Learn about Sweden by visiting the American Swedish Historical Museum
One of the beautiful things about living in the United States is the variety of people from different backgrounds who live here. This museum is a great place to learn about Swedish settlers and their culture.
Where is the museum located?
The American Swedish Historical Museum is located at 1900 Pattison Avenue in Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park in Philadelphia. This majestic building is close to the Boathouse. It is so large it is hard to get the entire building in a photograph.
Where do I park?
There is a large parking lot right in front of the museum that has free parking.
What things does the museum have?
The museum has beautiful architectural elements. It was designed by John Nyden. Construction was started in 1926 and it was completed in 1938. There are also lots of galleries in the museum. We really liked the Stuga which showed the inside of a Swedish farmhouse. See the map below to see different things you can find at the museum.
Are there videos I can watch that show the museum?
Yes! Here are videos I made of the museum as well as its Midsommarfest event:
American Swedish Historical Museum Video
Midsommarfest at the American Swedish Historical Museum
Are there special events at the museum?
Yes! There are lots of events throughout the year. We just visited for their Midsommarfest. Keep an eye on their Calendar of Events. I was told that their classes to learn Swedish are offered a few times a year but they often book up quickly. Here is a picture of some of their upcoming events. Be sure to also check their Facebook Events page.
Some of their upcoming events:
Free Craft Fair and Textile Family Day from on July 14th from noon to 4 pm
Toddler Time on July 16th at 10:30 am - Friendship Fabric
Embroidery Workshop on July 21st
Toddler Time on August 20th at 10:30 am - All About Shapes
Is there a fee?
Yes. Adults are $15, kids between the ages of 5 and 11 are $5 and kids under 5 are free. People who are seniors, students, in the military or veterans are $10.
ACCESS Card Holders are $2 for each adult and child over 5. WHYY members and IKEA family members can buy one admission and get another one free. AAA members save $1 off of admission costs.
Price may vary for different events so take a look at your event page to see what the pricing will be. When we just attended the Midsommarfest the pricing for that was $10 for adults and $5 for kids between the ages of 5 and 11.
Is there a way to visit for free?
The museum has free admission on the second Sunday of every month.
There are also different days throughout the year when they offer free admission. Keep on top of this by following their Facebook page. Their next free admission day in 2024 is on July 14th (Sunday). It is their Free Craft Fair & Textile Family Day. Families can test out different crafts like trying cross-stitch at the event.
If you have the STAMP pass that would allow you to visit the museum for free and if you become a member your admission will be free.
Members of the William Jeanes Memorial Library in Lafayette Hill, PA can get a free museum pass.
Members of the Camden County Library System in New Jersey can get a free museum pass currently at the Bellmawr and Voorhees branches.
Members of the Free Library of New Hope & Solebury in Pennsylvania can get a free museum pass.
Is this museum good for kids?
Yes! There is a Pippi Room with lots of things for kids to play with. It even has Villa Villekula! If you have not heard of Pippi Longstocking before she is a girl with a pet monkey named Mr. Nilsson who was created by Astrid Lindgren. She has been capturing the minds of children since the 1940’s with her antics.
On our way out we also noticed Pippi’s Family Guide to the museum. This looked like a great way for kids to go around the museum by completing different guide activities. We look forward to trying it on our next time here!
This museum is also great since all of the workers were very friendly towards kids. The Midsommarfest event we just attended also had games and a craft for kids and many of their other events also have similar things that are geared towards children.
If you have a younger child they also have Toddler Time every third Tuesday of the month for kids ages 5 and under from 10:30 to 11:30 am. Similar to Midsommarfest, there are also other fun events for families throughout the year. These include their Easter Family Fun Day, Earth Day Free Family Day, Free Craft Fair and Textile Family Day and Lucia Fest. You can sign up for their mailing list to get more information about their family programming.
What is another activity to do with kids while you are visiting?
My kids love scavenger hunts. I made a scavenger hunt that is available for purchase here: American Swedish Historical Museum Scavenger Hunt.
Print it out and bring it with you to find all of the locations. They are located outside of the museum and on the first floor.
Are there things from Sweden available to purchase at the museum?
The gift shop held lots of tasty treats, books with Swedish characters and more. We purchased a Lonely Planet Fast Talk Swedish book to help us for our upcoming trip to Sweden. We attended Midsommarfest so we were also able to purchase a couple used items that could be fun for the kids to learn some Swedish.
What is Midsommarfest?
Midsommarfest is a holiday in Sweden that is celebrated on the Saturday that falls closest to June 24th to celebrate the summer solstice. Some different ways people celebrate are with parades, dances around a maypole, flower wreaths, games, special foods and more. To learn more about how it is celebrated in Sweden go here: Midsummer Traditions in Sweden.
Our trip to the American Swedish Historical Museum
We just visited the museum for its Midsommarfest and had an amazing experience. They moved the celebrations indoors this year which was great with the current heat wave. My daughter and I were already wearing light dresses and crowns but they also had beautiful flower crowns that could be purchased there. We entered right as the dancing was about to start. We made two circles around the maypole and did various dance moves that included trotting around in different directions, acting like frogs and pigs, hand clapping, foot stomping, pretending to play a flute and more! This was all so much fun we participated in the dancing again when it happened an hour later. It was great to hear many people singing along to the Swedish songs as well. The music provided by Last Chance Duo was very lively and engaging.
After that the kids headed for some games. They participated in different games that were set up such as ring toss. Their highlight was fishing in the Fiskdamm and catching Swedish Fish! They both also loved decorating Snap bracelets with Dalecarlian horse stickers. Then we headed through the gift shop. We also admired the work in the weaving gallery downstairs and saw the items being sold there.
After that we went to the lower basement level to get some food. We purchased from an amazing spread of homemade Swedish food by volunteers at the event that were all delicious. They had a delicious Swedish Fika spread of food including Kanelbullar, Äppelkaka, Havrekakor and Smörgåstårta. The Swedish lemonade was very refreshing as well.
We ended our day in the kids play area. This was one of my favorite parts since the giant playhouse was modeled after Villa Villekulla and the room was filled with books and wall art related to Pippi Longstocking. As a kid I always thought it would be awesome to carry my horse over my head and have a pet monkey sitting on my shoulder like Pippi. The kids also read a book about Pippi and played with some of the toys there.
I also got a chance to read parts of the book Swedish Traditions in the awesome library with its dark wood and green light fixtures. Then we finished going through the rest of the first level. The Golden map room was beautiful and the map showed Sweden in the 1600s.
We did not have time to visit the second floor so we look forward to visiting the museum again sometime soon!
Visiting the American Swedish Historic Museum during Midsommarfest was a great way to get excited about our upcoming trip to Sweden by eating foods, participating in some traditions and eating delicious food from Sweden. Remember to always verify details such as hours and event information on their website before your visit.