7 best museums in Philadelphia

Museums in Philadelphia

Museum · Fairmount

1.Philadelphia Art Museum and the Rocky Steps

The Greek Revival temple at the top of the Benjamin Franklin Parkway (long known as the Philadelphia Museum of Art) holds Van Gogh's Sunflowers, Cézanne's The Large Bathers and the world's leading collection of Marcel Duchamp, plus period rooms and armour.

Time needed

2–4 hours

Cost

Mid-priced

• Iconic
• Art
• Views
• Rainy day

Museum · Old City

2.Museum of the American Revolution

A modern museum at 3rd and Chestnut Streets that tells the story of the Revolution through weapons, letters and immersive galleries, including a replica Boston street and a privateer ship children can board.

Time needed

2–3 hours

Cost

Mid-priced

• History
• Rainy day
• Kids

Gallery · Benjamin Franklin Parkway

3.Barnes Foundation

Albert C.

Time needed

2 hours

Cost

Mid-priced

• Art
• Rainy day
• Couples

Museum · Benjamin Franklin Parkway

4.Rodin Museum

Opened in 1929, this small Beaux-Arts museum and garden holds one of the largest Rodin collections outside Paris.

Time needed

45 minutes

Cost

Low cost

• Art
• Couples
• Outdoors

Museum · Benjamin Franklin Parkway

5.The Franklin Institute

One of the oldest science museums in the country, with a giant walk-through heart, a full-size Baldwin steam locomotive, the Fels Planetarium and hands-on halls on electricity, flight and the brain.

Time needed

3 hours

Cost

Mid-priced

• Kids
• Rainy day

Museum · Logan Square

6.Academy of Natural Sciences

Founded in 1812, the Academy has a Dinosaur Hall with a towering Tyrannosaurus and Hadrosaurus foulkii, the first nearly complete dinosaur skeleton found in North America.

Time needed

2 hours

Cost

Mid-priced

• Kids
• Rainy day
• Nature

Gallery · South Street

7.Philadelphia's Magic Gardens

Mosaic artist Isaiah Zagar covered a lot on South Street with a maze of tiles, mirrors, bottles and bicycle wheels, creating an immersive outdoor labyrinth and indoor galleries.

Time needed

1 hour

Cost

Low cost

• Art
• Photo spot
• Couples

Grouped by area

Booking and timing

Of these 7, 2 low cost, 5 mid-priced. Book ahead for Barnes Foundation and Philadelphia's Magic Gardens. The longest visit is Philadelphia Art Museum and the Rocky Steps; group the rest by area to save travel time.

• Barnes Foundation: Entry is by timed ticket; book online, especially for weekends.
• Philadelphia's Magic Gardens: Timed tickets are recommended on weekends and holidays.

How to fit them into 4 half-days

Grouped by area and kept to about four hours each, so you walk more than you ride.

• Half-day 1 (Fairmount): Philadelphia Art Museum and the Rocky Steps, at least 2 hours.
• Half-day 2 (Old City and Benjamin Franklin Parkway): Museum of the American Revolution → Barnes Foundation, at least 4 hours.
• Half-day 3 (Benjamin Franklin Parkway): Rodin Museum → The Franklin Institute, at least 4 hours.
• Half-day 4 (Logan Square and South Street): Academy of Natural Sciences → Philadelphia's Magic Gardens, at least 3 hours.

The quietest months for queues

• February: highs of 7°C (45°F), about 10 rainy days, very quiet crowds. Still cold and grey, with snow possible; good for indoor museums and market lunches at low prices.
• January: highs of 5°C (41°F), about 11 rainy days, very quiet crowds. The coldest month, with occasional snow and icy pavements; museums are quiet and hotel rates are at their lowest.
• November: highs of 13°C (55°F), about 9 rainy days, quiet crowds. Cooler and shorter days; the holiday markets open late in the month.

The neighbourhoods they are in

• Old City — Cobbled colonial blocks around Independence Mall, galleries and First Friday art nights
• Society Hill — Brick Federal rowhouses, gas lamps and Headhouse Square
• Fairmount and the Art Museum area — Parkway museums, Eastern State's castle walls and Kelly Drive by the river

More of Philadelphia

All things to do in Philadelphia · Where to stay · When to go.

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