The Franklin Institute
The Franklin Institute
4.5
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:30 AM - 5:00 PM
About
Explore the wonders of science at The Franklin Institute, from the mysteries of the universe to the intricacies of the human body. Engage with interactive exhibits, witness mind-blowing live science demonstrations, and experience awe-inspiring astronomical presentations in the Fels Planetarium.
Duration: 2-3 hours
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Address
Neighborhood: City Center West
How to get there
- 22nd St • 7 min walk
- 19th St • 7 min walk
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See what travelers are saying
- Venture117941679694 contributionsgreat facility, especially loved Art of the Brick special exhibit.We took our 10 year old granddaughter to the Franklin on a visit to Philadelphia and she loved it--and some fun for the adults in our group too. The special exhibit "the Art of the Brick" was one of the most incredible exhibits I've every seen. Artist Nathan Sawaya does reproductions of famous paintings and sculptures in legos, in addition to his own art (my favorite part). His endangered animals exhibit was incredible and his personal art were just breathtaking. Calling them legos just doesn't do it justice. If you are ever near a version of this exhibit, it is an absolute don't miss. The rest of the museum was really engaging and we especially love the sports and space sections. Our granddaughter walked through the heart several times. A must with kids in PhiladelphiaVisited March 2024Traveled with familyWritten April 1, 2024
- Matthew MFarmington, New York305 contributionsPretty goodPretty good. The coolest/most distinct thing is definitely the huge monument to Franklin in the rotunda. After that, it's a pretty standard science museum. The heart was a little bit of a letdown. The highlight was actually the show with the liquid nitrogen- the guy was funny and had my kid laughing through the whole show- and the show was informative. I like science museums and it was pretty unique but somehow a little less than I was expecting.Visited April 2024Traveled with familyWritten April 5, 2024
- PG DougMillersville, Maryland2 contributionsFun interactive museum for kids under 13.Took my 14 year old daughter. We had fun but I'd say this museum is best for kids up to 13 years old. The hourly tesla coil and machine/engineering interactive exhibit were hightlights.Visited March 2024Traveled with familyWritten April 10, 2024
- Jacqui IGlenside, Pennsylvania22 contributionsFun for family...even adult kidsThe Lego exhibit is really fun. The heart is under construction now. I like how TFI keeps the old things and updates. Eve though we saw Lego in Pittsburgh in 2018 ish, the exhibit was refreshed with Philly specific offerings.Visited June 2024Traveled with familyWritten June 24, 2024
- flo220New York City, New York359 contributionsIf you or your kids like science or museums this place is for youWe went with our grandkids, ages 8 and 5, and all of us had a great time. The Lego exhibit, we thought was very clever and interesting -- way more than playing with legos. The other exhibits which ranges from mazes to brains etc were also interesting and they had several demonstrations/shows -- one on liquid nitrogen and one on electricity -- as well as a planetarium show. If you or your kids like museums, particularly hands on science ones, then this place is for youVisited August 2024Traveled with familyWritten August 26, 2024
These reviews are the subjective opinion of Tripadvisor members and not of TripAdvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews.
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4.5
3,199 reviews
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Astronomer61
New York City, NY99 contributions
Feb 2020
Maybe we missed the 'adults need not apply' sign as we ambled in to kill a few hours on a wet Monday whilst visiting Philly. All the exhibits we saw seemed only designed for the young or the very young. The program we were handed when we bought tickets said there was a show in the Planetarium that had just started. We eventually found the Planetarium (btw the layout and signage of the place leave a lot to be desired) and the doors were locked. So, either there wasn't show, or the people were locked in. Hard to tell as there were no staff in the area. And to be frank the staff were overall lethargic, unengaged and uninterested. Someone needs to take a pretty serious look at the place if it is in fact aimed at adults at all.
Written February 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lauren S
Chalfont, PA119 contributions
Apr 2022 • Couples
The museum in general is a very good science museum with many hands-on exhibits geared towards educating kids (and adults) about science. It is clean and well maintained in general. Living just an hour away, I wanted to support the museum as they were chosen to host the world premiere of the Harry Potter exhibit.
The Harry Potter exhibit could have been managed so much better. Staff let you into the first room and then you are on your own with no direction. There are multiple ways to enter the rooms but no employees are there to guide you. No arrows on the floor, no signs. Even with the timed tickets, it was too crowded. And we were there on a weekday morning. There were lines for some of the activities where you needed to scan your wristband and touch the screen to participate. But the lines were unclear. People were cutting, not to be jerks, but because it was unclear there was a line depending on which way you entered the room.
