HomeLifestyle15 Things You Didn’t Know About Famous Philly Attractions Lifestyle 15 Things You Didn’t Know About Famous Philly Attractions Philadelphia is a city of many firsts. Because of this, Philly is home to many historic attractions. Independence Hall, the Liberty Bell, and the recent Creed movie, to name a few. Here are 15 fun facts you may not know about famous Philly attractions that will make this city well worth the visit. 1. Rocky Statue View this post on Instagram Every champion was once a contender who refused to give up. #philadelphia #rockybalboa #bodybuilding #travel #philly #iphone8plus #iphoneography #rockybalboastatue #throwback A post shared by Sid (@siddypat7) on Oct 10, 2018 at 8:19pm PDT Many people know that the Rocky Statue was originally at the top of the Philadelphia Art Museum steps. But before that, the statue found its home at the bottom of the museum. It was temporarily housed at Wachovia Spectrum, now known as Philly Live! The one here in Philly is 1 of 3. San Diego Hall of Champions Sports Museum Shooting has a second one, and the third that was made in 2006 is available for purchase. The price is over $1 million. It has never been purchased since it was sculpted, so you can still be the first official owner! 2. Philly Soft Pretzels View this post on Instagram $0.33 midnight piping hot pretzels A post shared by Ainsley Fox (@mylittleartichoke) on Jun 15, 2015 at 10:29pm PDT Philadelphia soft pretzels were brought over to the United States by Dutch immigrants. The first famous soft pretzel company in Philadelphia was Federal Pretzel Baking Company in South Philly but has moved to Bridgeport, NJ. Another company that still sells the harder, figure 8 pretzels that many kids grew up eating during recess in grade school is Center City Pretzel Company located on 8th and Washington. Be sure to check their hours before visiting: 04:00 AM to 12:00 PM Mondays – Saturdays; 6:30 AM to 10:30 AM Sundays. 3. Pat’s vs Geno’s View this post on Instagram We did our Philly Cheese Steak taste challenge…. so good??#Patsvsgenos A post shared by Denise Meeder??? (@mamameeder) on Jul 15, 2018 at 4:00pm PDT Unlike Puma vs Adidas or Trader Joe’s vs Aldi, Pat’s vs Geno’s did not come about because of a family feud. However, their rivalry is more well known in Philly that those of bigger companies. Turns out the rivalry between Pat’s and Geno’s was more of a marketing strategy. The pair were friends and understood that competition keeps people interested. 4. Reading Terminal View this post on Instagram Always a pleasure to visit my favorite Eastcoast market! #readingterminalmarket A post shared by Will Harris (@williamjharris) on Nov 25, 2018 at 12:38pm PST Reading Terminal used to be two different markets: the Franklin Market and the Farmer’s Market. This indoor terminal market started as an outdoor market called Jersey Market located by the Delaware River on Market Street. The name Jersey Market was due to all the vendors coming over from New Jersey to sell their goods. 5. Market Street View this post on Instagram Market St || Philadelphia, PA . #philly #philadelphia #igers_philly #jj_philadelphia #phillylife #phillygram #phillyigers #cc_philly #phillygram #igers_philadelphia #visitphilly #phillypulse #myphillyphoto #viewsofphilly #ourphilly #philadelphiaphotographer #oldcityphilly #oldcity #philadelphia_citylife #philadelphia_ig #itsaphillyjawn #lovephilly #howphillyseesphilly #peopledelphia #6abcaction #explore215 #whyilovephilly #phillymasters #215phillyig #thrumyeyes #thrumylens A post shared by Dana Kratchman Hoffman (@thrudseyes) on Dec 12, 2018 at 5:30pm PST Market Street was originally named High Street. As more vendors from Jersey Market (now Reading Terminal) began to appear, the outdoor market expanded westwards on High Street. 6. Wawa View this post on Instagram What would #Hamilton’s go-to #Wawa order be though? ? #HamiltonWasHere A post shared by AmRevMuseum (@amrevmuseum) on Dec 14, 2018 at 10:56am PST The many Wawa convenience stores and gas stations we see in the area today started as a dairy company in Wawa, PA. Wawa, PA got its name from the Ojibwe word for Canadian goose because of the amount of geese in the area when the city was founded. That explains the iconic Wawa logo. 7. Hoagies View this post on Instagram Game day feels ? #EAGLES A post shared by @ phillyfoodscene on Jan 21, 2018 at 10:11am PST Hoagies, subs, hero, whatever you choose to call it, has a special place in the hearts of residents of Philly. There is no clear story about how the name hoagies came to be. Most stories believe the original name for this sandwich was “hoggies”. And the stories centered around construction works on Hog Island or being called “hogs” for eating such a big sandwich. Whatever the story is, you can find this delicious sandwich in many corner stores and supermarkets today. 