By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times
As usual, there is a wide array of special events on this weekend’s calendar – diverse enough to include a canal fest, a massive Celtic festival, a birthday party for an orangutan, a Chinese Lantern festival, an ice cream festival, tasting sessions at wineries and Wawa Welcomes America’s headlong rush in next weekend’s Independence Day holiday weekend.The Schuylkill Canal Association’s Canal Day has evolved into one of the area’s traditional early summer events — an event that is always staged on the last Sunday in June.
Mont Clare, which is located just across the Schuylkill River from Phoenixville, will be hosting its 42nd Annual Canal Day on June 29.
Canal Day will run from 11 a.m.-5 p.m. at Lock 60 and in St. Michael’s Park (Mont Clare, 610-917-0021, http://www.schuylkillcanal.org).
The festival will have food vendors, kids’ games and crafts, “Canal Stories and Songs,” a kids’ fishing derby and face painting.
The one-day festival, which is free but has a $5 parking fee.
As part of Historic Philadelphia’s anniversary celebration at Franklin Square (200 Sixth Street, Philadelphia, phillychineselanternfestival.com), the organization is illuminating the park with its annual “Philadelphia Chinese Lantern Festival in Franklin Square.”Now through August 31, Franklin Square will come alive every night with its Chinese Lantern Festival featuring more than two dozen illuminated lanterns – all constructed by lantern artisans from China.
In addition to the gorgeous light installations, visitors can enjoy live cultural stage performances, see the choreographed fountain light show in the historic Rendell Family Fountain, taste expanded food and drink options including Asian cuisine and American comfort food, drink a toast at the Dragon Beer Garden, and shop for Chinese folk artists’ crafts created on site as well as Festival-themed merchandise.
Guests can also play Philly Mini Golf and ride the Parx Liberty Carousel at a discounted rate. A portion of the proceeds from the festival benefits Historic Philadelphia, Inc. for the programming and care of this important public space and its many year-round free events.
Chinese-inspired performances will take place in Franklin Square twice nightly. Performances, which celebrate Chinese performance art and entertainment, are 30-minutes long and are scheduled for 7 and 9 p.m.
Festival hours are 6-11 p.m. Admission is $25 for adults ($28 on Saturday and Sunday), $23/$26 for youth, and $10 for children.
Philadelphia Zoo (3400 West Girard Avenue, Philadelphia, www.philadelphiazoo.org) is hosting Jambi’s First Birthday Celebration on June 28 and 29.
As America’s first zoo, Philadelphia Zoo has over 160 years of experience in conserving wildlife, caring for animals, and educating our communities. Home to more than 1,900 rare and endangered animals, the Zoo continues to reach new heights, offering award-winning animal exhibits, state-of-the-art healthcare facilities, award-winning education and conservation programs, and exceptional guest services, making it one of the most renowned zoos in the world.
“Jambi’s First Birthday Celebration” is an event to honor Jambi the orangutan’s first birthday.
The Philadelphia Zoo will celebrate with a weekend of fun birthday activities, themed treats, and free samples of Jambi’s Java.
Ellis Coffee will be onsite on June 28 from 9:30 a.m.-1 p.m. serving hot and iced samples of Jambi’s Java – the Zoo’s Rainforest Alliance Certified, single-origin Sumatran coffee, roasted in partnership with the Philadelphia Zoo.
Visitors can also enter to win a one-of-a-kind painting created by the Zoo’s Sumatran orangutan family Sugi, Tua and baby Jambi. Every dollar donated earns you one chance to win. All funds raised will support the care of these critically endangered primates.
Zoo admission prices start at $25 for adults.
Ice Cream Festival
On June 28, one of the first celebrations of summer will be the Ice Cream Festival at Rockwood Park (4651 Washington Street Extension, Wilmington, Delaware, ro******@***de.org).
Unlike the Rockwood Ice Cream festivals in pre-pandemic days, this pared-down version of the Ice Cream Festival is a low-key one-day event. Guests are invited to bring picnic lunch, chairs and blankets to relax outdoors at beautiful Rockwood Park.
The festival will feature the shops of First State Flea Market, live music by local acts, a Beer & Wine Garden and, of course, a lot of ice cream.
