The Rocky Steps are the 72 stone steps up to the east entrance of Philadelphia's great art museum, made world-famous in 1976 when Sylvester Stallone's boxer Rocky Balboa sprinted to the top and raised his arms over the city. Half a century later, people from all over the world still run up them, jump at the top and queue for a photo with the bronze Rocky statue. The view back down the Benjamin Franklin Parkway to City Hall is the reward.
The Rocky Steps at a glance
- Where: the east entrance of the Philadelphia Art Museum (long known as the Philadelphia Museum of Art), at the north-west end of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, above Eakins Oval.
- Made famous: in the film Rocky (1976), and again in several of its sequels.
- What it is today: a free public landmark open at all times, and the backdrop for concerts, races and the city's Independence Day celebrations.
- The statue: a bronze Rocky by A. Thomas Schomberg, made for Rocky III (1982), now permanently installed near the top of the steps.
- Time needed: 15 to 30 minutes, including the run, the view and a photo with the statue.
How a museum staircase became a film icon
According to Stallone, the low-budget film crew found the steps while scouting Philadelphia at night. In the original idea Rocky was to carry his dog Butkus up the stairs, but the bull mastiff was too heavy, so Stallone ran up alone and the view from the top made the scene. It was also one of the first major films to use the Steadicam, a stabilised camera rig that let the operator follow the actor smoothly up the steps. The steps are arranged in six flights: five of thirteen steps and a final one of seven.
The statue has had an eventful life. Stallone commissioned it for Rocky III, and it stood at the top of the steps for filming, but city officials argued it was a movie prop rather than art and moved it to a sports arena. For years it shuttled back and forth, until in 2006 it was placed on a pedestal beside the foot of the steps. Stallone lent a second casting for the top of the steps in 2024, and in 2026, after a museum exhibition, the original was returned to the top permanently. A statue of Philadelphia boxer Joe Frazier now stands near the spot where Rocky used to be.
What to look for
- The 72 steps: count them as you go; the last flight is shorter than the others.
- The Rocky statue: the bronze boxer with raised gloves, near the top of the steps, usually with a line of people waiting for a photo.
- The view: from the top, look straight down the Parkway past the fountains of Eakins Oval to City Hall and its statue of William Penn.
- The Joe Frazier statue: a bronze of the heavyweight champion throwing the punch that knocked down Muhammad Ali in their 1971 'Fight of the Century', near the foot of the steps.
- The museum facade: the classical columns and colourful sculpture in the pediments of one of the largest art museums in the United States.
Run like Rocky
There is no wrong way to do it: start at the bottom by Eakins Oval, run all 72 steps, then turn and raise your arms to the city like Rocky did. Many people play the film's theme music on their phones as they go. The steps have also been the finishing climb of races and the setting for big public concerts, so you are joining a long tradition. Just watch your footing on wet or icy days, and give way to people taking photos at the top.
Tips for your visit
- Go early in the morning for the quietest steps and the softest light on the Parkway and City Hall.
- Around sunset the view from the top is at its best, but the queue for the statue is often longer.
- Check before you go: events on the Parkway, such as concerts on Independence Day, can close the steps or fill them with stages.
Nearby
- Philadelphia Art Museum: the museum at the top of the steps, with one of the largest art collections in the country, if you want to go inside.
- Rodin Museum: a small museum and garden on the Parkway with a cast of The Thinker at its entrance, about ten minutes' walk away.
- Fairmount Water Works and Boathouse Row: the historic waterworks on the Schuylkill River behind the museum, and the line of rowing club boathouses outlined in lights at night.
- The Barnes Foundation: a celebrated collection of Impressionist and modern art on the Parkway.
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Facts checked in October 2026.