By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times
The 74th Annual Chadds Ford Art Sale & Show
Spring will arrive on Monday and the schedule of special events and activities is bursting out like a field of daffodils.
The 74th Annual Chadds Ford Art Sale & Show (http://cfes.ucfsd.org/artshow/) will be held March 17 and 18 at the Chadds Ford Elementary School. Founded in 1949 by Betsy Wyeth, the popular Chadds Ford Art Sale & Show features works by an array of professional artists from the Brandywine Valley and beyond.
Artists showcase a variety of works to satisfy every taste and budget. The popular art show will include more than 60 artists from the Brandywine Valley and beyond.
Many of the participating artists will be available to sign or personalize their work.
The “Art Exhibit & Sale” will run from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on March 18. Special attractions include live music and a raffle drawing. All proceeds support educational enrichment programs at Chadds Ford Elementary School.
On March 18, Newtown Square Historical Society (3716 Goshen Rd, Newtown Square, nshistory.org) will host its annual “Irish History Tour” at the Square Tavern and Paper Mill House.
The Society is inviting visitors to experience the warm and charming experience of the period-decorated 1700’s Historic Square Tavern. Costumed guides will explain Newtown’s rich history, and visitors can enjoy samplings of Irish cakes, breads, cheeses, ales and mead. The site will also feature a new local art exhibit and sale.
At the Paper Mill House, guests can experience Newtown’s 1800’s history and examine the life of mill workers along the Darby Creek. They can browse more than 10 rooms full of local history and 1800’s decor. Costumed guides will be serving Irish cakes.
The event is free, and donations are welcomed. Hours are from noon-4 p.m.
If you’re looking for something fun to do on Monday, you have several good options — “Be Happy” on the holiday devoted to happiness, receive a free DQ cone, celebrate the first day of spring or get a free Rita’s water ice.
The International Day of Happiness is March 20 — every year — forever. The International Day of Happiness was introduced by the General Assembly of the United Nations during 2012 and was celebrated for the first time in 2013. Through seminars and educational tips and tools, the aim is to educate and increase public awareness of the benefits of happiness.
The original idea came from the Kingdom of Bhutan in the Himalayan region of Asia. There, the population is thought by many to be among the happiest in the world due to the holistic approach to life and the amount of importance which is placed on the well-being of people and communities, as much as material wealth.
For everyone, the day is a useful reminder that in general happiness does not necessarily come from buying and consuming, or from being famous or glamorous – but often from friends, family and emotional well-being. Internationally, there are many events and websites in which people may participate.
March 20 has been established as the annual International Day of Happiness and all 193 United Nations member states have adopted a resolution calling for happiness to be given greater priority. It is coordinated by Action for Happiness, a non-profit movement of people from 160 countries, supported by a partnership of like-minded organizations.
So, when March 20 arrives, smile, share, eat healthily, exercise, be grateful, give back, think positively, spend some time with friends and family, spend some time alone, be mindful, dream, listen to music, say “thank you” and mean it, compete, be charitable. Do what makes you happy – especially if it involves a cool dessert treat.
The spring equinox (also called the March equinox or vernal equinox) falls on March 20, 2023. This event marks the astronomical first day of spring in the Northern Hemisphere.
March 20 is more than just the first day of spring, it’s the day of one of the area’s annual traditions – “Celebrate the First Day of Spring with Free Ice.”
That’s right – a day of free water ice at Rita’s.
On this special day each year, Rita’s (ritasice.com) is offering every guest who downloads the app a free Italian ice to celebrate arrival the arrival of spring – and the warm “water ice weather” it brings with it to the area.
Also on March 20, Dairy Queen locations (www.dairyqueen.com) are celebrating their “Annual Free Cone Day.”
In recognition of the first day of spring, Dairy Queen is offering a free small vanilla soft-serve cone to customers – while supplies last. There is a limit of one cone per customer.
That’s right, the iconic curl you crave is 100% free on Monday. All you have to do is show up and order!
The Antiques at Kimberton Show will be held on March 18 and 19 at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center (100 Station Avenue, Oaks,) from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m.-4 p.m. on Sunday.
