What To Do: A perfect weekend for inside events

By Denny Dyroff, Entertainment Editor, The Times

When looking for January events to enjoy each weekend, many area residents prefer to look inside – and there is much to be found there this weekend.

The Greater Philadelphia Expo Center (Station Avenue, Oaks, www.phillyexpocenter.com) will be the site of three very different events this weekend – events focusing on model trains, fishing and sports memorabilia.

There will be a lot of model trains and a lot of toys on display and for sale when Greenberg’s Train & Toy Show visits the area for a two-day stop at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center.

The show, which is scheduled for January 10 and 11 from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. both days, will feature a number of operating train displays, including Independent Hi-Railers – 24 × 48 – O Gauge Layout, South Eastern Pennsylvania Garden Railway Society – 32 × 36 -O Gauge Layout, Strasburg Model Railroad – 20 × 120 – HO Scale Layout, Keystone N Trak – 24 × 20 – N Scale Layout, Allegheny Western Lines Model Railroad Club – 34 × 34 – HO Scale Layout,

Dave Brent’s Model Railroad – 35 × 5 – HO Scale Layout, South Jersey S Gaugers – 16 × 30 – S Scale Layout and North Penn O Gaugers – 50 × 54 – O Gauge Layout.

This weekend’s show will also offer free clinics on a wide variety of topics, including track work, using accessories and using a digital command control. There will be a large number of dealers with toys, trains, accessories and hobby publications. Other features include hourly door prizes.

Tickets for adults are $11 for Saturday and $10 for Sunday. Children (12 and under) are admitted free.

The Expo Center is hosting the “Philly Fishing Show” on January 9, 10 and 11.

The event will feature free seminars — saltwater, freshwater and fly – and a wide array of vendor booths.

Special attractions include the “Hawg Trough”, a 5000-gallon aquarium full of local freshwater gamefish, a trout fishing pond, and a fly-fishing pond.

There will be professional anglers and lure makers sharing the stage on the tank giving seminars and demonstrating different lures.

Hours are noon-7 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sunday.

Admission is $12 for adults, $6 for children (6-12) and free for children (five and under).

The Expo Center is also hosting the “The Collector Connection Live Sports Cards and Memorabilia Auction.

The twice-a-year “Live Only” auction will be held on January 10 starting at 10 a.m.

This is an old-fashioned auction in which you have to be there to bid.

The promoters will have cards and memorabilia from the 1930’s to today. Some of the highlights include an amazing selection of complete sets with 1961 Topps, 1962 Topps, 1964 – 1966 Topps, and a bunch more sets from 1971 on up.

Also featured will be great singles both graded (mainly PSA and SGC) and raw, autographs galore, bulk lots, choice lots, vintage to modern lots.

More than 400 lots will be sold — and only to the people in the room.

Longwood Gardens (Route 1, Kennett Square, www.longwoodgardens.org) is celebrating the holidays with the annual favorite — “A Longwood Gardens Christmas.”

The festive holiday display at Longwood Gardens, which is running now through January 11, features more than 500,000 spectacular lights, lavish decorations, holiday music and colorful displays featuring thousands of brilliant poinsettias, brightly decorated trees and fragrant flowers — all inside the heated Conservatory.

A new attraction this year is the “Taste of Christmas” at The Fountain Room in the Gardens. The Fountain Room recently opened as part of “Longwood Reimagined.” In addition to tasty food, it also offers a premier view of the Main Fountain Garden.

The restaurant has 240 seats and features new dining options, new seasonal menus, and a private dining room, plus a bar and lounge.

There will be stations featuring gourmet entrees, a wide array of sweet treats, non-alcoholic beverages and hot chocolate. Special tickets are required.

Tickets for “Taste of Christmas” at The Fountain Room, which include gardens admission, are $178.74 for adults (ages 21+), $117.34 (ages 13-20); and $74.94 (ages 5-12); members $136.74 (21+), $94.34 (ages 13-20), $51.94 (ages 5-12). Kids age 4 or younger are free.

The highlight of “Longwood Reimagined” is the West Conservatory. The 32,000-square-foot glasshouse was designed by Weiss/Manfredi while the gardens and water features were put together by Reed Hilderbrand.

The colorful annual event, which appeals to the entire family, also has a lot of outdoor attractions such as fountain shows and nighttime light displays.

