Things to Do in Philadelphia with Kids — Family Events & Weekend Planner

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This weekend in Philadelphia

Updated for the weekend of August 15–16.

• Philadelphia Folk Festival — Old Pool Farm, Harleysville · Sat, August 15
• Reptile Smiles with Churchville Nature Center | Grades 3+ — Community Room, Bensalem · Sat, August 15 · Free
• Sewing Machine 101 — Delaware County Library System, Media · Sat, August 15
• Novel Knockout Smash Bros. Tournament — NPL Community Room, Norristown · Sat, August 15
• Once Upon a Garden: Storytime at Chanticleer — Offsite, Media · Sat, August 15
• Family Nature Program — Philadelphia Parks and Recreation, Philadelphia · Sat, August 15 · Free
• Family Storytime — Free Library of Philadelphia, Philadelphia · Sat, August 15 · Free
• Tot Spot: Toddler Tunes — Nature’s Pond, Main Level, Philadelphia · Sat, August 15
• Chalk the Walk: Unearth a Story — Front Lawn, Media · Sat, August 15
• Family Saturday Storytime — Children's Room, Media · Sat, August 15

See the full Philadelphia weekend guide →

Annual traditions in Philadelphia

• Linvilla Orchards Apple Picking — August, Linvilla Orchards. Linvilla grows more than 25 apple varieties across 20 acres of orchards in Media, about 30 minutes south of Philadelphia. Apple picking starts in early August with the earliest varieties and runs through the fall as later varieties ripen into November. The farm pairs picking with hayrides, barnyard animals, a playground, fishing, train rides, and pony rides, so the orchard trip doubles as a full day out.
• Philadelphia Folk Festival — August, Old Pool Farm. One of the longest-running folk festivals in North America, held every August on the Old Pool Farm about 45 minutes outside Philadelphia. Seven stages of traditional and contemporary folk run from late morning to midnight, wrapped around craft vendors, food trucks, educational workshops, camping and hands-on activities for all ages. Presented by the Philadelphia Folksong Society; children under 5 get in free with an adult.
• Pumpkinland at Linvilla Orchards — September, Linvilla Orchards. Pumpkinland has been a fall tradition at Linvilla Orchards for more than 50 years, growing out of a harvest display Peg Linvill built for the Philadelphia Horticultural Society's Harvest Show in 1971. The hand-made displays, still built each year by the farm's art department, retell the legends and lore of the harvest season along with local history, and include Peggy Ann, the world's largest rag doll from the 1985 Guinness Book of World Records. Grounds admission is free; hayrides, pony rides, straw bale and corn mazes, apple blasters, train rides, and face painting are ticketed separately, and jack-o-lanterns are lit nightly from late October.
• Shady Brook Farm FallFest — September, Shady Brook Farm. Shady Brook Farm on Stony Hill Road in Yardley runs FallFest from mid-September through the end of October. The festival field has more than 25 attractions included with admission, among them the BEARS Playground, the Big Swing, a chalk truck, a chicken show, and the Alien Encounter, plus a pick-your-own pumpkin patch and a zinnia garden priced separately. After dark the farm adds the Eerie Illuminations light show, a moonlit maze, a haunted barn, bonfires, and live music.
• LumiNature at Philadelphia Zoo — December, Philadelphia Zoo. The Philadelphia Zoo's annual nature-inspired holiday light show: more than a million lights, wildlife light sculptures, a Ferris wheel, and Santa's Lodge across 42 acres from November through early January.
• Holiday Garden Railway — December, Morris Arboretum & Gardens. Model trains winding past miniature Philadelphia landmarks built from pinecones, bark, and other natural materials at Morris Arboretum, a beloved family tradition since 1998 running from late November through December.