The show will feature more than 65 vetted dealers from all over the Mid-Atlantic region with exhibit booths filling more than 10,000 square feet of space. Every dealer is hand-selected to make sure that authentic, quality antiques are always showcased. Visitors will be able to browse and make selections from a wide array of top-quality antiques and collectibles.
The long list of featured categories includes furniture, primitives, art, collectibles, textiles, pottery, glassware and a variety of other items from the past. The show, which has been in existence since the 1960s, is known for its diversity and the willingness of the dealers to discuss the items they are selling.
Tickets are $7 and there is free parking. Additionally, there will be a variety of food available for purchase during show hours.
This weekend, there will be an Auburn Heights Mansion Tour at Auburn Heights Preserve (3000 Creek Road, Yorklyn, Delaware, 302-239-2385, http://auburnheights.org).
On March 17, the site, which features the Marshall Steam Museum and the Auburn Heights Mansion, is hosting the event which focuses on the stately mansion, which is one of the best examples of a Queen Anne style Victorian mansion in Delaware.
The mansion is the former home of the Marshall family whose legacy of industry and innovation filled the home with the antiques and furnishings there today. Visitors will get to explore two floors of Auburn Heights with a small group.
The tour will start at 1 p.m.
Tickets are $8 for adults and $4 for children. Parking is available in the event lot on Creek Road across from the mansion.
On March 18, there will be a “Rockwood Paranormal Reveal” from 8-10 p.m.
This is Rockwood’s classic Paranormal Program to investigate the mansion from the unfinished attic to the decayed basement through the highly polished living spaces in between.
Guests will be instructed how to use sophisticated paranormal equipment to be central to the investigation. Visiting investigators will learn how instrument results relate to those who may have once lived or worked at Rockwood.
Attendees must be able to traverse many stairs throughout the museum.
The event is for ages 14 and older.
This weekend, Laurel Hill Cemetery (3822 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia, 215-228-8200, www.thelaurelhillcemetery.org) will present two special events.
“St. Patrick’s Day Tour & Tastes” is scheduled for March 18 from 1-3 p.m.
You don’t have to be Irish to be part of this festive St. Patrick’s Day tour!
Though dead men tell no tales, there are two places where we can learn much about them — the wake-house and Laurel Hill East. Visitors will meet at the latter as Laurel Hill celebrates the “spirit” of St. Patrick’s Day while honoring the heritage and accomplishments of our proudest Irish souls, now gone to their final reward.
After the tour, guests can enjoy snacks directly from the Emerald Isle.
Tour Guides will be Jerry McCormick & Bill Doran.
Tickets are $20/General Admission (Ages 13 and up); $18/Seniors (Ages 65+) and Students with ID; and $10/Youth (Ages 6-12)
On March 19, the cemetery will present “Wondrous Women of Laurel Hill West”, which is a “Women’s History Month Tour” starting at 10 a.m.
In celebrating Women’s History Month, The Friends of Laurel Hill are offering a walking tour to meet several groundbreakers, now underground, at Laurel Hill West. They will tell the stories of women whose deeds in life have left a legacy through today.
Tour Guide will be Jen Krivinskas.
Tickets are $17/General Admission; $15/Seniors; and $8.50/Youth (Ages 6-12).
Peddler’s Village (Routes 202 and 263, Lahaska, 215-794-4000, www.peddlersvillage.com) will present the fourth Annual “PEEPS® in the Village” from March 13 through April 23 (except on Easter Sunday).
The popular event showcases the creative talents of regional residents–and the longstanding allure of the colorful candies. There will be more than 130 marshmallow masterpieces carefully crafted with bright bunnies and chicks in inspired, inventive settings.
The event will start at 10 a.m. each day except on Sundays when it opens at 11 a.m.
Weekday and weekday evening visits are strongly encouraged. Lines and wait times can be long on weekends.
The “FRIENDS™ Experience: The One Near Philadelphia” is running now through May 29 at the King of Prussia Mall, 640 West Dekalb Pike, King of Prussia,
Visitors can step into the iconic TV show like never before in this interactive experience.