There were less interactive exhibits than expected. Mostly, you walk around and look at props from the movies, reading facts that are so basic, no true fan of Harry Potter would learn anything. Even my husband said that and he has not read the books!
They tell you that you will get an email about your personalized experience. That came about 12 hours later. None of the pictures taken of us were included. It was just a brief summary of the house, wand, etc that you chose with how many points you earned for your house. Disappointing. I am sure the pictures were for sale in the gift shop for some astronomical price. We didn’t check. We just bought magnets and pins. The shirt I liked was $70. No thanks.
I am giving 3 stars because the museum is worth 4 in general but the HP exhibit was a let down.
The Harry Potter exhibit could have been managed so much better. Staff let you into the first room and then you are on your own with no direction. There are multiple ways to enter the rooms but no employees are there to guide you. No arrows on the floor, no signs. Even with the timed tickets, it was too crowded. And we were there on a weekday morning. There were lines for some of the activities where you needed to scan your wristband and touch the screen to participate. But the lines were unclear. People were cutting, not to be jerks, but because it was unclear there was a line depending on which way you entered the room.
There were less interactive exhibits than expected. Mostly, you walk around and look at props from the movies, reading facts that are so basic, no true fan of Harry Potter would learn anything. Even my husband said that and he has not read the books!
They tell you that you will get an email about your personalized experience. That came about 12 hours later. None of the pictures taken of us were included. It was just a brief summary of the house, wand, etc that you chose with how many points you earned for your house. Disappointing. I am sure the pictures were for sale in the gift shop for some astronomical price. We didn’t check. We just bought magnets and pins. The shirt I liked was $70. No thanks.
I am giving 3 stars because the museum is worth 4 in general but the HP exhibit was a let down.
Written April 23, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Rachel
39 contributions
Apr 2022
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars
We visited The Franklin Institute on a Monday morning in late-April primarily to visit the Harry Potter exhibit.
Overall, the Harry Potter exhibit (our primary reason for the visit) was "cute", but not nearly worth the price for what was offered. The exhibit has lots of cute and funny photo opportunities. However, other than the photo ops, the exhibit was lacking. You basically walk through the exhibit and see props/costumes from the Harry Potter movies, as well as some cool videos/lighting, as well as blurbs about the Harry Potter movies. For a huge Harry Potter fan, this is pretty mediocre and full of well-known Harry Potter knowledge - you will not learn anything exciting or new at this exhibit. The "interactive" qualities of the exhibit are "cute", but nothing special. If you have kids that are big Harry Potter fans, they will probably enjoy this. However, adult fans will likely be bored and wasting money.
We spent a bit of time exploring the brain and the heart exhibits from the museum, but once again, these did not really capture the attention of adults visiting the museum. Again, if you have kids, they will probably enjoy the exhibits. However, this museum is not really catered to both child and adult audiences and was overpriced for what it had to offer.
We visited The Franklin Institute on a Monday morning in late-April primarily to visit the Harry Potter exhibit.
Overall, the Harry Potter exhibit (our primary reason for the visit) was "cute", but not nearly worth the price for what was offered. The exhibit has lots of cute and funny photo opportunities. However, other than the photo ops, the exhibit was lacking. You basically walk through the exhibit and see props/costumes from the Harry Potter movies, as well as some cool videos/lighting, as well as blurbs about the Harry Potter movies. For a huge Harry Potter fan, this is pretty mediocre and full of well-known Harry Potter knowledge - you will not learn anything exciting or new at this exhibit. The "interactive" qualities of the exhibit are "cute", but nothing special. If you have kids that are big Harry Potter fans, they will probably enjoy this. However, adult fans will likely be bored and wasting money.
We spent a bit of time exploring the brain and the heart exhibits from the museum, but once again, these did not really capture the attention of adults visiting the museum. Again, if you have kids, they will probably enjoy the exhibits. However, this museum is not really catered to both child and adult audiences and was overpriced for what it had to offer.
