This Weekend Could Be Your Last Opportunity To Visit The Academy Of Natural Sciences
by Alex Lloyd Gross
Alex Lloyd Gross Photo Delaware Valley News.com
The Academy Of Natural Sciences is a museum that most people who grew up in this region visited at least once, possibly on a school trip. It is located near 19th and Ben Franklin Parkway, in Center City Philadelphia. It’s also closing for good, after this weekend.
Funding is the issue. This iconic part of Philadelphia History is now just open on the weekends. It is closing for good. Inside, there are multi levels that people can walk up stairs and see different dioramas which depict animals from all over the earth.
Of course, the animals are not real. Each diorama is a work of art. Thin wire, paper mache and wood make up much of the exhibit inside the diorama that you see in front of you. Some are small, while others for larger animals take up enough room to parks several vehicles in. They are all crafted by hand. In fact, there is even an exhibit dedicated to showing people how these amazing pieces are made.
Alex Lloyd Gross Photo Delaware Valley News.com Children dig for dinosaur bones at the Academy Of Natural Sciences.
The other attraction is the dinosaur exhibit. Huge skeletons that paleontologists have dug up and put together are seen upon immediately entering the building. There is even an opportunity for people to dig for their own dinosaur bones. Sorry, these bones stay there, but children will have fun using brushes and finding what is buried under sand.
Alex Lloyd Gross Photo= Delaware Valley News.com People look at a diorama
Each level is dedicated to something else, a safari or a polar cap, for example. It is unknown what will happen to the dioramas once the museum closes. To see the whole building, including some interactive areas will take between 90 minutes to three hours, depending on your individual pace.