The Wagner Free Institute of Science: Explore the World

Outside of the museum district, The Wagner Free Institute of Science, as the name implies, offers a free yet still comprehensive exploration of science. Researchers within the Institute have brought in numerous specimens to create vivid, 3-D exhibits. Adults and kids will delight in observing collections of minerals, fossils, shells, and mounted birds and mammals. Highlights of the Institute also include assembled dinosaur skeletons and the first American saber-tooth tiger. Adults and kids can also both receive more in-depth instruction through free, hands-on classes for students and introductory college level courses for adults of any level. Other events through the Institute also include a weekly lecture series, group discussions, and family-friendly festivals. If you’re planning a visit, the Institute is open Tuesdays through Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The Wagner Free Institute
1700 W. Montgomery Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19121
(215) 763-6529

Please Touch Museum: Interactive Fun

Don’t let the title ‘museum’ scare off your youngsters! The Please Touch Museum is a far-cry from big, quiet halls where you have to keep your hands to yourself. In fact, as the name implies, Please Touch is a highly interactive educational experience. Parents will have fun guiding their children through the varied activities that encourage critical thinking and coordination. Future city planners can build their personal Utopia at City Capers, while future pilots earn their wings at Flight Fantasy. Explorers can tumble through and manipulate various features of Wonderland and Rainforest. For a dose of history, check out Centennial Exploration and Liberty Arm & Touch. Other activities include perusing the extensive contemporary and historical toy collections or seeing a play at the Playhouse Theater. The Please Touch Museum is open daily.

Please Touch Museum
4231 Avenue of the Republic
Philadelphia, PA 19131
(215) 581-3181

Victory Brewing Company: Tap A Tradition

Founded in 1996 in a former Pepperidge Farm bakery in Philly’s Downingtown district, Victory Brewing Company has grown by hops, leaps, and bounds on the strength of their excellent, boldly flavored beers. Some of their most notable beers include the tart Hop Devil and the Prima Pils. If you want to see where the magic happens, Victory offers free tours Wednesday through Sunday. The brewery employs a cunning blend of traditional German beercraft with the latest environmentally-friendly technology: they recently installed 345 photovoltaic solar panels on the roof, offsetting their power consumption by a massive amount and making them one of the greenest major microbreweries in the country. Tour veterans rave about the experience, which ends with three extremely generous samples of any of Victory’s beers on tap. If you get peckish, the attached restaurant is surprisingly good. Victory Brewery Company also hosts a number of events and participates in Philly’s awesome Beer Week each June.

Victory Brewing Company
420 Acorn Lane
Downingtown, PA 19335-3040
(610) 873-0881
www.victorybeer.com

Yards Brewing: Stomp The Yard

Yards Brewing is an excellent microbrewery has enjoyed fantastic growth since opening in 1994. Starting out in a tiny, garage-sized location, Yards produced some of the best cask-conditioned ale the city has ever tasted. Demand was so strong that they rapidly moved into a bigger location, started bottling, and vastly increased their product line. One of their Yards's most fascinating lines is the "Ales of the Revolution" series, named after America’s founding fathers and incorporating beer recipes from George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and other founding fathers. Despite its homage to the past, the brewery's technology is state of the art: Yards Brewing is the first 100% wind-powered brewery in Pennsylvania and most of the fixtures are made from reclaimed and recycled materials. The brewery offers free tours on Saturday afternoons, which are quite popular. If you can’t make it then, the tasting room is open all week long! Yards also hosts a variety of events throughout the year that appeal to beer fanatics, collectors, and amateur brewers.

Yards Brewing
901 North Delaware Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19123
(215) 634-2600
www.yardsbrewing.com/home.asp

Go Phillies! (And Watch Them Play)

Everyone knows that Phillies fans are some of the most active and loyal sports supporters in the world. This sense of local camaraderie and die-hard enthusiasm comes to full form at Citizens Bank Park, home to Philadelphia’s World Series winning baseball team. Open since 2004, the state-of-the-art stadium boasts nearly 45,000 seats and a range of food and activity options befitting a grand carnival. From BBQ joints to pizza shacks, rooftop bleachers to a Hall of Fame walk, Irish pubs to kid-friendly build-a-bear-workshops, and even a bullpen where fans can heckle the players, Citizens Bank Park offers the full baseball experience and then some. Come out with a group of friends or family for a rousing cultural ritual that will be fun no matter which team wins.

