Enjoy the free tour from the park rangers on the history of Congress Hall. Presentation was about 20 minutes. Just wait in line, ask a park ranger when the next tour is, they were very friendly. read more

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More history. Congress Hall in Philadelphia is located adjacent to Independence Hall in the heart of Old City. This spot played a pivotal role in shaping the young United States. Serving as the home of the U.S. Congress from 1790 to 1800, it was here that key decisions, including the inaugurations of Presidents George Washington (his second term) and John Adams. It's very authentic. The modest architecture reflects the ideals of the early republic--unadorned, functional, and democratic. Inside, the two-story building is impeccably preserved. The first floor is where the House of Representatives met, while the second floor, is where the Senate chamber. Early legislative milestones which happened here include the passage of the first census and the establishment of the Navy. read more

Great views from SoSuite. Recommend going early morning as nobody is there in the morning for exterior photography read more

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Same thing as my other review for independence hall. This is a national treasure and park ranger willow did a good job of making it interesting ! I'd recommend for the history. read more

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Good place to chill and soak in the previous history of the place. See images and videos for further reference. Free entrance read more

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Pretty amazing to walk into Congress Hall and see where Congress was held wayyyyy back in 1790. Located right next to Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Congress Hall is not to be missed. And if you're wanting to check out Independence Hall, then my hunch is that you're the kind of person who will enjoy visiting Congress Hall too. Like many of the buildings in this area in Philly, this is operated by the National Park Service, so it's free to the public. I visited Congress Hall while waiting for my time slot to get into Independence Hall, and this was a great experience. I love U.S. history, so this was a must-see. Congress Hall is a small building, with the ground floor being the House chambers. Compared to what is today's House floor, this was interesting to see, given how much smaller it is. There were tables and chairs lined up, for where the congressmen sat. What's especially cool is that this building is where George Washington and John Adams took their oath of office. I highly recommend for anyone in the Philadelphia area who loves history to visit Congress Hall. It was cool to see this historic building and reflect on our country's past. Park rangers were also happy to tell you more about the hall. When I visited, only the House chambers were open, so the Senate (upper level) was closed off. But definitely do not miss stopping by here if you're planning to visit Independence Hall, nerd. read more

Congress Hall - Congress Hall - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Really cool tour of Congress Hall. They break down how the seating went and how there was the lower level of congress (hence, the bottom floor) and the upper floor of congress (those that sat on the top floor). All this time, I kept hearing the upper and lower congress and had no idea where that came from. (Insert NBC's "The More You Know"). Really cool.. There is something really neat about being able to sit where our founding fathers sat and just taking in that you're exactly where history happened. read more

Congress Hall - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

This is where congress met after the revolution. The building was built for them. To see it you have to go through the security screening for independence hall. You enter only in a tour. Don't need tickets. You just lineup and a ranger takes a group in every 20 minutes. You set in a Representative's chair and the ranger explains about the building. They also pass around a chart so you can see who sat in the place you are in. Then you go upstairs (there are only stairs) and see the senate chamber. Worth doing, it's just a few feet from independence hall. read more

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PROS: The tour staff was very nice and insightful on the site. The rooms upstairs and downstairs are recreated to look like what it was in the past. It's a much larger building on the inside than outside and its free CONS: almost nothing is original of the building and 90% of the furniture inside are not original either. 30% of the building itself is not original because they extended it 10+ yards at some point in the 19th century. OVERALL: Definitely a place to check out for free and the tour guides are knowledgeable about the place. Also, if you cannot make it up the stairs to view the second floor they have a tablet downstairs that gives you a virtual tour of upstairs read more

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I'll start this off identically to my review of Independence Hall review: I guess this was neat to see. It was about a 15 minute tour, first come, first served, of where the US Congress first met. The ranger talk is what's to be expected--whitewashed and patriotic. Just don't expect anything different. You essentially go in and sit down, listen to the spiel, then take photos and leave. Due to COVID, the senate floor isn't open to the public right now. Almost none of the building contents are original. Desks, chairs, etc. all reproductions, though painstakingly reproduced. The only original content was the speaker's chair and the podium where power was transferred from Washington to Adams. As I said in the Independence Hall review, I would recommend taking the very first tour of the day (9 AM, 8:30 arrival) for that building, then when you finish, head straight over to Constitution Hall. When I went in, there was no line. By the time I came out, a long line had formed. Seems most people time their visits for 9:15-9:30. It's an easy, quick, free thing to do if you time it right, and you can say you saw it. read more

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While we were in Philadelphia we got the tour and walk around Congress Hall and some other sites. We really enjoyed ourselves it's cool to see all the traditional homes and things that's happened the declaration of independence and just a rich history of America so this was an E town to visit for sure and I will absolutely go back to Philadelphia because I had a great time read more

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i refer to this as the west hall in the independence hall plaza since it is located to the west of the main hall, housing the assembly room and supreme court chamber. congress hall also requires passing through security, you go thru once and it gets you access to both independence and congress halls. unlike independence hall, congress hall does not have a formal guide, but you can self tour this building at your own pace. there is a ranger on the main floor of the hall, the house of representatives chamber, available to answer any questions you may have. you can also touch and feel, look thru the original meeting minutes from the 18th century, see the list of attendees, states represented, etc. upstairs, you will find various meeting rooms, including the senate chamber. most of the rooms upstairs are for display only, you cannot enter, just look and observe. tickets are not required here, operating hours are 9-5 (house chamber), 10-4 (senate chamber). in january & february, you can come anytime, but march-december, you may only enter via tour, first-come, first-served. if you're a history buff wanting to know and see more about our u.s. history, definitely stop by congress hall and immerse yourself into the 18th legislative chambers. read more

