Things to do in Philadelphia this winter: Dinosaur exhibit, saunas and more
Visitors explore the "Ice Dinosaurs" exhibit at Academy of Natural Sciences at Drexel University. Credit: Ramon Torres/ANS
Winter has always posed a challenge to man and beast, but just how much of a challenge is a question currently being addressed by the city of Philadelphia, one whose answers might make for a very satisfying weekend getaway.
A visitor examines an animatronic dinosaur. Credit: Drexel University
Those for whom the season is a time of reflection may well want to reflect on this: how is it that dinosaurs — long thought to be cold-blooded creatures — once lived year-round in the Arctic Circle? To find out, visit the Academy of Natural Sciences at Drexel University, which hosts "Ice Dinosaurs" through May 4. An immersive experience that employs everything from animatronic raptors to fossil evidence, the exhibition focuses on feathered Troodon, winged dinosaurs that lived, procreated, and died in a frigid landscape covered half the year in darkness. How did the creatures’ bodies adapt to forbidding conditions? See the exhibition for some intriguing answers. Academy of Natural Sciences, 1900 Benjamin Franklin Pkwy, 215-299-1000, ansp.org. Tickets are $27 for adults, $23 for children.
Meanwhile, those in winter denial should consider a different Philadelphia exhibition, at the American Swedish Historical Museum, and — more to the point — the saunas-for-rent just outside. First, the exhibition, through March 9: "Sauna is Life," which explores how important those hot boxes have been to the people of Finland over the past 10,000 years (although not why an exhibition about Finland is running at a Swedish museum) and "discusses related sweating practices from cultural groups around the world." And as if that were not enough, the ASHM has also installed three pop-up saunas outside on the museum grounds that you and three friends can book for sessions and explore sauna culture for yourselves. American Swedish Historical Museum, 1900 Pattison Ave., 215-398-1776, americanswedish.org. Tickets to the museum are $15, $5 for ages 5-11. Saunas cost $125 for 45-minute sessions for up to four people.
The sauna exhibit at the American Swedish Historical Museum in Philadelphia. Credit: Baltic Leisure, Oxford, PA,
Finally, those for whom winter is something to be embraced have a reason to visit Philly too, namely Winterfest on the Delaware River, a decades-long tradition in the City of Brotherly Love. Rentable fire pits and heated cabins, food, rides and games fill a seasonal wonderland with thousands of lights. And at the center is a large outdoor skating rink to rekindle memories of frozen lakes past. Delaware River Waterfront, 121 N. Columbus Blvd., 215-922-2FUN, delawareriverwaterfront.org. Free admission, prices for activities vary.
Newsday writer and restaurant critic Scott Vogel aims for a refreshing, gimlet-eyed take on the Long Island food scene, often while drinking a refreshing gimlet.
