Federal employees affected by the government shutdown can bring their families to The Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia and get pay-what-you-wish admission for the rest of the month.
The offer could be of interest to government workers who have both time on their hands and less money to do something with the kids. A federal ID will get up to four people admitted through Jan. 31, which includes Martin Luther King Jr. Day on Monday, Jan. 21, when many children are home from school. The offer will end earlier, however, if the shutdown is resolved before Jan. 31.
Drexel University's Academy of Natural Sciences, on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway, has dinosaur skeletons, animal-habitat dioramas, an indoor butterfly garden as well as the current special exhibit Xtreme Bugs, which includes almost 20 large, colorful animatronic insects. The exhibit closes Jan. 21, with special events Jan. 19 and 20 for its closing weekend.
Free admission to the Barnes
The Barnes Museum in Philadelphia is offering free admission to federal employees plus one guest during the shutdown. Kids 12 and under are always free.
Free admission to the Michener Museum
The Michener Art Museum in Doylestown is offering free admission to federal employees plus a guest during the shutdown. Children 12 and under are free.
Free tickets at Walnut Street Theatre
For furloughed federal workers looking for something to do without the kids, Walnut Street Theatre also announced this week that it was making free tickets available to laid-off government employees for its new show, Ken Ludwig's A Comedy of Tenors.
Some free tickets will be available for each performance during the first two weeks of the show's run,which starts Jan. 15. Federal employees can reserve up to two tickets starting Friday, Jan. 11 at 11am. Details will be available Friday at WalnutStreetTheatre.org.
A Comedy of Tenors, set in 1930s Paris, runs through March 3. Free tickets for federal workers are available for the shows from Jan. 15 to Jan. 27.
Free admission to Franklin Institute Jan. 12, 13
The Franklin Institute in Philadelphia is offered free admission Jan. 12 and 13, to federal employees and up to three guests. Show a government ID at the museum ticketing desk. Admission to the special exhibit Vikings: Beyond the Legend and all IMAX films are an additional fee.
Free admission to the Philadelphia Museum of Art
All federal employees get free admission to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, plus one guest, for the duration of the shutdown. Children 12 and under are always free.
Free admission to the Penn Museum
Federal employees and up to five family members get free admission to the Penn Museum.
Free admission to the Museum of the American Revolution
The Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia announced Thursday that it is offering free admission to furloughed federal workers and up to three guests during the shutdown. A government ID is required.
The museum's "Hamilton Was Here: Rising Up in Revolutionary Philadelphia runs through March 17 and highlights the connections between Alexander Hamilton and Philadelphia.
