
Fortunately for JerseyMan and PhillyMan readers, we live here. Or at least, not far away across a river that is light-years easier to cross today than it was on Christmas Night in 1776. We probably shouldn’t take for granted how great we have it, not just to be Americans, but to live in a city full of reminders why We the People showed that we could deliver a better life for all than royalty ever could.
Philadelphia isn’t just the home of the ultimate underdog triumph 250 years ago. It’s a city that still points to a better and brighter future. A place where it’s easily conceivable that a great sandwich will still be easy to find by 2276.
52 Weeks of Firsts
The city of Philadelphia and its people, of course, made quite the contribution to this country’s existence. On that basis alone, the city deserves an All-Star Game 250 years later.
But a look into the history of accomplishments of Philadelphians, especially when it comes to being the first at many things, creates an even more remarkable impression.
The Philadelphia Historic District 250th Committee is recognizing the city’s groundbreaking contributions to a better existence with “52 Weeks of Firsts”, a series of events and podcasts that tell the amazing stories of firsts that happened in or near Philadelphia.
Each Saturday event, at the various historic locations, showcases a Philly first with a storyteller sharing the true story, family-friendly activities, and entertainment. There will also be a sculpture from a local artist at each event, celebrating the milestone. You can also watch the accompanying podcast on YouTube, featuring WMMR’s Marisa Magnatta as the host.
Here are a few firsts that you might not be aware came from Philadelphia:
The First Public Girl Scout Cookie Sale
In 1933, publicly sold Girl Scout cookies showed itself to be a recession-proof idea…even a Depression-proof idea. Girl Scouts of Philadelphia were the first to make that happen, with sales at local utility company windows in the city. The idea took hold, because thin mints.
The First Public Protest Against Slavery
Almost two centuries before Fort Sumter, Philadelphians were seeing something wrong with slavery. Supported by a group of German and Dutch Quaker immigrants in Germantown, Francis Daniel Pastorius wrote the Germantown Quaker Petition of 1688. It was the first public document to denounce slavery.
The First Stadium in America
This one had to be in Philly, right? In fact, the original home of the Eagles, Franklin Field, is recognized as the first true stadium in America. It was also the first to feature a scoreboard and a second-tier upper deck, and it hosted the first-ever radio broadcast of a football game.
The First Ice Cream Soda
Like the cheesesteak, it’s one of those classic “Why didn’t I think to mix these ingredients together?” moments. In 1874, Robert M. Green ran out of cream to mix with his soda and used vanilla ice cream instead. There are others that lay claim to the invention, like George Guy, who worked at Green’s fountain and reportedly accidentally dropped a scoop into a soda, but for the most part, it’s recognized as a Philly invention.
You can go to the Visit Philadelphia website to learn more about “52 Weeks of Firsts”, with links to the podcasts, as well as event schedules and locations.
Neighborhood Jawnts
See what they did there with the classic Philly slang? Neighborhood Jawnts is an ongoing tour series of Philadelphia neighborhoods, where tour guides take visitors to various places in a neighborhood and share stories and other highlights.
Tours are conducted in cooperation with neighborhood organizations, and include a look at the local community’s culture, creativity, and long-established businesses.
There’s a total of 20 Jawnts going on in various communities; tours are running through October. Even if you’ve missed some good ones, like the East Passyunk tour that celebrates the iconic neon of Pat’s and Geno’s cheesesteaks, there’s plenty more you can still enjoy.
Some of these shouldn’t be missed for proud Philadelphians. In July, the tours will include Chinatown, Germantown, Chestnut Hill / Mt. Airy, and the South 9th Street Market. August is even more promising: there’s a Jazz in North Philly tour, a South Philadelphia tour, and a South Broad Street tour, which presumably should include great Spectrum stories.
Since it’s often easy to be overwhelmed choosing from the selection of food in this city…the Reading Terminal Market alone is a source of great agitation…a Neighborhood Jawnt could tell you about local food icons. Everyone should expand their horizons with a Schmitter. Until reading about the Frankford-Tacony tour, for example, this writer hadn’t heard of Fink’s Hoagies. Planning a trip.
The Neighborhood Jawnts schedule is available on the Philadelphia Visitor’s Center website. Tours are free, but you need a reservation.
Victory Philly First Brew
When it comes to different ways to celebrate a semiquincentennial, a good beer is something a Jersey Man or Philly Man can always get behind.
Victory Brewing Company, as you probably know, is an established craft brewery that started over three decades ago in Downingtown. Today, they have taprooms in multiple locations, including in Center City, with a wide variety of craft beers on tap to go with a great burger.
Being from the Philadelphia area, of course, it was on the Victory people to recognize America’s 250th birthday occasion. They did just that with the Philly First Anniversary Ale.
Philly First Anniversary Ale is available in 4-packs of 16 oz. cans. It’s 4.8% alcohol, so you can enjoy more than one. It’s made from Simcoe, Strata and Amarillo hops, and Pilsner, Vienna and Wheat malts.
Victory describes it as “light hop bitterness with notes of citrus, floral, tropical fruit and pine with a clean and malty backbone”. And if nothing else, Philadelphians are well known for backbone.
In addition to the Victory taprooms, you can find Philly First at your local beer store; they feature a Beer Finder on their website to help out.
As Victory says, Philly First is “made for the good times and good people of this mighty fine city.” You could say Victory has proven themselves a key element of good times around these parts.
