Wagner Free Institute of Science

Wagner Free Institute of Science Where little has changed but the century! A free Victorian era natural history museum in Philadelphia

Founded in 1855, the Wagner Free Institute of Science is dedicated to providing free public education in science. Its programs include free courses and lectures, field trips and lessons for children and museum tours for all ages. The evening science courses are in their 157th year, making them the oldest program devoted to free adult education in the United States. The Institute also has a strong

commitment to children’s science education and offers a range of programs for school groups and through partnerships with neighboring schools and community groups. The Institute’s Museum houses more than 100,000 natural history specimens, a collection begun by founder William Wagner in the early nineteenth century and expanded by the pre-eminent scientist Joseph Leidy in the 1880s. Completed in 1865, the Institute’s National Historic Landmark building is essentially unchanged since the late-nineteenth century and includes a Victorian Exhibition Hall filled with fossils, shells, minerals and mounted animal skeletons and skins displayed in original wood and glass cabinets. The Museum is open to visitors Tuesdays - Fridays, 9 AM to 4 PM, year-round. Evening and weekend programs are offered during the fall, winter and spring.

06/18/2026

A rare find in the archives this week: a letter from one of the Wagner’s trustees, Joseph Wilcox, which details catching one of the big tarpons on display in the Exhibit Hall!

06/16/2026

The Wagner is excited to join Wawa Welcome America's 2026 Free Museum Days! Come down to the Wagner June 30th from 9:30am - 4:30pm and explore our National Historic Building! Browse our 100,000+ natural history collection including florescent minerals, fossils, shells, insects, taxidermy birds and animals from around the globe.

In addition, the Wagner is hosting a special free Collections Tour with our Executive Director Susan Glassman at 3 pm. Visitors will learn how different specimens arrived at the Wagner and how the combined collection illustrates themes of scientific discovery in the 19th century.

Pre-registration for the tour is currently full, however walk-on spots will be available on a first-come, first served basis on the 30th. Read more here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/wawa-welcome-america-250thcollections-tour-registration-1989393691083?aff=FB

Read the full list of participating museums here: https://july4thphilly.com/eventcat/freemuseumdays/

06/09/2026

Beyond all the special perks, joining the Wagner preserves our landmark building and irreplaceable collections, while keeping science education free for everyone!

Become a member today and attend our upcoming Annual Member Reception this Thursday, June 11th from 7:30-8:30pm. The reception is free for members and $15 for guests.

The reception follows our Weeknights lecture Ordering the Cosmos: Charles Willson Peale and The Philadelphia Museum with Robert McCracken Peck. The talk will begin at 6pm with the reception to follow from 7:30-8:30pm in the Exhibit Hall. Enjoy beverages, light fare, and chat amongst the collection!

To become a member, sign up online at wagnerfreeinstitute.org/membership.

To sign up for the lecture/member reception, visit the link in our bio.

Beyond special perks like member discounts, joining the Wagner preserves our landmark building and irreplaceable collect...
06/09/2026

Beyond special perks like member discounts, joining the Wagner preserves our landmark building and irreplaceable collections, while keeping science education free for everyone!

Become a member today and attend our upcoming Annual Member Reception this Thursday, June 11th from 7:30-8:30pm. The reception is free for members and $15 for guests.

The reception follows our Weeknights lecture Ordering the Cosmos: Charles Willson Peale and The Philadelphia Museum with Robert McCracken Peck. The talk will begin at 6pm with the reception to follow from 7:30-8:30pm in the Exhibit Hall. Enjoy beverages, light fare, and chat amongst the collection!

To become a member, sign up online at wagnerfreeinstitute.org/membership.

To sign up for the lecture/member reception, visit: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ordering-the-cosmos-charles-willson-peale-and-the-philadelphia-museum-registration-1987137235965?aff=fb

Meadows, wetlands, woodlands—our recent Geokids fieldtrip to Awbury Arboretum had it all! Our 3rd graders have been lear...
06/04/2026

Meadows, wetlands, woodlands—our recent Geokids fieldtrip to Awbury Arboretum had it all! Our 3rd graders have been learning about how different organisms survive in different environments, and were able to use their classroom learning to point out adaptive traits in the chickens, goats, and bees we saw on the farm!

For 30 years our GeoKids program has brought hands-on science to students at 5 North Philly schools—in their classrooms, in labs, at the Wagner and at natural sites across the city.

Science on Tap - Philadelphia is BACK next Monday at National Mechanics!Travel to the Galápagos Islands with science edu...
06/03/2026

Science on Tap - Philadelphia is BACK next Monday at National Mechanics!

Travel to the Galápagos Islands with science educator Matt Downing, who spent a year navigating the archipelago as a certified naturalist guide in 1978. Drawing on firsthand experience, he will explore why the Galápagos became one of the world's greatest natural laboratories for the study of evolution.

This event will take place Monday, June 8th from 6 - 7pm at National Mechanics. Science on Tap is a free event and seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis. Read more about the event at https://www.scienceontapphilly.com/events/the-galpagos-islands-evolutionary-insights

Pictured: Mr. Downing and his now wife Susie getting friendly with tortoises in the Galápagos.

05/29/2026

Philadelphia is home to many landmarks that built a nation. But beyond it's political history, the city was also the site of one of America's earliest museums—Charles Willson Peale’s Philadelphia Museum, which combined art and natural science.

Join us Thursday, June 11th from 6 - 7:30pm for Ordering the Cosmos—Charles Willson Peale and The Philadelphia Museum, an America 250 edition of Weeknights at the Wagner by Robert McCracken Peck.

In 1790, Charles Willson Peale opened a museum containing "objects of natural history and things useful and curious" to represent the culmination of a long and distinguished career in art and science that made Peale one of the most remarkably versatile figures of his age. Using images of Peale's collections of paintings and artifacts, Peck will place the museum in its broader cultural, artistic and scientific context in post-revolutionary America.

After the lecture, attendees are encouraged to stay for the Wagner’s Annual Member Reception with wine & nibbles in the Exhibit Hall. Enjoy refreshments, exchange ideas with fellow members, and explore the Wagner's vast natural history collection at this special evening event. The lecture is free for everyone. The reception is free for current members and $15 for guests.

Learn more and register for the lecture, the reception, or both here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/ordering-the-cosmos-charles-willson-peale-and-the-philadelphia-museum-registration-1987137235965?aff=fb

Are you attending the American Alliance of Museums Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo this year? Us too! The Wagner will be ope...
05/19/2026

Are you attending the American Alliance of Museums Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo this year? Us too! The Wagner will be open from 9:30 - 4:30pm this Tuesday, Thursday, Friday and 1:00 - 4:30pm this Wednesday. As a part of AAM's program, annual meeting attendees receive free admission to the Wagner (as always!) and enjoy 10% off in the giftshop.

Now's your chance to browse our expansive natural history collection and take a souvenir home with you! See you soon!

get a girl that can do all 3
05/12/2026

get a girl that can do all 3

A big thank you to all who came to our open house last Saturday! We made colorful owl masks, learned birding tips from o...
05/06/2026

A big thank you to all who came to our open house last Saturday! We made colorful owl masks, learned birding tips from our friends at , and even spotted some flying friends in the yard like a Northern Flicker! (Some, like the Great Blue Heron, or the Red-Tailed Hawk, were made of cardboard. But that's beside the point.)

We hope to see you in the museum again soon!

Address

1700 W Montgomery Avenue
Philadelphia, PA
19121

Opening Hours

Tuesday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Wednesday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Thursday 9:30am - 4:30pm
Friday 9:30am - 4:30pm

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