Exploring the Franklin Institute as an Adult

Earlier this week, I was invited to explore The Franklin Institute (222 North 20th Street) after hours during their latest #FranklinInstameet. If you’ve never heard of an “instameet,” it’s a pretty interesting lil idea. Essentially, they’re a chance for the Instagram enthusiasts and superstars of the city, area, world, etc. to meet up at one location, snap some amazing photos, and learn from their fellow photographers.

Now, as far as these instameets go, I’m certainly not a regular. The only other one I’ve attended took place at Longwood Gardens around the holidays, and I was pretty impressed with some of the Philly photogs there. These events are typically planned by a superstar Instagrammer themselves (my buddy Al put this one together), who makes the IGer guest list. That being said, I’m typically on the other list, put together by the brand or business (which I suits me, obviously).

So I showed up on Monday, ready to explore the Franklin, and if I’m being real here (like I’m ever not real on this blog): it was a liiiiittle bit intimidating. On top of pretty much each and every human carrying a professional camera and tripod (or laying down completely flat on the ground to get the perfect shot, right off the bat), they were definitely a group that knew each other and were ready to get down to business.

Despite my intimidation of the professionals in my midst, I quickly got over this, as we were given free reign of a very empty, very lovely Franklin Institute. If you haven’t been to the museum in awhile, you need to get back over there. On top of the current Pixar exhibit (which we did not get to visit, but I’ll be back for ASAP), they’ve added tons and tons of new things since the time you visited on your 3rd grade school trip.

Since everyone pretty much split up and did their own thing, I was able to wander through at my own pace, snap some selfies (lots of those on Snapchat – are you following me yet?!), and play the games and activities at my own discretion. No more being embarrassed about how bad I was at pretty much everything in the Amazing Machine room, or have kids and parents alike judging me for wanting to climb through both the Giant Heart and the Brain – not tonight, I thought, not tonight. It was a really fun experience to be able to stroll around, completely solo.

Oh and the pictures? I did take some I’m a fan of. You should also check out #FranklinInstameet on Instagram to see everyone else’s photos from the night, they are pretty amazing. I hope you enjoy a few of my snaps from the evening, and if you’ve been over to the Franklin lately, let me know what you thought! xx