How to Experience Philly Museums … Beyond the Galleries
From hands-on classes and after-hours parties to shopping, dining, and even a pop-up sauna, here’s how to experience Philly museums in new ways.
Inside TileWorks in Doylestown / Photograph by Corey Miller
There’s so much more to Philly museums than just the galleries. Here, the classes, cafes, bars, boutiques — and a pop-up sauna?! — to experience now.
Craft
Of course, the Barnes Foundation, the Woodmere Art Museum, and the Philadelphia Art Museum are known for their top-notch art classes. But perhaps you’re looking to master something a bit more niche. Head to TileWorks’ historic factory in Doylestown, where artisans teach you to make your own Moravian tile using traditional methods. Or take on wooden shipbuilding at the Independence Seaport Museum’s on-site Boat Shop. (You can also learn about the shop’s ongoing projects at ISM’s monthly Table Saw Talks.) Want to get your hands dirty? Check out the Clay Studio’s year-round schedule of pottery classes for kids and adults.
A boat-building class at the Independence Seaport Museum / Photograph courtesy of Independence Seaport Museum
Volunteer
Who says you can’t geek out for the greater good? At the African American Museum in Philadelphia, you can apply to be a volunteer, assisting with events, collections, and programming, or you can be a docent, conducting tours of the exhibits and permanent galleries, which focus on the history and culture of the African diaspora. And as a docent at the Mütter Museum — which recently launched a new human remains policy as part of its ethical reenvisioning — you’ll help educate visitors on topics like medical history and public health through tours and lessons. Both programs feature perks like discounts in the museum store and access to special events.
Sweat
From December through March, you can book a sauna session outside the American Swedish Historical Museum. / Photograph by Mike Persico
Thanks to a partnership between the American Swedish Historical Museum and Scout, the firm that gave us the Bok Building, last year’s Best of Philly–winning pop-up sauna series returns for 2026. Through March 29th, book a 30- or 45-minute solo or group (up to four) sweat session in a private cedar barrel on the steps of the museum. BYO swimsuit, sandals, and robe. Then, with the free admission to the museum included with your session, you can check out exhibitions on Swedish immigrants and the history of Scandinavian glass.
Go Late
Visit the rooftop observatory at the Franklin Institute at a special nighttime event at the science museum. / Photograph courtesy of the Franklin Institute
You and your kids can live out your Night at the Museum dreams at the Academy of Natural Sciences’ pay-what-you-wish Dinos After Dark series. They can explore the exhibits and science demos; you can grab a beer under the T. rex. But if you ever feel like kids’ museums would be a whole lot more fun without the littles, head to the Franklin Institute’s Science After Hours or the Please Touch Museum’s Museum Nights — both 21-and-up series keep things buzzing with themed dance parties and cocktails. On Friday evenings throughout the year, you can also dance to live bands in the PhAM’s Great Stair Hall before touring the galleries — or, between May and August, choose instead to belly up to the Rodin Museum’s seasonal garden bar. There, you can sip local beers, wines, or cocktails and take in the sight of the reflecting pool and eight Rodin sculptures, including his 1886 piece The Three Shades. Read more here.
Nosh
The Caramelia dessert, with chocolate mousse, espresso caramel, and cocoa “soil,” at 1906 / Photograph by Evan Sung
Make a date for lunch at staples like Bucks County eatery Mama Hawk’s, which opened a second location at the Michener Art Museum in Doylestown this past July. In addition to coffee, house-made baked goods, sandwiches, and salads, expect menu items inspired by Michener programming such as their Eric Carle retrospective. (Pro tip: You can visit Mama Hawk’s without a museum ticket.) And while it’s not a museum per se, Longwood Gardens’ 1906 restaurant provides an unparalleled experience overlooking the Kennett Square destination’s vast flower- and plant-filled property — a reason to go all on its own.
Shop
The store at the Fabric Workshop and Museum / Photograph by Carlos Avendaño/The Fabric Workshop and Museum
Gone are the days of souvenir magnets and flimsy canvas totes. Philly’s museum gift shops are treasure troves of stuff you actually want and will keep forever. Right now, we’re especially loving luxe leather bags created by designer Mansur Gavriel in celebration of Calder Gardens’ recent opening and pillows showcasing Swedish artist Moki Cherry’s bold textile patterns — never realized in her lifetime, but lovingly printed by the Fabric Workshop and Museum as a posthumous tribute. (See her “The Living Temple” exhibit there through April 12th.)
Learn
At the Museum of the American Revolution’s Read the Revolution speaker series, authors and historians reveal the lesser-known roles of the diverse individuals who shaped this country, from enslaved Africans to the people of the Oneida Nation to the women and children who settled here. For those who don’t have the attention span for a full-length lecture, the Penn Museum hosts 15-minute Daily Dig pop-up talks at 1 p.m., in which an expert highlights an artifact from the collection. Likewise, the Barnes’s 30-minute Deep Dives offer a fresh interpretive angle and a concentrated look at a single artwork in the collection.
Read
Pull up a chair: The Wharton Esherick Museum in Malvern has a book club for fans of the famed American furniture artist and woodworker. Their Off the Shelf program digs into titles found on Esherick’s own bookshelves as well as tomes that celebrate his work — he’s recognized as the father of the Studio Furniture Movement, known for one-of-a-kind pieces. On the reading list: “I Build a Building,” a short story by Esherick, for March, and Nella Larsen’s Passing for April.
Say “I do”
A wedding at Penn Museum / Photograph courtesy of Penn Museum
Most museums offer venue rentals and catering for weddings. One of the most popular is the Barnes (currently booking for 2027), but we’re also loving the newly renovated Penn Museum’s upper level, complete with 100-year-old terrazzo floors. Get in before July 2027, when the space will close for two years to begin a transformation into the Ancient Egypt and Nubia galleries.
Published as “Beyond the Exhibits” in the February 2026 issue of Philadelphia magazine.
