Philadelphia is the largest city in Pennsylvania and among the most popular cities in the United States. The city has a rich history and is also a cultural Mecca full of art. Many tourists flock to Philly annually to check out its trademark locations and even try the famous Philly cheesesteak. But beyond the famous pit stops along the way, there are plenty of lesser-known things to do on a Philadelphia trip. That can involve visiting the weirdest attractions here and this city is not short of them.

RELATED: 15 Spots In Philadelphia That Are Worth Visiting (And 5 To Avoid Completely) This list serves as a handy guide for visiting the strange and unique places hidden around this City of Brotherly Love.

UPDATE: 2023/01/11 15:17 EST BY JAMES KARUGA

The 15 Weirdest Things You Must Do In Philadelphia

Philadelphia is a city endowed with countless attractions including weird ones that capture its history and culture, and it's not possible to cover all of them. So, we have recently updated this article with five more weird, but exciting ones that capture the city of brotherly love's, contrasting allure and soul.

14 Mütter Museum

The Mütter Museum is America's most influential medical history museum. Visitors who love learning about human anatomy and the many medical discoveries humans have made over the centuries can schedule a visit. The museum is extraordinarily popular and has been featured in countless television shows and films.

Among its exhibits are slides of Albert Einstein's brain, a jaw tumor from President Glover Cleveland, and a liver from a pair of conjoined twins. For those with health anxiety, visiting the museum and seeing the human medicine advancements can set their mind at ease and help them appreciate the progress made so far.

RELATED: Philadelphia's Mütter Museum Is Home To Einstein's Brain And Other Oddities

13 The Whispering Bench

In West Fairmount Park there is a nice memorial dedicated to heroes from the Pennsylvania's Civil War. The structure has an archway with a bench along the curvature and allegedly if a person sits on one end of the bench and whispers, the person on the other end will hear them as if they are sitting directly beside them.

However, one has to whisper into the wall behind the bench for that to "work." This monument took over ten years to build. Many people visit the whispering bench to feel close to loved ones they lost or older family members, and also experience this supposedly magical oddity of the bench.

12 Eastern State Penitentiary

Once the most expensive prison in America, the Eastern State Penitentiary has fallen into ruin. Today it functions as a museum with the exhibits displayed here and is allegedly one of the most haunted places in the world. The prison once held big-name criminals like Al Capone. Each year an event is known as the "Terror Behind the Walls" is hosted in the old prison.

This event has become popular over the years, and it turns the Eastern State Penitentiary into a massive haunted house with three separate attractions within. The popular Travel Channel series, Ghost Adventures, has also visited the Penitentiary and conducted experiments within the prison walls. Ghost tours are another popular attraction for people desiring a good chilling scare. Eastern State Penitentiary is open daily from 10am to 5pm.

RELATED: Creepiest Abandoned Prisons You Can Actually Visit

11 Cave Of Kelpius

In modern times, hearing doomsday prophecies and theories is not unusual. At least a few pop up every year and gain attention, but there are many others that remain unacknowledged. Well, the Philadelphia's Fairmount Park hides the Cave of Kelpius believed to have been home to one of America's first of these apocalyptic cults. The cult led by scholar and guru Johannes Kelpius went to this cave in Wissahickon wilderness, to await the end of the world. Several trails lead to the slightly obscured Cave of Kelpius that visitors who love cave tours can follow to get to it.

10 The Nerve of Harriet Cole

In the 1880s, an African American woman named Harriet Cole died of tuberculosis. Before her death, she agreed to donate her body to science. Scientists spent five painstaking months extracting the entire nervous system from her body so that they could get a look at one in person.

Her nervous system is today housed in a glass case at Drexel University College of Medicine. It has been used to teach classes around the world and images of Cole's nervous system have appeared in many anatomy textbooks too. Students who have taken medical classes have likely seen Harriet Cole's nervous system images.

RELATED:10 Museums So Weird You'll Think We Made Them Up

9 The Moon Tree

On January 31, 1971, an Apollo 14 rocket took tree seeds to the moon to conduct an experiment to ascertain if they would germinate when delivered back to earth from space. The seeds from several tree varieties were taken to the moon and planted around the world after the rocket returned. They became known as "Moon Trees" and some thrived, but a few withered off including the one planted at the Washington Square, in Philadelphia. So a clone from the original tree cutting is the one that was tplanted at the square and visitors to the city can see it.

8 Pizza Brain

Pizza Brain eatery and museum in Kensington while in Philadelphia serves history and their much loved award-winning pizzas. Pizza Brain holds the Guinness World Record for the biggest collection of pizza-themed memorabilia around the world.

