NATIONAL CONSTITUTION CENTER

This large museum is dedicated to explaining the creation and the ins and outs of the U.S. Constitution to the public. It does a good job of it, with over 100 interactive and multimedia exhibits, life-size statues of people like Benjamin Franklin and George Washington in Signers Hall, and a 20-minute film called Freedom Rising that plays on a loop - the latter is very bombastic and makes you smile, but does have the merit of giving some important dates. The attractive museography should appeal to younger visitors. Temporary exhibits go into more detail about the various stages it took to obtain the Constitution, from the creation of the Bill of Rights to its ratification in June 1788. This does not mean that the U.S. Constitution has not evolved since then, as it has been amended no less than 26 times. The last change was in 1992 and gave birth to the 27th amendment. Be sure to visit the George H. W. Bush Gallery, where a rare copy of the Constitution printed on September 19, 1987 is on display.