They will be able to explore set recreations including Joey and Chandler’s apartment, Monica and Rachel’s kitchen, and Central Perk!
Visitors to the attraction can dance in front of the fountain and pose on the iconic orange couch.
Participants will be able to see a wide array of props and costumes from the show which will bring them one step closer to their favorite characters.
And they can shop exclusive items at The FRIENDS™ Experience Retail Store which features an array of clothes, accessories, collectibles and more.
The interactive exhibit is open from noon-7 p.m. on Thursdays and Fridays, 10 a.m.-7 p.m. on Saturdays and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sundays.
The exact location is at The Pavilion, which is on the third floor above Cheesecake Factory and Urban Outfitters and across from Ethan Allen)
All ages are welcome. Children 3 and younger don’t need a ticket when accompanied by a parent or guardian.
Adult ticket prices start at $32.
Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library (Route 52, Wilmington, Delaware, 800-448-3883, www.winterthur.org) just opened its 2023 season.
Visitors are invited to celebrate the early bulb display of the March Bank with self-guided garden tours.
On Saturdays and Sundays in March, Winterthur is hosting an event called “Take a Hike!”
Hikers will be able to explore the site’s trails with Winterthur estate guides. Winterthur’s 1,000-acre estate features 25 miles of walking paths and trails and 10 miles of roads to discover.
The walk, which runs from 2:30-4 p.m., is included with admission.
Winterthur is turning blue as the glory-of-the-snow and scilla are appearing throughout the garden, especially on the East Terrace. Warmer than normal temperatures have pushed us into “early April,” and the Winterhazel Walk is budding with the lavender and pink flowers of the Korean rhododendrons along with Lenten roses and fragrant viburnums. The Quarry Garden is filled with the sunshine-yellow cornel dogwoods, daffodils, and mahonia, with forsythia bursting into bloom nearby.
The white arrow tour has returned for the season! When the Winterthur Garden was first opened to the public, Henry Francis du Pont had white wooden arrows placed in the garden to direct visitors during spring tour to the “must-see” flowers that week. The self-guided tour starts at the Visitor Center Patio and winds through the garden, highlighting the changing colors of spring and leading guests back to the Visitor Center. The path will change weekly as the color progression dictates.
Admission to Winterthur is $22 for adults, $20 for seniors (age 62 and older) and students, and $8 for children (ages 2-11).
Another venue where you can enjoy flowers up close is Tyler Arboretum (515 Painter Road, Media, 610-566-9134, www.tylerarboretum.org).
The arboretum’s schedule for this weekend features the “Saturday Wildflower Walk,” on March 18 at 1 p.m.
At the “Saturday Wildflower Walk,” wildflower expert Dick Cloud will lead an informative two-hour hike that will take visitors through meadows, woods, and occasionally streamside. These walks are for those who have a love of plants, their role in ecology, or for those who want to learn more.
Admission to Tyler Arboretum is $18 for adults (ages 18-64), $15 for Seniors (65+) and $10 for children (ages 3-17) and Military with valid ID.
Longwood Gardens (Route 1, Kennett Square, 610-388-1000, www.longwoodgardens.org) is now featuring one of its popular annual special events – “Winter Wonder.”
“Winter Wonder,” which runs through March 26, celebrates the beauty of winter. It’s all about outdoor spacious, indoor oasis, and the power of story.
Outside, visitors can find a sense of peace and tranquility as they walk past textural grasses, seed heads and the dramatic silhouettes of trees that stretch up into the sky.
Inside, they can bask in a world of warmth that features an overhead garden of hanging baskets adorned with such vibrant beauties as jasmine, cape-primrose, and lipstick-plant.
Visitors will be able to enjoy a paradise of flowers and foliage, bursting with color — all in a beautiful indoor winter wonderland with a tropical twist.
“Winter Wonder” exists on two levels.