The festival, which runs from 1-9 p.m., has a huge selection of treats – Woodside Farm Creamery, Dino’s Ice Cream Truck, Kona Ice, UDairy Creamery, The Ice Cream Shoppe, Paleteria Y Neveria Tocumbo, Marvelicious Water Ice, Cup R Cone, Fusco’s Water Ice, Bruster’s of Wilmington, Cajun-Sno and Martin Concessions.
Live music will be performed by Jenni Schick, Gretchen Emery Band, Nic Snow, JD Webb, The Blues Reincarnation Project and Fuzzaholics.
Tickets are $5.
This weekend, the Mount Hope Estate & Winery (Route 72, Cornwall, 717-665-7021, www.PaRenFaire.com) will host its 26th Annual International Celtic Fling and Highland Games at the winery’s fairgrounds in Cornwall. The event will be held June 28 and 29.
The Celtic Fling will also feature a variety of Celtic music acts including Ally the Piper, Brandon Kennedy, Cassie & Maggie, Celtic Rebels, Hadrian’s Wall, Hold Fast, Kinnfolk, Poor Man’s Gambit, Quittapahilla Highlanders, Runa, Seasons, Syr and Waking Finnegan.The festival, which celebrates traditional and contemporary Celtic heritage, features the music, food and culture of all the Celtic nations — Welsh, Cornish, Manx, Bretons, Galecians/Asturians and, of course, Irish and Scottish.
Attractions this year include more than 50 musical performances, competitions and demonstrations, a full slate of live entertainment and the Ceilidh (grand finale of music and dance).
The competitive Highland Games focus on traditional competition events such as “Tossing the Caber”, “Weight for Distance”, “Hammer Throw” and “Putting the Stone”. There will also Irish dance competitions.
For the thirsty and the hungry, there will be more than 20 feast kitchens featuring a culinary tour of the Celtic Nations with traditional items. Some of the Celtic delicacies available for purchase at this weekend’s festival will be Highland Honey Mead, Scotch Eggs, Tiger Pie, Shepherd’s Pie, Haggis, Cottage Pie, Irish Potato & Leek Soup, Boxty and Corned Beef and Smoked Cabbage.
In addition to the 100-plus resident Renaissance Faire shops, there will be booths presented by more than 50 guest artisans and merchants with a wide array of unique items from imported Irish wools and Scottish tartans to Celtic souvenirs.
The event runs from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday with tickets priced $33.95 for adults and $13.95 for children (ages 5-11).
The 26th annual Celtic Fling & Highland Games at Mount Hope kicks off on June 27 at 5 p.m. with the Celtic Kick-Off Concert featuring some of the fest’s favorite performers along with delicious foods and refreshing beers, wines, ciders and spirits.
Tickets are $29.95.
Wawa Welcome America (july4thphilly.com/events) kicks into high gear next weekend but also has an attractive option this upcoming week – “Wawa Welcome America Free Museum Days.”
During the 2025 Wawa Welcome America celebration, 35 Philly institutions offer free (or pay-what-you-wish admission).
The participating venues are: Wagner Free Institute of Science, 1700 W. Montgomery Avenue; The Print Center, 1614 Latimer Street; Woodmere Art Museum, 9201 Germantown Avenue; Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center, 640 Waterworks Drive; Historic Rittenhouse Town, 208 Lincoln Drive; Wyck Historic House and Garden, 6026 Germantown Avenue; Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History, 101 S. Independence Mall East; Stenton, 4601 N. 18th Street; Masonic Temple, 1 North Broad Street; Science History Institute, 315 Chestnut Street; The Rosenbach, 2008-2010 Delancey Street; Paul Robeson House & Museum, 4951 Walnut Street; John Heinz National Wildlife Refuge at Tinicum, 8601 Lindbergh Boulevard; and Historic Strawberry Mansion, 2450 Strawberry Mansion Drive.
Contact each museum individually to find out which days they are participating.
Other events this weekend are “Gospel on Independence Concert” on June 27,
Concilio’s Annual Hispanic Fiesta on June 28, U.S. Army Band’s “Pershing’s Own” Concert + Fireworks on June 28 and “Celebration of Black Music Month + Fireworks” on June 29.