Written April 27, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tk B
Pittston, PA146 contributions
Mar 2023 • Couples
I’ve been here twice in the past 2 years to visit the traveling exhibits. Last year we visited for the Harry Potter exhibit which was very nice, but very over crowded. They do the traveling exhibits by time slots, which are best reserved online. When we visited in March for the Disney 100 exhibit, I thought it would be a little different since we picked a night time slot. Although choosing a slot, they seem way oversold and there are too many people piling into the exhibit as once. Both exhibits were hard to navigate and to be able to take in everything/see everything since there were so many people looming around. The Harry Potter exhibit was interactive and very cool. Buy again- couldn’t enjoy because of the overcrowding. The same with Disney. Not so much interactive, but very crowded. Couldn’t take the time to stop and read the history. I felt like we had to rush through the rooms and areas and that I was constantly in someone’s way. I know the FI has nothing to do with traveling exhibits shops, but the Disney 100 was lacking. Very limited, very expensive, and not really many cute keepsakes. The FI itself is very nice and very interactive. We did visit the museum itself which is more geared towards kids with lots of hands on activities in each space. The museum is clean and well put together. Something that young kids would definitely enjoy. The FI does have its own parking garage which I do recommend parking in. Parking is expensive anywhere in that area of Philly, but you have a piece of mind knowing your vehicle is safe, and knowing you can go right from the museum to your vehicle safely.
Written May 13, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Lil_Traveller123
Melbourne, Australia144 contributions
Mar 2020 • Couples
This place is really average. A beautiful old regal building filled with gimmicky Disneyland style displays lacking any substance.
Also went to watch one of the planetarium shows and uppity school kids were on their phone and playing their music so we walked out. We lasted 20 mins.
Not worth the visit.
Also went to watch one of the planetarium shows and uppity school kids were on their phone and playing their music so we walked out. We lasted 20 mins.
Not worth the visit.
Written March 12, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
326ETa
New York City, NY148 contributions
Aug 2022 • Friends
Soooo much fun! Went on a Monday evening, specifically to see the Harry Potter exhibit. (FYI - prices are discounted beginning at 5p) It’s all we wanted to see so we booked evening tickets.
Parking was relatively easy to find. Based on 2-3 hour allotments if I recall. Which was perfect for us.
Although we only came to see the Harry Potter exhibit, we did get to stop by the train exhibit on the first floor. We pretended it was the Hogwartz Express. :-)
Once at the Harry Potter exhibit our registration/check in process was pretty smooth. There’s a decorative theme that draws you right in. We opted to not do the audio tour, so can’t speak to that. However, without it, we still had a blast! It’s a self guided tour, but the structure of the exhibit helps to facilitate the process.
Be prepared to take plenty of pictures, rep your house and live out your Harry Potter dreams! It’s absolutely worth the visit.
Parking was relatively easy to find. Based on 2-3 hour allotments if I recall. Which was perfect for us.
Although we only came to see the Harry Potter exhibit, we did get to stop by the train exhibit on the first floor. We pretended it was the Hogwartz Express. :-)
Once at the Harry Potter exhibit our registration/check in process was pretty smooth. There’s a decorative theme that draws you right in. We opted to not do the audio tour, so can’t speak to that. However, without it, we still had a blast! It’s a self guided tour, but the structure of the exhibit helps to facilitate the process.
Be prepared to take plenty of pictures, rep your house and live out your Harry Potter dreams! It’s absolutely worth the visit.
Written August 24, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Linda D
Niangua, MO26 contributions
Jun 2023 • Family
Our multigenerational group enjoyed our visit. Our 6 year old was engaged and interested throughout the museum. There were so many exhibits to experience and the hands on nature of the exhibits was incredible! All ages found interesting, informative, and fun options in every section of the museum.
We also enjoyed the healthy, delicious food options in the cafeteria style cafe.
The only down side for us was the large groups of summer day camp kids. There were several groups with pre-teen kids that were rowdy and quite rude (taking over an activity someone else was already doing, yelling, running, etc). Their chaperones were not very focused on keeping their groups under control. Perhaps the staff at the museum could be more present when so many of those groups are in attendance, or maybe not schedule so many at one time.
Overall, our visit was good. I would recommend you get there early to be able to enjoy some exhibits before it gets crowded. We were there at opening and were happy to be able to really be able to experience the exhibits at a slower pace.
We also enjoyed the healthy, delicious food options in the cafeteria style cafe.
The only down side for us was the large groups of summer day camp kids. There were several groups with pre-teen kids that were rowdy and quite rude (taking over an activity someone else was already doing, yelling, running, etc). Their chaperones were not very focused on keeping their groups under control. Perhaps the staff at the museum could be more present when so many of those groups are in attendance, or maybe not schedule so many at one time.
Overall, our visit was good. I would recommend you get there early to be able to enjoy some exhibits before it gets crowded. We were there at opening and were happy to be able to really be able to experience the exhibits at a slower pace.
