The Franklin Institute — Attraction in Philadelphia

I picked up a Philadelphia City Pass earlier this year, and by August we finally decided to cash it in. Three outings crammed into nine days: because why pace yourself when you can binge museums like they’re a Netflix series? First stop was the Franklin Institute, a place I hadn’t visited since childhood. Back then it felt like a temple of science and wonder. As an adult, it still has its magic, but it’s more of a mixed bag: part awe, part “well, that could certainly use some WD-40.”

The day started off smooth. The City Pass check-in was easy, and the whole place never felt oppressively crowded. We could take our time at exhibits without standing in lines or being elbowed aside. And the good stuff was genuinely good: that massive steam locomotive in the collection hall is still jaw-dropping, the revamped optical illusions section is both playful and a little disorienting, and the “Your Brain” exhibit was hands-down the star of the day. It managed to be both engaging and eerie—the neuron model in particular was mesmerizing, glowing webs of activity that looked like they’d been lifted from the Upside Down. The kids were hypnotized; pulling them away from it felt like trying to separate a teenager from Wi-Fi. The iconic walk-through heart is still around, a bit dated but endearing in a “retro science fair” sort of way. Even the cafeteria pulled off a minor miracle with fruit, whole-grain snacks, and prices that didn’t require selling a kidney. The building itself, though, might outshine everything else. Between the soaring dome, the columns, the tucked-away crown molding, and the ceilings painted like quiet treasures, it’s a place where you almost forget you’re there to look at exhibits because the walls themselves are art.

But let’s not romanticize it too much. The parking garage was cramped, overpriced, and about as relaxing as driving through a car wash with your windows down. Once inside, the museum’s layout was a mess. Poor signage, confusing hallways—it would’ve been easy to miss entire sections if we weren’t deliberately combing through. And let’s talk about security—or rather, the lack of it. No bag checks, no real staff presence, just the feeling that you could wander around unmonitored forever. Efficient, yes, but also unnerving. And the interactive exhibits? A letdown. Too many broken or outdated to the point of embarrassment. Nothing ruins the energy of discovery like hammering on a button only to watch it sputter out a dim, apologetic light. A lot of these things desperately need tuning, updating, or straight-up replacing.

The “special exhibit” was the final insult: some “wonders of the body” deal that cost $20 extra. It looked as thrilling as reading medical pamphlets in a waiting room. I couldn’t help but compare it to when I was a kid and the Institute was showcasing Jurassic Park’s dinosaurs—life-size, in-your-face, unforgettable. Once you’ve seen animatronic T-Rexes roar down at you, a hallway of anatomy posters just doesn’t cut it. So we saved our money. And while I was happy to linger, read, and soak up information, I could see the attention spans of kids wearing thin. For every moment of excitement, there were two where the pace slowed to plaque-reading mode…and not every child is built for that kind of grind.

All told, the Franklin Institute is still a worthwhile stop. It has genuine moments of awe, especially in its architecture and a handful of exhibits that really land. But the cracks show: broken equipment, lack of staff, and a general sense of being behind the times. It feels like a place leaning on nostalgia and reputation instead of being fully polished for the present. A few updates, working buttons, and maybe a return to bold, thrilling special exhibits would restore the magic. Until then, it’s a mix of marvels and missed opportunities, equal parts temple of science and cautionary tale in museum...

Our wedding at the Franklin Institute was perfect and STUNNING!

My husband and I knew we wanted our wedding to be in Philly because it represents us as a couple since we spend so much time out and about in the city. We have no regrets with choosing the Franklin Institute as our reception venue. It was an amazing night that our guests and we will never forget!

My Mom and I booked tours at 9 different reception venues in Philly. The Franklin Institute was the first of our 9 visits. As a teacher that has had field trips at the FI, I just wasn't sure that I wanted to have my wedding at the same location that I've brought kindergarteners to for a field trip. Boy am I glad I gave it a chance. After seeing the Franklin Institute on the first day of our first visits, it was clear that every other venue paled in comparison. Sure, there were some beautiful venues but none of them came close to the unique and breathtaking elements that the FI had to offer.

