April First Saturday Open House—Spring Fest!

Flowers are blooming, pollinators are buzzing, and the days are getting longer. Join the Wagner Museum and our community partners, The Discovery Center, The Land Health Institute, and the Sanctuary Farm, in spotting the different signs of spring!

Outside in the Wagner's yard, observe the shapes, sizes, and colors of different native flowers with The Land Health Institute. Then get an up-close look at a buzzing bee colony with Sanctuary Farm's real-life observation hive! In addition to observing, engage your creative skills by drawing animal-track patterns on fabric bandanas, pulling inspiration from animal tracks found in the Wagner's yard. The Wagner will have binoculars, magnifying glasses, natural identification guides, and friendly staff on hand to help visitors learn from the different natural resources in our yard.

Inside the museum, see the colors of spring among our 100,000+ natural history specimens, including local birds like the Purple Martin, Yellow-winged Sparrow, and American Goldfinch. Additionally, members from The Discovery Center will give a lively presentation in the Wagner’s lecture hall at 1PM and again at 3PM on the vital role of native pollinators and native plants in supporting both environmental health and community well-being. The talk will explore the role of pollinators in contributing to ecosystem resilience, local agriculture, and biodiversity. The talk will end with a brief introduction to iNaturalist, an online community science tool.

Families will also be able to choose books at variety of different reading levels to read in the yard and take home, thanks to donations from Tree House Books!

The Exhibit Hall will also be open from 12 - 4pm for self-guided exploration of the natural history collection throughout the day. Explore our 100,000 natural history specimens, including ancient fossils, glowing minerals and animals from around the globe. Visitors can wander at their own pace, follow the path of one of our themed scavenger hunts, or even fill in a coloring page with images from the Wagner's library!

Walk-ins are welcome! Advance registration merely speeds your entry to the museum. Visitors who register in advance do not need to present their registration or a confirmation email at the desk—just your name!

Thank you to our partners!

is a nonprofit based in the West Parkside neighborhood of Philadelphia providing at-the-source environmental education and community-based land revitalization.

is a non-profit organization and urban farm providing free, fresh, organically grown produce and implementing programs that enhance the health and well-being of our community members.

a partnership between The National Audubon Society and the Philadelphia Outward Bound School, protects a unique habitat rarely found in a major urban area while providing environmental education and adventure programs.

Tree House Books is a Giving Library and Literacy Center headquartered in North Philadelphia that provides free books to children and families and provides different literacy building programs.

• Walk-in visitors are welcome. Advance registration is appreciated and will speed up your entry to the museum.
• There is no coat check or place to stow personal items – please travel light.
• The museum is located on the second floor of the building. There are 5 steps at the entryway and a flight of stairs to access the museum. It is not wheelchair accessible.
• To protect the specimens and our historic interiors, photography is not allowed in the museum. Open containers of food and drink are not permitted in the building.
• The Institute does not have a parking lot. Street parking on Montgomery Avenue and 17th Street is free. There is 2-hour free parking on Bouvier Street and on many blocks near the Wagner and metered parking on Cecil B. Moore Avenue. The nearest parking garage is at the Liacouras Center on 15th Street and Montgomery Avenue.

A dream that keeps growing…

In 1855, William Wagner had a dream of providing free science education to anyone who wanted to learn, regardless of background or ability to pay. Today, the Wagner offers more programs to more people than ever before! Your support helps us provide free education, not only through the museum, but through a wide range of courses, lectures, field trips, and children’s science programs. Donations also assist us in caring for the museum and library collections and in preserving our wonderful building, which was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1990. To learn more about what we do please visit our website.

Registration Information

In keeping with its original charter, admission is FREE—donations are suggested to ensure the future and quality of Wagner's free education programs and to preserve its National Landmark building and collections.

Suggested Donations

$25/Family

$10/adult

$5/student

For any questions, please email [email protected] or call 215-763-6529 x17.

If you are a group leader and wish to bring a group of 10 or more to the program, please email our museum educator, [email protected] or call 215-763-6529 x17.

If you would like to check your membership status or become a member, please email [email protected] or call 215-763-6529 x11.

Host or Publisher Wagner Free Institute of Science