Fairmount Water Works

Let It Snow!
2017-12-23 11:00 - 13:00, 2017-12-26 11:00 - 13:00, 2017-12-27 11:00 - 13:00, 2017-12-28 11:00 - 13:00, 2017-12-29 11:00 - 13:00 (America/New_York) | PA
Come inside to enjoy fun science-themed programs for all ages at the Fairmount Water Works. Make your own snowy winter scene in a DIY snow globe, or a stuffed fish (paper that is) to get it ready to survive the winter. Why? Find out during your visit! (Recommended for ages 3 and up. Some activities may require adult supervision.)

Science Saturday: "The Schuylkill River & You!"
2017-12-23 14:00 - 16:00 | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
Discover the many ways we are connected to the Schuylkill River, and how we can protect these waters from the harmful effects of water pollution.
Rivers provide drinking water and a habitat for wildlife. Join us at the river’s edge as we explore our past and present relationship with the Schuylkill River in particular and our environmental impact. Activities include:

“Fishing Around” – Survey the number of fish and species in your “river” to help determine how polluted it is.
“Where Does the Water Go?” – Follow the journey of water from the river, to our treatment plants, and to your home!
“Your Impact on the Schuylkill” – Learn how to reduce your carbon footprint by reducing the amount of trash you produce. Make the pledge to protect our river!

CLOSED
2017-12-24 10:00 - 17:00, 2017-12-31 10:00 - 17:00, 2018-02-08 10:00 - 17:00, 2018-02-16 15:00 - 17:00 | PA

Learn a River's Name
2018-01-25 18:00 - 20:00 | The Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, 8480 Hagy's Mill Road, Philadelphia, PA, 19128, United States
FWW watershed educator and photographer Sandy Sorlien, will be featured with other local artists during this special exhibit at Schuylkill Center on January 25th!

Choose Your Own Adventure
2018-03-01 08:00 - 17:00 | PA
Do you ever look back at key moments in history and think, “I would’ve made a better choice”? We’ll test that assumption using a real-world scenario with local roots.
Philadelphia, 1896: Typhoid fever has been running rampant in the city. The last few decades have seen nearly 16,000 deaths from the terrible disease. Health professionals say polluted water is to blame, but anticontagionists contend the water is pure and safe.
Add to that the manufacturing industries that have brought about a near environmental catastrophe by draining their waste into Philadelphia’s waterways, and you have everything you need for a lively debate about how to make the city’s water safe. But what’s the best solution? Should the city build an expensive filtration plant or invest in a more cost-effective aqueduct system?
Join the Chemical Heritage Foundation for an after-hours gaming adventure where you’ll get to step into someone else’s shoes, and—using your wits, luck, and all the best information available to you at that moment in history—see where your choices land you!
Afterward, toast to your success (or failure), and learn more about the history of Philadelphia’s waterways with representatives from the Fairmount Water Works.
Tickets for this event are $10 per person, and registration is required.
For more information about this event, contact Alexis Pedrick at 215.873.8293 or apedrick@sciencehistory.org.
This program is presented in partnership with the Fairmount Water Works, as part of the upcoming Grid and Flow exhibition.

The Historic Fairmount Water Works: Inside & Out
2018-03-08 16:00 - 17:00, 2018-03-11 14:00 - 15:00, 2018-04-22 14:00 - 14:30, 2018-05-13 14:00 - 15:00 | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
Tour the Fairmount Water Works – a National Historic Landmark, Civil Engineering Landmark, and National Mechanical Engineering Landmark – beginning outdoors on the grounds (weather permitting). FWW’s tour guide extraordinaire, Ken Hinde, will then take you inside the Revival buildings for a journey into today’s interpretive center, connecting the Water Works’ past and present purpose.
Attendees also have the opportunity to sit in the intimate Engine House Theater and see an award-winning 15-minute film on the site’s important role in Philadelphia’s history before touring exhibit areas on their own.
Be sure to register for this free tour today… space is limited.

"Make & Take" w/ Greensgrow Farms
2018-03-10 13:00 - 15:00 | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
Inspired by the lush gardens and water exhibits at the Philadelphia Flower Show? Bring the magic home! Visit the Fairmount Water Works for a hands-on workshop, where you can make your very own wildflower seed balls, led by Greensgrow Farms. These urban agricultural specialists will walk you through the process of making and planting these seed balls in your own neighborhood! Hosted by the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center. Registration is free, but a $5 donation is suggested. Space is limited, so sign up today!

"Make & Take" with Greensgrow Farms
2018-03-11 13:00 - 15:00 | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States

2018 Walk for Water (5K Run/Walk)
2018-03-24 07:30 - 12:30 | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
FWW is once again partnering with Keiyo Soy Ministries to support KSM’s mission to raise funds to combat the urgent need for clean water in Kerio Valley in the Rift Valley Province of northern Kenya.
For more information visit: http://www.ksmministries.com/

Celebrating Shad!
2018-04-21 10:00 - 17:00 | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
Join us as we partner with Heart to Hearth Cookery in celebrating one of the Schuylkill River’s finest fish – American shad! Learn about catching shad in traditional Native American culture.

