New Look, New Features For Two Major Philadelphia Attractions

Two of Philadelphia’s most popular attractions, The Franklin Institute and the Philadelphia Zoo, are undergoing massive renovations and will unveil dramatic new looks just in time for the busy summer travel season.

Philadelphia’s big cats will soon have an overhead outdoor trail system at the Philadelphia Zoo. When the see-through mesh trail system, called Big Cat Crossing, is complete in April 2014, visitors will be able to see lions, tigers, jaguars and other large felines roam 14-feet above the ground of America’s first zoo. This innovative, first-in-the-world campus-wide trail system, designed for a wide variety of species, is revolutionizing the zoo experience for animals as well as visitors. Smaller primates are moving through Treetop Trail, the first trail of the zoo’s three-tiered exploration system, which opened in 2011 and expanded in 2013 to include KidZooU. And larger primates such as orangutans and white-handed gibbons are moving through the Great Ape Trail, which opened in 2012.

Slated to open on June 14, the Nicholas and Athena Karabots Pavilion will add a 53,000-square-foot wing to The Franklin Institute, one of the nation’s first hands-on science museums. The massive new space will complete the original 1930s vision for the building and bring with it permanent and temporary exhibition space and educational facilities. The centerpiece of the new wing: Your Brain, an interactive exhibit that delves into a range of topics in neuroscience and psychology. Visitors can climb through giant neurons to learn how the brain functions, test their brains with interactive teasers that demonstrate why seeing isn’t always believing and participate in other activities that reveal the inner workings of human gray matter.

The Franklin expansion will also include a rain garden and a larger exhibition space for traveling engagements. First up: Circus! Science Under the Big Top (June 14-September 1) and 101 Inventions That Changed the World (June 14-October 26). Outside, a Shimmer Wall, created by internationally renowned artist Ned Kahn and comprised of 12,500 clear anodized aluminum squares, will create an ever-changing work of public art that changes in response to the wind. fi.edu

Visit Philadelphia™, formerly known as Greater Philadelphia Tourism Marketing Corporation, makes Philadelphia and The Countryside® a premier destination through marketing and image building that increases the number of visitors, the number of nights they stay and the number of things they do in the five-county area.

Greater Philadelphia’s official visitor website and blog, visitphilly.com and uwishunu.com make up the most-visited website network out of the 10 biggest U.S. cities. Visitors can explore things to do, upcoming events, themed itineraries and hotel packages. Compelling photography and videos, interactive maps and detailed visitor information make the sites effective trip-planning tools. Along with Visit Philly social media channels, the online platforms communicate directly with consumers. Travelers can also call and stop into the Independence Visitor Center for additional information and tickets.