Longwood’s Christmas celebration also includes a wide array of seasonal music — holiday concerts, organ sing-alongs and carillon performances.

When darkness arrives at Longwood, a night-blooming garden of more than a half-million lights strung on close to 100 trees with approximately 40 miles of wire comes to life. A carillon with 62 cast bells plays holiday music every half hour during daylight hours. Longwood’s Open Air Theatre fountains dance to holiday music each half hour — temperature permitting.

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.

Visitors to “A Longwood Gardens Christmas” can also check out Longwood’s Garden Railway — a whimsical display set into motion with G-scale model trains. This is the 18th year that the railway has delighted visitors with special water features and custom trains traveling in and out of bridges and tunnels.

Tickets are $42 for adults and $25 for youth.

This weekend is a special time at the Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University (1900 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, Philadelphia, www.ansp.org).

The museum is presenting “Science Storytime” on January 10 and 11 and 12 starting at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. each day.

Each week will feature a science story and a hands-on craft to try.

This weekend’s feature is “Ladybug Launch” by Melissa Trempe

Other upcoming “Science Storytime” dates are

January 17-18, January 24-25 and January 31-February 1.

Museum admission is $22 for adults, $19 for seniors and $18 for children (ages 2-12).

Chaddsford Winery (Route 1, Chadds Ford, www.chaddsford.com) is presenting “Reserve Tastings –Festive Faves” on select Saturdays and Sundays in January.

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 following is the 2026 Pairing Line Up –

Tickets cost $35 per person and reservations are required.

The “Wine, Cheese & Honey Pairings at Penns Woods” at Penns Wood Winery (124 Beaver Valley Road, Chadds Ford, http://www.pennswoodswinery.com) provide a nice way for visitors to enjoy a winter weekend day.

Penns Woods Winery is joining forces with local cheese makers and local honey artisans to present exclusive pairings of wine, cheese and honey.

The tastings will feature four premium Penns Woods wines, each paired with four local cheeses and four local accoutrements.

The palate-pleasing tastings will be held every weekend in January from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturdays and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. on Sundays.

Tickets cost $38 per person and reservations are required.

Founded more than 50 years ago, Choo Choo Barn — Traintown U.S.A. (Route 741 East, 226 Gap Rd, Strasburg, www.choochoobarn.com) presents a 1,700-square-foot train layout featuring over 150 hand-built animated figures and vehicles and 22 operating trains.

The majority of trains that are running in the display, which is open until 20, are “O Gauge” trains but there are also some HO Gauge trains as well as one N Gauge train.

Several of the original pieces and animations are still on the display today, including the ski slope, ski lodge and ice skaters, Dutch Haven, the Willows, the two-lane moving highway (in front of Dutch Haven), the farm with the tobacco barn, the Strasburg Fire House, the church beside Dutch Haven and a few other houses.

Tickets are $12 for adults and $8 for children (ages 3 and under) at Choo Choo Barn — Traintown U.S.A.

LEGOLAND Discovery Center Philadelphia (500 W Germantown Pike, Plymouth Meeting, Https://philadelphia.legolanddiscoverycenter.com/) is open all winter with its family-oriented rides and play.

Popular attractions are “Imagination Express,” “4-D Cinema,” “The Great LEGO® Race Virtual Reality Experience,”

“LEGO® NINJAGO® Training Camp,” “Duplo Park” and “Pirate Adventure Island Spoftplay.”

Admission is $21.99.

This month, the Neag Planetarium at the Reading Public Museum (500 Museum Road, Reading, www.readingpublicmuseum.org) will host “James Hood’s Beautifica.”

“Beautifica 360 – A Celebration of Life” was created by visionary composer James Hood and acclaimed immersive artists.

Celebrated as a versatile musical pioneer, Grammy-nominated artist James Hood is known for his groundbreaking work, and multi-sensory projects blending music and art.

His extensive musical résumé includes drumming for The Pretenders, more than two decades as the creative force behind the visionary ambient act Moodswings, and a wide array of production and soundtrack projects.

Before “Beautifica,” Hood transformed the world of immersive artistic experiences with “Mesmerica 360,” the record-breaking experience that continues to captivate audiences worldwide.

With “Beautifica 360,” breathtaking worlds of light and sound come alive in this 360° dome experience.

