The Franklin Institute Science Museum
The Basics
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.
Things to Know Before You Go
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.
How to Get There
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.
Trip ideas
When to Get There
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.
Events at the Franklin Institute
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.
- Things to do in Pennsylvania
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- Benjamin Franklin National Memorial
- Barnes Foundation
- Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul
- Rodin Museum
- Philadelphia Logan Circle
- Penn's Landing
- Mütter Museum
- One Liberty Observation Deck
- Love Park
- Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts (PAFA)
- 30th Street Station
- Rittenhouse Square
- Rocky Statue
- Schuylkill River Trail
- Philadelphia Museum of Art