You can have your cocktail hour in the brain which is so unique. We loved that our guests could have an interactive experience! It was really neat for out-of-towners as well as people that just haven't been to the FI in ages.

The light and sound package can't be beat! As your guests enter the main dining room, the lights change, a video plays and the whole reception experience transforms right before your eyes. You choose all of your light settings ahead of time and you are able to project any logos, photos or videos that you want! There are engineers on site the night of your wedding to ensure everything is running smoothly. We got lots of compliments on the slideshow we had running throughout the length of the reception.

Even more amazing than the light and sound package?! The GINORMOUS statue of Ben overlooking the most amazing night of your life.

You can't get a better dance floor than a true marble floor. We were able to line the stairs with candlelight which looked gorgeous. The chiavari chairs unfortunately aren't included but they are absolutely worth it and will make your room look amazing!

We had a representative from the FI and one from the catering company that worked together to help us plan our event. On the night of our wedding, we had a bridal attendant that was amazing! She was there for everything we needed the entire night!

We loved that there can only be one wedding per night so everyone was focused on our event and not multitasking with other weddings.

They validate parking for $7 per car which is amazing considering it's Philly. Trolleys will drop your guests off at the front steps which makes for an epic entrance!

The bathrooms are pretty ugly since they aren't a fancy venue but you can do things on your own to give them a personal touch.

There are soooooo many amazing photo opportunities throughout the FI and they give the bride/groom and photographer full access.

Lots of options as far as where you put your bars, your food stations, photo booth, etc. The food is all made from scratch from the Frog Commissary.

We had a few bumps in the road during our two year planning process but overall everything was great; our wedding day was everything we dreamed of and so much more! The Franklin Institute is an amazingly unique venue that you and your guests will rave about.

Thank you to Gina, Beth and everyone else that helped make our wedding reception the most special, amazing night of our lives. We will never...

We decided to go see the Disney 100 experience as well as the rest of the institute.

Accessible entrance was quick and easy. Security helped us find the elevator and direct us to where we wanted. The accessible entrances to the Cafe weren't super clear however. You had to leave the main lobby into the atrium then into the ticket booth then loop back to the front to get to the Cafe.

The Disney experience itself was pretty cool. It was fun to see how Walt started the journey, how the movies and shows are animated, and music toed to them all. They had alot of replicas of original sketches as well as live action props or original books. The overall experience was maybe 45 to 60 minutes. I felt the price was a little high for essentially looking at props and seeing descriptions. I expected a bit more interactivity from this like past experiences.

The institute itself is pretty cool. They have a massive pendulum to prove the earth's axis. A large room about hearts where you can have kids walk through a heart or learn about the blood cells and such.

Another section was all about electricity and its uses. Unfortunately one of the set pieces was not working that demonstrated electricity flowing from one hand to the other.

They had a really cool air show section. In here you can see how different forms of air affect materials. A section where you can make a ball hover or blow up a balloon. My favorite is a area to build whirlygigs and paper airplanes that you can then launch. There was also a large jet you could sit in for photos.

On the top floor there is a sports zone for kids to get their energy out while learning about kinetic energy. We had our 4 month old so did not stay here long.

They also have these science shows every hour or so discussing various things and demonstrating them with experiments. We sat in for the combustion experiment demonstrated by Mr Fox. Fox is a wonderful man very kind and spent time talking with us before and after the show. Even when our son started to cry he tried to use the show to help him relax. Highly recommend both the show and Mr fox.

I do highly recommend their after hours events. During these they have curated themes for the month with varying experiments and shows to watch. We went for valentines day and learned so much about what love is chemically as well as how varying animals reproduce all while having drinks and snacks.

Parking outside can be a little difficult depending how you do it. They do have a garage you can pay I think 20 usd for the day. There's also a side limited parking lot with a outdoor gym next to it. Otherwise there is street parking all around it.

The only downside that I want to mention was not every bathroom had a changing table for our baby. Specifically third floor outside the sports zone neither the men's or women's room had one. We ended up having to use a bench as we...