The world is big and I want to have a good look at it before it gets dark.
— John Muir
There’s TONS of good stuff happening this weekend, on top of the obvious Mother’s Day festivities. My top picks:
National Public Gardens Day
TODAY, May 6th FREE admission to participating area gardens, but to be honest, I suspect they will be quite crowded as a result. By all means print out the coupon and get a free preview (allows for up to 10 in your party), but go back and dilly-dally to your heart’s content some other day! Public gardens are good for the soul and need your (monetary) support!
- Morris Arboretum at UPenn
- Scott Arboretum at Swarthmore
- Shofuso Japanese House & Garden (Philly)
- Bartram’s Garden (Philly)
- Tyler Arbortetum (Media) Wilmington Flower Market at Rockford Park
Today and Saturday May 7th 10:00am- 7:00pm each day The Flower Market is in its 91st year! In addition to the carnival rides and food, there are crafts, vendor booths, entertainment, and plants & flowers for last-minutes Mother’s Day gifts. On Saturday the Wilmington School of Hard Rock performs at 10am, and undersung Eagles kicker David Akers will be signing autographs from 11:30-12:30. If Facebook is to be believed, this year you can climb the Rockford Tower steps as well (I’ve always wanted to do this). The Flower Market benefits over 50 children’s charities in DE.
Dover Days 78th Anniversary
May 6, 7 & 8 on The Green & Legislative Mall “Get a glimpse of Delaware’s enriching history, through huge parades, traditional Maypole dancing with children in Colonial attire, walking tours, major Civil War Encampment, free admission to numerous museums, and more. Immerse yourself in the ages through costumed reenactments of the Renaissance, the Civil War and WWII. You can see the Governor’s mansion first-hand. And enjoy all the excitement of the festival, with more than 200 arts and crafts vendors, delicious foods, live entertainment, children’s activities, a hot classic car show, and more.” There’s a whole mess of stuff going on- you’ll want to check out the full schedule here. Admission is FREE.
Free Museum Admission for Bank of America cardholders
First Saturday & Sunday of every month The way this works is that the B of A cardholder gets free admission. If you and your spouse both have your own cards (I believe debit counts too) you both get in free, but you still gotta pony up for the kids. Got it? Area participating museums:
- Delaware Art Museum (site says No Sundays, but as far as I know Sundays are ALWAYS free!)
- Delaware Museum of Natural History
- Winterthur
- Phila Museum of Art
- National Constitution Center
- PA Academy of the Fine Arts
- Please Touch Museum
- Phila African American Museum
- Garden State Discovery Museum (Cherry Hill NJ)
National Train Day at 30th Street Station in Philly
Saturday May 7th 11:00am- 4:00pm Railroad exhibits, high-speed rail display, model train displays, exhibitor booths, train equipment tours, culinary demos, K-9 safety unit performances, entertainment by Radio Disney and more. You can reserve times to tour the Amtrak equipment, freight and commuter trains, and “notable private railroad cars” online; I would probably suggest you do so. I’ve never made it to this event but I bet it gets busy. Did I mention it’s FREE?
Spring Greening at the Phila Zoo: $7 admission
Saturday May 7th 1:00- 5:00pm Cradles to Crayons’ 1st Annual Spring Greening Fundraiser for local kids & the planet. Bring new and/or gently used kids’ items to sort & pack for distribution to needy kids in the area. Zoo admission with donation is $7, includes snacks, beverages, & entry to energy fair. Entry fee is donated to “Return the Call of the Wild” program: the Phila Zoo Docent Council’s effort to raise awareness of the environmental effects of cell phone & to offer a solution. If you’ve got old cell phones lying around bring those to recycle too!
See full event flyer and reserve tickets here.
NBC 10 Day at the Adventure Aquarium
Sunday May 8th 9:30am- 5:00pm $10 admission all day at the aquarium! This is a good deal, admission generally runs $22.95 for adults and $17.95 for kids. All moms receive a complimentary flower courtesy of Blossoms of Cherry Hill (while supplies last), and the NBC 10 news team will be greeting visitors & signing autographs from 10-2. The first 500 to say “I tune to 10” will receive a free family photo.
Ride the Ducks: Moms ride free on Mother’s Day (with coupon).
First tour leaves at 10:00am, last one at 6:00pm. Explore Philly’s historic streets and splashdown into the Delaware River for a great view of the city, the Battleship New Jersey and more. Mom rides for free with the purchase of one child or adult regular priced ticket ($27 savings), but you need to print out this coupon first.
This isn’t actually until next week, but:
Kristin van Ogtrop at the Delaware Children’s Museum
Wednesday May 11th 6:00-8:00pm The editor of Real Simple magazine and author of Just Let Me Lie Down: Necessary Terms for the Half-Insane Working Mom
Tickets are $15 for members and $20 for non-members and can be purchased online.
And what’s happening in your neck of the woods? Let me know!
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