Penn Museum/University of Pennsylvania campus
Living near a college campus myself, I am often reminded how they can be wonderful places to visit on a day trip. Long histories give universities a diverse assortment of architecture representing every era of its existence. The surrounding cities or towns have been shaped and influenced by the campus and have their unique identity which can be fun to explore. Many larger and established universities have museums open to the public often arising from a particular subject that was emphasized and invested in early in their history. Such is the case with the University of Pennsylvania, now a prestigious ivy league school, founded by Benjamin Franklin in 1749 as an academy designed to teach youth classical subjects of higher learning in addition to practical skills necessary for earning a living, a novel idea and the first college of its kind in the United States. Many respected schools pertaining to subjects such as medicine, law, business, and engineering emerged in the late 19th century. Many amazing institutions and “firsts” emerged from U of Penn such as the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and the first computer “ENIAC!” Penn-directed expeditions to ancient-world archaeological sites led to the amassing of a large collection of artifacts. After moving around campus several times, a grand building was designed and opened in 1899 to house the entire collection while creating a museum for the public to enjoy. Located directly across from the iconic Franklin Field and a quick jump off the Schuylkill Expressway and South Street, the Penn Museum makes for an easy day trip idea. Combine your museum visit with a tour of University of Pennsylvania for a full and educational day. Fall or spring would be a delightful time to stroll the campus, and you only need half a day of good weather as the time spent in the museum gives you a chance to escape any foul weather that may arise during your visit. The day we visited started out sunny and bright, but by the time we left it was cloudy and flakes were falling! We made sure to tour the campus first.
The Penn Museum is a fairly large archaeological museum broken up into galleries highlighting a plethora of ancient cultures such as Greece, Japan and China, Egypt, and the Middle East. Visitors can get a good overview of these cultures by viewing artifacts unearthed and on display. I will caution you that it is a true museum…objects on display with some text but not a lot of interactive exhibits, unfortunately not ideal for small children. You may just want to breeze through if getting bogged down in details drives you crazy. No doubt you can still get something out of it. My children enjoyed themselves for the most part, and it is a fine supplement to the ancient world curriculum your child may be getting in Social Studies. However, changes are underway as the museum is currently being renovated as they are slowly going through some of the galleries, updating them, and most likely adding more technology. The main entrance has a lovely courtyard complete with a large fish pond that amused my children because the fish are used to visitors and beg for food.
The Penn campus contains many highlights and I’ll share a few of them with you. Grand architecture looms large on this historic campus and there are several styles represented, along with gorgeous landscaping, and views of the city skyline. With spring blooms or fall foliage as a backdrop, a stroll here gives visitors a visual feast. In fact, Travel & Leisure ranked U of Penn, the “Most Beautiful College in PA.” A few points of interest to check out:
-Franklin Field which hosts the oldest and largest relay races annually
-Fisher Fine Arts Library, a Furness-designed, red Gothic giant containing the Arthur Ross Gallery open to the public
-Irvine Auditorium notable for its 11,000-pipe Curtis organ
-The Perelman Quadrangle, a collection of distinguished event facilities
-The Institute for Contemporary Art, free and open to the public
-Various fun “photo op” spots such as the LOVE sculpture reproduction
For a delicious lunch consider visiting the Pari Café Creperie located in Houston Hall (to the right upon entering the building). My kids loved this place! Insomnia Cookies is also located there, making for a sweet ending to your meal.
So the next time your child comes home studying for an Ancient Cultures test, think “Penn Museum” and put a day trip on your calendar!
PARKING: I recommend visiting on the weekend as parking is plentiful and much cheaper. You can park in “Garage 7” on the corner of South Street and Convention Ave, for $12 (paid by credit card only). See website for complete details especially if you plan to visit during the week.
EXTRA: If you have an extra half hour or so before heading home, plug in “The Woodlands Cemetery” into your GPS. Just a short drive on the other side of the hospitals, this historic cemetery sits nestled near the Schuylkill River . I love hunting historic houses and there is an excellent example of the Neo-Classical style popular during the Federal period called “The Woodlands” built in the 1780’s situated right in the middle of the gravestones! You can’t miss it when you drive through the cemetery. Tours are only offered on Thursdays April-October. I just peeked in the windows and walked around. Some of the graves and mausoleums are really interesting too.
(SPECIAL NOTE: the Penn Museum offers a combo pass in conjunction with the Mutter Museum, a medical museum containing preserved anatomical specimens, many weird and wild, along with a look at the history of medicine. Children may particularly enjoy this (or be grossed out)! It is across the Schuylkill River, about a 1 mile walk from Penn Museum.)
Admission: $15/adult, $10/children 6-17, FREE/children 5 and under.
Hours: Tues.- Sun. 10AM-5PM, First Wednesdays 10AM-8PM
The Penn Museum
3260 South Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
(215) 898-4000
Check out www.penn.museum and www.upenn.edu for additional info.