Weekday activities prior to next weekend are “Vet Fest” on July 1, “Movies on the Mall: Independence Day” on July 1, “All American Block Party” on July 2, “Salute to Service: The United States Army Field Band” on July 2, “Red, White, & Blue To-Do” on July 2 and “Pops on Independence” on July 3.
On select Saturday and Sundays now through July 27, the Chaddsford Winery (632 Baltimore Pike, Chadds Ford, 610-388-6221, http://www.chaddsford.com) is presenting “Reserve Tastings – Summer Sips.”
The winery staff is matching the intense heat and bold flavors of the season with exciting, crushable combinations. From delicious textures to a diverse range of fruity, floral, and herbaceous flavors, they are keeping visitors fresh and cool with these carefully curated, summer-approved pairings.
The winery’s trained staff will guide guests through a pre-selected tasting of five widely diverse wines from across the winery’s portfolio alongside artisan cheeses and other accoutrements.
During this intimate and educational 60-minute experience, they will discuss topics such as grape growing conditions at partner vineyards and the onsite winemaking process from production to aging and bottling.
The “Pairing Line Up” is Greeting Wine: ’23 Sparkling White; ’23 Chardonnay with Fresh Chevre and Basil-infused Olive Oil; ’24 Dry Rosé: Redux with Valley Milkhouse’s Honey Bell Cheese and Honey; ’21 Artisan Series Cabernet Franc with Goat Rodeo’s Hootenany Cheese and Blackberry Preserves; and White Sangria with Mango Salsa.
Reserve Tastings are $35 per person and offered only on select Saturdays and Sundays. There are three seatings per day – noon, 2 and 4 p.m. Advanced reservations are required and are non-refundable.
Penns Woods Winery (124 Beaver Valley Road, Chadds Ford, http://www.pennswoodswinery.com) is hosting a “Music Live in the Vineyard” today now through Sunday.
On June 27, Joe Nester will perform from 5-7:30 p.m.
Rick Caldwell Joe Nester will entertain visitors on June 28 from 2-5 p.m.
On June 29, Bill Hake will perform from 1-4 p.m.
The Nottingham Country Fair will be held on June 28 from 3-8 p.m. at Nottingham County Park (150 Park Road, Nottingham, /www.chesco.org/5212/Nottingham-Country-Fair).
The festival, which includes free admission and free parking, will feature live entertainment by Kenny Don’t Play and Oxford Center for Dance Performance.
The long list of activities includes Pie Eating Contest, Straw Bale Toss Contest, Craft Vendors, Wagon Rides, Pony Rides, Highland Cow, Pictures, Bubbletopia, Kids Inflatables, Face Painting, Kids Crafts, Photo Booth, Corn Hole, Giant Lawn Twister, Cow Tipping Race and 4H Animal Groups.
Participating food trucks are Smoke Signals BBQ, Petrucci’s Ice Cream, Creekside Coffee, Dixie’s Downhome Cooking, Mobile Eats on the Go, The Sip Squad, AJ Sweets and The Wheelie Bar.
Alcohol is prohibited and pets must be on a six-foot lead.
On June 28, East Goshen Townhip will present its annual Community Day at East Goshen Park (1661 Paoli Pike, West Chester, eastgoshen.org/park-and-rec).
Festival highlights include five moon bounces and inflatables, a football field worth of food trucks, JeffSTAT helicopter landing, pony rides and petting zoo, live music and community organization booths.
In partnership with the Brandywine Valley SCPA, East Goshen Townhip Community Day will hold is first “Puppy Bowl.” There will be two teams of cute pups with jerseys, a referee and more.
Guests are invited to come meet some adorable puppies that will be available for adoption.
The event is scheduled to start at 5 p.m. and conclude at dark with an amazing fireworks display.
The West Chester Railroad (610-430-2233, www.wcrailroad.com) is running its “Summer Picnic Special” on Sundays now through September.
Passengers can enjoy a train ride from West Chester to Glen Mills and return on a warm summer afternoon. Pack a lunch to have during our stop at the Glen Mills train station picnic grove.
The duration of the ride is 90 minutes.
Tickets are Adults, $25; children (ages 2-12), $20; children (under two), free.
This weekend, the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center (100 Station Avenue, Oaks, 484-754-3976, http://toomanygames.com) will present the “Too Many Games Expo.”
