Independence Visitor Center Corporation To Operate With Historic Philadelphia, Inc. During Government Shutdown To Serve Visitors

PHILADELPHIA, Oct. 9, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- As the government shutdown continues, the Independence Visitor Center located in Independence National Historical Park at 6^th and Market Streets remains closed until further notice; however thousands of visitors are still converging on Philadelphia's Historic District that have not changed their sightseeing plans as a result of the shutdown.

As a means to continue to provide exceptional visitor services to our Philadelphia tourists, the Independence Visitor Center Corporation (IVCC), in partnership with Historic Philadelphia, Inc., will offer visitor services from the Historic Philadelphia Center located at 6^th & Chestnut Streets (directly across from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell). The Historic Philadelphia Center hosts the Liberty 360 Show in the PECO Theater and with the IVCC will serve as a primary point to acclimate visitors with all there is to still see and do in the Historic District during the government shutdown.

The Historic Philadelphia Center is open Monday through Saturday 10 a.m. – 6 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., and is the one stop in the Historic District year-round to get souvenirs, tickets and information for all of the great attractions, tours, exhibits and fun that Historic Philadelphia, Inc. has to offer. Visit www.historicphiladelphia.org for more information or contact the Historic Philadelphia Center at 215-629-4026.

In addition, three satellite locations operated by the IVCC throughout the city also remain open:

City Hall Visitor Center
Monday - Friday, 9 a.m.- 5 p.m.
Broad and Market Streets, Room 121

Fairmount Park Welcome Center
Open daily, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.
1599 John F. Kennedy Boulevard

Sister Cities Park Visitor Center
Open daily, 9:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m.
18^th Street & Benjamin Franklin Parkway

IVCC visitor services remain active online as well at www.PHLvisitorcenter.com, by emailing [email protected] or sending a tweet to @PHLVisitorCntr. All visitor center locations can be reached by calling 1-800-537-7676.

Historic Philadelphia, Inc. makes our nation's history relevant and real through interpretation, interaction, and education, strengthening Greater Philadelphia's role as the destination to experience American history. Historic Philadelphia, Inc.'s programs include the Betsy Ross House, Once Upon A Nation storytelling and immersive walking tours, Franklin Square, and Lights of Liberty. For all Historic Philadelphia, Inc. event information, call 215-629-4026, 877-462-1776, or visit www.historicphiladelphia.org to buy tickets online.

The Independence Visitor Center Corporation (IVCC) is a Pennsylvania non-profit, 501(c)3 organization which operates in cooperation with the efforts of the National Park Service, the Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau, the City of Philadelphia and the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

The Independence Visitor Center is Independence National Historical Park's and the region's welcome center for people from all over the nation and the world offering visitor amenities including trip planning service, easy onsite ticketing for area attractions, multilingual concierge staff, comprehensive daily listing of area events, attraction displays and regional maps, free, informative historical and orientation films, free wireless Internet access and much more. Follow @PHLVisitorCntr, the Visitor Center's virtual concierge service on Twitter, and like us on Facebook. For more information about the Independence Visitor Center, visit www.PHLvisitorcenter.com.

SOURCE Independence Visitor Center Corporation