Fairmount Water Works

River Reimagined: A Land & Water Tour
2019-07-11 14:00 - 16:30, 2019-07-25 14:00 - 16:30, 2019-08-08 14:00 - 16:30 (America/New_York) | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
Learn about the Fairmount Water Works, one of Philadelphia’s first tourist attractions, and cruise the Schuylkill for a new perspective on sites along this historic river. After a brief tour of the Fairmount Water Works, stroll through the beautifully landscaped South Garden, and along the Schuylkill Banks for a 1.5 mile walk to the Walnut Street dock to board a boat for a 1-hour narrated cruise.
PLEASE NOTE: Comfortable and sturdy shoes are strongly recommended for the 1.5-mile walk. Transportation from the Walnut Street dock back to the Fairmount Water Works is available. In the event of inclement weather, we may have to cancel the tour. You will be notified by email if the tour must be cancelled.
TICKETS MUST BE PURCHASED IN ADVANCE. THERE WILL BE NO AT-THE-DOOR SALES

Educator’s Workshop: The City & the River
2019-07-20 09:00 - 15:00 | Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts
Held at the Pennsylvania Academy for Fine Arts and the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center. Lunch and transportation between sites is provided.
The workshop will introduce PAFA’s new special exhibition From the Schuylkill to the Hudson: Landscapes of the Early American Republic that delves into the important and underexplored tradition of landscape representation in Philadelphia from the Early American Republic to the Centennial Exhibition (1876), while FWW will engage teachers in lessons and provide resources related to the power of place. Educators will explore sample activities and essential questions to engage students with the important themes connecting visual art and technology, civic mindedness and the role of art in politics, environmental issues and history of landscape genre.
Cost: $15 // Free for Teachers with a PAFA Membership.
Participants receive 3 hours of Act 48 Credit /New Jersey PD Credit.

Exploring Our Urban Watershed
2019-07-27 10:30 - 14:30 | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
Explore what lives in our waters and what indicators we use to determine the health of our waterways. You will collect water samples and discover some of the microscopic mysteries in the Schuylkill River. You will also learn what we do on land to protect our rivers and its wildlife. After the lesson, you will be able to take what you learned onto the river in a kayak! Kayak tours include instructions on how to kayak, so beginners are welcome.*
Program Schedule:
10:30am Meet at Fairmount Waterworks Interpretive Center
12:00pm Break for Lunch (provided by FWWIC)
12:30pm Leave FWWIC for Guided Walk on Schuylkill Banks
1:00pm Meet at Walnut Street Dock for Kayaking
2:30pm Return to Walnut Street Dock
The environmental education program is supported in part by a grant from the Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation.
Learn more about Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center here.
Learn more about kayaking with Hidden River Outfitters here.
Getting to the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center is easy!
SEPTA Bus Routes that stop close to FWWIC are Routes 49, 43, 38 and 32.
Ride your bike or an Indego bike – there is bike parking at Lloyd Hall and an Indego bike station at the base of the Art Museum steps.
Parking is available in the two Art Museum parking lots.
*Children under age 8 are not permitted to kayak, but can still participate in the program at FWWIC. Participants age 8-12 must kayak in a tandem kayak with an adult.

This free program is geared towards families and young adults ages 12-18. Lunch will be provided. Seating is limited, therefore registration is required. You can register by emailing heather.saeger@srdc.net or by calling 215-309-5523 extension 103. All participants must sign a kayak waiver. Anyone under the age of 18 must also have a parent or guardian sign their kayak waiver. Download the kayak waiver here.

A Walk Along the Parkway
2019-08-03 14:00 - 15:30 | Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts
Philadelphia’s Parkway references the most beautiful cities of Old Europe and this walking tour will help visitors discover the magnificent buildings along Philadelphia’s own Champs-Élysées and what lies beneath them. Begin the tour in the From Schuylkill to Hudson exhibition and learn about the infamous Walking Treaty on the way to Logan Square. Then embark on a mile-long stroll down the picturesque path to the Fairmount Water Works, where wheels once pumped the City’s drinking water. Ideal for history buffs, cultural connoisseurs and architectural mavens.
PLEASE NOTE: Comfortable shoes strongly encouraged for this walking tour. Transportation back to PAFA is provided.
This Walking Tour is made possible with the support of the Fairmount Water Works.