8. Philadelphia International Airport View this post on Instagram Here we come Bahamas and warm weather…. #honeymooners A post shared by Faith Wofford (@faithzawojski) on Dec 12, 2018 at 3:53am PST Hog Island, previously home to many hogs, was at one point known as the largest shipyard in the world. Those working on this shipyard site were called “hoggies” – the possible original name of hoagie. The location where Hog Island used to stand is now the Philadelphia International Airport. 9. The LOVE statue View this post on Instagram In love with this city. #latergram A post shared by Emily Cooper (@emcoop22) on Dec 16, 2018 at 1:56pm PST The LOVE statue at Love Park was originally red, green and purple. When it was being restored in 1988, a mistake with the colors had the statue painted red, green and blue. For many years, not many knew of this mistake, but as of the 2018 restoration, the statue is now painted back to its original red, green and purple colors. 10. William Penn View this post on Instagram #parkway100 #myparkwayinspring #phillyprimeshots #discoverphl #phillyunknown #igers_philly #6abcaction #featcbphilly #phillycurrent #phillygram #airvuz #215shooters #fox29philly #phillyviews #howphillyseesphilly #instaphilly #phillypulse #peopledelphia #drone #dronestagram #dji #phillyphire #phantom4proobsidian #philadelphia #go_philadelphia #visitphilly #215philly #nbc10 #williampennwednesday #williampennwhenever A post shared by ChrisDantonioDronePhotography (@phillydroneshots) on Feb 27, 2018 at 3:54pm PST William Penn earned his place on top of City Hall because of his contribution being the founding father of Philadelphia. The statue faces northeast to look at Penn Treaty Park where the peace treaty was signed. 11. Public Square Parks View this post on Instagram 30th fl views A post shared by Mabel (@mablist) on May 2, 2017 at 6:10pm PDT William Penn originally designed the five public square parks many locals and travelers visit today: Logan Square (NW), Washington Square (SE), Rittenhouse (SW) Square, Franklin Square (NE), City Hall/Dilworth Park (center). Before the names we know today, the parks were named according to their direction. From the time they were designed to now, the parks were used for a wide and kind of scary variety of things: burials and public executions. Some more fun uses of the parks included the Benjamin Franklin famous kite and key experiment taking place in Franklin Square and the first successful United States human carrying hot air balloon flight in Washington Square. 12. Independence Hall View this post on Instagram #history #philly #philadelphia #georgewashington #revolutionarywar #freedom #liberty A post shared by Tim Donahue (@tsdmusic73) on Dec 7, 2018 at 5:31pm PST Independence Hall is one of UNESCO World Heritage sites in the U.S. But because of political disagreements and finances, the US will be withdrawing from the organization at the end of 2018. 13. Eastern State Penitentiary View this post on Instagram #easternstatepenitentiary #philadelphia #イースタン州立刑務所 A post shared by Takahisa Mikami (@takahisa_mikami) on Dec 14, 2018 at 6:41am PST Eastern State Penitentiary had running water before the White House. 14. Liberty Bell View this post on Instagram La Campana de la Libertad de Philadelphia: símbolo de la independencia de los EEUU, del fin de la esclavitud y de la libertad. #libertybell #philadelphia #pennsylvania A post shared by Juan Pablo Tejero Martín (@juanpasanes) on Dec 3, 2018 at 7:30pm PST The Liberty Bell was originally called the State House Bell until late 1830s. Also, Pennsylvania was spelled “Pensylvania” which was an acceptable spelling at the time. 15. Metropolitan Opera House View this post on Instagram The stage is set & the doors are open! Welcome to #TheMetPhilly A post shared by The Met Philly (@themetphilly) on Dec 3, 2018 at 4:03pm PST Metropolitan Opera House was originally named Philadelphia Opera House, and now after recent renovation is named The Met. The building has been home to many activities since its opening in 1908. The most recent use for the building is a concert venue. Joanna Lam Joanna is a Photographer based in Philadelphia. 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15 Things You Didn’t Know About Famous Philly Attractions