Both outdoors and in, they can embark on a poignant journey with “Voices in the Landscape: Deeply Rooted with Storyteller Charlotte Blake Alston” beginning on March 11. This is a series of 10 stops throughout the Gardens which honor the contributions of the African American community through the lens of horticulture and the power of story.
Participants will follow along as storyteller Charlotte Blake Alston honors and celebrates the strength, resilience, and contributions of the African American community through the lens of horticulture and the power of story.
Those taking the tour can hear an ancient Zulu creation myth paired with the oldest plant on Earth in the Conservatory; make their way to the Lookout Loft Treehouse and learn the story of the significance and symbolism of woods and meadows; and call out the name of an ancestor in remembrance at the Large Lake while a traditional spiritual soothes your soul.
“Voices in the Landscape” signage is at each stop. Each audio recording ranges between three and eight minutes in length. The estimated time to experience the entire Voices in the Landscape exhibit is approximately 1.5 to 2 hours.
Inside Longwood’s Conservatory, visitors can check out the towering Clerodendrum schmidtii (chains of glory) as well as nearly 300 blooming orchids on display in the site’s newly renovated Orchid House. There will also be rare blue poppies blooming in March but for only about 10 to 15 days.
A new attraction this year is Longwood Gardens’ “Science Saturdays series.
Beyond the boundaries of the formal gardens, Longwood stewards a rich variety of natural habitats. The rolling terrain of the Pennsylvania piedmont and changing ways people have used land over time provide us with diverse conditions for plant and animal life. Dr. Lea Johnson, Associate Director, Land Stewardship and Ecology, will reveal how patterns in the landscape reveal both history and potential futures for biodiversity.
The topics for Science Saturday events are “Plant Collections: Clivia” on March 18. There also will be another series called “Sweet Floral Treats”—a make-and-take floral design class where the designer draws inspiration from a sweet treat. Classes will be presented on March 22.
The gardens are open from Wednesdays through Mondays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. until Friday, March 31. Hours change in the spring.
As always, admission by “Timed Ticket” — tickets issued for specific dates and times. Timed ticketing limits the number of people in the Gardens at any given time and allows guests to enjoy minimal lines and a better viewing experience.
You may enter the Gardens up to 30 minutes prior and 30 minutes after your designated time. Make every effort to arrive at your designated reservation time. Earlier or later arrivals may not be accommodated.
Admission to Longwood Gardens is $25 for adults, $22 for seniors (ages 62 and older) and college students, $18 for active military and veterans and $13 for youth (ages 5-18).
Hagley Museum and Library (Route 141, Wilmington, Delaware, 302-658-2400, www.hagley.org), a 230-acre historical village on the site of the original du Pont Company gunpowder mills in northern Delaware, has just opened a new attraction – “Nation of Inventors.”
“Nation of Inventors” celebrates the American spirit of ingenuity by taking visitors on a journey from the early years of the patent system, in the 1790s, through the “golden age” of American invention, in the late 1800s. The exhibit features more than 120 patent models from Hagley’s unique collection highlighting the diverse stories of inventors from all walks of life.
Patent models are scaled representations of inventions and were part of the patent application process for nearly 100 years. “Nation of Inventors” showcases patent models representing innovations in a variety of industries from transportation and manufacturing to food preservation and medical devices.
In the exhibition, visitors will enjoy engaging experiences around every corner, testing their knowledge of innovation and hearing personal accounts from inventors.
The patent models in “Nation of Inventors” were created between 1833 and 1886. “Nation of Inventors” not only features patent models submitted by inventors from the United States, but also models from inventors in England, France, Ireland, Russia, and Spain, demonstrating an international interest in America’s intellectual property system.
“Nation of Inventors” includes patent models from well-known inventors and companies like Ball (Mason Jars), Jim Beam, Bissell, Corliss, Steinway, and Westinghouse. The exhibit presents important topics and timely themes including women inventors, Black inventors, immigrant inventors, improvements in urban living, and the ways Americans learn about and understand progress and change.
“Nation of Inventors” is located on the first two floors of Hagley’s Visitor Center. Visitors can plan to spend about 30 minutes on their self-guided tour of the exhibition.
