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Museum highlights, walking tours, a young Ben Franklin, and lots more
Your September guide to 250th Anniversary events in the Philadelphia area
With students back in school and vacation now just photos and a credit card bill, Philadelphians can spend more time exploring the local scene. Let’s dive into 250th-themed happenings in September.
The city’s yearlong observance of “Firstivals” continues every Saturday, with many notable September destinations. Observe the First Signing of the Constitution (1787) at the National Constitution Center on September 5, and the First Continental Congress (1774) on September 12 at Carpenters Hall (a building used by the Founding Fathers which was, fittingly, designed for the people who literally built this city). Mark the First Naming of the United States (1776) at Independence Hall on September 19 (spoiler alert: they went with The United States of America, though there must have been some debate), and celebrate Philadelphia Ronald McDonald House (3925 Chestnut Street) on September 26. In 1974, the Philly site became the nation’s first because of its proximity to the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
You can also join the Bells Across Philadelphia Scavenger Hunt. Find the 25 Liberty Bell replicas in Philadelphia from the statewide Bells Across PA project, and mark them in the Access Philly app (you can download it from this city site). Find five, 10, or 20 to enter the running for prizes.
Meanwhile, the Historic Germantown OnePass is still available until September 26. Fridays and Saturdays, between noon and 4pm, visit any of nine museums and historic sites, such as the Ebenezer Maxwell Mansion, the Lest We Forget Slavery Museum, or Germantown Historical Society’s archive at 5501 Germantown Avenue, across from the Market Square where Martha Washington used to shop.
Tours and multi-site adventures
African-American History Walking Tour of Philadelphia: Original Black History
Saturdays, September 5, 12, 19, 26
With the federal government trying to reshape our access to history, the Original Black History Tour is a way to save the truth. Learn about the 1793 Fugitive Slave Act and spend 90 minutes visiting important spots on the abolitionist journey. Live tours ($21.20-$37.10) are happening every Saturday throughout the end of the year, or you can snag your own audio tour for $14.99.
Historic Germantown 250th Stamp Rally
September 12-November 14
Visit historic sites in Germantown, collect a stamp at each location, and you might win something at the November 14 finale. Participating locations include Historic Germantown/Germantown Historic Society, the Germantown United CDC G-Town Gathering at Grumblethorpe, and even the Honey Fest at Wyck Historic House & Garden. Look out for more details in our October 250th roundup.
Cliveden of the National Trust
6401 Germantown Avenue
Spotlight Tour: Revolutionary Germantown
Saturday, September 12, 10:30am-noon
Take a walking tour of nearby sites to find out “what happened during and after the Battle of Germantown.” Admission is $20 ($10 if your ZIP is 19119 or 19144).
JAWNTS: North Philly: Civil Rights, History, and Freedom Fighters
September 18-20
Tour North Philadelphia as a center of Black culture and the fight for civil rights.
Museum picks
Museum of the American Revolution
101 S. 3rd Street
MOAR is offering free admission for kids 12 and under throughout Labor Day Weekend (September 5-7). Book here.
National Constitution Center
525 Arch Street
First Amendment Day
Wednesday, September 9, 10am-5pm
The first annual First Amendment Day features free museum admission and a full day of activities celebrating the guarantee of freedom of speech, and what that can mean. There’s even a townhall on The First Amendment and Artificial Intelligence (1:15pm; attend online or in person; it’s free). At 6:30pm, the event expands to the Kimmel Center’s Marian Anderson Hall, for The First at 250 With Governors Spencer Cox and Josh Shapiro. Cox (R-UT) joins our own Governor Shapiro to discuss the First Amendment on the occasion of the big 250. Lulu Garcia-Navarro of The New York Times moderates. It’s free, but reserve a seat.
Michener Art Museum
38 S. Pine Street, Doylestown, PA
Lecture: The Crossing Reimagined
Wednesday, September 16, 1pm
In keeping with its Semiquincentennial exhibit, The Crossing: Picturing the American Revolution (through January 10, 2027), the Michener’s chief curator Laura Igoe will delve into Emanuel Leutze’s 1851 painting Washington Crossing the Delaware: the “historical realities” and “the individuals and stories absent from Leutze’s composition.”
Franklin Court
314-318 Market Street (or enter from Chestnut Street)
Free Admission: Benjamin Franklin Museum
Sunday, September 6, 9am-5pm
Underneath Franklin Court is a museum designed during the 1976 Bicentennial, and still a hidden national treasure. (Not to be confused with the Franklin Institute.)
Readings and stories
Independence National Historical Park
520 Chestnut Street (South side of Independence Hall)
The Declaration of Independence
August 31-September 7, 3:45pm
September kicks off with a weeklong celebration of the Declaration of Independence, including a daily reading on the shady Walnut Street side of Independence Hall.
Franklin Court
314-318 Market Street (or enter from Chestnut Street)
Franklin Under the Mulberry
September 4-6, 1pm and 2:30pm
In this live storytelling performance, a young Ben Franklin opens up about his travels, inventions, and his political career. It’s free.
Colonial Kids Quest Puppet Show
18th Century Garden, 339 Walnut Street
Saturday, September 5, 11:30 am and 12:30pm (30 minutes)
In this free, “interactive, light-hearted puppet show adventure” for youngsters, talking animals search for a missing copy of the Declaration of Independence.
Other 250 festivities
Morris Arboretum
100 E Northwestern Avenue
Garden Railway: Revolutionary Philly
Through September 30
The miniature train landscape at Morris is always impressive, but this summer they’ve replaced some of the handcrafted models of familiar Philadelphia landmarks with models of Revolutionary Era scenarios, such as the Battle of Germantown. Included with arboretum admission; tickets are available here.
First Bank of the United States
120 S. Third Street
Washington’s Farewell
Thursday, September 17
Come to a farewell sendoff for General Washington. It’s a recreation of a party at City Tavern closing the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Reportedly, the bar tab that night was $16,000 in today’s currency. $40 tickets include food and drinks.
Independence Mall
Movies on the Mall: Hamilton
Friday, September 18; pre-show activities start at 5:30pm
Enjoy the popular film recording of the original Broadway production of Lin Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton on the lawn at Independence Mall, surrounded by history (and dads unnecessarily pointing out the musical is largely set in New York). Free, but save your spot.
At top: A young Ben Franklin will greet September visitors with stories from his own life in a free storytelling event at Franklin Court. (Photo courtesy of En Route for Historic Philadelphia, Inc.)
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