Audiences can lose themselves in mesmerizing constellations and ethereal landscapes.

Nestled within the Reading Public Museum, the Neag Planetarium is a captivating destination that transports visitors into the depths of space. It is located at 500 Museum Road in Reading.

Show will be presented on January 10, 11,17, 18, 24 and 25.

Tickets are $39.50.

For the second year in a row, Philadelphia is one of the host cities of Astra Lumina.

Astra Lumina Philadelphia, which is the 24th experience in the Lumina Enchanted Night Walk series, will be held now through March 8 at the Abington Art Center (515 Meetinghouse Road, Jenkintown, astralumina.com).

Astra Lumina Philadelphia welcomes visitors to an extraordinary place — a garden right here on earth that shares a special connection with the sky above. Come nightfall, the garden sets the stage for a phenomenal event — a visit from the stars.

Astra Lumina Philadelphia is a one-mile-long enchanted night walk through a wooded sculpture park of varying terrain that guides visitors on a journey to discover the wonder of visiting stars.

Through the magic of projections, lighting, and music, astral energy transforms the garden into a celestial pathway, connecting visitors to the stars and the vast world around them.

The stars are descending from the night sky. Set off across mysterious grounds to discover a celestial pathway of lustrous light, cosmic visions, and astral song.

Participants can immerse themselves in illuminating encounters of lighting, projection and sound, and connect with the stars before they return to the sky above.

Located on a historic 27-acre campus, just 10 miles from Center City Philadelphia, Abington Art Center is a beautiful setting for the enchanting Astra Lumina. The campus has been transformed to create a magical journey.

Weapons (including off duty officers), flash photography, outside food or alcohol, light-up accessories that distract from the experience, or anything that may disturb other patrons are prohibited.

All guests must pass through handheld metal detector wands and bag check before entering the experience.

Video link for Astra Lumina — https://youtu.be/2mPra01OgCM.

The event will run now through March 8. Ticket prices start at $29.

How would you like to get rid of your Christmas tree in a sustainable and extremely adorable way?

A great way is to gift it to a goat.

The Philly Goat Project’s annual Christmas Tree-Cycle festival/fundraiser (www.phillygoatproject.org) returns with three events this month where you can donate your tree to local goats to enjoy.

The first two are at The Farm at Awbury Arboretum and the last will be at Laurel Hill West Cemetery. The family-friendly events, which start this weekend, run from noon-3 p.m. all three days.

On January 10 and 24, the event will be held at The Farm at Awbury Arboretum (6336 Ardleigh Street, Philadelphia) and January 17 at the Conservatory at Laurel Hill West Cemetery (225 Belmont Avenue, Bala Cynwyd).

The event features free s’mores, hot cocoa and all the goat cuddles you want. There is a suggested donation of $20 per Christmas tree which helps support community programs. And you don’t need a tree to join in the fun.

On January 11, Laurel Hill Cemetery (3822 Ridge Avenue, Philadelphia, www.thelaurelhillphl.com) will present “Hot Spots and Storied Plots” walking tour at 10 a.m.

In life and in death, we all have stories to tell, and what better place to hear tales of wonder than Philadelphia’s most famous home of the dead?

This tour provides an informative overview of Laurel Hill’s long history, which includes many of the marble masterpieces, stunning views, and legendary stories about Laurel Hill.

“Hot Spots and Storied Plots” is the perfect introduction for anyone who enjoys beautiful art, scenic nature, and fascinating history. An experienced graveyard guide will offer a unique perspective.

The Tour Guide will be Rich Boardman.

Tickets are $18 for general admission, $16 for seniors and $9 for children (ages 6-12).

The 2025 Winter in Franklin Square holiday festival (200 North Sixth Street, Philadelphia, http://www.historicphiladelphia.org/franklin-square/holidays-in-franklin-square/) opens its season this weekend and it will run until February 25.

It will be open from 10 a.m.-9 p.m. daily.

The Electrical Spectacle Holiday Light Show will be open from 4-8 p.m. daily and 4-9 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.

Visitors are invited to experience the magic of the holidays and celebrate traditions new and old at the Franklin Square Holiday Festival.

Inspired by Benjamin Franklin’s electrifying genius, the free Electrical Spectacle Holiday Light Show presented by PECO is the key to holiday fun in Franklin Square.

