Fairmount
Establishment
neighborhood
Please Touch Museum
4231 Ave. of the Republic, Fairmount Park
Besides the fact that this is possibly the best named children museum we've come across, the Please Touch Museum earns brownie points for its stunning 1908 carousel, which is as beautiful as it is entertaining. Founded back in the 1970's by a Montessori educator, PTM targets kids below age seven with tons of interactive exhibits, activities, and kid-sized play spaces. Check the calendar for activities like story time, sing-alongs, and crafts, which happen at designated times daily.
Eastern State Penitentiary
2027 Fairmount Ave., Fairmount
With its dramatic gothic architecture (complete with gargoyles and dark grey stone) now crumbling, Eastern State Penitentiary may actually be creepier now than it was in the 1970's, when it last held prisoners. Largely believed to be haunted, the now-empty prison hosts after-dark programming during Halloween that's largely considered to be some of the scariest in the country. During the day, scaredy cats can visit for history-rich tours, learning about the famous escapes, prisoners (Al Capone stayed here), and the Quaker philosophies that guided the architecture and programming in its earliest days. Admission comes with a free audio tour that's narrated by Steven Buscemi.