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PHILADELPHIA, Jan. 28 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- Spanish-speaking visitors to Philadelphia can feel truly welcomed at many of the region's tourist attractions, thanks to a wealth of bilingual docents, translated audio guides and multi-lingual written materials. In 2007, approximately six percent of Philadelphia's domestic visitors were of Hispanic origin. Because of this influx, the region's historical and cultural highlights are busy making accommodations so that their Spanish-speaking guests don't have to miss out on anything.
Historical Interpretation:
-- Independence Visitor Center (IVC) - The best place to launch a visit to Philadelphia is at the IVC, where multilingual concierge staff can assist with all of a visitor's trip-planning needs. Concierge staff can also outfit Spanish-speaking tourists with a self-paced, multimedia GPS Ranger that directs them on a walking tour of Independence National Historical Park and Historic Philadelphia as a whole. Spanish park maps and 30-page directories to the city's sites and visitor services can also be found here and at the City Hall Visitor Center. IVC, 6th & Market Streets, (800) 537-7676, independencevisitorcenter.com; City Hall, Broad & Market Streets
-- Liberty Bell Center - A tour through the Liberty Bell Center is designed to inspire visitors by weaving the story of how liberty was won in the U.S. and how it is sought around the globe. An eight-minute video that sheds some light on these struggles and victories is translated into Spanish, as is a one-page brochure about the Liberty Bell itself. After hours, Spanish-speaking tourists can listen to a brief audio recording about the Bell outside of the building on the Chestnut Street side. Market Street between 5th & 6th Streets, nps.gov/inde
-- Independence Hall - For those travelers touring America's first federal government building, there is a four-page Spanish introductory guide to Independence Hall located in the East Wing, where tours start. Chestnut Street between 5th & 6th Streets, nps.gov/inde
-- Lights of Liberty Show - A leisurely nighttime stroll through Old City jumps to life for Spanish speakers when it's undertaken with the translated soundtrack for the Lights of Liberty Show, a sound-and-light extravaganza that tells the story of the American Revolution and the building of the nation. PECO Energy Liberty Center, 6th & Chestnut Streets, (215) LIBERTY, historicphiladelphia.org
-- Eastern State Penitentiary - Hispanic visitors won't miss out on any sound effects or eerie-sounding narration while creeping through this fortress-like prison, thanks to a written translation of the audio tour, which allows guests to read along while listening to the original, theatrical English version. 22nd Street & Fairmount Avenue, (215) 236-3300, easternstate.org
--Valley Forge National Historical Park - When Valley Forge National Historical Park launched a Spanish cell phone tour in the summer of 2008, it became only the second national park in the country to offer this service. The free tour consists of about 30 two- to three-minute messages that share information about the park's monuments and attractions and can be accessed by calling (484) 396-1015. Cell phone carrier rates apply. Route 23 & N. Gulph Road, King of Prussia, (610) 783-1077, nps.gov/vafo
Culture In Any Language:
-- Philadelphia Museum of Art - Upon entering this landmark museum, Spanish-speaking guests are able to acclimate themselves by picking up a Spanish building and gallery map and talking to bilingual staff members for additional information about exhibitions, ticketing and directions. Visitors can also purchase a Spanish audio tour or join a Spanish guided tour at 12:30 p.m. on the second Sunday of each month. For a lasting memento, art lovers can buy a Spanish version of the comprehensive Handbook of the Collections in the museum store. 26th Street & the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, (215) 763-8100, philamuseum.org
-- Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts - Spanish speakers can marvel at the impressive Kimmel Center during a guided English-language building and theater tour while following along with a written translation in Spanish. Free tours begin at 1:00 p.m. every day except Monday. 300 S. Broad Street, (215) 790-5800, kimmelcenter.org
-- University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology - Painted Metaphors: Pottery and Politics of the Ancient Maya, running April 5 through at least December 31, 2009, is an exhibition that incorporates Spanish wall panels that explain the gallery's contents. Spanish-speaking groups of 10 or more can also tour the museum's permanent collections with the help of a fluent guide, to be booked at least two weeks in advance for a small fee. 3260 South Street, (215) 898-4015, museum.upenn.edu --
-- Brandywine River Museum - Although art can be considered one the world's universal languages, it's easier to appreciate when background and context are understood. To that end, A Guide to the Galleries, a free Spanish guidebook, explains the works of the painters of the Brandywine School on view in the museum's eight galleries. Bilingual staff members are also on hand to answer questions, as are Spanish-speaking guides who can lead tours for reserved groups. U.S. Route 1, Chadds Ford, (610) 388-2700, brandywinemuseum.org
-- Mercer Museum - The castle that houses the objects used in 18th- and 19th-century Philadelphia-area living and collected by wealthy entrepreneur Henry Mercer welcomes its Spanish-speaking visitors with a one-page guide to orient visitors to the museum. 84 S. Pine Street, Doylestown, (215) 345-0210, mercermuseum.org
Guided Tours:
--The Constitutional Walking Tour of Philadelphia - Foreign visitors can take a free, self-guided walking tour past 30 historic sites with the aid of a walking map and detailed guidebook translated into 13 different languages, including Spanish. Free brochures are downloadable online. (215) 525-1776, theconstitutional.com/foreign
-- Philadelphia Trolley Works - Private tours of Center City Philadelphia that include approximately 20 stops can be arranged with a Spanish-speaking tour guide. Groups can rent a private trolley or double-decker bus for $475-$950, and add-on a tour guide for $100 per hour, or just arrange for the tour guide to point out sights and scenes from the visitor's own vehicle. 5th & Market Streets, (215) 389- TOUR, phillytour.com
Just For Fun:
-- Philadelphia Zoo - Visitors who mimic animals' voices by crying "gua gua gua" instead "woof woof" can communicate with zoo animals in their native language while on a group tour led by a Spanish guide, provided they have reserved their time slot two weeks in advance and pay an additional $5 per person beyond the price of regular admission. All special workshops and educational programs can also be conducted in Spanish, with advance notice. 3400 W. Girard Avenue, (215) 243-5235, philadelphiazoo.org
-- Longwood Gardens - Beginning in the spring of 2009, the nation's largest public garden will enlighten Spanish-speaking horticulture-lovers with a free brochure that provides a description of the garden's highlights, the story of how the garden evolved and logistical information to help them navigate their way through. 1001 Longwood Road, Kennett Square, (610) 388-1000, longwoodgardens.org
The Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation (GPTMC) makes Philadelphia and The Countryside(R) a premier destination through marketing and image building that increases business and promotes the region's vitality.
For more information about travel to Philadelphia, visit gophila.com or uwishunu.com, where you can build itineraries; search event calendars; see photos and videos; view interactive maps; sign up for newsletters; listen to HearPhilly, an online radio station about what to see and do in the region; book hotel reservations and more. Or, call the Independence Visitor Center, located in Historic Philadelphia, at (800) 537-7676.
SOURCE Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation
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