Independence Square, Philadelphia

The open ground behind Independence Hall, this square witnessed the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence in 1776. Enclosed by red-brick Georgian buildings central to the nation's founding, it forms part of Independence National Historical Park. Gravel paths, statues and shade trees surround the lawn where colonial crowds once gathered. Visitors pass through on their way to the Liberty Bell and the room where the Constitution was debated, making the square a quiet threshold to the country's most significant historic interiors.