The festival, which runs now through June 29, is targeted for anyone interested in gaming — from Magic the Gathering and Pokemon card competitions to the vast world of video game consoles.
There will be all types of video gaming tournaments including Mario Kart 8, Mortal Kombat X, Super Smash Bros, Warlords and Pokémon Oras.
There will also be live music all three days. Some of the featured acts will be Rex Viper, Tiko, Super Monster Party, and Psychostick.
Visitors to the event are encouraged to dress up as their favorite characters for a chance to win prizes and to get their outfit on a Cartoon Network commercial.
Ticket prices start at $45.
Hope Lodge (553 South Bethlehem Pike, Fort Washington, 215-343-0965, http://www.ushistory.org/hope/) will be presenting a “Guided Mansion Tour” on June 29.
Hope Lodge was built between 1743 and 1748 by Samuel Morris, a prosperous Quaker entrepreneur. Morris acted as a farmer, shipowner, miller, iron master, shop owner, and owner of the mill now known as Mather Mill. Hope Lodge is an excellent example of early Georgian architecture, and it is possible that Edmund Woolley, architect of Independence Hall, offered advice in building. Samuel Morris owned the estate until his death in 1770.
Visitors can participate by watching a short film and then taking a tour. Guided tours of the mansion will depart at 1 and 2:30 p.m.
Tour admission is $8 for adults, $5 for seniors (age 65+) and for youth ages 6-17, and free for children under 5. Hope Lodge is a Blue Star Museum which means that active-duty military personnel, including National Guard and Reserve and their families, are admitted free for regular tours from Memorial Day through Labor Day.
If you like to look at model railroad layouts, then you should definitely check out the Garden Railway Display at the Morris Arboretum & Garden (100 Northwestern Avenue, Chestnut Hill, www.morrisarboretum.org).
The ultra-popular Garden Railway Display has become a major summer attraction at The Gardens at Morris Arboretum. The 26th annual edition of the display had its official season opening in late May and now will remain open until September 30.
This summer, Morris Arboretum will unveil a brand-new exhibition in its popular Garden Railway – “Garden Railway: Dinos!”
With more than 15 different rail lines running along a third of a mile of track, visitors will enjoy a spectacular display of dinosaurs including Triceratops, and Velociraptor, as well as other Mesozoic creatures—all made out of natural materials such as bark, leaves, and twigs.
As one of the largest outdoor miniature train displays in the United States, the Garden Railway will delight and amaze visitors of all ages.
The railway has a quarter mile of track featuring seven loops and tunnels with 15 different rail lines and two cable cars, nine bridges (including a trestle bridge you can walk under) and bustling model trains.
The buildings and the display are all made of natural materials – bark, leaves, twigs, hollow logs, mosses, acorns, dried flowers, seeds and stones – to form a perfectly proportioned miniature landscape complete with miniature rivers.
Philadelphia-area landmarks are all meticulously decorated for the holidays with lights that twinkle. There is even a masterpiece replica of Independence Hall are made using pinecone seeds for shingles, acorns as finials and twigs as downspouts.
Visitors will be able to see miniature replicas of iconic structures at some of America’s most famous public gardens including the Climatron at Missouri Botanical Garden, Torii Gate and Pavilion at Brooklyn Botanic Garden, Science Pyramid at Denver Botanic Gardens, and so much more.
The Garden Railway is celebrating 25 years with a new addition — 300 feet of track. This is the largest expansion of the Garden Railway since it was installed in 1998. The new looping section of track extends the total model rail trackage to a third of a mile, making it one of the largest outdoor model train displays in the country.
Admission is $20 for adults; $18 for seniors (65 and older); $10 for students (ages 13-17 or with ID), active military and retired military; and free for children (under 3).
A sweet place to enjoy flowers in bloom is Tyler Arboretum (515 Painter Road, Media, 610-566-9134, www.tylerarboretum.org).
The arboretum’s schedule for this weekend features the “Tyler After Dark Firefly Walk” at 8 p.m. on June 27 and “Saturday Wildflower Walk: Spring Edition” at 1 p.m. on June 28.
As dusk settles over the Arboretum on Friday evening, participants will head into the forest to explore fields, meadows, and forest edges — prime habitats for observing fireflies at this time of year.
Along the way, the tour guide will highlight seasonal features and points of natural interest. In addition to fireflies, walkers may encounter some of the nocturnal wildlife that call Tyler home.