Exploring Our Urban Watershed - SOLD OUT
2019-08-17 10:30 - 14:30 | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
SOLD OUT
Explore what lives in our waters and what indicators we use to determine the health of our waterways. You will collect water samples and discover some of the microscopic mysteries in the Schuylkill River. You will also learn what we do on land to protect our rivers and its wildlife. After the lesson, you will be able to take what you learned onto the river in a kayak! Kayak tours include instructions on how to kayak, so beginners are welcome.*
Program Schedule:
10:30am Meet at Fairmount Waterworks Interpretive Center
12:00pm Break for Lunch (provided by FWWIC)
12:30pm Leave FWWIC for Guided Walk on Schuylkill Banks
1:00pm Meet at Walnut Street Dock for Kayaking
2:30pm Return to Walnut Street Dock
The environmental education program is supported in part by a grant from the Dolfinger-McMahon Foundation.
Learn more about Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center here.
Learn more about kayaking with Hidden River Outfitters here.
Getting to the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center is easy!
SEPTA Bus Routes that stop close to FWWIC are Routes 49, 43, 38 and 32.
Ride your bike or an Indego bike – there is bike parking at Lloyd Hall and an Indego bike station at the base of the Art Museum steps.
Parking is available in the two Art Museum parking lots.
*Children under age 8 are not permitted to kayak, but can still participate in the program at FWWIC. Participants age 8-12 must kayak in a tandem kayak with an adult.

This free program is geared towards families and young adults ages 12-18. Lunch will be provided. Seating is limited, therefore registration is required. You can register by emailing heather.saeger@srdc.net or by calling 215-309-5523 extension 103. All participants must sign a kayak waiver. Anyone under the age of 18 must also have a parent or guardian sign their kayak waiver. Download the kayak waiver here.

Exploring Our Urban Watershed - River Days Event
2020-10-10 10:30 - 14:30 | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
Get to know the Schuylkill River from a brand new perspective!
In a program held outside the Fairmount Water Works, and on the water, participants will explore ways the native landscape and river waters served the Lenni Lenape people and continues to serve us today.

Complete a scavenger hunt of native plants used today in the City’s green infrastructure projects.
Imagining how the land may have looked when the Lenape occupied the land, create a mural of the landscape surrounding the Schuylkill River.
Examine life in a drop of river water

Following lunch (bring your own), we will hike along the Schuylkill Trail (about 1 mile) to the Walnut Street Dock where we will get in kayaks and onto the water!
Kayak tours include instructions on how to kayak, so beginners are welcome!
Program Schedule:

10:30am – Meet at the Fairmount Waterworks Interpretive Center
11:30am – Break for Lunch (bring your own)
12:00pm – Leave the Water Works for Guided Walk on Schuylkill Banks
1:00pm – Meet at Walnut Street Dock for Kayaking
2:30pm – Return to Walnut Street Dock and head back to the Water Works

The environmental education program is supported in part by a grant from the Alliance for Watershed Education and DEP.
Learn more about Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center.
Learn more about kayaking with Hidden River Outfitters.

Learn more about Schuylkill Banks.
Getting to the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center is easy!

SEPTA Bus Routes that stop close to FWWIC are Routes 49, 43, 38 and 32.
Ride your bike or an Indego bike – there is bike parking at Lloyd Hall and an Indego bike station at the base of the Art Museum steps.
Parking is available in the two Art Museum parking lots.

This free program is geared towards families with older children. Minimum age is 12. (This program is not for children under 12 years of age.)
Program administrators and participants will follow the City of Philadelphia’s health and safety guidelines for in-person gatherings, which includes small group size, social distancing, and wearing masks. Participants will be asked to complete a short questionnaire about recent exposure to COVID-19 and travel the morning of the program. Space is limited; therefore registration is required. All participants must sign a kayak waiver. Anyone under the age of 18 must also have a parent or guardian sign their kayak waiver. Download the kayak waiver here.