Great historic site to visit! After the tour at the Independence Hall we headed to the Congress Hall for another tour. Tours are given every 30 minutes by on site park rangers. This one didn't require tickets and we walked in and found seating. The park ranger spoke for almost 30 minutes and towards the end did a Q&A with the visitors. Did you know that this was once the home of the United States Congress? The newly formed United States Congress occupied Congress Hall when Philadelphia was the temporary capital of the United States from 1790-1800. The first floor was occupied by the House of Representatives. This place is a great place to visit. So much history in a building and was very interesting and worthwhile to see. The ranger went on to include the present politics in his narrative. Visiting here and Independence Hall has inspired me to revisit my American history... it's amazing how much of it I've forgotten but I think some of our current elected officials in Congress look as old as this building... well preserved? The Congress Hall building is to the right of the main entrance. Tickets are free but you need to get them at the Visitors Center to enter the Independence hall grounds. After a security check screening you can visit all the buildings. We were fortunate that our visit wasn't during the government shutdown which happened a little after a month later. While you're here also visit the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall as they are close by. Review #1258 read more

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To stand where so many of our forefathers sat and fought over what would become our country's laws, was so awesome. Congress Hall served as the seat of the United States Congress from December 6, 1790 to May 14, 1800. It was also where the inauguration of George Washington's second term and John Adams' first term took place. So much history took place here. I read more

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This was an awesome tour! You sit at the legislature's desks on the floor of the House. read more

Congress Hall - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Congress Hall is not not as famous or visited as much as a Independence Hall or the Liberty Bell, but it does not make it any less historic, important, or interesting. Located right next to Independence Hall, Congress Hall is where the first first House off Representatives and Senate of the United States met and debated from 1790 to 1800. Unlike Independence Hall, no tickets are necessary. Unlike the Liberty Bell, the line to get in is rather short. To get in, you must be part of a tour which is provided by the Rangers of the National Park Service on a first come first served basis. I believe taking this tour will be well worth your time. The Ranger starts the tour on the lower floor where the House of Representatives met. Here you are actually allowed to sit down! Although the area appears as it did in 1790 it has actually been completely restored. The Ranger will tell stories of how our founding fathers struggled to interpret the U.S. Constitution. He will also talk about the significant events that occurred in that room including the inauguration of two presidents (Washington and Adams). The second floor however, where the Senate met, is viewed from behind a rope, since most of the furnishings are still original! This room is much more ornate and adorned with heavy red drapes. The floor also has original portraits of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette, given by France to the U.S. after the American Revolution. Congress Hall is open from 9-5 daily and should be a stop when visiting Independence National Historical Park. read more

Congress Hall - Senate Room - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Congress Hall is a beautiful and well-designed place to stay in Cape May, NJ. Maria (the assistant manager who works at the front desk) is so helpful and makes necessary accomodations for the people who stay here. Sarah and other people who work at the coffee shop are so friendly and happy to be there. I recommend staying at Congress Hall or The Star as soon as you can. Also, Beach Shack allows dogs in the rooms. I am looking forward to bringing my six year old mini goldendoodle there sometime in May. read more

A friend and I were visiting Philadelphia last weekend and decided to take in some historical sites. We got tickets for the tour of Independence Hall. We arrived early and were told we had time to tour Congress Hall before our tour. When Philadelphia served as the temporary capital the U.S. from 1790 to 1800, Congress met in this building (the House of Representatives on the first floor and the Senate upstairs). The first two presidents took their oaths of office in the building. Unfortunately, not much inside the building is original (it was used for other purposes after Congress moved to DC). The tour is quick. You take a seat in the reproduction furniture in the room that was used by the House, while a park ranger gives a description of the history of the building. Then you can walk around and take in the details (but the room is sparse). During COVID, the tour does not include the upstairs chamber used by the Senate because it is much smaller and doesn't allow for social distancing. If you have some time, it's not bad to include before or after your Independence Hall tour, but I wouldn't call it a must see! read more

Congress Hall is right next door to Independence Hall and you'll most likely pass the entrance if you aren't paying attention. It is free and you don't need a ticket, but you can only go in with a tour every 20/30 minutes. The park ranger takes you into the first floor and you sit where the representatives sat and he/she talks for a bit. Then you go upstairs to see where Senate was held. The park ranger is really informative but the one we had either woke up on the wrong side of the bed or needed a vacation stat. read more

A big thank you to the great park rangers who gave the tour of Congress hall. They were both well-informed and well-versed in American history. I didn't catch their names, wish I did. It was so wonderful to have toured the very building our first United States congress presided. In the second session, I believe, after they relocated from Federal hall in NYC. So much fascinating American history took place here. I recommend visiting here! read more

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Wonderful to learn about history. Lots of nice people who are very knowledgeable. Amazing how they were craftsman in that time period and how modern traditions are in effect today. read more

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A pleasant surprise. Independence Hall was sold out but this was a nice consolation. Great history to be learned in the home of the U.S Congress from 1790-1800. read more

Congress Hall - Senate Room - Landmarks & Historical Buildings Near Me - Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

We went to the Hall to get a tour and found out we needed a ticket which are handed out about two blocks away at the Visitor Center. Our tour was scheduled about an hour and half later so we walked around and went to the portrait gallery in the 2nd National Bank. The tour itself is guided by a knowledgeable Park Service staff. It was informative and interesting. The most impressive was realizing that the founders of the USA walked the same grounds and may have sat under the same trees. read more