Fairmount Water Works Interpretive Center
No elevator access since flooding from Hurricane Ida, per the visit page.
Free interpretive center in the 1815 Philadelphia water-pumping complex on the Schuylkill, with exhibits, a mussel hatchery and guided tours for groups.
Ways to visit
Interpretive center and exhibits (self-guided) Open
- What you see
- Exhibits, Groundsfairmountwaterworks.org, 2026-10-26
- How
- Walk infairmountwaterworks.org, 2026-10-26
- When
- MonTueWedThuFriSatSunWednesday to Saturday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Hands-on drop-in activities Saturdays 1 to 4 p.m.fairmountwaterworks.org, 2026-10-26 · fairmountwaterworks.org, 2026-10-26
- Booking
- Not stated · on siteOnly groups of 10 or more must schedule.fairmountwaterworks.org, 2026-10-26
- Cost
- FreeDonations welcome.fairmountwaterworks.org, 2026-10-26
- Requirements
- None stated.
Themed guided tours (groups of 10 or more) Open
- What you see
- Exhibits, Groundsfairmountwaterworks.org, 2026-10-26
- How
- Groups only, By arrangement · groups of 10+fairmountwaterworks.org, 2026-10-26
- When
- Booked by phone. The site also links a calendar of scheduled public tours.Calendar ↗fairmountwaterworks.org, 2026-10-26 · fairmountwaterworks.org, 2026-10-26
- Booking
- Required · by phoneCall 215-685-0723 to schedule.fairmountwaterworks.org, 2026-10-26
- Cost
- DonationRecommended donations: general tours and adult groups $10 per person; school groups $6-10; scouts $8; specialty tours vary.fairmountwaterworks.org, 2026-10-26
- Requirements
- None stated.
About
The center sits in the historic water works that once pumped the city's drinking water, and now serves as the Philadelphia Water Department's environmental education center. Exhibits include a film in the Engine House and parts of an 1851 turbine. General admission is free; guided tours are for groups of ten or more and need booking, and the site has no elevator at present.
Run by: Philadelphia Water Department.
Getting there
640 Waterworks Drive (lower level), Philadelphia, PA, 19130
Just below the Philadelphia Museum of Art; SEPTA routes 38 and 32. Free two-hour parking along Water Works Drive.
The pin marks the site itself, not necessarily the entrance (39.96556, -75.18083). Apple Maps directions go to the street address instead. Show on our map · Google Maps · Apple Maps
Fairmount Water Works: 215-685-0723
Last checked 2026-10-26. Sources are listed below.
Sources
- fairmountwaterworks.org · official page · read 2026-10-26For: name; phone and email; who runs it; Interpretive center and exhibits (self-guided): open or closed
- wikidata.org/wiki/Special:EntityData/Q5430… · Wikidata · read 2026-10-26For: location
- fairmountwaterworks.org/visit/ · official page · read 2026-10-26For: street address; Interpretive center and exhibits (self-guided): what you see; Interpretive center and exhibits (self-guided): kind of visit; Interpretive center and exhibits (self-guided): days and hours; Interpretive center and exhibits (self-guided): booking; Interpretive center and exhibits (self-guided): cost; Interpretive center and exhibits (self-guided): requirements; Themed guided tours (groups of 10 or more): days and hours; Themed guided tours (groups of 10 or more): booking; Themed guided tours (groups of 10 or more): cost
- fairmountwaterworks.org/visit/tours/ · official page · read 2026-10-26For: Themed guided tours (groups of 10 or more): open or closed; Themed guided tours (groups of 10 or more): what you see; Themed guided tours (groups of 10 or more): kind of visit; Themed guided tours (groups of 10 or more): requirements
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