Oldest continuously occupied street in the U.S.: Elfreth’s Alley, since 1713.
First art school and art museum: Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts, founded 1805.
Oldest theatre in continuous use in the English-speaking world: Walnut Street Theatre, since 1809.
First orchestra to appear in a motion picture (1937), on television (1948) and to tour China (1973): Philadelphia Orchestra.
First city to guarantee religious freedom, beginning in 1682. First African-American church: Mother Bethel A.M.E. Church, established 1794.
First zoo in America: Philadelphia Zoo, chartered in 1859 and opened in 1874.
First July 4th event: 1776. Still a big celebration every year with the 10-day Wawa Welcome America! festival. First Thanksgiving Day Parade: 1919.
First botanical garden: Bartram’s Garden, opened 1728.
First stock exchange: Philadelphia Stock Exchange, 1790.
First international-style skyscraper: Loews Philadelphia Hotel (12th & Market Streets), formerly the PSFS (bank) Building, 1932.
This was also the first totally air-conditioned building in America. First and oldest hospital in America: Pennsylvania Hospital, opened 1751.
First World’s Fair in America: the Centennial International Exhibition, 1876. Memorial Hall, built especially for the World’s Fair, houses the Please Touch Museum.
First American convention: the Constitutional Convention of 1787, where the Constitution of the United States was written and adopted by representatives of the 13 original colonies.
First American university: The University of Pennsylvania assumed university status in 1779.
First library: The Library Company of Philadelphia, founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1731; its current location, 1314 Locust Street, is open to the public.
First U. S. Mint: established in 1792 on Seventh Street, near Arch Street, it was the first property acquired by the federal government.

For more info please go to www.discoverPHL.com

Pennsylvania Tourism Partners which will include the state themselves along with Philadelphia, The Countryside of Philadelphia (Brandywine Valley & Valley Forge), Harrisburg and Hershey, Lancaster County and the Pocono Mountains will be visiting the UK & Ireland from 09 May until 13 May. A number of events are planned for the Travel Trade including a PA Rocks Party at the Hard Rock Café in London, A trade dinner at Halo in the cool Morrison Hotel in Dublin. There will be some great holiday prizes on offer including flights to Philadelphia with hotels throughout the Keystone State. For further information contact Greg Evans at [email protected]

The deadline for Board Director nominations passed on Monday 15 February.  There were six nominations for six places and the following members have been elected unopposed to the Board of Visit USA Association (UK) Ltd  for a term of two years from 16 March 2016:

Matt Bates
Nadia Clinton
Lisa Cooper
Greg Evans
Chris Rankin
Jonathan Sloan

There are two new members joining the Board – Nadia Clinton, Sales Manager UK & Ireland at Delta Air Lines and Lisa Cooper, Director of Sales & Representation at KBC

Lonely Planet, the world’s leading travel media company, has today (Tuesday 9 Feb 2016) named Philadelphia in Pennsylvania its number one destination to visit in the United States in 2016. Philadelphia, which was recently recognised at the US’s first and only World Heritage City took prime position in Lonely Planet’s annual Best in the US list, which names the top 10 most exciting, intriguing and up-and-coming US destinations worth visiting in the year ahead.

Philadelphia is on a roll right now. Hosting the Democratic National Convention in July and celebrating the 40th anniversary of Rocky this year, the city is experiencing a transformation to its urban core, yet retaining its deep American history and uniquely gritty flavour.

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/best-in-us

Philadelphia has been named the top destination for family vacations by ABC Travel Guides for Kids. The company created a Philadelphia sculpture scavenger hunt guide with 32 pages of original, colorful images of the city’s kid-friendly public art collections.   http://www.kidstravelguides.com/travel-guides/philadelphia.aspx

Historic Philadelphia, Inc. announces the Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival in Franklin Square which will take place in the Square from April 22 to June 12, 2016. The Festival, appearing for the first time in the Northeast United States, is a celebration of light and culture that features artisans from China and the Philadelphia region. For seven weeks, Franklin Square will glow with more than 25 larger-than-life illuminated displays of giant flowers, a three-story pagoda, a huge Chinese dragon and much more, created using traditional Chinese methods with thousands of LED lights in brilliant colors. In addition to the gorgeous light installations, festival-goers will enjoy daily performances, culinary exploration, crafts by working artists, and still be able to play mini-golf, ride the carousel, and enjoy Center City’s best play place during the spring and all year long.

Throughout the 2016 season, Historic Philadelphia, the non-profit that manages and operates Franklin Square, will celebrate the 10^{th Birthday} of the award-winning Square, which received a $6.5 million initial investment to create an urban oasis and family play place in 2006. In the ensuing decade, Historic Philadelphia, Inc. continued to improve the park’s amenities from the Franklin Square Pavilion which hosts events and parties year-round, to the Franklin Square Holiday Festival featuring the Electrical Spectacle holiday light show, to plantings and maintenance of the green space on an ongoing basis. The 10th Birthday year will be filled with special events and surprises in addition to a permanent gift to the Square.

Amy Needle, President and CEO of Historic Philadelphia, Inc. said, “Franklin Square’s 10th Birthday will be a fun-filled year, and we’re excited to kick it off with the Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival in Franklin Square. Historic Philadelphia, Inc. is thrilled to be bringing this amazing showcase of Chinese culture to Philadelphia while partnering with local artists and chefs to create a rich experience for our visitors.”

