orbitz
Skip to main content
A campus with a prominent clock tower, a central open plaza, and leafless trees. 1
A brick building with white shutters and a signboard. 2
A metal structure with geometric shapes, a clear sky, and buildings in the background. 3
A neoclassical building with large columns, a pediment, and a symmetrical facade. 4
A large neoclassical building with a grand entrance and multiple columns. 5
By Escape the Park
Free cancellation available
Price is $18 per traveler* *Get a lower price by selecting multiple travelers
See tickets

Features

  • Free cancellation available
  • 3h
  • Mobile voucher
  • Instant confirmation

Overview

  • Escape the Park turns Old City Philadelphia into three self-guided outdoor mystery games, played on your own phone with no guide and no fixed schedule. Pick one — you are buying the game you choose, not all three.

    The Bell's Lost Word is built for junior agents ages 6-12. Count clues hidden on real landmarks - columns, stars, names, statues - and use a Junior Agent Codebook to return the Liberty Bell's lost word.

    The Shadow of Old City is the intermediate game. Gather a letter at eight real landmarks, from Washington Square to Elfreth's Alley to the President's House, and name the shadow that has followed the city since 1776.

    The Spy Winter goes deepest - play a courier in Major John Clark's spy ring in British-occupied Philadelphia, 1777-78, and decode a cipher hidden in the city's monuments.

    Each game stands alone and runs 1 to 2 hours at your own pace, on foot. Play one now and save the others for next time. Start anytime and walk the streets the founders walked.

Activity location

  • Independence Hall
    • Chestnut Street between 5th and 6th Streets,
    • 19106, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Meeting/Redemption Point

  • Washington Square
    • 210 West Washington Square
    • 19106, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Check availability

The Bell's Lost Word in English

  • Earn $0.53
  • Activity duration is 3 hours3h
    3h
  • Opening hours: Wed 9:00am-5:00pm
  • English

Jr. Agents 6-12 - 7 stops: Seven stops, about 1 hour and 1 mile. Count at each stop, decode the numbers, unscramble the letters.

Language options: English
Price details
$17.76 x 1 Traveler$17.76
Total
Price is $17.76

The Shadow of Old City in English

  • Earn $0.53
  • Activity duration is 3 hours3h
    3h
  • Opening hours: Wed 9:00am-5:00pm
  • English

Intermediate - 8 stops: Eight stops, about 1.5 hours and 1.5 miles. Eight words each surrender a letter; unscramble them into a name.

Language options: English
Price details
$17.76 x 1 Traveler$17.76
Total
Price is $17.76

The Spy Winter in English

  • Earn $0.53
  • Activity duration is 3 hours3h
    3h
  • Opening hours: Wed 9:00am-5:00pm
  • English

Deep Dive - 10 stops: Ten stops, about 2 hours and 2 miles. Run a spy ring through occupied Philadelphia. The hardest of the three.

Language options: English
Price details
$17.76 x 1 Traveler$17.76
Total
Price is $17.76

What's included, what's not

  • Inclusions
    Seven to ten historic stops across Independence National Historical Park
  • Inclusions
    Digital access to your game (link delivered by email)
  • Inclusions
    Your choice of three games: The Bell's Lost Word, The Shadow of Old City, or The Spy Winter

Know before you book

    • Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
    • Service animals allowed
    • Suitable for all physical fitness levels

Activity itinerary

Independence Hall

  • 10m
Solve clues at the exterior of the building where the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution were debated and signed. The game uses features you can see from the public square - no ticket or timed entry required.

Elfreth's Alley

  • 10m
Walk the oldest continuously inhabited residential street in the country and find the clue hidden in its doorways and markers. Free to walk at any hour.

Washington Square

  • 15m
Two of the three games open here, at the Tomb of the Unknown Revolutionary War Soldier and the memorial wall. An outdoor public square, open and free at all hours.

Second Bank of the United States

  • 10m
Count the Greek Revival columns across the front and read the site signage - two different games take a clue from this building. Everything needed is visible from the street.

First Bank of the United States

  • 10m
The oldest bank building in the country. Junior agents count its marble Corinthian columns to crack one letter of the code. Exterior only, free, always visible.

Christ Church Cemetery

  • 10m
Benjamin Franklin's grave lies just inside the corner railing, readable from the sidewalk. Two clues come from here - the names on the slab and the burial-ground sign.

Betsy Ross House

  • 10m
Count the stars on the flag flying over the courtyard, and find the state marker on Arch Street. Both clues are outdoors - no ticket needed to solve them.

Franklin Court

  • 10m
Franklin's home site, the ghost-frame steel outline, and the B. Free Franklin Post Office sign - the sign itself hides a clue. All outdoors and free to reach.

The President's House

  • 15m
The open-air memorial on the site of the executive mansion, where the nine people Washington enslaved here are named on the granite wall. All three games take a clue from this site. Free, outdoors, always open.

Powel House

  • 10m
A Georgian townhouse on Third Street whose bronze tablet supplies clues in two of the games. Washington and Lafayette were frequent guests here. Read the tablet from the pavement.

Location

Activity location

  • LOB_ACTIVITIESLOB_ACTIVITIES
    Independence Hall
    • Chestnut Street between 5th and 6th Streets,
    • 19106, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Meeting/Redemption Point

  • PEOPLEPEOPLE
    Washington Square
    • 210 West Washington Square
    • 19106, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Best Deals on Things to Do

Experience the wonders of the world up close with great deals on things to do near and far. We offer one-of-a-kind activities that allow you to explore Philadelphia your way. Whether you love nature, culture, food, or a bit of adventure, we have the perfect activity for you.