Citizens Bank Park
Citizens Bank Way and Pattison Avenue
Philadelphia, PA 19148
(215) 463-5000
www.phillies.com

Get Ready for Philly Beer Week 2011, June 3 – 12

Starting this week, from June 3 – 12, 2011, Philadelphia will play host to one of the biggest beer festivals in the United States. As one of the 14 Best Beer Cities in the Entire World according to Frommer’s (the travel authority!), Philadelphia is home to more than 30 breweries and brewpubs and has more than 400 beer bars featuring the best in craft beer. So it should come as no surprise that hundreds and hundreds of fantastic events are scheduled during the ten days of Philadelphia Beer Week in both the city and the suburbs.

Kick of the week at Opening Tap 2011, where you can sample a variety of ales and lagers at the Independence Visitor Center (6th and Market Streets) starting at 7:30 p.m. From there, the week just gets better and better! Events include a Philly on Tap Walking Tour leading guests to Philly’s best beer spots on foot, Food and Beer pairings at the city’s best restaurants, special bar events featuring breweries like Yuengling, Sly Fox, and Bells, and so much more. At many of the events you can actually meet the brewers of the featured breweries, and find out about their amazing beers. Click here to learn more about this year’s scheduled festivities.

Learn more about Philadelphia Beer Week at www.phillybeerweek.org.

National Museum of American Jewish History: A Glimpse Inside the Jewish Experience

The Jewish experience is a vital part of the American story—from early immigrants fleeing the pogroms of Europe to the evolution of the religion in the United States and our increasingly complex national relationship with Israel, there’s a lot to document. The National Museum of American Jewish History was opened in association with the Smithsonian Museums in 1976 to give that story a place to be told. With tales pulled from over 350 individual’s experiences, the Museum’s collections offer an unparalleled peek into the creation of this nation. Boasting over 10,000 artifacts in its collection, the museum’s only permanent exhibition “Creating American Jews” is the big attraction, but a number of other themed exhibits merit multiple trips. In 2010, the museum relocated to a much larger space, and has expanded with a number of interactive exhibitions as well as a gift shop. The staff is incredibly friendly and knowledgeable as well.

National Museum of American Jewish History
101 South Independence Mall East
Philadelphia, PA 19106
(215) 923-3811
www.nmajh.org

Celebrate First Friday in Philadelphia!

It may only be Wednesday, but since we're halfway through the week, most of us are already looking forward to Friday—especially this week! This Friday marks the First Friday celebration in Philadelphia, so get yourself over to the city of Brotherly Love for Old City's monthly celebration filled with art galleries galore and open air fun!

See the Best of Philly With Philadelphia Urban Adventures

Embark on a special tour that gives you a different insight on some of Philadelphia premiere historic locations. Philadelphia Urban Adventures offers up a number of different tour packages that are designed to showcase the city’s best of history, culture, art, food, and more. Whether you’re taking in the essence of South Philly, traveling River to River, finding out what’s on tap at some of Philly’s best bars, or more; you’re bound to have a fun and insightful time.

To learn more about these distinct tour packages, visit http://www.philadelphiaurbanadventures.com/.

Hit the Pennsylvania Slopes!,

Winter’s here, and you know what that means—its time to hit the slopes! Luckily you won't have to go to far, as Pennsylvania is home to some impressive ski resorts to visit for a day or a weekend getaway.

Elk Mountain has been open and operational since 1959 and offers premier ski facilities—there are 27 trails and very diverse terrain—as well as ski school programs for the novice skier and a host of restaurants for a power lunch or an après ski drink. These slopes also offer night skiing!

For those seeking a true challenge, Blue Mountain offers the highest vertical in the state at 1,082 feet. The mountain has four terrain parks, 34 trails and 9 lifts on 158 skiable acres, and a massive snow tubing park with 19 slides. All of the trails are also lit for night skiing.

First-time skiers should spend the day at Camelback Mountain, which is also the largest mountain in the Poconos—novice trails making up 54% of the mountain’s skiable grounds. There are 34 trails (all lit for night skiing), 15 lifts, and snowmaking around the clock for optimal conditions.

Check out all the ski resorts Pennsylvania has to offer click here.  With all the snow this winter, it's definitely the time to get out there and ski!

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