Once Upon A Nation — Hotel in Philadelphia

I was searching for an educational activity for my 8-year-old grandson and came across Once Upon A Nation. What a wonderful discovery! We began our journey at Independence Square and made our way to the final storytelling bench in Franklin Square. Along the way, he was often given a choice of stories—and he enjoyed them so much that he sometimes asked to hear two stories!

The storytellers are incredibly engaging and skilled, capturing his attention at every stop. It's a shame more people don’t know about this unique experience—it’s a fun and memorable way to learn lesser-known facts about American history. I was especially impressed that they also include African-American history stories. When we return (and we absolutely will), I plan to request those stories at each bench.

At the end of the tour, participants who collect a star at every bench can claim a prize in Franklin Square. The full experience took us about 2.5 hours, including a much-needed air-conditioned break at the Visitor Center (where there's also a storytelling bench).

This is a fantastic, FREE educational outing for children and adults alike. I highly recommend it—take your kids, take yourself, and enjoy learning some fun and...

Our founding city is hot with tourists just weeks after the Democratic National Convention. The Philadelphia Historic Society was genius in creating13 shady benches for animated historical storytime (FREE). We only caught two today, and send special kudos for Rachel our Puerto Rican teller at Christ Church. Our audience for the tale of Fannie and Pierce Butler had a Welshman, New Jerseyite, an elderly African American New Yorker, and me the North Carolinian. Stories are ripe with drama, suspense, and morality, and definitely not just for children! The American stories are not just in the telling, but living in the diverse audiences that come here to learn about our...

Once Upon a Nation was by far the BEST part of our historic tour of Philadelphia. It made our day and our trip! Hard to believe it’s offered for free. After we stumbled on one storyteller, we made it a point to see every single one. The quality of the stories and the storytelling was incredible at each and every stop. So engaging, great context for the city, our country. Bringing history to life! We even got a copy of Common Sense. I could not recommend this highly enough. I want everyone to know about it. Seek out every bench and get ready for history...