Culinary Institute at UPenn - Activities & Trips

Around the Campus, Around the Town  Rich in culture and history, Philadelphia is home to the Liberty Bell, Independence Hall, and the Betsy Ross House. Among the many museums in the area are the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Rodin Museum, and the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts. The Franklin Institute and the Academy of Natural Sciences are prominent educational institutions, as is our nation’s first library, the Free Library of Philadelphia. Philadelphia is the second-largest metropolitan center on the East Coast, and just a few hours from New York City, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, and close to the rolling hills of Amish country and the Pocono Mountains.

Penn’s 280-acre urban campus is located in the Philadelphia neighborhood known as University City, just across the Schuylkill River from Center City. Students will explore Philadelphia including Old City, Phladelphia Museum of Art, Eastern State Penitentiary and more!  Additionally, students will travel on the weekend to New York City, Washington D.C., Hersheypark, and Ocean City, New Jersey.  The activities listed are offered to 6-week and 3-week students culinary students. 3-week students can partake in many, but not all, activities listed.

Weekend Road Trips (Included in Tuition)

Hershey Park Amusement Park and ZooAmerica (Second 3-week session only)

We head to the Pocono Mountains and Hershey Park amusement park, with over 110 acres and over 60 rides and attractions including the new 12.1 million dollar Fahrenheit roller coaster featuring the steepest drop in the U.S. at 97 degrees. We’ll also visit the adjacent ZooAmerica, with hundreds of exotic animals from around the globe. We’ll top it off with Hershey’s Great American Chocolate Tour, a simulated tour of the famous Hershey’s factory – the sweetest place on earth!

New York City Now! (First 3-week session only)

Spend the day in the Big Apple visiting Columbia University and Rockefeller Plaza. Spend the afternoon shopping and exploring Times Square.

Washington, D.C. Day

Enjoy the beauty of the nation’s capital by visiting Capitol Hill, the Supreme Court, the beautiful Washington Mall, the Lincoln Memorial and the Vietnam War Memorial. Spend the afternoon visiting Georgetown University and M-Street.

More Off-Campus Excursions

• The Liberty Bell- The Liberty Bell is the most prominent symbol associated with the American Revolutionary War. It is one of the most familiar symbols of independence within the United States, and has been described as an international icon of liberty and justice for all.
• Independence Hall- Independence Hall is, by every estimate, the birthplace of the United States. It was within its walls that the Declaration of Independence was adopted, and the Constitution of the United States was debated, drafted and signed.
• Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia- Marvel at a 25-foot tower of shredded bills totaling $100 million. Examine a currency cart with $1,350,000 in $5 bills. Test your skills at detecting counterfeit bills.
• Philadelphia Phillies- Major League Baseball Game at Citizens Bank Park, home of the famed Philly Phanatic mascot and the 2008 World Series Champions.
• The Philadelphia Museum of Art- Among the most important art museums in the United States. Besides its architecture and collections, the Museum is known for the role it played in a famous scene in the film “Rocky”.
• King of Prussia Mall- The east coast’s premier shopping destination offers an endless selection of department stores, cool shops and dining experiences–over 400 stores and restaurants in all.
• Penn’s Landing stretches along the Delaware River and encompasses the spot where William Penn, Philadelphia’s founder, first touched ground. Today, it is a riverside park and the place to gather in the summer to hear music and relax.
• South Street is Philadelphia’s hip strip and trendy melting pot. Here you’ll find boutiques, eccentric shops, restaurants, clubs and cafes – and where the people-watching is as fun as the window-shopping.
• Society Hill & Old City Neighborhoods- Contains not only the largest concentration
• of 18th/19th-century buildings in the country, but also depicts the course of 20th-century urban design.
• Concerts, Concerts, Concerts at the Wachovia Center, Festival Pier and Verizon Hall. (Tickets and transportation additional.)
• Benjamin Franklin National Memorial in the Franklin Institute features a colossal statue of Benjamin Franklin, honoring the writer, inventor and American statesman.
• Betsy Ross House- Relive the story of Betsy sewing the first American flag.
• The National Museum of Jewish History documents the American Jewish experience. Shares its site with Congregation Mikveh Israel, founded in the 1740s.
• Edgar Allan Poe House- While living in Philadelphia, Poe wrote: “Murders in the Rue Morgue,” “The Pit and the Pendulum” and “The Tell-Tale Heart.”
• Eastern State Penitentiary- Opened in 1829, Eastern State is considered to be the world’s first true penitentiary. Its revolutionary system of incarceration, dubbed the Pennsylvania System, originated and encouraged solitary confinement as a form of rehabilitation. It was closed in 1970, but is still open for tours and used often in television shows and movies including MTV’s Fear, and the film "Twelve Monkeys", where it was depicted as an insane asylum. 

On-Campus Activities

• The Institute of Contemporary Art located on campus is one of the country’s leading museums dedicated to exhibiting the innovative art of our time.
• The Penn Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology features collections and artifacts from Egypt, China and Mesopotamia. Other highlights include a number of important Greco-Roman antiquities, Buddhist art, and a small but choice collection of African art.
• Morris Arboretum 92 acres of beautiful landscaped gardens and paths, primarily designed in the English park style but with Japanese influences. It includes winding paths and streams, a swan pond, rose gardens, and large collections of colorful flora and fauna. (University bus ride)
• DJ Dance Under the Stars on the outdoor balcony under the summer sky – a Penn High School Summer Programs tradition.
• Board Games Galore Monopoly, Connect Four, Chess, Trivial Pursuit and more.
• Karaoke Night Fever Sing your heart out.
• Beading and Hemping Arts & Crafts offered every weekday.
• Henna Tattoos Temporary tats for fun.
• Tie-Dye Thursday You supply the garments, we supply the color.
• Jewelry Making No experience needed, make something special.
• Sport Intramurals Drop-in play in Frisbee, soccer, football and more.
• DVD Movies in the residence hall lounge.
• Movie Night Special on-campus showings.