Beginning on March 1, all guest areas (Nation of Inventors, the historic powder yard, the historic home and garden, etc.) are open every day from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Last admission is at 3 p.m.
Admission to Hagley Museum is $10 for adults, $8 for seniors and students and $6 for children (ages 6-14). Victorine’s Valentine activities are included with regular admission.
The newest exhibition at the Brandywine Museum of Art (1 Hoffman Mill Road, Chadds Ford, brandywine.org), “Andrew Wyeth: Home Places,” opened last weekend and will run through July 13.
This exhibition is a presentation of nearly 50 paintings and drawings of local buildings that inspired Wyeth time and again over seven decades of his career.
The artworks in this exhibition are drawn exclusively from the nearly 7,000-object Andrew and Betsy Wyeth Collection of the Wyeth Foundation for American Art, now managed by the Brandywine. Many of these pieces have never before been exhibited, offering a first glimpse at a significant treasure trove that will shed new light on the collaborative creative process of Andrew and Betsy Wyeth.
“Andrew Wyeth: Home Places” shares the story of a remarkable immersive and intensive artistic practice that ranged across the full array of media Andrew Wyeth practiced. Over the course of a long and diverse career of many chapters, Wyeth repeatedly depicted a small group of historic houses in the vicinity of his hometown of Chadds Ford, Pennsylvania.
In these weathered buildings others might have overlooked or even scorned in the face of gentrification and commercial development of the region, Wyeth found layers of emotion and association. These structures—both venerable and vulnerable in a changing Brandywine Valley—served as a means of pursuing his abiding attention to that which lies beneath the surface of things.
Through living in this landscape his whole life, he engaged in an artistic practice of uncommon focus over an extended timescale, coming to know deeply the evocative buildings in a radius of just a few square miles and rendering them in an astonishing variety of compositions, handlings and approaches. As Wyeth said, “You can be in a place for years and years and not see something, and then when it dawns, all sorts of nuggets of richness start popping all over the place. You’ve gotten below the obvious.”
Among the previously unexhibited works on view are the charming early oil “The Miller’s Son,” painted when Wyeth was just 17 years old, and the stunning watercolor “Noah’s Ark Study” made at age 87—both depicting the same property, Brinton’s Mill.
That the Wyeths came to own and restore this property for use as their primary residence is among the many contributions of Betsy James Wyeth, whose distinct role in stewarding historic properties in Pennsylvania and Maine, which informed her husband’s painting practice, is a key context of this exhibition.
Museum admission is $18 adults, $15 seniors (65+), $6 children (ages 6-18) and students with ID and free for children (ages five and under).
The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University (1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, ansp.org) celebrates the remarkable diversity of birds, their important role in ecosystems, and people’s relationships with our avian friends with a special exhibition, “Conversations with Birds.”
The exhibition, which runs through May 21, spotlights familiar local birds, such as house sparrows and cardinals, and goes beyond to introduce the variety of migrators that pass through on astounding epic journeys across the globe.
“Conversations With Birds” features amazing avian photography and video by local birders and wildlife photographers, including Anwar Abdul-Qawi, an Academy educator, and Tom Johnsonof Cape May, N.J., a Field Guides birding tour leader; nest cam video footage of a peregrine falcon nest from the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and of a bald eagle nest courtesy of HDOnTap.com and the Pennsylvania Game Commission; hands-on activities that explain the body architecture that enables birds to do what they do; gorgeous taxidermy mounts of familiar local birds and also migrators that visit the area; and BirdCast animations from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology showing live bird migration forecasts
Also featured will be bird-tracking products by Cellular Tracking Technologies that use cell towers, GPS, big birds, small birds, and what’s being used in research projects; an interactive media exhibit that shows five migratory birds that pass through the Philadelphia region on their seasonal passage between North and South America; live or video demonstrations (depending on the day) of Academy ornithologists and volunteers preparing specimens from the Bird Safe Philly project for research and storage in the Academy’s world-renowned Ornithology Collection; and informal presentations by a diverse range of regional birding groups and participatory poetry workshops by Drexel’s Writer’s Room on select Saturday afternoons.
