Frommer's Review
The Franklin Institute Science Museum isn't just kid stuff. All ages love this thoroughly imaginative trip through the worlds of science. The complex has four parts. The first is the home of the Franklin National Memorial, with a 30-ton statue of its namesake and a collection of authentic Franklin artifacts and possessions.
The second part is a collection of science- and technology-oriented exhibition areas, with innovative hands-on displays such as a gigantic walk-through heart (beloved by Philadelphians, and restored after years of climbing and exploration by curious children) and the Train Factory, an interactive setting where you can play engineer for a 350-ton locomotive. For a hair-raising experience, plug into a Van de Graaff generator at the lightning gallery. On the third floor, an energy hall bursts with Rube Goldberg contraptions, noisemakers, and light shows. The nearby Discovery Theater holds afternoon shows featuring liquid air and other oddities. The fourth floor specializes in astronomy and mathematical puzzles. The basement Fels Planetarium, just renovated and accompanied by the new "space station" on the first floor, rounds out the offerings here.
The third part of the Franklin Institute is the Mandell Futures Center. Just past the Franklin National Memorial on the second floor, you'll enter an atrium with cafes, ticket counters, and ramps and stairs leading to the exhibits. Just beyond is a separate-admission IMAX arena, showing films ranging from undersea explorations to the Rolling Stones in spectacular 70mm format. Eight permanent interactive exhibits, including space, earth, computers, chemistry, and health, take you into the 21st century with Disney World-style pizazz. My personal favorites are "The Sports Challenge," a full body exploration of the science behind popular sports like surfing and rock climbing, and the "See Yourself Age" computer program in "Future and You." The texts throughout are witty and disarming. Quite thrilling is the Skybike, which you can ride along a 1" cable three stories above the Bartol Atrium floor and its huge new sci-store.
The fourth section is the 1995 CoreStates Science Park, a collaboration with the Please Touch Museum. It uses the 38,000-square-foot lawn between the two museums -- it's free with admission to the museum. The imaginative urban garden is filled with high-tech play structures, including a high-wire tandem bicycle, 12-foot tire, step-on organ, maze, and optical illusions.
Note: This information was accurate when it was published, but can change without
notice. Please be sure to confirm all rates and details directly with the companies in question before
planning your trip.
