HISTORIC PRESERVATION TOURS
2024-05-30 13:00 - 14:00 (America/New_York) | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
A special guided tour of the exterior grounds of the Fairmount Water Works, a National Historic Landmark. Register here.

HISTORIC PRESERVATION TOUR
2024-06-13 13:00 - 14:00, 2024-06-22 13:00 - 14:00, 2024-06-27 13:00 - 14:00, 2025-05-03 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-05-07 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-05-10 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-05-14 12:00 - 13:00, 2025-05-17 12:00 - 13:00 and 4 more dates | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States

Lafayette Historic Tour of Fairmount Water Works
2024-10-12 11:00 - 12:30 | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
Join the staff from the American Friends of Lafayette and the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center for a guided interpretation of the Water Works, the 1815 engineering marvel that so impressed Lafayette on his Philadelphia visit.
Selected tours will include excerpts from the extensive writings of both Lafayette and his secretary, Auguste Levasseur, about their experience at the site that has now been declared a National Historic Landmark.
Open to all, free admission
REGISTER HERE

Lafayette Historic Tour of Fairmount Water Works
2024-10-26 13:00 - 14:30, 2024-11-09 13:00 - 14:30 | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
Join the staff from the American Friends of Lafayette and the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center for a guided interpretation of the Water Works, the 1815 engineering marvel that so impressed Lafayette on his Philadelphia visit.
Selected tours will include excerpts from the writings of both Lafayette and his secretary, Auguste Levasseur, about their experience at the site that has now been declared a National Historic Landmark.
Open to all, free admission
REGISTER HERE

LOVING LANDMARKS
2025-02-15 11:00 - 12:30 | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
Join us at Fairmount Water Works to fall in love all over again with one of Philadelphia’s beloved icons. This architecture tour will shed light on the landmark’s best features through sketching, photography and more. We will finish the tour inside to make a Valentine to Water with a warm cup of cocoa.

Families are welcome!
$5 per family or couple – materials fee

LOVING LANDMARKS
2025-03-29 11:00 - 12:30 | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
Join us at Fairmount Water Works to fall in love all over again with one of Philadelphia’s beloved icons. This architecture tour will shed light on the landmark’s best features through sketching, photography and more. We will finish the tour inside to make a love letter to Water with a warm cup of cocoa.

Families are welcome!
$5 per family or couple – materials fee

LOVING LANDMARKS 2.0: Philadelphia’s Leading Water and Heritage Site
2025-04-24 16:30 - 18:00 | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
Celebrate International Day of Monuments and Sites with Philadelphia’s Fairmount Water Works. Come learn and experience why, more than two centuries ago, the Fairmount Water Works was one of the most visited sites in the United States, second only to Niagara Falls and continues as a distinguished destination today. Join us for an interactive guided program exploring its significant architectural form and why it became a prototype for water supply systems around the world.

Families are welcome!
$5 per family or couple – materials fee

Get to Know the Schuylkill River - Kayak Program
2025-06-21 10:30 - 14:30 | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
Start at Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center: collect water samples from the river and try your hand at identifying some of the microlife we’ll find. Explore the history of Philadelphia’s innovative water supply system. Get to know the freshwater mussel species we are propagating in our hatchery.
After a brief lunch break (bring your own), we will hike down the Schuylkill River Trail (about 1 mile) to the Walnut Street Dock, where kayaks await. Hidden River Outfitters will give a brief orientation to paddling and then we’ll get into our kayaks and out on the river!
This program is geared towards families with youth ages 12 and up. (12 years is the minimum age allowed). All participants must sign a kayak waiver, and participants aged 12-18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian who will need to sign the minor’s kayak waiver.
Meet at Fairmount water Works at 10:30am. Space is limited; 20-person maximum. Advance registration required. Fee: $10/person.
This program is made possible through a partnership between Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center and Schuylkill River Development Corporation.
A bus will be available at Walnut Street to take participants back to FWWIC instead of walking back, if desired.
Email stacey.heffernan@phila.gov, Environmental Education Planner, FWWIC, for more information.

Lafayette Historic Tour of Fairmount Water Works
2025-07-12 10:00 - 11:30, 2025-07-19 10:00 - 11:30, 2025-09-13 10:00 - 11:30 | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
The Marquis de Lafayette was 19 when he first came to America in 1777 to fight for its freedom. When he returned in August, 1824 for his farewell tour he was 67. At the end of his tour, in the summer of 1825, Lafayette visited Philadelphia once more, specifically to see the dedication of the Fairmount Water Works with a tour by the watering committee. He referred to it as “the perfect embodiment of the American Government, in which were combined simplicity, power, and economy.”
Join us for a guided interpretation of the 1815 engineering marvel that so impressed Lafayette on his Philadelphia visit. Tours will include excerpts from the extensive writings of both Lafayette and his secretary, Auguste Levasseur, about their experience at the site, that is now designated a Historic Landmark building.
Open to all. Free. Registration preferred.
Open to all, free admission

The Green City, Clean Waters Tour of the Fairmount Water Works
2025-10-11 13:00 - 14:30 | Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130
Philadelphia is spending billions of dollars to direct rain into the ground instead of the river. Join us as we tour examples of green stormwater infrastructure from Lloyd Hall of Boathouse Row to the South Garden of the Fairmount Water Works. Learn about the environmental, economic and social benefits of this 25-year initiative to green our city and redirect stormwater runoff. Our walk will also continue inside the building and include a video of the site’s history, exhibits and a visit to our freshwater mussel lab and hatchery.

Disease, Public Health and Fairmount Water Works Tour
2025-11-08 13:00 - 14:30 | Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130
Learn how an epidemic influenced the transition from wells to using the Schuylkill River as a drinking water source for Philadelphia. Throughout the history of the Fairmount Water Works, disease and the interest in public health played a role in how we treat our water and our landscape. Join us as we discuss the diseases, the presumed cures and public health solutions as we explore our outside site, inside exhibits, and our freshwater mussel research lab.

Watering Committee to Water Department: History of Fairmount Water Works
2025-12-06 10:00 - 11:30 | Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130
Join us for a guided interpretation of the 1815 engineering marvel that is the Fairmount Water Works, a National Historic Landmark. Find answers to questions on how the Water Department over centuries has provided water to the people of Philadelphia. We will explore what has been, and continues to be, a major tourist attraction exciting visitors such as Lafayette, Mark Twain and Charles Dickens. We will finish our tour inside viewing our exhibits and ending at our freshwater mussel lab.

Loving Our Landmark Tour
2026-03-04 16:00 - 17:30, 2026-03-11 16:00 - 17:30, 2026-03-18 16:00 - 17:30 | Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130
One of 67 National Historic Landmarks in the city of Philadelphia, Fairmount Water Works tells the story of the rise of the first successful water supply system in our young nation. From innovative engineering and design to neoclassical architecture, Fairmount Water Works served as one of our nation’s top-visited tourist attraction while supplying the pristine water of the Schuylkill River to our growing city’s population. Join us on Wednesdays at 4pm through March to tour this renowned landmark.

Landmark Tour
2026-03-25 16:00 - 17:30 | Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130
