November First Saturday Open House: Spooky Creature Feature—Bats!

Did you know Pennsylvania is home to nine different species of bats? Learn why bats are important animals in our ecosystem, how humans can help protect them, and how they’re not as scary as they may seem during our November Open House! A special presentation from The Pennsylvania Bat Rescue and Rehabilitation Center will be given at 1pm where brave participants will get to meet and greet some of the center's live ambassador bats!

Visitors can also view skeletons, spiders, and other spooky specimens in our collection, decorate paper bat masks, and try their luck at a blind touch table and guess a specimen by feel. Scavenger hunts and sketching supplies will be available to those looking for deeper engagement with our collection. Adults & children are encouraged to come in costume!

The Pennsylvania Bat Rescue and Rehabilitation Center provides rescue and rehabilitation support for injured, orphaned and distressed bats. The staff and volunteers at the center understand the importance of wildlife rehabilitation and have committed much of their lives to helping re-introduce bats back into the wild.

The Exhibit Hall will be open from 12 - 4pm where visitors can see the full range of our natural history collection with 100,000+ specimens on display, including ancient fossils, glowing minerals, and animals from around the globe. Visitors can wander at their own pace, follow the path of one of our themed scavenger hunts, or even fill in a coloring page with images from the Wagner's library!

Admission is free to everyone and donations are welcome to support our mission.

Things to Know Before Your Visit

• Walk-ins are welcome! Advance registration speeds your entry to the museum. Visitors who register in advance do not need to present their registration or confirmation email at the desk—just your name!
• There is no coat check or place to stow personal items – please travel light.
• The museum is located on the second floor of the building. There are 5 steps at the entryway and a flight of stairs to access the museum. It is not wheelchair accessible.
• To protect the specimens and our historic interiors, photography is not allowed in the museum. Open containers of 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. There is 2-hour free parking on Bouvier Street and on many blocks near the Wagner and metered parking on Cecil B. Moore Avenue. The nearest parking garage is at the Liacouras Center on 15th Street and Montgomery Avenue.

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.

Registration Information

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.

Suggested Donations

$25/Family

$10/adult

$5/student

For any questions, please email communications@wagnerfreeinstitute.org or call 215-763-6529 x17.

If you are a group leader and wish to bring a group of 10 or more to the program, please email our museum educator, TobeyC@wagnerfreeinstitute.org or call 215-763-6529 x17.

If you would like to check your membership status or become a member, please email KellyT@wagnerfreeinstitute.org or call 215-763-6529 x11.