The Please Touch Museum at Memorial Hall in Philadelphia is a Beaux-Arts National Historic Landmark built for the 1876 Centennial Exhibition, sitting inside 284 acres of Fairmount Park. By day it is a children’s museum. For weddings, it transforms into one of the most dramatically scaled and genuinely unusual venues in Philadelphia. Hamilton Hall has 60-foot ceilings and a four-story Statue of Liberty made entirely of children’s toys. The Carousel House has a fully operational 1908 antique carousel. I have photographed weddings here and there is nothing else like it in the city.
About the Venue
Located at 4231 Avenue of the Republic in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, 21 minutes from Philadelphia Airport. Now managed by Rhubarb Hospitality Collection as Memorial Hall, c. 1876, home of the Please Touch Museum. Exclusive catering by Brulee Catering. The building was constructed as an art gallery for the 1876 Centennial Exhibition and is a National Historic Landmark.
The Event Spaces
Hamilton Hall is the primary grand reception space with 60-foot ceilings, soaring columns, and a four-story Statue of Liberty constructed entirely from children’s toys as the centerpiece. The scale here is unlike almost any other venue in Philadelphia.
The Carousel House is a 9,000-square-foot glass building housing the fully operational 1908 Woodside Park Dentzel Carousel, featuring hand-carved animals. Up to 200 guests for a reception. Couples can ride the carousel during cocktail hour. There is nothing else like this in wedding photography.
The South Foyer has vaulted ceilings and is used for ceremonies and cocktail receptions. The processional entrance here is genuinely dramatic.
The East and West Galleries contain the museum’s interactive exhibits, including the West Gallery’s miniature Philadelphia cityscape and the East Gallery’s river adventure and Alice in Wonderland themes. These spaces add visual variety and energy to receptions.
The Centennial Gallery features a scale model of the 1876 Centennial Exhibition and works well for smaller or more historically themed events.
Photography at the Please Touch Museum
Hamilton Hall under the 60-foot ceilings, with the Statue of Liberty of children’s toys as the backdrop. The Carousel House with the antique carousel and the glass building architecture. The South Foyer’s vaulted ceiling for ceremony coverage. The grand staircase of Memorial Hall for formal portraits. The Beaux-Arts facade of Memorial Hall itself in Fairmount Park. And the park behind the museum, which is one of my favorite portrait locations at this venue — lush, green, and completely unexpected given you are inside a children’s museum moments earlier.
Frequently Asked Questions: Please Touch Museum Weddings
Where is the Please Touch Museum located?
4231 Avenue of the Republic in Fairmount Park, Philadelphia. 21 minutes from Philadelphia Airport.
What is the Please Touch Museum as a wedding venue?
A Beaux-Arts National Historic Landmark built for the 1876 Centennial Exhibition, now managed by Rhubarb Hospitality Collection as Memorial Hall, c. 1876. Multiple event spaces, including Hamilton Hall with 60-foot ceilings, the Carousel House with a 1908 antique carousel, the South Foyer, East and West Galleries, and the Centennial Gallery. Exclusive catering by Brulee Catering.
What makes the Please Touch Museum distinctive?
The combination of the Beaux-Arts grandeur of Memorial Hall with the completely unexpected interior of a children’s museum creates a wedding atmosphere that is simultaneously elegant and joyful. Hamilton Hall with 60-foot ceilings and a four-story Statue of Liberty made of children’s toys is a room that guests do not forget. The 1908 carousel in the Carousel House is one of the most photographically extraordinary features of any wedding venue in Philadelphia.
Can guests ride the carousel?
Yes. The 1908 Woodside Park Dentzel Carousel in the Carousel House is fully operational, and guests can ride it during cocktail hour. It is one of the signature experiences of a Please Touch Museum wedding, and I’ve snuck a ride or two myself!
Do you photograph weddings at the Please Touch Museum?
Yes. If your wedding is here, I would love to hear about it.
