NW Philly This Week: September 3–9

ByAlex Aberle

Your guide to Northwest Philadelphia for the week of Thursday, September 3 through Wednesday, September 9.

Fifty-four things to do between now and next Wednesday, including a Labor Day that turns out to be busier than the Sunday before it.

The single best reason to leave the house this week is at the top of the hill: Magic Railway Weekend takes over the Morris Arboretum’s garden railway Saturday and Sunday, with Thomas the Tank Engine and friends running the full loop through miniature Philadelphia landmarks built out of bark, twigs and pinecones. It is exactly as good as it sounds if you have a kid under seven, and quietly delightful even if you don’t.

The other thing worth planning around is Wednesday, when Supper Sessions closes out Mt. Airy CDC’s summer series on the 7100 block of Germantown Avenue. It is free, it is outdoors, and the entire point is to put you in front of the small businesses that make the neighborhood work.

A word on Labor Day: we expected it to be dead and it isn’t. Yes, every library is closed, but Roxborough and Manayunk quietly picked up the slack: trivia at Twisted Gingers, an open mic at Wissahickon Brewing, and Quizzo at The Rook, all starting between 6:30 and 7. If your holiday plans collapse, the Ridge Avenue corridor has you.

The big one: Magic Railway Weekend at Morris

Saturday and Sunday, September 5 and 6, Morris Arboretum & Gardens, 100 E Northwestern Ave, 19118

The Garden Railway runs Thomas the Tank Engine and friends through the full miniature-Philadelphia layout: Independence Hall rendered in bark, Boathouse Row in twigs, the whole obsessive thing. It is the kind of build that rewards standing still and looking closely, which is not usually what a four-year-old wants from a Saturday, and yet somehow it works on both of you.

Free with general admission: $22 adult, $20 senior, $12 youth 3–17, free for two and under. Go in the morning if you can. The trains and the light are both better before noon.

Open all week

  • Morris Arboretum & Gardens, 100 E Northwestern Ave, open daily. $22 adult, $20 senior, $12 youth 3–17, free for two and under. September is when the garden earns its reputation.
  • Woodmere Art Museum, Smith Hall, 9201 Germantown Ave, galleries open Wednesday through Sunday, 10am–5pm. No programming this week, but the galleries are the point.
  • Awbury Arboretum, 1 Awbury Rd, grounds free and open dawn to dusk.

Thursday, September 3

  • Thursday Volunteer Service Day, Friends of the Wissahickon, meeting at the Hermitage Mansion, 700 Hermit Lane, 9am–12pm. Invasive removal, planting prep and litter cleanup with FOW’s stewardship crew. Free, tools and gloves supplied, registration required. Park on Barnes St rather than Hermit Lane, because the break-ins are real. Groups of five or more should email miller@fow.org first.
  • Sprouts, Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education, 8480 Hagy’s Mill Rd, 19128, 9:30–11am. A sensory nature class for toddlers and one grown-up, built around walks, songs and art. $20 members, $25 non-members, pre-registration required and space is genuinely limited.
  • Native Planters, Schuylkill Center, 8480 Hagy’s Mill Rd, 10am–12pm. Volunteer gardening in the courtyard and entrance beds, natives only. Free, but register ahead.
  • Music with Ms. Molly!, Chestnut Hill Library, 8711 Germantown Ave, 10:30am. Rhythm and early-childhood songs for the diaper-and-cracker set. Free.
  • Baby and Toddler Storytime, Wadsworth Library, 1500 Wadsworth Ave, 19150, 10:30am. Mr. Nate leads. If your toddler treats storytime like an audition, this is your room.
  • Philadelphia Department of Public Health information table, Joseph E. Coleman NW Regional Library, 68 W Chelten Ave, 19144, 11am–2pm. Walk up and ask a real person a health question. Free.
  • Thursday Noon Bird Walk, Wissahickon Environmental Center (the Tree House), 300 W Northwestern Ave, 12–1pm. The Tree House runs this weekly from June through mid-December, and fall migration is starting to make it interesting. (They publish the series rather than individual dates, so call 215-685-9285 if you want it confirmed before you park.)
  • Build It Club, Chestnut Hill Library, 8711 Germantown Ave, 3pm. LEGO, Magna-Tiles, wooden blocks, no rules. Free.
  • LEAP: Crafternoon, Wadsworth Library, 1500 Wadsworth Ave, 3:30pm. Drop-in craft, a different one every week.
  • September Community Planning Meeting, Francis Cope House at Awbury Arboretum, 1 Awbury Rd, 6–7:30pm. Open to anyone who wants to hear what Awbury has coming this fall.
  • Poetry in the Garden, Chestnut Hill Brewing Company, 8231 Germantown Ave, 6–9pm. Food, drink and poets in the beer garden. (No lineup posted, so check their Instagram if you want to know who’s reading.)
  • Bingo at The Rook, 4001 Cresson St, 19127, 7–9pm. Roxborough bingo, which is a specific and wonderful genre.

