Education and art have a lot to offer, but if you’re traveling with children, you may need something in addition. This is a child-friendly town. There is an aquarium, a zoo, three museums designed to let children play with the exhibits (the Please Touch Museum, the Franklin Institute and a section of the Academy of Natural Sciences), old ships and a submarine at Penn’s Landing, two ice rinks, six professional sports teams, plus an Omnimax theater and a planetarium at the Franklin Institute.

Many of the downtown places (and the aquarium) are on the route of the Phlash bus. The fare is a flat rate of $3 for unlimited stops all day long. For many of the museums, a CityPass is available that provides access to several places with one ticket.

The National Park Service provides tours and multimedia, interactive, educational displays at Independence Hall. At the Please Touch Museum, children are encouraged to put their mitts on everything and the entire museum is scaled to kids. There are similar setups in the Academy of Natural Sciences and the Franklin Institute. Don’t forget the popular petting pen at the Philadelphia Zoo.

Many of the larger chain bookstores around town have Saturday programs for children with readings and performances. The Free Library often has scheduled activities, including readings, films and performers. Then there are the children’s theater programs at the Arden and Annenberg. To make your travels more convenient, children under the age of 12 ride free on SEPTA’s buses and subways on Saturdays.