From dancing and fireworks to family-friendly festivals and events, here’s a list of how to make the most of summer’s final holiday weekend.
For those seeking history firsthand, the National Constitution Center’s America’s Founding gallery tells the story of liberty, equality and government by consent. And the Betsy Ross House raises the American flag every morning at 10 a.m.
Residents and visitors can meander with a purpose at Bucks County’s Fonthill Castle on Sept. 5-6. The 118-year-old structure, built by Henry Chapman Mercer, invites guests to tour at a leisurely pace, with guides stationed around the castle to answer questions and point them in the right direction.
The Museum of the American Revolution is devoting three days to interactive fun. Residents and visitors can experience living history at hands-on exhibits, highlighted by a neighborhood from the 1700s along with two “Discovery Carts” — one featuring objects crafted for the Continental Army, another showing how an old printing press worked. Museum educators lead 10-minute history talks, including a chat on the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom.
And the Laurel Hill East Cemetery dives into rotten food and constant indigestion through their Patent Medicines: I Have a Cure for That! tour.
Meanwhile, the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History welcomes families to Colors of Creation, a vibrant playground of color, music and movement.
And, since everyone loves a parade, cruise down to Sheet Metal Workers Local 19 Union Hall for the 39th Tri-State Labor Day Parade, from Columbus Boulevard toward Penn’s Landing on Sept. 7.
Residents and visitors have the last chance to get interactive with Paul Ramírez Jonas’ Let Freedom Ring sculpture, which is leaving Cherry Street Pier at the end of September.
Sesame Place closes out summer with a bang, filling the sky with colorful fireworks while Cookie Monster and Elmo rock out in the park on Sept. 6.
Spruce Street Harbor Park invites kids of all ages to make shadow puppets at Family Fun Day on Sept. 7. Families and kids can also picnic with the Berenstain Bears during the Philadelphia Zoo’s Teddy Bear Picnic on Sept. 5. Plus, the ongoing Stranger Things: The Immersive Experience at Netflix House Philadelphia is always a fun indoor option.
Spooky season officially arrives at Peddler’s Village when Bucks County’s storybook land kicks off Scarecrows in the Village Sept. 7 through Oct. 26.
The Polish American Family Festival returns to the grounds of the National Shrine of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Doylestown for its 60th year from Sept. 5-7. The event is a cultural immersion blender, showcasing traditional Polish music and dancing amid a flurry of food stalls selling authentic Polish delicacies.
The Franklin Institute gets ready to wrap up Universal Theme Parks: The Exhibition, featuring costumes and props, plus everything else you need to know about the science and storytelling behind a movie-themed amusement park, through Sept. 7.
Catch one of the final Pay What You Wish Friday nights at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where you can peruse Van Gogh’s Sunflowers or A Nation of Artists through Sept. 4.
Coltrane 100 Philly honors John Coltrane’s 100th birthday with live jazz performances, like the Karen Smith Experience, inside the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Sept. 5.
See a genre-breaking comedy show when ALOK, the acclaimed non-binary poet and comedian, performs at the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts on Sept. 4.
Wayne’s Woods, inside Valley Forge National Historical Park, sets the scene with Art in the Park on Sept. 6.
Dance away the end of summer on the Delaware River. Two boat parties ride out Labor Day in style, including the Rum & Red Bull All-White Cruise aboard the Spirit of Philadelphia and the Saturday Night White Party Cruise on the Ben Franklin Yacht — both setting sail on Sept. 5.
Check out the 153rd Annual Labor Day Volksfest at Cannstatter Volksfest-Verein Sept. 5-7 for a suds-y goodbye to summer. Keep the good times flowing with a stroll to Parks on Tap at Penn Treaty Park and try a new beer from Mainstay Independent Brewing, Conshohocken Brewing Company or 2SP Brewing from Sept. 4-7.
High-profile entertainers are taking stages across the city, highlighted by British songstress Lily Allen at Highmark Mann on Sept. 6 and country diva Kacey Musgraves at Xfinity Mobile Arena on Sept. 4.
At Longwood Gardens, hits from David Bowie magically sync up with waltzing fountains during The Final Frontier fireworks display on Sept. 6.
Boogie on over to Otherworld Philadelphia for a drum-and-bass experience with London dubstepper Flowdan on Sept. 6.
The Philadelphia Phillies are making a playoff push after trading for three-time batting champion Luis Arráez. The Fightins welcome the first-place Atlanta Braves to Citizens Bank Park for a four-game set Sept. 4-7.
Labor Day also ushers in the return of college football as the Temple Owls host Rhode Island for their season opener at Lincoln Financial Field on Sept. 5. Make it a doubleheader and see the Philadelphia Union battle CF Montréal later in the evening at Subaru Park.
The Bicycle Club of Philadelphia is offering two Sunday strolls on Sept. 6, leaving from the Azalea Garden behind the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Finally, Linvilla Orchards in Delaware County invites families to pick their own crops (and pet barnyard animals) throughout the holiday weekend from Sept. 4-6.