“Conversations With Birds” opens just ahead of spring migration when millions of birds will wing through the Atlantic Flyway north to their breeding grounds. During this period, April 1–May 31, the partnership of Bird Safe Philly asks communities to participate in “Lights Out Philly” to minimize unnecessary lights by turning off, blocking or dimming artificial lights from midnight-6 a.m. to help keep birds from becoming confused by the lights and colliding with buildings.
The exhibition shows that there are engineering solutions that can go a long way to helping prevent window strikes. Visitors also will learn about local birding groups such as In Color Birdingand Bird Philly, as well as birding app options for the adventurous birder and the backyard kitchen-table pigeon watcher alike.
“Conversations With Birds,” which is on view through May 21, is free with general museum admission – adults, $25; seniors, military and students, $22; and children, $21.
Every Saturday and Sunday in March and April, the Chaddsford Winery (632 Baltimore Pike, Chadds Ford, 610-388-6221, http://www.chaddsford.com) is presenting “Reserve Tastings – Wine & Cheese.”
Guests will join the CFW Crew for an intimate and educational 60-minute experience in the Barrel Room. The trained staff will guide them through a pre-selected tasting of five widely diverse and award-winning wines from across our portfolio. The selections will be paired alongside seasonal local cheeses and other accoutrements to enhance your tasting experience.
The staff will also discuss topics such as grape growing conditions at our partner vineyards and the onsite winemaking process from production to aging and bottling.
The 2023 Pairing Line Up is Greeting Wine: 2021 Sparkling White; 2021 Presage with First Light Honey Chèvre & an apple slice; 2021 Dry Rosé: Redux with Caulkins Creamery Noblette Hibiscus Petals; 2020 Maréchal Foch with Highlander and Sour Cherry spread; and Niagara with Goat Rodeo Bamboozled
Reserve seatings are $35 per person.
On March 18, Penns Wood Winery (124 Beaver Valley Road, Chadds Ford, 610-459-0808, Penns Woods Winery – HOME) will pair wine and cupcakes.
The winery will be presenting its 11th annual Wine & Cupcake pairing which includes a tasting of four wines perfectly paired with four custom mini cupcakes from Dia Doce.
Tickets are $36.
An added attraction this weekend will be “St. Patty’s at Penns Woods.”
On March 17, visitors can celebrate St. Patty’s Day at the winery and enjoy $6 glasses of green wine all day long.
The winery will be open from 11 a.m. until 6 p.m.
According to Penns Woods Winery, the green wine tastes like a pot of gold (and Pinot Grigio). No reservations required.
Harvest Ridge Winery (1140 Newark Road, Toughkenamon, harvestridgewinery.com) is hosting three events this weekend.
On March 17, it will be time for sipping wine and listening to the acoustic singer/songwriter John Rodden. The event will run from 4:30-730 p.m.
On March 18, there will be a live music performance by AJ Love beginning at 4:30 p.m.
Sunday’s special event will be a Truffle and Wine Pairing.
The winery offered this invitation — Come join us for an amazing pairing between four different types of decadent chocolate truffles from Bespoke Chocolate in Chestertown, MD and Winemaker chosen wines.
The event runs from 1-2 p.m. and tickets are $30.
The Strasburg Rail Road (Route 741, Strasburg, 717-687-7522, www.strasburgrailroad.com) is running a special train on Saturdays and Sundays in March – the “Wine & Cheese Train.”
Passengers can enjoy the luxurious, climate-controlled first-class accommodations and a tasting of select wine, cheese, and crackers as they travel in style down the tracks from Strasburg to Paradise and back. The train departs at 6 p.m. and the total trip time is 45 minutes.
“Wine & Cheese Train” boarding is 30 minutes before the scheduled departure. Riders must be 21 or older and have their photo ID ready when they board.
Featured wines are carefully selected from Waltz Vineyards, and cheeses are paired accordingly. Beer and select non-alcoholic beverages are also available for purchase upon request. Riders can purchase a souvenir wine glass on board the train if desired. Glasses are $7 each.
