Philadelphia Museum of Art
Philadelphia PA
2016
by Jennifer


The 72 stone steps leading up to the entrance of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have become known as the "Rocky Steps" as a result of a scene from the 1976 film Rocky. Tourists often mimic Rocky's famous climb, a metaphor for an underdog or an everyman rising to a challenge.

The Rocky Statue and the “Rocky Steps” are undeniably two of the most popular attractions in Philadelphia.
A near-constant flow of people arrive daily at the bottom of the stairs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art to snap a picture with the Rocky statue, originally created for a scene in Rocky III and now a real-life monument to a celluloid hero who endures as a favorite fictional son of the City of Brotherly Love.

Visitors then often hustle up the museum’s grand stairway to try their hand at the famous two-arms-raised salute — all while soaking up picture-perfect views of the Philadelphia skyline.

In short, visiting the statue, running up the steps and taking a picture at the top is a must on any first visit to Philadelphia. Consider it a rite of passage. Here’s how to do it.

The Rocky Statue — a larger-than-life boxer — is one of Philadelphia’s most famous pieces of public art.
The fictional Rocky Balboa of Sylvester Stallone’s Rocky movies was immortalized in bronze by artist A. Thomas Schomberg in 1980 for a scene in the film Rocky III.

After the filming was complete, Stallone donated the statue to the City of Philadelphia.
Since 2006, the statue has been located at the bottom of the stairs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and there is a near-constant stream of people waiting in line to get their pictures taken with the “Italian Stallion.”

Just as famous as the statue are the steps leading to the east entrance of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, aka “The Rocky Steps.” Each year, tens of thousands of people recreate the scene from the legendary movie and make the trek up the steps.
Just be prepared to work for it — those 72 steps don’t climb themselves.
Snapping a photo with the Rocky Statue and running up the Rocky Steps is free.