Burlington County lies just across the river from Philadelphia, the sixth-largest city in the United States offering fascinating places to explore. We provide access to many of Philadelphia’s best museums with museum passes and there are many books and movies in our catalog set in Philly. We know it can be easy to forget on a typical day the wonders of living in one of the largest, most diverse and most storied places in the country, so here, we’ve highlighted some of the top ways we can help you explore the city.
Philadelphia Museum Passes at BCLS
Museum passes through BCLS provide free access to many of our region’s top museums. Below, we’ve highlighted all the museums that we provide free passes for in Philly.
Please note that the Museum Pass Program is popular, so it’s best to plan for a museum outing a month or more ahead of time. You can reserve online or call a library location.
Science Museums
- Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University: If you like dinosaurs (and honestly, who doesn’t like dinosaurs?), this is the museum for you. This is the oldest natural science museum in America and well worth a visit.
- Mütter Museum: This medical museum isn't for anyone with a weak stomach (so many skulls, and that’s the lighter fare!). But for those fascinated by the human body, this is a one-of-a-kind museum.
History Museums
- African American Museum in Philadelphia: Throughout American history, Philadelphia has always been one of the most racially diverse cities in the country. This museum chronicles the contributions of African Americans to U.S. history and society from the Colonial period through today.
- Independence Seaport Museum: If adventure on the high seas intrigues you, you won’t be disappointed by a trip to the Independence Seaport Museum. Take a tour of the Olympia, the nation’s oldest floating steel warship, and enjoy beautiful views of the Delaware River.
- Museum of the American Revolution: No city is more synonymous with the American Revolution than Philadelphia, so it’s fitting that the city has a museum entirely dedicated to the conflict and its ongoing cultural impact.
- National Constitution Center: A whole museum dedicated to the U.S. Constitution? Only in Philadelphia! See a multimedia theatrical telling of how “We the people” came to be, and have fun taking photos with the life-sized bronze statues of every person who signed the Constitution.
- National Liberty Museum: Continue your exploration of Philadelphia’s Historic District with a stop at the National Liberty Museum. Through interactive exhibits, this museum asks visitors to participate in ongoing conversations about topics such as freedom of speech and equity.
- Penn Museum: The Penn Museum takes you around the world and through time and space with its extensive collection of archaeological artifacts, including an ancient Egyptian sphinx and other historical wonders.
Art Museums
- Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts: This museum features a collection of art from esteemed, up-and-coming, and influential American artists.
- Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens: If street art and sheer wonder are more your thing than paintings and bronze sculptures, be sure to visit Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens. Taking up half a block on South Street, this exhibit is, well, magical.
Other Museums
- Please Touch Museum: This is one of the best children’s museums in the entire country, and as such, is one of our most-circulated museum passes. The Please Touch Museum provides interactive exhibits that entertain and educate children 7 years old and younger.
- Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum: Racing fans and car enthusiasts need to make a pit stop at the Simeone Foundation Automotive Museum. There are more than 70 race cars from 1909 through the 1970s, and most are still in working condition.
- Eastern State Penitentiary: See the cell that held infamous gangster Al Capone at Eastern State Penitentiary, a castle-like former prison that emphasized prisoner reform. The trip is worth it for the architecture alone.
Books and TV Series Set in Philadelphia
Would you rather explore Philadelphia from the comfort of your couch? Here are some popular books and TV series set in the City of Brotherly Love.
Such A Fun Age: This novel is a 21st century comedy of manners that takes a critical look at everyday racial dynamics. In the inciting incident, Emira Tucker, who’s Black, is accused by a grocery store security guard of kidnapping the white child she’s babysitting. Kiley Reid moved to Philadelphia by way of Los Angeles and New York City and astutely captures the city’s race and wealth rifts. The novel was longlisted for the Booker Prize.
Good in Bed: Jennifer Weiner has lived in Philadelphia since 1994 and she published her debut novel, Good in Bed, in 2001. The story is semi-autobiographical: It follows a plus-sized woman named Cannie Shapiro who graduated from Princeton and is now a reporter at the Philadelphia Examiner as she tries to navigate all of life’s curveballs.
With the Fire on High: Award-winning author Acevedo cooks up a hope-filled narrative about a high school senior who’s taking care of her 3-year-old daughter and her abuela while pursuing her dreams of being a chef. Acevedo said she was inspired to set the book in Philadelphia after teaching a summer school class in the city and learning that Philly has more technical schools than most other major cities in the U.S.
The Silver Linings Playbook: E-A-G-L-E-S, EAGLES!! While technically set in Collingswood (New Jersey representation!), Matthew Quick’s story of a man working through mental health issues has plenty of scenes set in Philadelphia and genuinely captures the spirit of the region (the spirit being Eagles pride). The movie adaptation starring Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence focuses more on romance and the original novel is more about mental health.
Abbott Elementary: You’ve likely already heard a ton of praise for this sitcom created by and starring Philadelphia native Quinta Brunton, and we can verify that it’s well-deserved. Abbott Elementary is set in a fictional public elementary school in West Philly and follows the teachers and students as they navigate the challenges of balancing the school’s needs with its (lack of) budget.
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia: This sitcom has been entertaining audiences in Philadelphia and beyond since 2005, and it’s still going strong. It’s never too late to start watching this series about a group of narcissistic, scheming friends that run a failing Irish pub in South Philly.
Did you know you can now filter by a book’s setting location on our website?
Looking for more media in our catalog set in Philadelphia? You can now search by region on bcls.lib.nj.us. Simply search for a topic or genre (say “young adult”) in the catalog, scroll down to the regions filter on the left-hand side, and select a location from the list. The list will then show you books or movies that are set in that location.
