The way this acoustical oddity works is simple – you sit at one end of the 50-foot curved stone bench and whisper something, and a person sitting all the way at the other end can clearly hear every word you say, just as if the two of you were sitting right next to each other!

The Whispering Bench (actually there are two twin Whispering Benches, one right across from the other) can be found at the foot of the Smith Memorial Arch in Fairmount Park, steps away from Memorial Hall.

Richard Smith, the wealthy 19th Century industrialist who built the Memorial Arch and the Whispering Bench, must have been a fun-loving guy. The Smith Memorial features more than a dozen sculptures of Civil War heroes, plus one additional sculpture – Smith himself (even though he never fought in any war). On the other side of the Schuylkill River is the Smith Playground, which has delighted many generations of young Philadelphians with its one-of-a-kind playground rides and giant indoor wooden slide.

	SON OF SWOOP: “I had no idea it was a Whispering Bench. I thought it was just a bench. So I’m there quietly telling Oz about all the women I’m secretly dating, and suddenly my girlfriend – who was all the way at the other end of the bench – comes over and kicks the crap out of me! I don’t recommend this local attraction to anyone.”
	OZZARD OF WHIZ: “I couldn’t believe SOS didn’t know about the Whispering Bench, but it was obvious he didn’t. He was just gabbing away. I really should have warned him, but I couldn’t resist keeping silent. His girlfriend stomped over and started whaling on him like a heavyweight contender at the Blue Horizon. SOS was dumbfounded. It was priceless.”

`

Return to "ONLY IN PHILLY"