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Starting Thursday, the site where American democracy was born is once again open to the public. Independence Hall had been closed for 119 days, beginning with the government shutdown on Oct. 1 and then for two more months of planned repair and maintenance.
Kathryn Ott Lovell, president and CEO of the Philadelphia Visitor Center, said Independence Hall is hands down the most popular attraction in Philly’s historic district.
“It’s number one,” she said. “It is an incredibly in-demand attraction in the park. I think people just want to be in the room where it happened.”
The Visitor Center will be offering Independence Hall decorated cookies to the first 250 people who come to the center in Independence National Historical Park, and inviting them to sign a giant scroll proclaiming Declaration Philly 2026.