The lanterns for the Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival in Franklin Square will be created in China especially for this event and sent via container ship to the United States. The 25 displays will include brilliantly-colored lanterns of representations of spring, charming animal figures, and iconic Chinese symbols and such as a 200-foot dragon, pandas, peacocks, lions, swans, and figures wearing traditional Chinese costumes, among others. The lanterns will be placed all around the seven-and-a-half acre Square, and guests will walk among the displays each of which contain hundreds of LED lights. In addition to the lanterns, nightly entertainment will include performances and artists showing off their traditional crafts, as well as a variety of food options. The Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival in Franklin Square is produced by the Tianyu Arts & Culture, Inc. and its parent company, Sichuan Tianyu Cultural Transmission Co., Ltd. in cooperation with Historic Philadelphia, Inc. Visitors can learn more here: ^{http://historicphiladelphia.org/franklin-square/chineselanternfestival/.}

Background on Chinese Lanterns and Lantern Festival

Traditionally, the Lantern Festival is a Chinese festival celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month in the lunar calendar marking the last day of the lunar New Year celebration dating back nearly 2000 years. In 2016, the date falls on February 22. Due to the cold winters in Philadelphia, Historic Philadelphia decided to hold the Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival in Franklin Square in the spring, allowing visitors to enjoy more time with them outside, and incorporating symbols of spring into the design. In ancient times, the lanterns were fairly simple, and only the emperor and noblemen had large ornate ones. In modern times, lanterns have been embellished with many complex designs such as the ones on view at the Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival in Franklin Square. The prominence of red in the designs symbolizes good fortune.

Franklin Square will be open during regular daytime hours. After 6 pm, the Festival requires tickets for entry. Tickets are available at the Festival entrance or online at ^{www.historicphiladelphia.org. For groups of 20 or more, please contact Group Sales by calling (215) 629-4026 x209. The Franklin Square Pavilion can be rented for birthday parties, corporate events, and special events. For information on booking a special event or party in the Pavilion: http://historicphiladelphia.org/franklin-square/parties-and-facility-rentals/.}

About Franklin Square

Fun family entertainment and a beautiful park are just steps away from the Liberty Bell, in one of William Penn’s original five squares, and the only one dedicated to fun. Award-winning Franklin Square is a family-friendly play place located in the heart of Historic Philadelphia, featuring Philly Mini Golf, a vintage marble fountain, playgrounds, the Parx Liberty Carousel, and SquareBurger. After a day of experiencing the treasures of Philadelphia’s history, putt through some of the city’s most famous icons, take a ride on hometown racehorse heroes Afleet Alex or Smarty Jones aboard the carousel, and relax next to the refreshing fountain.

Franklin Square is an initiative of Historic Philadelphia, Inc. (HPI).　 HPI makes our nation’s history relevant and real through interpretation, interaction, and education, strengthening Greater Philadelphia’s role as the destination to experience American history. Historic Philadelphia, Inc.’s programs include the Betsy Ross House, Once Upon A Nation storytelling and immersive walking tours, and Franklin Square. For more information, visit ^{www.historicphiladelphia.org. Follow HPI at twitter.com/HistoricPhilly and twitter.com/FranklinSqr, on Facebook at http://on.fb.me/HistoricPhila or http://on.fb.me/FranklinSquare, or on Instagram instagram.com/historicphilly.}

Everyone’s favourite boxer Rocky Balbao returns to the big screen on 15 January 2016 with the UK launch of the new Rocky film – Creed. Fans will see the former World Heavyweight Champion Rocky Balboa train Adonis Johnson, the son of his late friend and former rival Apollo Creed, in locations across Philadelphia which plays home to the iconic blockbuster films.

To celebrate the launch of the new film, the Philadelphia CVB is encouraging all film fanatics to follow in Rocky’s actual footsteps with a trip to the films’ iconic city in 2016 and enjoy a half-day, self-guided tour of the city, taking in famous locations from the films including The Rocky Steps, the Rocky Statue and the Italian Market.

The Philadelphia CVB has suggested the top sites to discover on a Rocky Tour of Philadelphia.

Run Up The Rocky Steps

No trip to Philadelphia is complete without breaking into a jog for one of the most iconic runs in film history. For those who are fighting fit, make the first port of call a run down Benjamin Franklin Parkway and up the 72 Rocky Steps Stallone-style with your fists pumping. Once visitors reach the top of the steps outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art, put your feet in Stallone’s foot prints and soak up the amazing view of Philadelphia.

Pose For A Picture At The Rocky Statue

To complement Philadelphia’s vibrant art scene, the Rocky Statue is one of the city’s most favourite public pieces of art. The bronze statue was originally created for the Rocky III film and once filming was finished, it was donated to the city by Stallone. It can be found at the bottom of the Rocky Steps and makes the perfect location for a souvenier photo.

Foodie Delight At The Italian Market

Combine the best of a Rocky Tour in Philadelphia with one of the city’s foodie delights at the Italian Market in South Philadelphia, known as America’s oldest outdoor market. It was here that Rocky ran through the market in the original film whilst being cheered on by local market stall holders.

The Polercoaster, a proposed vertical roller coaster to be built on the site of the old Sands casino, has received approval from the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority, The Press of Atlantic City reports.

The envisioned coaster will sit on one acre of land and tower 350 feet high. It will be located on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard and Mount Vernon and Kentucky Avenues.

Florida developer Joshua Wallack, who is building a similar amusement complex in the Sunshine State, has big plans for the Jersey site. He told the Press of A.C. that that there will be a definite nightlife venue planned to go with the coaster. “We’re obviously going to have a bar there,” he said.

The Polercoaster is not the only proposed amusement coming to Atlantic City. A 200-foot observation wheel, hoping to attract roughly 50,000 riders a month, is being bult at the Steel Pier. It’s estimated that it will cost about $14 million with partial funding coming from the Casino Reinvestment Development Authority. Look for the wheel to open later this year.

There is no immediate timeframe for the Polercoaster, but Wallack told the Press of A.C. that time is of the essence. “Obviously we want to open it as quickly as possible,” he said.