Best of Philly

Best Museum

2025 Best Weird Museum

Vampa Vampire & Paranormal Museum

We shelved this award a long time ago because, well, who could have won it other than the Mütter Museum, which has drastically changed course over the past few years due to ethical concerns regarding human remains. So we’ve opened this award up again and do hereby deem this museum dedicated to vampirism and all forms of paranormal activity worthy. The owner claims it’s the largest collection of such objects in the world, and who are we to argue with someone with such a dark and unique obsession? Read More »

3686 US-202, Doylestown, PA Website

2025 Best Reopening

The Giant Heart

When the Franklin Institute closed the beloved walk-through heart last year as part of a massive renovation campaign, we got very nervous that it was gone for good. But we are happy to report that the heart did reopen, just cleaned up a bit — it did, after all, debut when Eisenhower was in office — and is very much a part of the permanent collection. Good. Didn’t want to have to cancel our membership. If you haven’t strolled through it in a while, do so after touring the fascinating “Body Worlds: Vital” exhibit, set to close in September. Read More »

222 North 20th Street, Philadelphia, PA Website

2025 Best Reason to Cross the Bridge

Edelman Fossil Park & Museum

New Jersey is called a lot of things, but a “hotbed for paleontology” isn’t one we were expecting. Yet the moniker fits because of this new offering from Rowan University. You can walk among life-size dino models, interactive exhibits that gamify learning, and an active research quarry where you can live out your Jurassic Park dreams and dig for real fossils. Read More »

66 Million Mosasaur Way, Mantua, NJ Website

2024 Best Culture On the Cheap

Fabric Workshop and Museum

We’re not even sure how free museums exist these days, but such is the case with this museum, which always has inventive programming in the contemporary art realm and is free to enter. (A $5 donation is suggested.) Through September 29th, go to see, hear and feel “The Rose Garden,” an immersive exhibit centered on gender and transformation, created by legendary Philly drag artist John Jarboe of the Bearded Ladies Cabaret. Read More »

1214 Arch Street, Philadelphia, PA Website

2023 Best Reason to Visit Chester County

Brandywine Museum of Art

When we think about art museums, we tend to think only about the Barnes and the Philadelphia Museum of Art. But don’t sleep on Chesco’s 52-year-old museum along the Brandywine Creek. It’s sometimes referred to as the Wyeth museum because the collection includes so many works by that family — but the 1,500 pieces here represent many other American artists as well. Right now, featured exhibits focus on Andrew Wyeth and 20th-century futurist Joseph Stella. Read More »

1 Hoffmans Mill Road, Chadds Ford, PA Website

2022 Best Reason to Go to Doylestown

Michener Art Museum

American novelist James Michener gave away much of the money he earned during his lengthy career, including the funds used to establish this museum, which focuses on the art of our region. It just wrapped a retrospective of Reading native Keith Haring, but there’s still plenty to see, including furniture by renowned Bucks County woodworker George Nakashima (his tables can sell for more than $100,000) and the paintings of PAFA/UPenn grad Elizabeth Osborne. Read More »

138 South Pine Street, Doylestown, PA Website

2022 Best Niche History

Shoe Museum at Temple’s podiatry school

Yes, there are many, many famous museums in Philadelphia. And there’s also the Shoe Museum at Temple’s podiatry school. Mummer shoes. Baby shoes. A locker room with athletes’ shoes. You get the picture. Looking for other always-free museums? Try Fireman’s Hall Museum, the Science History Institute, and the Institute of Contemporary Art. Read More »

148 North 8th Street, Philadelphia, PA Website

2022 Best Museum You Need to Visit

Penn Museum

The joints on the Parkway get more play due to their central location, but for people who like old stuff, this repository, stuffed with its 10 millennia of artifacts, is a must-visit. For years, the museum was left to more or less rot, but it’s in the midst of a dramatic transformation thanks to Christopher Woods, its first director of color. Read More »

3260 South Street, Philadelphia, PA Website

2022 Best Artsy Date

Wonderspaces

Head to Wonderspaces for a night full of interactive art that will spark discussion, imagination, and some unique Instagram snaps. Bonus: A stroll through the thousands of lights of Squidsoup’s Submergence puts candlelight to shame. Another bonus: There’s an on-site bar so you can tote cocktails on your gallery jaunt. Read More »

27 North 11th Street, Philadelphia, PA Website

2021 Best Museum You Didn't Know Existed

The Neon Museum of Philadelphia

Len Davidson has been finding and restoring neon signs since the 1970s, and his massive collection finally has a proper and permanent home. You’ll find original neon from places like Pat’s King of Steaks, the Horn & Hardart’s 30th Street Station shop (talk about a throwback!), McGillin’s Olde Ale House and Levis Hot Dogs. Read More »

1800 North American Street unit E, Philadelphia, PA Website