Best Last-Minute Summer Activities For Families In Philadelphia
By Allen Foster
Summer's running on empty. It's time to stop thinking about day jaunts and spontaneous family adventures. Bye bye beach! We'll miss you mountains! Time to start getting back into the groove of life. For adults, that means it's back to the ol' nine to five. For kids, time again to toil over textbooks. Or is it?! Here are five last-minute summer activities you can still squeeze in this season!
56th Annual Philadelphia Folk Festival
Old Pool Farm
1323 Salford Station Road
Schwenksville, PA 19473
(800) 556-3655
www.pfs.org
Dates: August 17 through August 20
If you haven't been there, you will never get it. The Philadelphia Folk Fest is more than an event, it's a way of life. It's an extended weekend getaway where you can unplug and simply be alive. Go camping, play music, make friends, or just listen to some of the greatest living artists of our time. This years festival includes such luminaries as Graham Nash, John McCutcheon, Old Crow Medicine Show, Susan Werner, Tift Merritt, The Kennedys, Laura Love Duo, and many, many more!
Screenings Under the Stars
Great Plaza at Penn's Landing
101 S Christopher Columbus Blvd.
Philadelphia, PA 19106
Phone:(215) 629-3200
www.delawareriverwaterfront.com
Date: Every Thursday in August
Everybody loves a trip to Philadelphia's favorite waterfront, Penn's Landing. Everybody loves a gorgeous, relaxing night beneath the stars. And, everybody loves going to the movies. Screenings Under the Stars at the Great Plaza at Penn's Landing combines all three to create a wonderful activity perfect for the entire family. Upcoming movies include Magnificent Seven on August 3rd, Kong: Skull Island on August 10th, Beauty and the Beast on August 17th, The Lego Batman Movie on August 24th and Sing on August 31st.
Museum of the American Revolution
101 South Third St.
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 253-6731
www.amrevmuseum.org
Dates and hours: Open Daily from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Think this town can't get any more historic? Think again! Just this past spring, Philadelphia celebrated its latest addition to its already astounding collection of nationally significant museums. On April 19, 2017, the city opened the Museum of the American Revolution, an attraction that recognizes the ordinary people who did the extraordinary things that made this country so great! If you make this museum a destination for your end of summer adventures, you and your family will be one of the very first to experience the true story of our nations triumphant march to independence!
Related: "Best Activities For Summer Thrill Seekers In Philadelphia"
One Liberty Observation Deck
1650 Market St.
57th Floor
Philadelphia, PA 19103
(215) 561-3325
www.phillyfromthetop.com
Dates and hours: Open Daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Located in the heart of Philadelphia, just two blocks from City Hall, and just a few minutes walk from Love Park, Rittenhouse Square, and the Reading Terminal Market, it's One Liberty Observation Deck. Rise to the top via a state of the art elevator experience and see the city like you've never seen it before... from 57 stories high! This breathtaking vantage point allows you to take in all of Philadelphia's marvels from the Ben Franklin Bridge to the stadium complex. And, the Observation Deck is open day and night so you can either get caught up in the city's frenetic mid-day pace or relax with a tranquil starlight experience.
Secrets Of The Schuylkill (Riverboat Tours)
The Schuylkill River
2401 Walnut Street, Suite 603
Philadelphia, PA 19103
215-309-5523
www.schuylkillbanks.org
Dates: August 5, August 10, August 19, and August 24
Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale on a fun-filled, one-hour tour that reveals the secrets of Philadelphia's hidden river, the Schuylkill. Take your family on a journey through time and discover the history of this famed river. Start off in the 1700s at Bartram's Garden, travel through the 1800s at the Fairmount Water Works, and wind up in the 21st century at the city's award-winning skyscrapers. Enjoy Philadelphia from a unique perspective that only the most inquisitive and adventurous souls have ever experienced.
