Summer @ the Wagner - Friday Afternoon Guided Tours - Fossils

The Wagner Free Institute of Science is a National Historic Landmark natural history museum, with more than 100,000 specimens on display in its historic Exhibition Hall.

Every specimen in the collection has its own story to tell. There are smaller stories of how each specimen arrived at the Wagner and larger stories about evolution, religion, and humans' place in the universe. This guided tour offers a special opportunity to learn more about our specimens, why the exhibit hall is arranged the way it is, and how our museum reflects social and intellectual histories of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Each week, the tour will begin in the Lecture Hall with a presentation on the founding and history of the Wagner, followed by a guided tour of the museum that will highlight the architecture of the building and some of the specimens on display. This week will focus on our large collection of fossils, including the saber-tooth tiger specimen found on a Wagner expedition!

After the tour, you can continue to explore our historic site and museum collections, including minerals, fossils, shells, insects, taxidermy birds and mammals. Themed scavenger hunts, drawing or coloring activities are available to guide you. Stop by our gift shop and pick up a geode to crack open, polished crystals for your collection, a vintage tea towel or your own copy of Historic Landmarks of Philadelphia--which features the Wagner!

The guided tour runs from 2:30 to 3:30 pm. All ages are welcome but the recommended age is 12 and up.

Tickets are not required to visit the museum but if you'd like to speed up your entry, sign up HERE. Advance registration for the guided tour reserves your place on the tour. Please register on this page. Sign-up will be available on the day of the tour if space is available.

Guided tour tickets are $20 for adults, $15 for members and seniors, $10 for students. Admission to the museum without a tour is free or a pay-as-you-wish donation.

• Walk-in visitors are welcome. Advance registration is appreciated and will speed up your entry to the museum. The museum opens at 9:30 am.

• Masks are recommended but not required.

• There is no coat check or place to stow personal items – please travel light.

• To protect the specimens and our historic interiors, photography is not allowed in the museum and 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 and metered parking is available on Bouvier Street and Cecil B. Moore.

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.

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.

Guided tour tickets:

$20/adult

$15/member or senior

$10/student

For any questions, please email [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.

Images: an overview of Wagner's Exhibition Hall by David Graham & a closer up view of the museum displays by Rob Cardillo.

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

Wagner Free Institute of Science, 1700 W Montgomery Ave, Philadelphia, United States