TOP 11 PHILLY PICKS FOR 2011

New, Novel & Noteworthy Attractions Lead Philadelphia Into The New Decade

PHILADELPHIA, November 4, 2010 – If 2010 is any indication, the decade that follows will be an action-packed one for visitors to Philadelphia. Making news in late 2010 and beyond is the opening, expansion or relocation of five major historical institutions, the debut of two technologically modernized interpretations of history unparalleled anywhere else in the world, the only East Coast appearance of a monumental museum exhibition and a month-long, $10 million festival of the arts. Here are new reasons for visitors to plan a trip to Philadelphia in 2011:

History In A New Light:

1.      Visitors can take a new look at history during Liberty 360, a new 360-degree 3-D film adventure on view in the PECO Theater at the Historic Philadelphia Center. The 15-minute visual extravaganza is projected onto a 50-foot screen, where, at a resolution of 9.5 million pixels, a larger-than-life Benjamin Franklin leads viewers through some of America’s most cherished icons of freedom. 6^th & Chestnut Streets, (215) 629-4026, historicphiladelphia.org

2.      Independence Mall will welcome tens of thousands of visitors beginning on November 26, 2010 when it debuts its gleaming new National Museum of American Jewish History, a modern 100,000-square-foot, five-story glass structure architecturally designed to reflect the welcome embrace of America and the perennial fragility of democracy. Inside, exhibitions, rare artifacts and interactive displays mark the contributions, hardships and successes of American Jews through every phase of the country’s history and invite all people to remark on the characteristics that make humans similar instead of different. 101 S. Independence Mall East, (215) 923-3811, nmajh.org

3. When The President’s House: Freedom and Slavery in Making a New Nation makes its much-anticipated debut on Independence Mall on December 6, 2010, visitors will be able to see structural fragments of the home where Presidents Washington and Adams lived during their terms and where nine enslaved people served the first president as he led the country in pursuit of freedom and equality. At the open-air Independence National Historical Park site, located just steps from the Liberty Bell Center, visitors will learn about the events that transpired at the President’s House through illustrated glass panels, timelines and video re-enactments. They’ll also have a place to partake in silent reflection at the 24-hour site. 6^th & Market Streets, (215) 597-0060, phila.gov/presidentshouse

4.      The Philadelphia History Museum at the Atwater Kent (PHM) will reopen in spring 2011 with all new exhibits, a renovated building and a reinstallation of the famous Philadelphia floor map. Through galleries grouped into themes such as “Made in Philadelphia,” “Sports & Their Fans” and “Turning Points,” the museum showcases legendary craftsmanship and athletic prowess, plus many of the iconic artifacts, that comprise the city’s 328-year history. Further, a “Community Voices” gallery invites guest organizations to curate their own exhibitions. 15 S. 7^th Street, (215) 685-4830, philadelphiahistory.org

5.      Debuting in the summer 2011, the re-imagined Lights of Liberty show will be the first outdoor nighttime show that includes 3-D technology. During the guided walking tour, loyalists and patriots will witness the transformation of Historic Philadelphia’s most noteworthy buildings into dazzlingly lit recreations of their 18^th-century selves while they absorb the fervent feelings that were engendered by Philadelphians as they processed the meaning of the newly inked Declaration of Independence. Profoundly stirring surround sound and imagery will aim to transport guests’ imaginations to an earlier era as they marvel at the latest in 21^st-century technology. 6^th & Chestnut Streets, (215) 629-4026, historicphiladelphia.org

Exemplary Arts & Exhibitions:

6.      A new wing devoted to changing exhibits and education will open at the Mercer Museum in the summer of 2011. A sign
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