Celebrating Shad!
2018-04-22 13:00 - 17:00 | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
Join us as we partner with Heart to Hearth Cookery in celebrating one of the Schuylkill River’s finest fish – American shad! Learn about catching shad in traditional Native American culture.
While you’re here, get the insider experience in our Freshwater Mussel Hatchery! See how environmental scientists grow freshwater mussels by re-introducing these “mighty mussels” into our local waterways (2pm – 4pm).

A Walk Along the Parkway Tour
2018-04-26 16:00 - 18:00 | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
Philadelphia’s Parkway references the most beautiful cities of Old Europe. Discover the magnificent buildings along Philadelphia’s own Champs-Élysées and what lies beneath them.
Start at the Fairmount Water Works, where wheels once pumped the City’s drinking water, then embark on a mile-long stroll down the picturesque path to Logan Square and back again. Ideal for history buffs, cultural connoisseurs and architectural mavens.
PLEASE NOTE: Comfortable shoes strongly encouraged for this walking tour. Registrants will be contacted in the event of cancellation due to inclement weather.

A Walk Along the Parkway
2018-05-03 16:00 - 18:00 | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States

Art in the Open 2018
2018-05-18 08:00 - 2018-05-20 17:00 | PA
Art in the Open (AiO) is a biennial citywide event that celebrates artists, their inspirations for creating art, and their relationships with the urban environment. Art in the Open debuted in June 2010, bringing a jury-selected group of artists to the Schuylkill Banks – from the historic Fairmount Water Works to South Street – to inspire new ways of seeing the river and the city it runs through. Every other year, a new group of artists is chosen for a three day event, creating new works of art outside, in a creative process open to everyone.
The public is encouraged to participate in Art in the Open by visiting often during the three-day event, to see the works of art evolve and talk with the artists about their creative process. By actively engaging with AiO, you become part of that process – shifting ideas of the art audience, and as part of the environment the artists are considering, influencing how the art take shape. Artists’ working times will vary with their project’s particular needs; most activity takes place between 9 am and 5 pm.
Partnering civic and cultural organizations throughout Philadelphia also offer extensive opportunities for public engagement with the event, showcasing the vibrant community of working artists, galleries and institutions that make Philadelphia a major Urban Art Center, and its two rivers: waterways which continue to inspire creative response and also serve as an ecologically critical lifeline for its residents.

We Drink the River
2018-05-19 13:00 - 17:00 | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
The Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center is offering a special bus tour of the Philadelphia Water Department’s drinking water system. Learn how it’s connected to our rivers, including past and present-day infrastructure that brings us clean and safe drinking water every day. Enjoy a special tasting afterwards!
Register here.

River Reimagined: A Land & Water Tour
2018-06-07 14:00 - 16:30, 2018-06-21 14:00 - 16:30 | 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. No at-the-door sales.
Register here.

Science Saturday - "Mighty Mussel Mania"
2018-06-09 11:00 - 13:00 | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
Come join us for Mighty Mussel Mania! Drop in anytime between 11am and 1pm to learn the importance of these mini-water filters through up-close-and-personal hands-on lessons.

"Philadelphia's Breweries on the Schuylkill" (Rich Wagner, Beer Historian)
2018-06-09 14:00 - 15:00 | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
The Schuylkill River is known as one of the nation’s oldest industrial rivers and one of the industries that thrived along its banks has been brewing. And nowhere along the course of the river were there more breweries than in Philadelphia: from Robert Smith’s India Pale Ale Brewery near the Girard Avenue Bridge to Hohenadel in East Falls and Liebert & Obert in Manayunk, the Schuylkill River has been home to some of the city’s most memorable breweries. Rich will feature views from early maps and photographs the breweries and their advertising to bring to life the rich brewing heritage of “Philadelphia’s Breweries on the Schuylkill.”
About Rich Wagner (Beer Historian):
Rich’s interest in brewing began in 1980 with a summer vacation camping and visiting Pennsylvania breweries for tours and hospitality. The landscape between stops was littered with the industrial skeletons of long-closed brewing plants. Over the next seven years he visited approximately four hundred brewery sites throughout Pennsylvania and found something to photograph at about half of them: everything from complete factory complexes to foundation walls and lagering cellars dug into the sides of hills.
He began researching the state’s brewing history and self-published guidebooks and conducted tours in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Luzerne and Lackawanna counties, the Lehigh Valley and the central region from Reading to York.
In addition to his guidebooks Rich is the author of Philadelphia Beer: A Heady History of Brewing in the Cradle of Liberty (The History Press 2012) and a frequent contributor to a number of publications aimed at the craft brewing industry and breweriana collectors.
This is a free event, space is limited! Register today.

Play Day
2018-06-21 11:00 - 13:00 | Fairmount Water Works, 640 Water Works Drive, Philadelphia, PA, 19130, United States
Need something to do with the kids before summer camp starts? Celebrate the summer solstice at the Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center! Join us for a morning of hands-on kid-friendly activities. Show off your architectural skills by creating replicas of our historic site with our staff, or bring water creatures to life through paper mache painting with Mural Arts Philadelphia. You can even enjoy a special summer treat – water ice – before you leave! This event is free and open to the public.
