Every teen and tween should know their American history, and what better place to start than here at the Independence Visitor Center! Newly redone, this is the place to begin your tour of how our forefathers shaped our nation in Philadelphia. If possible, get here on a lovely day. You'll be doing LOTS of walking. Exercise your legs and your mind at the Independence Visitor Center.

Grab your teen and run up the steps to the Museum of Art, just like Rocky Balboa did in the film, "Rocky." Then, when they're out of breath, take them inside the museum. The architecture of the Museum itself is a thing to behold, and you're sure to see some recognizable art. Often, the museum has really good traveling exhibits that are worth seeing. You and your teen will get a nice dose of "culture" as well as some terrific walking exercise.

You can ride a bike suspended on a high wire, see the plantetarium, walk through a giant heart, and more at the Franklin. There are so many hands on activities, it's hard to know where to start. Not only that, but the Franklin has really cool traveling exhibits to see. If you get hungry, there is a decent restaurant that serves, among other things, pizza. Perfect for a teen. TIP: Get to the Franklin EARLY, because it does fill up during the day.

This museum is affiliated with the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. They have a wide variety of exhibits that cover interesting archeological finds all over the world. Not as well known as some of the other Philly museums, it's still worth seeing. Educational, but don't tell the kids.

The Mutter Museum is full of stuff that you wouldn't normally find in other museums. Macabre, grotesque, and wild might be a few descriptive terms for the displays you'll see. Perfect for teens and folks who like to see the human body. Check out their website to see what exactly you might encounter. This place is educational, but don't tell the kids.