Great Essentials Exhibit — West Wing of Independence Hall (newly reopened)

Freshly reopened for the 250th (the refurbished West Wing came back online June 30, 2026), the Great Essentials exhibit is the one Independence Hall room you can walk into free and without a timed ticket. Inside are surviving original printings of the Declaration of Independence (a Dunlap broadside), the Articles of Confederation, and the U.S. Constitution — plus the silver Syng inkstand that, by tradition, was used to sign both the Declaration and the Constitution. The redesigned space adds interactive and augmented-reality displays. A perfect stop right before or after the July 8 Declaration reading a few steps away on Independence Square.