The air is crisp, the sun is shining, and the leaves are just starting to turn — what a perfect time to take advantage of Philly’s many family-friendly activities! In this post, we’ll go over just a few ideas for fall events and activities in Philadelphia that are great options for families with kids.
Mural Arts Month
October is Mural Arts Month in Philadelphia with family-friendly events all over the city, including mural painting for kids at the Please Touch Museum, Mural Arts Fest in Love Park, Self-Guided Mural Tours, and Trolley Tours. Come celebrate the over 2,000 murals that make Philly the “Painted City.”
Treetop Quest Philly
Pack a picnic lunch and take the kids, age 4 and up, to Treetop Quest, 51 Chamounix Drive in Fairmount Park, Philly’s first “aerial adventure park” with zip lines and obstacle courses that run through the trees. Once you’re equipped, they’ll teach you how to safely swing through each course as many times as you want for two and a half hours. While many of the activities are geared toward teens and adults, there’s plenty of fun for younger children.
Philadelphia Zoo
The Philadelphia Zoo is America’s first zoo and is renowned for innovation in animal care and commitment to wildlife. It also features Zoo360, a first-in-the-world aerial animal travel system, where tigers and orangutans saunter overhead in see-thru bridges overhead. Exhibits include Big Cat Falls, the McNeil Avian Center, the PECO Primate Reserve, and KidZooU, an interactive wildlife academy of dynamic displays, rare breeds, and indoor-outdoor learning. The zoo is also hosting its annual Boo at the Zoo event this month which features costumes and fall treats for kids of all ages.
Please Touch Museum
As the name implied, this is a museum where kids are free to explore and touch everything! Housed in Fairmount Park’s Memorial Hall, this kid’s attraction includes two full floors of interactive exhibit zones plus a fully restored century-old carousel. Kids can play and pretend amid Alice’s Wonderland, River Adventures, and other hands-on fun.
Franklin Institute
The region’s most popular science museum has a full city block of kid-friendly exhibitions, such as the iconic walk-through Giant Heart, Space Command, SportsZone, Sir Isaac’s Loft, Amazing Machine, Electricity, Train Factory, and Changing Earth. The museum’s 53,000-square-foot Nicholas and Athena Karabots Pavilion features the 8,500-square-foot exhibit Your Brain, along with rotating special exhibitions. The attraction also houses the Fels Planetarium.
Franklin Square
One of William Penn’s five original squares, Franklin Square, 200 N. 6th St, is a modern, fun park, with a Philly-themed miniature golf course, playground, carousel, and restored marble fountain. When hunger sets in, burgers, fries, and shakes are available on-site.
Adventure Aquarium
What’s more fun than viewing 15,000 aquatic animals? Located just across the river at 1 Riverside Dr. in Camden, Adventure Aquarium has a Shark Bridge to cross, hippos and penguins to meet, and stingrays to touch. Plus a 760,000-gallon tank of sea turtles, stingrays, schooling fish, and sharks, including a seven-foot Great Hammerhead.
Eastern State Penitentiary
Older kids and spooky-season teens will love the pre-Halloween tours of Philly’s nearly 200-year-old, supposedly haunted, prison at 2027 Fairmount Ave. Eastern State Penitentiary‘s annual fall offering Halloween Nights is an immersive experience featuring five haunted houses, live entertainment, and more. Recommended for kids 12 and older. Children under the age of seven are not permitted during Halloween Nights.
Spruce Street Harbor Park
Spruce Street Harbor Park is an outdoor oasis on the Delaware River waterfront at 301 S. Columbus Blvd. Provides a waterfront view with tree-slung hammocks, cargo container arcades and food trucks from the City’s most popular restaurants is a delightful getaway for parents and children of all ages.
Woodmere’s Straw Maze
Located at 9201 Germantown Ave. in the Chestnut Hill section of the City, Woodmere Art Museum’s spectacular straw maze has returned to delight kids. After the kids explore their way through the straw tunnels and zigzag spaces, head inside the museum for an exciting children’s exhibition, Inspired by Nature since tickets to the maze include admission to Woodmere. And for all your Thomas the Train fans, nearby, at Morris Arboretum,100 E. Northwestern Ave., the popular Garden Railway display is ready to roll.
Philadelphia has so much to offer! We encourage you to use this guide to visit parts of our city that are new to you and your children. If you’re looking for more parks and outdoor destinations, read our story on Philly’s Best Parks, Arboretums & Gardens or explore the gardens from our Five Historic Philadelphia Gardens To Visit.