SightseeingHistory BuffRainy-Day Pick

Parkway Central Library

The Free Library of Philadelphia's central library on Logan Square, with free tours of its Rare Book Department.

1901 Vine Street · Philadelphia, PA

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Price: No admission fee
Good for: History lovers
Rainy afternoons
Public transit nearby: 19th StLight rail 17, 31, 32, 33, 38, 44, 48, L1 and 7 more · 0.4 mi away
Suburban StationTrain Airport Line, Chestnut Hill East Line, Chestnut Hill West Line, Cynwyd Line, Fox Chase Line, Lansdale/Doylestown Line, Manayunk/Norristown Line, Media/Wawa Line and 5 more · 0.4 mi away
S1Subway 4, 16, 27, 441, B1, B1 OWL, B2 · 0.5 mi away
Stops and lines from the USDOT National Transit Map. Check times with the agency before you go.
Flying in: Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) is about 7 miles away.
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About Parkway Central Library

Parkway Central Library is the main building of the Free Library of Philadelphia, on Vine Street at Logan Square along the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. It opened at this location in 1927. The Rare Book Department on the third floor offers free tours, and its exhibition cases show items from the rare book, theatre and children's literature collections.

#library
#rare books
#logan square
#architecture
#free tours

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What's around here?

The closest stops to Parkway Central Library, ordered by straight-line distance. A few more like it, plus some different kinds of fun so you can build a full day.

Sightseeing
History Buff
Logan Circle
Check prices
Sit by the Swann Memorial Fountain in one of William Penn's five original squares, with the Franklin Institute and the Free Library on its edges.
Transit: reachable by public transit
Steps awayMore like this
Museums
Local Gem
Barnes Foundation
$25–$50
Renoirs and Matisses hung floor-to-ceiling exactly as Dr. Barnes arranged them, an art experience unlike any other.
Transit: reachable by public transit
Steps awaySwitch it up: Museums
Museums
Family Favorite
The Franklin Institute
$25–$50
Walk through a giant beating heart at Philly's hands-on science playground, a guaranteed hit with kids of every age.
Transit: reachable by public transit
Steps awaySwitch it up: Museums
Sightseeing
Benjamin Franklin National Memorial
No admission fee
A large seated statue of Benjamin Franklin inside the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia.
Transit: reachable by public transit
Steps awayMore like this
Museums
Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University
Check prices
A natural science research institution founded in 1812 that holds about 19 million scientific specimens.
Transit: reachable by public transit
Steps awaySwitch it up: Museums
Sightseeing
Iconic
LOVE Park
No admission fee
Pose with Robert Indiana's LOVE sculpture and watch the fountain in a small plaza facing Philadelphia City Hall.
Transit: reachable by public transit
0.5 mi awayMore like this