The Franklin Institute Science Museum

Founded in 1824 and spread across three floors, the Franklin Institute is Pennsylvania’s most-visited museum—no surprise, given its wealth of activities and exhibitions designed to encourage curiosity. Experience its exhibits, which range from a SportsZone and rooftop Joel N. Bloom Observatory to the museum’s famed immersive Giant Heart. Test your skills at either of its two escape rooms, and visit the IMAX Dome Theater and 60-foot-wide (18-meter-wide) Fels Planetarium. Prebook tickets to avoid lines at the door.

• Save time and prebook general museum access—as well as tickets to screenings, temporary exhibitions, and special events—online or over the phone.

• The Franklin Foodworks on-site cafeteria is open daily for lunch, and offers a range of options; the museum also hosts an express dining kiosk.

• The Franklin Institute’s free mobile app makes it easy to plan a museum visit; it also lets you explore the galleries using virtual-reality features.

• The Benjamin Franklin National Memorial is located directly within the museum’s rotunda.

• The Franklin Institute is accessible to wheelchair users and has wheelchairs available to rent.

The Franklin Institute is located on Logan Square. It’s served by numerous bus lines, including the 7, 32, 33, 38, and 49. It's about a half-mile (.8 kilometers) from Suburban Station and the 19th Street trolley station, for a five-minute walk. Alternatively, reach the museum by car (the museum has a paid, on-site parking garage), by bike, or on foot.

The Franklin Institute is open daily from morning to early evening, with last admission an hour and a half before close. It is also open Thursday–Saturday evenings. The museum is closed annually on Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day. As it offers a busy schedule of special events, as well as temporary exhibitions, it’s worth planning repeat visits.

In addition to its temporary exhibitions, the Franklin Institute hosts a wide range of special events. Highlights include live-science demonstrations, special after-hours openings, an ongoing speaker series, night-sky observatory activities, film screenings, and more.