Schuylkill River Trail Green Stormwater Infrastructure Tour
2021-03-27 10:30 - 12:00, 2021-04-17 10:30 - 12:00, 2021-05-22 10:30 - 12:00 | Lloyd Hall, 1 Boathouse Row, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
Join us on a walk along the Schuylkill River Trail
Running alongside the Schuylkill River, the Schuylkill River Trail is a 2021 Readers’ Choice Award nominee for Best Riverwalk.
Join Fairmount Water Works educators Saturday March 27th to learn about our favorite ½ mile of the 72-mile multi-use path which currently runs from S. 56th St in Philadelphia to Landingville, a small borough in Schuylkill County.
We will start our walk at Lloyd Hall and follow the trail south to the North End Rain Garden just past the Paine’s Park Skatepark. Along the way we will point out examples of green stormwater infrastructure projects, part of Philadelphia’s Green City, Clean Waters initiative to increase greenspace while improving the health of the City’s waterways.
Stroll past the National Historic Landmark buildings and gardens of the Fairmount Water Works and learn more about the collection of buildings that have served the City of Philadelphia for over 200 years telling the story of our connection with water, past and present.
Meet at Lloyd Hall Recreation Center (1 Boathouse Row, Philadelphia, PA 19130).
Total walking distance: about 1 mile.
Space is limited; 12-person maximum. Advance registration required.
In registering to attend this walking tour, you agree to the following:
• To wear a face mask that covers your nose and mouth at all times.
• To maintain six feet of distance between yourself and others not in your group.
• Participants will be asked to answer a set of questions regarding their COVID exposure the morning of the program. This can be done online.
Email stacey.heffernan@phila.gov, Environmental Education Planner, FWWIC, for more information.

Exploring Our Urban Watershed
2021-05-29 10:30 - 15:00, 2021-07-17 10:30 - 15:30, 2021-09-04 10:30 - 15:30 | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
Join Fairmount Water Works and Schuylkill River Development Corporation in exploring the Schuylkill River in a program both on land and on the water!
We start at Fairmount Water Works and move through 3 hands-on activities: creating a mural of the historic Schuylkill River, examining microscopic life in a drop of river water and engaging in a native plant scavenger hunt.
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.
A bus will be available at Walnut Street to take participants back to FWW instead of walking back, if desired.
Space is limited; 18-person maximum. Advance registration required. Minimum age is 12.
In registering for this program, you agree to the following:

Wear a face mask that covers your nose and mouth at all times.
Maintain six feet of distance between yourself and others not in your group.
Answer a set of questions regarding your COVID exposure the morning of the program. This can be done online.
Take a survey at the end of the program.

Email stacey.heffernan@phila.gov, Environmental Education Planner, FWWIC, for more information.

It Flowed from Fairmount: Brewing History Tour
2023-04-29 12:00 - 16:00 | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
Sure, people have loved drinking beer in the park for years, but did you know that beer was also made on these lands?
Before the city created the park, the banks of the Schuylkill River were valuable to emerging breweries for the harvesting and storage of ice, and the cold storage of lager beer in underground vaults.
Schedule:

Talk (12pm – 1pm)
Tour (1pm – 2:30pm)
Tasting (2:30pm – 3:30pm)
Brass Band Performance (3pm – 4pm)

Sponsored by Fairmount Park Conservancy.
Full details and registration here.

Special Historic Preservation Tour
2023-05-11 14:00 - 15:00, 2023-05-18 14:00 - 15:00, 2023-05-25 14:00 - 15:00 | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
May is Historic Preservation Month!
This guided tour includes an orientation of the exterior grounds of our National Historic Landmark. Guests will then head inside to tour the Interpretive Center’s exhibit areas on their own, see the award-winning 15-minute narrated historical film, and enjoy our latest exhibition, “POOL: A Social History of Segregation”.
Questions? Email us at fairmountww@gmail.com

Historic Preservation Tour
2023-06-01 14:00 - 15:00 | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
This guided tour includes an orientation of the exterior grounds of our National Historic Landmark. Guests will then head inside to tour the Interpretive Center’s exhibit areas on their own, see the award-winning 15-minute narrated historical film, and enjoy our latest exhibition, “POOL: A Social History of Segregation”.
Questions? Email us at fairmountww@gmail.com

Historic Preservation Tour - CANCELED
2023-06-08 14:00 - 15:00 | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
*UPDATE* Due to the air quality alert issued by the US EPA, today’s outdoor tour has been cancelled. Please feel free to register for one of our remaining June tours here: Outdoor Historic Preservation Tour (June 2023) Tickets, Multiple Dates | Eventbrite
This guided tour includes an orientation of the exterior grounds of our National Historic Landmark. Guests will then head inside to tour the Interpretive Center’s exhibit areas on their own, see the award-winning 15-minute narrated historical film, and enjoy our latest exhibition, “POOL: A Social History of Segregation”.
Questions? Email us at fairmountww@gmail.com

