Please Touch Museum

Please Touch Museum showing signage and a city
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A hands-on museum is where children can play, learn and make noise as much as they want.

This is a museum even the youngest children will love. Everything in the Please Touch Museum is 100 percent interactive, including the exhibitions and performances. Kids can touch, splash, jump and make noise as much as they want. It’s still a museum, though, and youngsters will learn a lot about culture, the workings of machines and animals while having fun. Adults are encouraged to join in the fun, too!

The museum is housed in Fairmount Park’s Memorial Hall, one of the few remaining buildings from the World’s Fair in 1876. The Centennial Exploration Exhibit is a journey back in time to show you the Expo. The stylish columns of the old building contrast with the colorful playgrounds of the Please Touch Museum. Children will love the fact that the museum has swapped historical objects behind glass for fun toys to play with. It is not all modern though one of the most popular attractions is the restored carousel from 1908.

Children up to three years old can run around Nature’s Pond to discover animals nestled in the grass, or the Fairytale Garden’s exhibit of stories and nursery rhymes. Live theater will get them involved in acting and Move It has cars with freewheeling toddlers in the hot seat. Older kids will enjoy splashing with boats at the River Adventures exhibit. Don’t be late for the chance to play croquet with the Queen of Spades and have tea with the Mad Hatter at the Alice in Wonderland-themed maze.

To visit, head to Fairmount Park on the west bank of the Schuylkill River. It’s easily accessible by car and public transport from downtown. The museum is open daily, and gets crowded during school holidays and wet weather, but this sometimes adds to the fun because there will be plenty of kids to play with. Note that the “play professionals” who work in the museum are not there for day care, so stay with your children at all times. There is an in-house cafeteria for lunch.

Compare 1,927 hotels close to Please Touch Museum with room rates, reviews, and availability. Most hotels are fully refundable.

Philly Inn & Suites
Philly Inn & Suites
2 out of 5
4444 City Ave, Philadelphia, PA, 19131
The price is $108 per night from Mar 30 to Mar 31
$108
per night
Mar 30 - Mar 31
Stay at this hotel in Philadelphia. Enjoy free WiFi, onsite parking, and a 24-hour front desk. Popular attractions Mann Center for the Performing Arts and Fairmount ...
8.2/10 Very Good! (369 reviews)
"Nice and clean property with very friendly and helpful staff."

Reviewed on Mar 23, 2023

Philly Inn & Suites
Club Quarters Hotel Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia
Club Quarters Hotel Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia
4 out of 5
1628 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA, 19103
The price is $138 per night from Apr 2 to Apr 3
$138
per night
Apr 2 - Apr 3
Stay at this 4-star business-friendly hotel in Philadelphia. Enjoy free WiFi, a fitness center, and valet parking. Our guests praise the helpful staff and the ...
8/10 Very Good! (2,567 reviews)
"Hotel was great, parking sucked."

Reviewed on Mar 24, 2023

Club Quarters Hotel Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia
Sonesta Philadelphia Rittenhouse Square
Sonesta Philadelphia Rittenhouse Square
4 out of 5
1800 Market St, Philadelphia, PA, 19103
Fully refundableReserve now, pay when you stay
The price is $152 per night from Mar 26 to Mar 27
$152
per night
Mar 26 - Mar 27
Stay at this 4-star business-friendly hotel in Philadelphia. Enjoy free WiFi, an outdoor pool, and breakfast. Our guests praise the helpful staff and the clean ...
8.4/10 Very Good! (1,183 reviews)
Location
"Great location next to many shops and restaurants. Walls are somewhat thin and you can hear noise in hallway or using bathroom/shower next door. Clean or clean enough. Could be better around and under bathroom vanity and toilet: saw strands of hair, not ours."

Reviewed on Mar 24, 2023

Sonesta Philadelphia Rittenhouse Square
Lowest nightly price found within the past 24 hours based on a 1 night stay for 2 adults. Prices and availability subject to change. Additional terms may apply.

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Best Lodging Options Near Please Touch Museum

Philly Inn & Suites
Philly Inn & Suites
2 out of 5
4444 City Ave, Philadelphia, PA, 19131
Philly Inn & Suites
Club Quarters Hotel Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia
Club Quarters Hotel Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia
4 out of 5
1628 Chestnut St, Philadelphia, PA, 19103
Club Quarters Hotel Rittenhouse Square, Philadelphia
Sonesta Philadelphia Rittenhouse Square
Sonesta Philadelphia Rittenhouse Square
4 out of 5
1800 Market St, Philadelphia, PA, 19103
Sonesta Philadelphia Rittenhouse Square
Motto by Hilton Philadelphia Rittenhouse Square
Motto by Hilton Philadelphia Rittenhouse Square
3.5 out of 5
31 S 19th St, Philadelphia, PA, 19103
Motto by Hilton Philadelphia Rittenhouse Square
Homewood Suites by Hilton University City
Homewood Suites by Hilton University City
3 out of 5
4109 Walnut St, Philadelphia, PA, 19104
Homewood Suites by Hilton University City
Sonder The Sloan
Sonder The Sloan
4014 Ludlow Street, Philadelphia, PA, 19104
Sonder The Sloan
Homewood Suites by Hilton Philadelphia-City Avenue
Homewood Suites by Hilton Philadelphia-City Avenue
3 out of 5
4200 City Ave, Philadelphia, PA, 19131
Homewood Suites by Hilton Philadelphia-City Avenue
The Study at University City
The Study at University City
4 out of 5
20 S 33rd Street, University City, Philadelphia, PA, 19104
The Study at University City
The Windsor Suites
The Windsor Suites
4 out of 5
1700 Ben Franklin Pkwy, Philadelphia, PA, 19103
The Windsor Suites
Lowest nightly price found within the past 24 hours based on a 1 night stay for 2 adults. Prices and availability subject to change. Additional terms may apply.