Written July 10, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Karen H
Norwood, MA103 contributions
Nov 2021
This museum should have children's museum in the title. I was expecting information about Ben Franklin's inventions. It is actually an interactive museum for children. I gave it a poor rating because if you do not have children with you it's a waste of money. We left after 20 minutes. So not worth the cost to us.
Written November 14, 2021
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Nob22
Philadelphia, PA29 contributions
Feb 2020
The Brain Exhibit there now is excellent, loads of hands on experiences to explain neurons and synapses thwt elementary age kids can understand, and older ones can do more involved displays if interested. The Electricity area was very interactive, lots of hands on things explaining it. The large walk-thru heart is a favorite forever with all kids. Nothing beats climbing thru the heart chambers and hearing the heart beat, the planetarium was totally mesmerizing for kids and adults. Watching the sky above you turn colors, stars, moons and planets mover overhead.... all inside the domed room. Nice food court if you need to feed kids or yourself. There is no place to leave your coats.... no lockers or checked coat room... just a rack in a room if you trust leaving your jackets there. Otherwise try to park underneath so you can leave coats in your car. We did none of the special things, as there was plenty of the usual exhibits to entertain.
Written February 16, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kate Schreiber
Gainesville, FL25 contributions
Mar 2020 • Family
This place is intended for all ages, but if you have little ones, then there are certain areas (Sir Isaac's Loft, third floor) where your kid could go work off some energy before hitting the exhibits. The first floor is very space-oriented (so of course I loved it), and if you want to see the Planetarium, make sure to make reservations for a show! Second floor has the gift shop and two exhibits about the brain and heart, which are fun, interactive, and educative. (I would bring sanitizing wipes b/c in the Brain exhibit there's one activity where you have to lay down to experience and optical illusion.) There's a giant heart in the Heart exhibit that beats really loud and can be scary for some children. Third floor explains a lot about inventions and machines, and is again interactive with fun educative games. The fourth floor is the observatory where you look through a big telescope I highly recommend that!
Written March 2, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Is there usually a line to get in on Saturday’s?
Written March 27, 2021
WorldlyWyze
Miami, Florida
Weekends can become busy, and there is a line inside the museum for tickets/passes. If you don't want it to affect your museum time, I would recommend arriving 30 minutes to an hour early on purpose.
Written April 13, 2021
Is there a water filling station for bringing empty water bottles to stay hydrated?
Does anyone know with the dual membership for one adult plus one guest is that one guest included everytime you go or just a 1 time offer with membership?
Written February 11, 2019
Yes on water stations. Membership package numbers are generally based upon each visit. The trend in museums is to define packages great for couples, families, grandparents bringing grandkids, etc. Maybe at some point they will figure out a "singles" looking to find a single might work too!
Written February 12, 2019
Is there a water filling station for bringing empty water bottles to stay hydrated?
Does anyone know with the dual membership for one adult plus one guest is that one guest included everytime you go or just a 1 time offer with membership?
Written February 11, 2019
I did see a water fountain, but not sure it is filtered.
Written February 18, 2019
I’m not sure. Both entrances have a flight of steps but I didn’t notice if there was a lift. Sorry not to be more help.
Written September 1, 2018
Is it possible to purchase a movie only ticket for the IMax theater without the museum admission tickets? Where can I find the info about which movie is on and when it starts? Thank you.
Written June 12, 2018
Yes, IMAX tickets can be purchased separately.
Written June 13, 2018
Planning to see the Terra-cotta army exhibit (Saturday afternoon )where can we eat that’s nearby walking distance for an early dinner.
Written March 2, 2018
we didn't eat nearby, but the man at the information desk gave us a few recommendations including one with the name "Cherry" in it that looked really interesting
Written March 4, 2018
mdvoyager21
Columbia, Maryland
Is there a cafeteria or eating area in the building? Can we bring our own food?
Written February 8, 2018
Had lunch at the café and the soups were good
Written February 15, 2018
We are planning to go to TerraCotta Exhibit tonight at 5pm - is this a good time or will it be packed? Also, any recommendations for places to eat or other things to do nearby (since its so cold we don't want to walk too much)? Thanks
Written December 28, 2017
I maybe too late to answer your question, but I went to exhibit on an after 5pm admission. It was fine. The staff controls admission so that exhibit is never crowded and is more extensive than DC
Presentation is great and very detailed! Restaurants all over as well as Whole Foods with a great buffet and some small specific food stalls (i.e. Chinese, Mediterranean)
Written January 20, 2018
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