In accordance with Pennsylvania law, alcohol is only served during the train ride. We are not permitted to serve alcoholic beverages while the train is berthed in the station.
This popular train is available on select Friday and Saturday evenings throughout the season. Tickets are $65.
Historic Odessa (Main Street, Odessa, Delaware, 302-378-4119, www.historicodessa.org) is both a scenic and an historic site in Delaware.
On March 1, Historic Odessa reopened for spring tours and celebrates the beginning of its 2023 season.
Known in the 18th-century as Cantwell’s Bridge, Odessa played a vital role in commercial life along the Delaware River as a busy grain shipping port.
Today, visitors can stroll along tree-lined streets and admire examples of 18th- and 19th-century architecture in one of the best-preserved towns in Delaware. They can also tour a remarkable collection of antiques and Americana preserved in period room settings and quaint exhibits.
Historic Odessa is open to the public from March through December, Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m.4:30 p.m. and Sunday from 1-4 p.m. The site is also open Monday by reservation.
“Banksy Was Here” was scheduled to run until January 31 at a location in Fashion District Philadelphia (901 Market Street, Philadelphia, banksyexpo.com/philadelphia/).
Fortunately, the exhibition’s stay in Philadelphia has now been extended until April 17.
“Banksy Was Here” features the work of elusive, anonymous street artist Banksy. It is an immersive, multisensory exhibit featuring original works, projections, virtual reality and more to plunge you into Banksy’s world.
“Banksy Was Here,” the “unauthorized exhibition” features a plethora of original works and installations, as well as interactivity, in galleries that pay homage to the artist’s themes, works, and sense of chaos, satire and controversy.
Banksy, the British artist whose identity is still unknown, is considered one of the main contemporary street art icons. In Philadelphia, an “unauthorized” Banksy’s exhibition lets visitors dive into the controversial artistic universe of the most influential creator of present time.
The exhibition will include over 80 original works, sculptures, installations, videos and photos including the now classics of the artist (presumed to be British). These pieces come from private collections and – with the collaboration of Lilley Fine Art / Contemporary Art Gallery – will be exhibited in Philadelphia for the first time.
Banksy is a pseudonymous England based street artist, political activist and film director whose real name and identity remain unconfirmed and the subject of speculation. Active since the 1990s, his satirical street art and subversive epigrams combine dark humor with graffiti executed in a distinctive stenciling technique. His works of political and social commentary have appeared on streets, walls and bridges throughout the world.
Banksy’s work grew out of the Bristol underground scene, which involved collaborations between artists and musicians. Much of his work can be classified as temporary art.
“Banksy Was Here” is running now through April 17 in Fashion District Philadelphia. Timed tickets are $37.90 for adults (ages 13 and up), $28.90 for seniors, students and military and $22.90 for kids (ages 4-12).
There is also another popular destination in the Fashion District.
Wonderspaces at the Fashion District (27 North 11th Street, Philadelphia, philadelphia.wonderspaces.com) is an experiential, interactive arts venue.
Building on the success of annual pop-up shows in San Diego, and its first permanent location in Scottsdale, Arizona, Wonderspaces opened a 24,000 square foot gallery space in Philly a year ago.
Wonderspaces features 14 art installations that all play with the idea of perspective. The artwork ranges from award-winning virtual reality short film about a dinner party-turned-alien abduction, to a room where visitors digitally paint the walls with the movement of their bodies.
New artworks rotate in every few months, creating an ever-evolving, year-round show.
Tickets are for entry at a specific date and time. Visitors are welcome to stay as long as they please during operating hours. The average time spent experiencing the show is 90 minutes.
A few installations contain flashing lights, images, and patterns that may trigger seizures for people with photosensitive epilepsy. All visitors must sign a waiver prior to being admitted into the space. Adult supervision is required for visitors under 16.
A popular ice-skating option in downtown Philadelphia is Center City Parks District’s Rothman Orthopaedics Institute Ice Rink at Dilworth Park (1 South 15th Street, Philadelphia, http://ccdparks.org/dilworth-park).