This leisurely-paced hike is for adults and youth who are comfortable walking on uneven ground, which may include short stretches of steep trail.
On Saturday, guests can join wildflower expert Dick Cloud on an informative two-hour hike that takes them through meadows, woods, and occasionally streamside.
Although the focus is on plants, Cloud will talk about whatever participants might see while they are out.
Admission to Tyler Arboretum is $18 for adults (ages 18-64), $15 for seniors (65 and older) and $10 for children (ages 3-17) and Military with valid ID.
Newlin Grist Mill (219 South Cheyney Road, Glen Mills, 610-459-2359, www.newlingristmill.org) will host one of its monthly “Bird Walks” on June 28.
Guests are invited to join the Mill staff as they shift into ornithological mode.
Newlin Grist Mill and Wild Birds Unlimited (Glen Mills) have teamed up to explore the wonderful world of bird life.
Participants can join them for monthly naturalist-led walks through the 160-acre park at Newlin Grist Mill.
They will meet year-round (bird) residents, visit exciting migrants, and learn the basics of bird identification and biology.
Families and beginners are welcome for these free bird walks.
A limited number of binoculars are available for use, but participants are encouraged to bring their own if they have them.
Participants should meet in front of the Visitor Center.
The 2025 season is in full swing at Chanticleer (786 Church Street, Wayne, www.chanticleergarden.org).
The Chanticleer estate dates from the early 20th-century, when land along the Main Line of the Pennsylvania Railroad was developed for summer homes to escape the heat of Philadelphia.
Adolph Rosengarten, Sr., and his wife Christine chose the Wayne-St. Davids area to build their country retreat. The family’s pharmaceutical firm would become part of Merck & Company in the 1920s.
The Rosengartens hired architect and former classmate Charles L. Borie to design the house, which was completed in 1913. Landscape architect Thomas Sears designed the terraces as extensions of the house. A 1924 addition converted the summer home into a year-round residence and the family moved here permanently.
Admission to Chanticleer is $15 for adults and free for pre-teen children (12 years and under).
Andalusia Historic House, Gardens and Arboretum (1237 State Road, Andalusia, www.andalusiapa.org) is located on a wooded promontory overlooking the Delaware River.
It has been a stately presence on this stretch of water, just north of Philadelphia, for more than 200 years. The ancestral home of the Biddle family, Andalusia is also a natural paradise of native woodlands and spectacular gardens that have evolved over time.
Placed on the National Register of Historic Landmarks in 1966, the Big House — one of the finest examples of Greek Revival architecture in the United States — provides an unparalleled look into our nation’s past, while also offering a glimpse into the life of a family that helped to shape its future.
Its surrounding gardens delight the senses all through the year, from the tumbling, brightly colored leaves of fall to the floral extravaganza of spring and the abundance and scent of summer.
Self-Guided Garden Tours will be available Mondays through Wednesdays through November 4 (excluding holidays) at 10 a.m. or 1 p.m.
Historic Odessa (Main Street, Odessa, Delaware, 302-378-4119, www.historicodessa.org) is both a scenic and an historic site in Delaware.
In 2009, the foundation’s Corbit-Sharp House, a National Historic Landmark and a stop along the Harriet Tubman Underground Railroad Byway, was accepted into the National Underground Railroad Network to Freedom by the National Park Service, which evaluated the site as “making a significant contribution to the understanding of the Underground Railroad in American history.”
Odessa was a key player in the Underground Railroad both geographically on the border of freedom and in terms of its population of abolitionists.
Built in 1772 and one of Delaware’s most historic homes and important examples of Georgian architecture, the Corbit-Sharp House is one of nine sites, two programs and two facilities in Delaware on the National Park Service’s Network to Freedom.
Historic Odessa is open to the public from March through December, Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m.4:30 p.m. and Sunday from 1-4 p.m. The site is also open on Monday by reservation. General Admission: Adults, $10; Groups, Seniors, Students, $8; and Children under six are free.
Hagley Museum and Library (Buck Road East entrance via Route 100, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-658-2400, www.hagley.org), a 230-acre historical village on the site of the original du Pont Company gunpowder mills in northern Delaware, has a popular ongoing attraction – “Nation of Inventors.”
