Entry No. 2 — the Philadelphia file — filed under: oddities

Wagner Free Institute of Science

A Victorian natural-history hall that time simply skipped: 100,000+ specimens — fossils, glowing minerals, mounted skeletons — still sit in their original 1891 wood-and-glass cases, arranged by Joseph Leidy to walk visitors from simple organisms up through Darwin's tree of life, exactly as they were 130+ years ago.

The move: Climb the stairs to the second-floor exhibit hall (no elevator, part of the charm), grab the self-guided scavenger hunt sheet, and sketch from the specimen cases together — sketching is explicitly encouraged and it's free and usually empty on a weekday afternoon.

• 📍 Lower North Philadelphia (Brewerytown/Fairmount border)
• 💸 $$
• ⚡ Up for anything
• 🌗 Indoors

Where: 1700 W. Montgomery Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19121

Hours: Added 2026-07-19 — confirm current hours before you go.

Plan a visit & invite your people →

Further reading: Official site · Wikipedia

last checked: 2026-07-19