Pizza Brain have won many awards for their food and appeared on several Food Network shows. The Pizza Brain is a popular dining spot worth visiting while in Philadelphia. In addition to the museum showcasing the history of pizza, there also are pop culture products inspired by franchises like Star Trek and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles that diners and visitors can buy.

RELATED: Ultimate Sandwich Guide To Philadelphia's Best Cheesesteaks

7 Mummer's Museum

Mummers are sort of like cousins to mimes. They're eccentric performers, dancers, actors, and artists who often don the classic mime mask and other elaborate costumes. The tradition of mummery in Philadelphia began in the 17th century, and it has been a tradition for the mummers to perform at the Thanksgiving parade.

At the Mummer's Museum visitors learn about Mummers and their colorful and eclectic history. Guided or self-guided tours to see the exhibits are available at this museum, and there is an area with mummers costumes that guests can try on.

6 The Philadelphia Insectarium

Insects are integral to the ecosystem, but some people fear them because they don't understand them. The Philadelphia Insectarium Museum has a large anthropoid collection that allows guests to observe the insects behind the glasses.

The museum has a 7,000 square foot butterfly pavilion, where visitors learn about the impact of insects on ecology, through community classes and by visiting the various exhibits spread in two floors. Some of the arthropods here are cockroaches, tarantulas, honeybees, water bugs, ants, crickets, scorpions, and many more.

5 Edgar Allen Poe's House

Edgar Allen Poe is one of the world's most famous poet and author and his works were known for being dark. A house he lived in for six years living in Philadelphia has been preserved as a historic site museum that his fans visit and learn about his life and literary legacy.

During the guided tours of Poe's home, visitors see the taxidermized raven that allegedly inspired him, and even go into a mysterious reading room and listen to people conducting dramatic reads of his most famous literary works.

4 Philadelphia's Magic Gardens (PMG)

Philadelphia's Magic Gardens is a nonprofit art museum that it's totally covered with mosaics. It was created by veteran mosaic artist Isaiah Zagar who used handmade tiles, bottles, bicycle wheels, mirror and international folk art to narrate his life and influences. PMG's mosaic art is colorfully chaotic and abstract and unpredictable as one strolls through this museum that has labyrinth like atmosphere. It also hosts arts exhibitions that explore different societal themes. PMG museum is open for visits, but admission tickets are booked online here in advance.

3 The Stoogeum

In American pop-culture the Three Stooges were famous for their slapstick and farce comedy acts that ran from 1930 to 1970. Because of their iconic status a museum with their memorabilia dubbed The Stoogeum was created and has the largest collection in the world of The Three Stooges Memorabilia. Nearly 100,000 items dubbed Stoogeabilia, including some dating back to 1918 can be seen at The Stoogeum that is hosted in a 3-story building. Visits to this museum are booked online here, but admission slots are in high demand.

2 Mount Moriah Cemetery

Founded in 1855 the 200 acres, Mount Moriah Cemetery is a historical resting place of many key people important to the culture and history of Philadelphia and area around the city. At this cemetery there are diverse population of races and incomes buried here including the rich, poor and people of different religions. Mount Moriah is in a scenic environment and since 2011 after being abandoned. Its grounds are being restored into green spaces where visitors can bike, stroll, bird watch while soaking in nature and visiting their loved ones. No more burials are conducted at Mount Moriah Cemetery, and is open for visits on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday from 10:30AM to 4:00PM.

RELATED: 10 Haunted Forests Only The Brave Dare Visit

Dickens and Little Nell

The Dickens and Little Nell is a statue of a pensive man with his hand on his chin while looking down on a young girl. That "man" is the famous author Charles Dickens and the young girl (Little Nell) is a character on his novel titled The Old Curiosity Shop. The statue was commissioned by publisher Stilson Hutchins the founder of Washington Post as tribute to Charles Dickens. After sculptor Frank Edwin Elwell crafted it, he discovered the author in his will prohibited anything to be built as a tribute to him. Stuck with it Elwell took it to World’s Columbian Exposition of 1893, and it won two awards. In 1901 the Association for Public Art bought the contentious statue and mounted it on Clark Park in 1901.

1 Philadelphia Graffiti Pier

Tucked between I-95 and the Delaware River the Graffiti Pier is one of Philadelphia most visited and popular photography destination even though it's abandoned. This pier is home to an old and obsolete rail-road coal loading dock, and its big concrete structures over the years have been painted with graffiti layers. Political, hope and memorial messages have all been spray-painted on the Graffiti Pier. The jetty on this pier provides stunning views of the Philadelphia skyline and sunset. Though on private property with no trespassing signs people flocked to it until the police gave up prosecuting them. Because of the Graffiti Pier's popularity the Delaware River Waterfront Corporation has plans to transform it into a legal public park by 2024.

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