Outdoor Historic Preservation Tour
2023-07-06 14:00 - 15:00, 2023-07-13 14:00 - 15:00, 2023-07-20 14:00 - 15:00 | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States

Closing Reception for "SUBMERGED: A Changing Global Climate"
2023-07-27 16:30 - 19:30 | PA
PLEASE JOIN US!
Catered light fare will be served.
Refreshments donated by 31st and Wharton.
CONTRIBUTING GALLERIES/ARTISTS
Independent Artists: Loren Berckey, Diane Burko, Rhea Cutillo, Andrea Krupp, Anabelle Rodríguez, Laura Storck and Maura Williams
Cerulean Arts Gallery: Pia De Girolamo, Richard Estell, Susan B. Howard, Frederic C. Kaplan, Michael Rossman and Jill A. Rupinski
Thom Duffy Fine Art: Thom Duffy and Andrés Tavárez
Bridgette Mayer Gallery: Arden Bendler Browning, Tim McFarlane and Rebecca Rutstein
Schwarz Gallery: Antique painting by Arthur Melzer
Hollis Taggart: Bill Scott
The exhibition is brought to you in part by Fund for the Water Works and the Ed F. Grusheski Water Literacy Foundation.

The Watershed is an Open Book
2023-11-18 12:00 - 14:30 | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
A fun, family program for PreK-3rd grade and their caregivers. (All siblings welcome)
All programs are free, but pre-registration is required.
https://tinyurl.com/y89rkpzr

A PROGRAM SUPPORTED BY THE WILLIAM PENN FOUNDATION.

Take Me to the River: Boathouse Tour and More!
2023-12-09 10:00 - 12:00 | Lloyd Hall, 1 Boathouse Row, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
Take Me to the River:
Boathouse Tour and More!
Adults and children 12 and up. Children aged 12-18 must be accompanied by a parent/guardian.
Meet at Lloyd Hall Recreation Center at 10am

Have you ever been curious about the 19th century boathouses lining the Schuylkill River? Together these historic buildings form the iconic Boathouse Row. Each rowing club is a member of the Schuylkill Navy of Philadelphia, the oldest amateur athletic governing body in America. Join us on a walk from Lloyd Hall to 12 Boathouse Row, home to Penn Athletic Club, for an inside tour of the building and to learn about the sport of rowing. Learn how Fairmount Water Work’s innovative technology and construction of Fairmount Dam set the stage for this very important recreation area.
At Fairmount Water Works, we will enjoy a cup of hot chocolate and a curator-led tour of the art exhibit “Take Me to the River”. One of the featured artists will discuss his special connection to the river through his artwork and demonstrate some of his most effective art techniques.
Learn about Philadelphia City Rowing, a program that is open to middle and high school students in the School District of Philadelphia, and where to get more information for interested students.
Program is free, but pre-registration is required. Space is limited.

To register:
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/take-me-to-the-river-boathouse-tour-and-more-tickets-764178998957?aff=oddtdtcreator

FREE MUSEUM DAY during the PHILLY HOLIDAY EXPERIENCE
2023-12-20 10:00 - 17:00 | PA
Come visit on Free Museum Day during the Philly Holiday Experience! We will be offering tours on the hour from 11 am to 2 pm and we will have a fun, hands-on, pop-up activity from 11 am – 3 pm in our LAB:
Fish: Playing it Cool around the Holidays!
Do you wonder what happens in the Schuylkill river in the winter? What do the fish and other animals do when the water gets cold? Learn about the cold-blooded residents of the Schuylkill river and how they survive the winter. You will also discover a physical difference between hot and cold water and how that can affect fish in the winter. Be creative and make a fish ornament to take home!

HISTORIC PRESERVATION TOURS
2024-05-02 13:00 - 14:00, 2024-05-16 13:00 - 14:00 | 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.

Curator-Led Tour of Wandering: Observations of Our Watershed
2024-05-04 11:00 - 12:00 | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
ART EXHIBIT TOURS
WANDERING: OBSERVATIONS OF OUR WATERSHED
We welcome visitors to register in advance for personal and engaging tours with Thom Duffy, Curator. Visitors will also be greeted by contributing artists so you won’t want miss this opportunity to hear from artists who are featured in this special exhibition themed on their observations of our regions watersheds.
Register HERE.