It is an unparalleled entertainment experience on Philadelphia’s center stage in a wonderfully urban and unique setting. Open seven days a week, the rink offers wintery fun for all ages, with a full slate of programs.
The rink’s Wintergarden will remain open through March 26.
Ghost Tour of Philadelphia (215-413-1997, www.ghosttour.com), Ghost Tour of Lancaster (717-687-6687, www.ghosttour.com) and Ghost Tour of Strasburg (717-687-6687, www.ghosttour.com) operate throughout the winter and offer an eerily entertaining evening of true ghost stories and real haunted houses.
The Ghost Tour of Philadelphia, which is based on the book, “Ghost Stories of Philadelphia, PA.,” is a candlelight walking tour along the back streets and secret gardens of Independence Park, Society Hill, and Old City, where ghostly spirits, haunted houses, and eerie graveyards abound.
Participants can discover the ghost lore of America’s most historic and most haunted city with stories from the founding of William Penn’s colony to present-day hauntings.
The activity is open year-round – weekends, December-February; every night, March-November. Tickets are $24.
The Ghost Tour of Lancaster and the Ghost Tour of Strasburg are based on the book, “Ghost Stories of Lancaster, PA.”
Participants in the Ghost Tour of Lancaster explore the long-forgotten mysteries of one of America’s oldest cities, with haunting tales of otherworldly vigils, fatal curses, and star-crossed lovers. The tour provides the opportunity to experience 300 years of haunted history from the Red Rose City’s thorny past. Tickets are $20.
The Ghost Tour of Strasburg is a candlelight walking tour of the quaint and historic town of Strasburg in the heart of Pennsylvania Dutch Country. Visitors will experience an entertaining evening with a costumed tour guide spinning tales of haunted mansions, eerie graveyards, and spirits that roam the night … in a town lost in time. Tickets are $20.
Grim Philly’s “Dark Philly History Tour” (www.grimphilly.com) will be held every evening throughout the winter.
Participants can walk with tour guides from the grounds of America’s first White House, Congress, and Liberty Bell to homes and sites of Hamilton, Washington, Franklin, Adams, Jefferson, Madison, Monroe, and more than 10 other Founding-Fathers. The surprising dirt of espionage, murder, sexual license and blackmail highlight the secrets of 1776 with a ghost story or two along the way. This tour is highly researched. And your guide is a historian.
Tickets are $35.
If you’re looking for a fun family activity – an indoor activity unaffected by the weather — Linvilla Orchards (137 West Knowlton Road, Media, 610-876-7116, www.linvilla.com) has something just for you — the miniature golf course “Fore! the Planet.”
Linvilla Orchard’s “Fore! The Planet” is a highly interactive and playful museum exhibit created by the Academy of Natural Sciences in Philadelphia. This exhibition pairs important environmental issues with the fun of miniature golf.
It features nine unique educational holes explore butterfly metamorphosis, a tropical rain forest, evolution, dinosaur extinction, food chains, and more. It’s perfect for kids of all ages. The entire family will enjoy playing miniature golf while learning about our environment – every step of the way.
The mini-course is open daily from 9 a.m. -5 p.m. through March 26. Tickets are $5.
Sesame Place (100 Sesame Road, Langhorne, www.sesameplace.com) may be closed for park rides and activities but there’s still furry fun to be had.
The amusement park in Bucks County will celebrate Mardi Gras now through March 19.
Guests can join in the festivities and celebrate by dancing along with special strolling entertainment, participating in the Mardi Gras Mask Scavenger Hunt, and much more.
There will also be Sesame Street-themed rides and attractions for guests of all ages.
The Sesame Street Mardi Gras Parade is a celebration with everyone’s favorite Sesame Street friends dressed up and ready to shine, and features lively tunes, fancy dancing, and floats decked out in Mardi Gras colors of sparkly purple, green, and gold.
Visitors will also be able to enjoy mouth-watering menu items made famous by the city of New Orleans like beignets and jambalaya.
Theme Park admission and parking fees are not required for entry.