“Nation of Inventors” celebrates the American spirit of ingenuity by taking visitors on a journey from the early years of the patent system, in the 1790s, through the “golden age” of American invention, in the late 1800s. The exhibit features more than 120 patent models from Hagley’s acclaimed collection highlighting the diverse stories of inventors from all walks of life.
In the exhibition, visitors will enjoy engaging experiences around every corner, testing their knowledge of innovation and hearing personal accounts from inventors.
“Nation of Inventors” is located on the first two floors of Hagley’s Visitor Center. Visitors can plan to spend about 30 minutes on their self-guided tour of the exhibition.
There are two special events coming up — Science Saturday and Walking Tour.
At this weekend’s Science Saturday event, which will be held Saturday at 11 a.m., the theme will be “Here Comes the Sun.”
Visitors can learn about the Summer Solstice and why we have different amounts of daylight throughout the year.
And they will have an opportunity to create their own model of the sun and earth.
Visitors of all ages are invited to discover solutions to science and engineering challenges. This is a drop-in activity and is included in admission and free to members.
On June 30, the Walking Tour will begin promptly at 11 a.m. at Hagley’s Visitor Center. This week’s theme is “What’s for dinner?”
Admission to Hagley is $20 for adults, $16 for students and seniors (62+) and $10 for children (6-14).
Brandywine Valley has quite a few museums and tourist sites that provide both residents and tourists with diverse ways to spend leisure time.
You can take advantage of these options with the 2025 Brandywine Treasure Trail Passport (www.visitwilmingtonde.com/passport/).
The cost is $49 for an individual pass and $99 for a family pass (for up to five family members).
The Brandywine Treasure Trail Passport is good for one-time admission to Wilmington and Brandywine Valley’s top attractions now through October 31.
A family pass, which includes one-day admission to each of 12 sites, can bring a savings of over $200 for the holders — especially since many of the participating institutions have regular admission fees in double figures.
The list of locations covered by the Brandywine Treasure Trail Passport includes Longwood Gardens, Delaware Museum of Nature and Science, Brandywine River Museum, Delaware Art Museum, Delaware History Museum, Hagley Museum and Library, Delaware Center for Contemporary Arts, Nemours Mansion & Gardens, Read House and Garden, Mt. Cuba Center, Rockwood Museum and Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library.
A sure sign that summer is here is the “Festival of Fountains” at Longwood Gardens (Route 1, Kennett Square, www.longwoodgardens.org).
The “Festival of Fountains” opened for the season on May 9 and will run until September 28.
Longwood Gardens’ Open Air Theatre and Italian Water Garden fountains has sprung to life as has the Square Fountain, Round Fountain (Flower Garden Walk), Sylvan Fountain (Peirce’s Park), and Children’s Corner fountains.
The season of renewal and growth has started. Dancing fountains, performances under the stars, and beautiful gardens make the Festival of Fountains at Longwood Gardens magical.
The spectacular celebration of music, light, water, and nature includes distinctive garden experiences indoors and out.
Before the fountain performances, guests can sit under the stars and enjoy live music and refreshing brews and pub fare in Longwood’s Beer Garden. Other dining options at Longwood are 1906 Fine Dining and The Café.
As the season unfolds, flowering trees delightfully punctuate the landscape, radiant tulips stretch toward the sun, and the delicious fragrance of wisteria floats along the breeze.
Visitors can also enjoy special exhibits at the Orchid House.
Admission to Longwood Gardens is $35 for adults, $31 for seniors and college students, $26 for active military and $20 for youth.
The 2025 season is underway at Nemours Estate (1600 Rockland Road, Wilmington, Delaware, nemoursestate.org). The entrance is located on the campus of Nemours Children’s Health, follow signs for Nemours Estate.
Originally constructed in 1910, Nemours Estate is one of Delaware’s grandest buildings and includes the largest formal French garden in North America.
Nemours Estate comprises an exquisite, 77-room mansion, the largest formal French gardens in North America, a Chauffeur’s Garage housing a collection of vintage automobiles, and 200 acres of scenic woodlands, meadows and lawns.
Nemours was the estate of Alfred I. duPont.
