Benjamin Franklin House

This is the house where Benjamin Franklin – scientist, diplomat, philosopher, inventor and Founding Father of the United States – lived for nearly 16 years between 1757 and 1775. It’s now home to a centre for academic research concerning Benjamin Franklin and a science centre where school parties can replicate some of his famous experiments.

It isn’t a museum in the conventional sense: there are few artefacts on display. Rather, the house is explored through 45-minute ‘historical experiences’ (booking advised). These are led by an actress playing Franklin’s landlady’s daughter, Polly Hewson, using sound and visual projections on the plain walls of the house to conjure up the world in which Franklin lived. It's a short, intense experience (the tours last around 45 minutes); you'll come away with a strong sense of the man and the times in which he lived.

On Mondays, as an alternative to the Historical Experience tours, there are 45 minute Architectural tours instead.