Museums & Cultural Attractions
- At the African American Museum in Philadelphia kids will especially like seeing how the stars of the Negro Baseball League compared with those in the "white" majors. An important history lesson for both young and old is the Supreme Court’s Brown versus the Board of Education ruling, a decision aimed at ending segregation in public schools. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of this historic ruling, the museum is hosting Brown V. Board of Education: 50 Years of Integration, 1954-2004, an exhibit that looks at early civil rights efforts in Philadelphia and beyond. Through December 30, 2004. 701 Arch Street, (215) 574-0380, www.aampmuseum.org
- A tasty experience for the whole family is Chocolate: The Exhibition, on display at The Academy of Natural Sciences from June 12, 2004 through September 6, 2004. The exhibit explores the plant, products, history and culture of chocolate through the lenses of botany, ecology, anthropology, economics, conservation and popular culture. The display takes visitors on a tour from chocolate's rainforest origins to its many uses by the Maya, to its arrival in Europe and the chocolate market today. 19th Street & the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, (215) 299-1000, www.acnatsci.org
- The Philadelphia Water Department’s Fairmount WaterWorks Interpretive Center, housed within a Neoclassical riverside structure that supplied all of Philadelphia with water from 1815 to 1909, promises to be one of the area’s greatest new attractions. Visitors can take a simulated helicopter trip from local tidal bays to river headwaters, view a model showing how rain that falls on watersheds leads to pollution, discover interactive sculpture and work in a water lab. 640 WaterWorks Drive, (215) 685-0723, www.fairmountwaterworks.org
- A traveling exhibit consisting of more than 300 original artifacts from the Titanic will be on display at The Franklin Institute Science Museum beginning July 10, 2004. Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition is an experiential journey that takes visitors from the first-class stateroom to the third-class quarters. Not only will visitors meet the Titanic’s passengers and crew through a compelling audio tour, they’ll also touch the iceberg, feel how cold the ocean was and witness a recreation of the night sky. Through January 2, 2005. 222 N. 20th Street, (215) 448-1200, www.franklininstitute.org
- Kids can have just as much fun as their parents exploring the Mercer Museum's vast collection of early American tools, folk art and furnishings. In the Animals on the Loose exhibit, children ages three- to eight-years-old team up with Rollo, Henry Mercer’s favorite dog, on a hands-on adventure to track down animal artifacts from the museum. 84 S. Pine Street, Doylestown, (215) 345-0210, www.mercermuseum.org
- For seven years now, children have been enchanted with Morris Arboretum’s Garden Railway display, a miniature world set in the splendor of a summer garden. Debuting each year on Father’s Day weekend, the exhibit features seven G-scale model train lines running through a wonderland of historic Philadelphia buildings created entirely of natural materials. In keeping with this year's theme: Great American Lighthouses, the city is interspersed with replicas of 16 majestic lighthouses from around the nation. Through October 11, 2004. 100 Northwestern Avenue, (215) 247-5777, www.business-services.upenn.edu/arboretum
- The National Constitution Center teaches kids and parents about the voting process with artifacts such as a copy of the 15th Amendment, granting all male citizens, regardless of race, the right to vote. From start to finish, the super-interactive Center is loaded with fun displays and high-tech gadgets for learning about the nation’s most important four-page document. Kids can preside over a Supreme Court hearing, take the Presidential Oath of Office and vote for their favorite president of all time. 525 Arch Street, (866) 917-1787, www.constitutioncenter.org
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