Not every summer day is meant for the pool or playground. If the forecast calls for extreme heat, rain or high humidity, these family-friendly indoor attractions around Philadelphia are perfect for staying comfortable while making the most of the season.

Universal Theme Parks Exhibition at the Franklin Institute

Locals can step behind the curtain and into the magic with the Franklin Institute’s latest showcase, ‘Universal Theme Parks: The Exhibition.’ It’s a full walkthrough of the brand’s most notable artifacts, costumes, and props, and a place to peer behind the scenes at the creative process that brings Universal’s most popular experiences to life.

While walking around the 18,000-square-foot showcase, locals will find 20 interactive stops, and 100 artifacts from The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, ‘Jaws’, Illumination’s ‘Minions’, ‘The Secret Life of Pets’, ‘Sing’, ‘Jurassic World’, DreamWorks Animation’s ‘How to Train Your Dragon’, ‘Universal Monsters’ and Super Nintendo World.

‘Universal Theme Parks’ is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., with evening hours available Thursdays through Saturdays. Tickets (prices vary) should be purchased in advance online or by calling 215-448-1200.

222 N. 20th Street, fi.edu

Revolution at the Library

Born from a partnership between the Museum of the American Revolution in Old City, the Free Library of Philadelphia and the Camden County Library System, this initiative has expanded to nearly 30 libraries across Burlington County, Camden County, and the Philadelphia region in a mission to bring the Museum’s content to life through live readings, hands-on activities and more this summer.

Essentially, elementary school students and families can visit local libraries to hear Revolutionary-era stories from museum educators while engaging in hands-on activities to “spark curiosity and further historical empathy and knowledge.” As a release notes, programs feature a range of topics and contain interactive elements, like replica artifacts and documents that children can examine and explore. Note, all programs are free to attend and do not require advance registration.A full list of program locations, dates, and times can be found online, but current participating locations include Andorra, Eastwick, Frankford, Northeast Regional, Oak Lane, Queen Memorial, and Wyoming for Philly branches, along with Gloucester Township Blackwood Rotary, Haddon Township, Merchantville, and William G. Rohrer Memorial Library for Camden County.

Various locations, amrevmuseum.org

Shark + Ray Summer at the Camden Adventure Aquarium

Shark & Ray Summer is back at the CAA, and has debuted a lineup of interactive experiences through Aug. 16.Throughout the Aquarium during the activation, guests can meet Gill the Shark, participate in shark- and ray-themed games, and check out a puppet show at The Boardwalk, where young visitors can also nab a wearable Shark Crown. 2026 also brings fresh themed photo installations and educational programming—like the All About Eagle Rays talk, where Aquarium experts will share insights into the biology, history and conservation of the venue’s newly introduced spotted eagle rays.

Philadelphians can also check out the new Shark & Ray Lab, an interactive space where visitors can experience what it’s like to work as a marine biologist. This year also brings the Aquarium’s Shark Feed Tours, a limited-time offering with exclusive access to weekly shark feeding sessions in both the Shark Realm and Ocean Realm. Guided by Aquarium staff, guests will witness firsthand how the animal care team feeds and monitors these predators while also getting an up-close view of the spotted eagle rays.

1 Riverside Drive, Camden, New Jersey, adventureaquarium.com

Puttshack

This pick is great for anyone looking to upgrade their mini golf game. What sets Puttshack apart is that the brand uses “Trackaball technology,” where each player can create a unique player profile, synced to their own individual golf ball at the start of gameplay. Engineered with a microprocessor, this golf ball tracks the player’s score, bonus points earned, which holes have been played, and more. Returning players will be able to use their profile to access data about past visits, games, and other metrics. Guests can compete against one another in groups of up to six players.

The space is meant to be family-friendly during the day, and then at 8 p.m., it turns into a 21+ club for the night. Puttshack also dons a bar and dining room space with a selection of both drinks and food (think Korean bao buns, a cheesesteak flatbread and roast pork). Reservations can be made online.

1625 Chestnut St., puttshack.com

Sandbox VR

Sandbox VR offers state-of-the-art virtual reality activities for groups of up to six people. As a release notes, while there, groups put on VR headsets and wear motion sensors that capture their full body movements, letting them see and physically interact with each other as they “battle in a shared virtual world.” This patented technology provides a realism that’s not possible with home VR or other location-based platforms where guests’ own bodies act as their game controllers as they step into these virtual worlds.

Guests can choose from nine different VR experiences created by Sandbox’s in-house team of video game industry veterans, including ‘Rebel Moon: The Descent’, ‘Deadwood PHOBIA’, ‘Deadwood Valley’, ‘Seekers of the Shard: Dragonfire’, ‘Amber Sky 2088’, ‘Deadwood Mansion’, ‘Unbond Fighting League’, and more kid-friendly games like the popular ‘Squid Game Virtuals’ and ‘Curse of Davy Jones.’

1712 Walnut St., sandboxvr.com

MORE: Best free events in Philly this summer

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