Campus Philly

Fairmount

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Eastern State Penitentiary

2027 Fairmount Ave.

Eastern State Penitentiary was once the most famous and expensive prison in the world, but stands today in ruin, a haunting world of crumbling cellblocks and empty guard towers. Explore Eastern State’s history and reflect on the legacy of American criminal justice reform. Admission includes history exhibits like Al Capone’s Cell and Death Row, award-winning exhibits about prisons today and the root causes of mass incarceration, site-specific artist installations, and more.

Note for CollegeFest:

CollegeFest attendees should check in at the designated table inside the penitentiary’s front gate along Fairmount Ave. Audio guides will not be available for Collegefest attendees; however, a full transcript of “The Voices of Eastern State” Audio Tour (and audio files for the first ten stops) can be found at www.EasternState.org/explore/audio-tour

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Barnes Foundation

2025 Benjamin Franklin Parkway

Founded by Dr. Albert C. Barnes, the Barnes Foundation is home to one of the finest collections of impressionist, post-impressionist and Modern paintings in the world—including works by Renoir, Cézanne, Matisse, and Picasso, plus important African sculpture, Pennsylvania German furniture, and decorative arts.

Year-round deal: general Admission is $5 for college students (with valid ID).

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Shofuso Japanese House and Garden

Lansdowne Dr & Horticultural Dr

Located in the expansive Fairmount Park, this 17th century-style Japanese house and gardens reflect Philadelphia’s history of Japanese culture.

Designed by architect Junzo Yoshimura, Shofuso was built in Japan in 1953 using traditional techniques and materials. It was shipped to New York and exhibited in the courtyard of the Museum of Modern Art in New York before moving to West Fairmount Park in 1958. In 2007, international artist Hiroshi Senju, inspired by the garden’s waterfall, donated 20 contemporary murals to Shofuso, which are permanently displayed inside the house. This historic site and museum include a hill and pond garden with a tiered waterfall, island, and koi fish, a tea garden featuring a traditional tea house, and a courtyard garden leading to a bathhouse.

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