Philadelphia provides Penn students with countless opportunities to venture off campus and experience the city's vibrant culture, with museums, concerts, art galleries and theatrical and dance venues just a quick SEPTA or cab ride away.
The Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts and the Academy of Music are central to the Philadelphia cultural scene. The center is home to eight resident companies, including the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Philadelphia Dance Company, the Pennsylvania Ballet and the Opera Company of Philadelphia. Touring performers and companies from all over the world can also be seen here.
Concert venues can be found all over the city and in the surrounding suburbs. One prominent spot is the Tweeter Center, across the river in Camden, N.J. An amphitheater that can hold an audience of 25,000 during the summer, the center converts to an indoor arena for the fall and winter seasons. In addition to concerts, theater productions and family entertainment can be found at the Tweeter Center.
September concerts this year will include the Dave Matthews Band, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Crosby, Stills & Nash and the Sprite Liquid Mix Tour, headlined by The Roots.
The downtown Electric Factory is a concert venue frequented by students, featuring popular bands as well as lesser-known up-and-coming performers. Cake, Dashboard Confessional and Poison The Well will perform there this fall.
Film buffs can head to the three Ritz theaters in Old City -- in the eastern part of Philly -- for art, independent, alternative and foreign films. The theaters also feature pre-releases and house various film festivals.
Art museums and galleries in Philly are also numerous. A highlight for art lovers is First Friday, located in the "art district" of Old City. Over 40 neighborhood galleries are open from 5 to 9 p.m. on the first Friday evening of every month. Both locals and tourists browse, mingle and dine at the many Old City restaurants.
Art museums range from classic to contemporary with everything in between. The Philadelphia Museum of Art is impossible to miss at the end of Ben Franklin Parkway -- which also houses a number of other attractions, including the Rodin Museum. The PMA, a huge and impressive building, was created in the form of three linked Greek temples, and is home to a vast collection of Renaissance, American, Impressionist and Modern art.
The Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts is the oldest art museum in the country, attracting art students from all over the world. Modern art enthusiasts will appreciate the Institute of Contemporary Art, located just off campus at 36th and Sansom streets.
Some of Philly's most impressive cultural highlights can even be found right on Penn's campus. The University's own facilities range from the Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts -- which includes Zellerbach and Harold Prince theaters -- and Irvine Auditorium to the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.
The theaters often draw large audiences from the Philadelphia community, as well as the student body and faculty members, and feature a wide variety of shows throughout the year, including theater, dance, music and comedy.
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