Drop a Penny at Franklin's Grave, Then Find the Bar That Bans Phones

The burial ground sits at 5th and Arch, two acres holding 1,400 markers and five signers of the Declaration of Independence. Benjamin Franklin's family plot waits in the northwest corner, beside Deborah and two of their children. Self-guided entry is 5 dollars, a guided tour 10 dollars, and the printed map at the gate is another 1 dollar, not part of either. Guided tours run 20 to 30 minutes. Regular hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day, moving to 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in December, with January and February closed. Years of pennies thrown at the grave pitted the marble face that conservators repaired in 2016.

The walk northwest to 1029 Race Street takes about 13 minutes and ends at a red-lit metal gate. Staff scan photo IDs at the door, and the rules arrive fast, no shorts, no sandals or flip-flops, no photos, no cellphones, cash only, no reservations. In a Philadelphia Inquirer report, the owner says his banned list runs to about 6,600 people, barred for breaking house rules or tipping poorly. The same article prices an old fashioned made with Booker's at 20 dollars. Thursday through Saturday from 5 p.m., with Friday and Saturday running to 1 a.m.

Both stops fit one evening and the order matters. Give the burial ground 30 to 45 minutes and start early enough to finish before the gates close, 5 p.m. most of the year and 4 p.m. in December, with January and February shut, so arrive by 4 p.m. and by 3 p.m. in December. That span is a suggested pace, not an official figure; guided tours themselves run 20 to 30 minutes. Head northwest on Arch Street to Race Street. The bar opens at 5 p.m. and fills later, so an early arrival is smoother. Plan on 5 dollars plus drinks, carry cash and a photo ID, and leave the shorts at home. If the gates have shut, the rails set in the wall on Arch Street still show the family plot from the pavement.