Attendees can marvel at more than 50,000 lights as they shimmer, dance, and illuminate the Square to a soundtrack of holiday classics, some of which are performed by The Philly POPS in two alternating shows every 30 minutes. Every evening, one lucky audience member will be selected to “ignite” the 4:30 p.m. show.

A popular annual Philly holiday tradition can be found at the Rothman Orthopaedics Institute Ice Rink at Dilworth Park (1 South 15th Street, Philadelphia, http://ccdparks.org/dilworth-park).

Back in November, some of Philadelphia’s favorite winter traditions return to Dilworth Park. Visitors of all ages can enjoy a dramatic seasonal transformation as fountains are replaced by the Rothman Orthopaedic Institute Ice Rink and reindeer topiaries take up winter residence on the Greenfield Lawn.

In addition, a full lineup of free entertainment is featured, including the Deck the Hall Light Show, the Made in Philadelphia Holiday Market and Rothman Orthopaedic Institute Cabin.

Dilworth Park’s winter season began in November with the opening of the Wintergarden on the Greenfield Lawn and the Rothman Orthopaedics Ice Rink and Cabin.

The Rothman Institute Ice Rink at Dilworth Park 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.

Winter has arrived and the Blue Cross RiverRink (Delaware Avenue at Walnut Street, Philadelphia, 215-925-RINK, www.riverrink.com) has come back to life.

Unlike most of the suburban ice rinks, RiverRink features public skating. Ice skating is the only use of the ice. This winter, RiverRink takes the ice-skating experience on the Delaware River waterfront to another level by once again transforming the annual rink into a bona fide winter wonderland.

For 29 seasons, Winterfest has been Philadelphia’s favorite Winter tradition on the Delaware River Waterfront, inviting visitors for a chance to indulge in flights of fancy under thousands of sparkling lights in a winter wonderland with spectacular views of the Delaware River. Cozy up in comforting warming cabins, firepit stations, boardwalk rides and games for the young and young-at-heart, delicious food and hot beverages, the signature holiday tree, and, of course, ice skating on our NHL-sized rink. Winterfest is a top destination for anyone looking to rekindle family traditions.

The Winterfest site is free to enter and open to the public. Amenities such as ice skating and cabin and firepit experiences can be reserved in advance. Winterfest is open seven days a week including holidays through March.

There are also a lot of ongoing non-holiday events in the area this weekend.

A good location for a nature walk is Tyler Arboretum (515 Painter Road, Media, 610-566-9134, www.tylerarboretum.org).

The arboretum’s schedule for this weekend features a “Saturday Wildflower Walk: Winter Edition” on January 10.

With 650 protected acres of beautiful woodland, seasonally charming meadows, and a lively program of seasonal events and activities, Tyler Arboretum is a delight for nature lovers, birders, botanists, and those who want rediscover the natural world.

Dating to 1681, making it one of the oldest public gardens in the United States, and home to eight generations of three families, Tyler Arboretum connects visitors to the region’s rich culture and history while preserving, developing, sharing, and celebrating Pennsylvania’s priceless horticultural heritage.

“Saturday Wildflower Walk,” which runs from 1-3 p.m., features wildflower expert Dick Cloud on an informative two-hour hike that will take guests 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.

Although the focus is on plants, Cloud will also talk about whatever else is seen on the tour. Walkers should wear comfortable hiking shoes and bring a camera and/or a wildflower guide, for this botanical-filled walk.

Admission to Tyler Arboretum is $18 for adults and $10 for children (ages 12-17).

“TreeTrails Adventures Trevose” (301 West Bristol Pike, Trevose, treetrails.com/trevose-pa) is an adventure park full of fun challenges for outdoor adventurers of all ages.

Participants can experience the rush of TreeTrails Adventures as they swing through the trees of the new adventure park. They will be able to discover the excitement of climbing and zip lining above the forest floor with family, friends, co-workers, or teammates.

The park, which is based at Phoenix Sport Club in Bucks County, offers two ways to experience climbing – TreeTrails Adventure Park and KidTrails Park. Young explorers can enjoy miniaturized courses in the adjacent KidTrails Park.

General Park Admission prices are: Main Park Adult Tickets (Ages 12+), $69; KidTrails Tickets (Ages 4–7), $23.

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.

Ticket prices start at $38.

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 $28.

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 $28.