Alfred named the estate Nemours, after the French town that his great-great-grandfather represented in the French Estates General. While looking to the past and his ancestors for inspiration, Alfred also ensured that his new home was thoroughly modern by incorporating the latest technology and many of his own inventions.
The Gardens are one of the estate’s prime attractions. The 157 jets at the center of the one-acre pool shoot water 12 feet into the air; when they are turned off, the entire “Long Walk” is reflected in the pool. The pool, five and a half feet deep in its deepest section, holds 800,000 gallons of water and takes three days to fill.
The Art Nouveau-style, classical mythology-based “Four Seasons” around the pool are by French-born American sculptor Henri Crenier (1873–1948).
A
dmission to Nemours is $23 for adults, $21 for seniors and $10 for children.
Elmwood Park Zoo (1661 Harding Boulevard, Norristown, www.elmwoodparkzoo.org) is hosting a “Pride Celebration” on June 28.
This fun and friendly community-centered event features a rainbow hand-painting activity, enrichment making, live music, signature drinks at Zoo Brew, a waterslide, and more for all to enjoy.
This event, which runs from 10 a.m.-4 p.m., is free to attend with Zoo admission.
There will be live music by Ryan Shubert and “Keeper Chats” with Hunter & Stan.
Zoo admission is $26.95 for adults, $23.95 for children (ages 3-12), $24.95 for students and $20.95 for seniors.
On June 28 at 5 p.m., Fort Mifflin (Fort Mifflin and Hog Island roads, Philadelphia, 215-685-4167, www.fortmifflin.us) will host a special event called “Family Ghost Fund – A Haunted Fort Mifflin Event.”
Haunted Fort Mifflin invites guests to get into the “spirit” at the Haunted Open Investigation Evening.
Participants can join the Fort’s friends from Paranormal Peaches to explore the history and hauntings of the site. They can spend the evening enjoying investigating the deep dark corners of the Fort.
The event is appropriate for both experienced and novice paranormal investigators with special access to areas not open to the general public.
Guests can bring their own equipment or just use a cell phone and flashlight. Experienced investigators will be on hand to assist them and review evidence. Advance purchase is required.
Admission prices are 1 Parent and 1 Child: $100 and 1 Parent and 2 Children: $135.
Laurel Hill Cemetery (3822 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia, 215-228-8200, www.thelaurelhillcemetery.org) will present another “Sacred Spaces & Storied Places” tour on June 28.
This walking tour provides a wonderful overview of Laurel Hill West’s long and colorful history, including its architectural artistry, stunning trees and horticulture, and the stories of residents that encompass diverse and fascinating Philadelphia history.
“Sacred Spaces & Storied Places” is the perfect introductory tour that provides an overview of Laurel Hill West including its architectural artistry, stunning trees and horticulture, and the stories of residents that encompass diverse and fascinating Philadelphia history. Experienced tour guides offer visitors a unique perspective as no two tours are the same.
The expansion of Fairmount Park in the 1860s prevented further growth of Laurel Hill, and in 1869 West Laurel Hill was established just across the river in Bala Cynwyd. This walking tour provides a wonderful overview of West Laurel Hill’s long and colorful history, including its architectural artistry, stunning trees and horticulture, and the stories of residents that encompass diverse and fascinating Philadelphia history.
This weekend’s Tour Guide is Jen Kraninskas.
Tickets, which must be purchased in advance, are: $15/General Admission, $13/Seniors (65 & up) and Students with ID, $7.50/Youth (6-12), and $0/Child (5 & Under). Youth and children must be accompanied by an adult.
Other events at Laurel Hill this weekend are Victorian Spirit Crawl on June 27 and Magnificent Monuments om June 29.
The intriguing Paranormal Cirque (https://paranormalcirque.com), which is intended for a mature audience, is touching down at several locations over the next four weeks – Whitehall (July 4-7), Pottstown (July 18-21) and Dover, Delaware (July 25-28).
Paranormal Cirque will expose audiences to a unique creation of combined theatre, circus, and cabaret with a new European style flare.
This innovative horror story, which is presented in true circus style under a Big Top tent, features different shades of sexy and an incomparable storyline. Audiences likely will find it difficult to separate reality from illusion at this show as they fall into a parallel world and end up surrounded by monstrous creatures with hidden talents.
