Quacking Up

Today we took our first excursion into Philadelphia.  We decided to start our experience here with the famous (or possibly infamous) Philly Duck Tour.  This tour makes use of retired military vehicles called DUKW's that drive on land and water.  

Of course being a touristy attraction each passenger is equipped with duck bills that quack- which, unfortunately, we got to keep. So after driving through the streets of historic Philadelphia quacking at random unsuspecting passersby we drove into the Delaware River to check out the Philly coast line.  The kids had a great time, although Katie was a bit nervous about driving into the water- she was sure we would sink....

As we drove into the river she had her nose plugged- just in case.  

After the Duck Tour we watched a movie at the visitors center and began visiting with various colonial characters.  

The kids used a bamboo pen and ink well to sign their name and added the flourish found under the patriots signatures which means independence forever (it is basically an 8 turned sideways which is the symbol for infinity- with two back slashes on top meaning independence). 

We saw a quilling demonstration- which is making a picture using small pieces of curled paper 

We started gathering stars for our colonial flags by visiting the story benches through out the area.

We checked out the Archeology display at the visitors center.

We spent way too much for dinner/lunch at a small Italian restraunt on Market Street (and way too much on parking)

We also spent some time at Franklin Square, checking out the sand sculpture, playground and other entertainment options.

Being somewhat unfamiliar with the area and not super organized we did a lot of walking!  Now that we've been there and have a plan our visits will be more productive and less exhausting. We also found some less expensive options for parking and eating so hopefully we won't spend our entire entertainment budget in the first month. :)