Currently, Paranormal Cirque has three tours running – Paranormal Cirque, Paranormal Cirque II and Paranormal Cirque III. The tour visiting our area is Paranormal Cirque III
Paranormal Cirque’s “Clown Castle” (also known as the Big Top) presents a mesmerizing effect while hosting a two-hour hypnotizing and enchanted show.
A careful casting selection has united the best artists from all over the world.
Under this Clown Castle, the black and red big top tent, there are aerial acrobats, illusionists, freaks, mysterious creatures and all the elements that make one think of a “normal” circus – but this one is not “normal.”
A new show with breathtaking implications always poised between fun and the most uninhibited fear that will transport you to a dark world inhabited by creatures with incredible circus art abilities. A crazy yet fun fusion between circus, theatre, and cabaret in perfect harmony with the evolution of a show that brings you back to when we dream … and when we had nightmares and fantasies.
Video link for Paranormal Cirque — https://youtu.be/locxFnh5UR8.
Ticket prices start at $20.
Grim Philly’s “Dark Philly History Tour” (www.grimphilly.com) will be held every evening throughout the summer.
Participants can walk with tour guides from the grounds of America’s first White House, Congress, and Liberty Bell to homes and sites of Hamilton, Washington, Franklin, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, and more than 10 other Founding-Fathers. The surprising dirt of espionage, murder, sexual license and blackmail highlight the secrets of 1776 with a ghost story or two along the way. This tour is highly researched. And your guide is a historian.
Tickets are $35.
Ghost Tour of Philadelphia (215-413-1997, www.ghosttour.com), Ghost Tour of Lancaster (717-687-6687, www.ghosttour.com) and Ghost Tour of Strasburg (717-687-6687, www.ghosttour.com) operate throughout the winter and offer an eerily entertaining evening of true ghost stories and real haunted houses.
The Ghost Tour of Philadelphia, which is based on the book, “Ghost Stories of Philadelphia, PA.,” is a candlelight walking tour along the back streets and secret gardens of Independence Park, Society Hill, and Old City, where ghostly spirits, haunted houses, and eerie graveyards abound.
Participants can discover the ghost lore of America’s most historic and most haunted city with stories from the founding of William Penn’s colony to present-day hauntings.
The activity is open year-round – weekends, December-February; every night, March-November. Tickets are $24.
The Ghost Tour of Lancaster and the Ghost Tour of Strasburg are based on the book, “Ghost Stories of Lancaster, PA.”
Participants in the Ghost Tour of Lancaster explore the long-forgotten mysteries of one of America’s oldest cities, with haunting tales of otherworldly vigils, fatal curses, and star-crossed lovers. The tour provides the opportunity to experience 300 years of haunted history from the Red Rose City’s thorny past. Tickets are $20.
The Ghost Tour of Strasburg is a candlelight walking tour of the quaint and historic town of Strasburg in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country. Visitors will experience an entertaining evening with a costumed tour guide spinning tales of haunted mansions, eerie graveyards, and spirits that roam the night … in a town lost in time. Tickets are $20.
Sesame Place (100 Sesame Road, Langhorne, www.sesameplace.com) is hosting “Elmo’s Pirate Weekend” on June 28 and 29.
Elmo and his crew are setting sail for a pirate adventure with exclusive performances of “Elmo and the Bookaneers” in Sesame Street Theater.
A special feature will be “Elmo and the Bookaneers Show.
Guests can join Elmo and his friends as they are bombarded by two goofy, book-loving pirates, the Bookaneers, who try to steal their beloved books. The furry friends set out on a high seas adventure to prove that they too can be Bookanners and attempt to pass the Bookanner test.
Other “Pirates Weekend” special activities are Pirate Meet and Greets, Captain Cookie’s Treasure Hunt and Furry Friends Pirate Dance Party.
Ticket prices for Sesame Place start at $42.99.
On June 29, Berks Nature (The Nature Place, 575 Saint Bernardine Street, Reading, 610-372-4992, https://www.berksnature.org) is presenting “Hike the Preserves: Geology of Bob’s Woods with Professional Geologist.”
Berks Nature owns and manages over 1,300 acres of public land for wildlife habitat and recreation.
They are inviting nature enthusiasts to join this event to discover some of the newest and most unexplored parts of this network of protected, natural landscapes.
The hike will start at 10 a.m.