Friday, September 4

  • Infant and Toddler Playgroup, Chestnut Hill Library, 8711 Germantown Ave, 10:30am. Play, books, music, and other adults holding coffee.
  • Caregiver & Me Yoga, Roxborough Library, 6245 Ridge Ave, 19128, 10:30am. Breathing and movement for caregivers and small children together. Free.
  • SENSE-sational Friday: Sensory Celebration, Morris Arboretum, Morris Cottage, 100 E Northwestern Ave, 11am. Sensory dance party and crafts, and the last one of the season. Free with admission.
  • Gorgas Park Farmers Market, Ridge Ave at Acorn St, 2–6pm. Weekly through October, right in the park.
  • $5 Fridays, Attic Brewing, 137 Berkley St, 19144, 3–6pm. Select $5 drafts and $5 cocktails, front-loaded on purpose.
  • Arts & Eats, up and down Germantown Ave in Chestnut Hill, 5–8pm. The Avenue’s monthly art walk. Galleries stay open late, shops put out something to eat or drink, and the block gets pleasantly slow.
  • Gregory Prestegord opening, Borrelli’s, 6–8pm. If you go to one thing during Arts & Eats, make it this. Prestegord is a Philadelphia painter with a real following, and an opening on the Avenue is a good test of how you actually feel about being a neighbor here.
  • Live music in the beer garden: Michael James, Attic Brewing, 137 Berkley St, 6pm. Free, outdoors.
  • Quidnunk and Friends, The Foodery on Ridge, 6148 Ridge Ave, 7–9pm. Free live music in the back.

One note: Lovett Memorial Library closes at 1pm today ahead of the holiday weekend.

Saturday, September 5

(Magic Railway Weekend is above. That’s the headline. Here’s the rest of the day.)

  • Discover the Wissahickon: Yellow Trail Trek, Friends of the Wissahickon, meeting at the Wigard Avenue Trailhead, 8am–12:30pm. A moderately difficult hike on the west side of the creek past Courtesy Stables, Houston Meadow and Magargee Dam, led by four FOW Trail Ambassadors. Free, but registration is required so they can reach you if the weather turns. Sturdy shoes, and there is no bathroom at the trailhead.
  • Chestnut Hill Farmers Market, Germantown Ave at Mermaid Lane, in front of The Mermaid Inn, 9am–12pm. Weekly and year-round.
  • SAT Prep Workshop: overview and diagnostic, Chestnut Hill Library, 8711 Germantown Ave, 10am. Free small-group session with Tarrina Tutors, first of a new series.
  • Pretzel Park Farmers Market: Kids Day, Pretzel Park, 4300 Silverwood St, 10am–2pm. Storytime with Miss Beth at 11, Frios Gourmet Pops on site.
  • Sit and Stitch, Falls of Schuylkill Library, 3501 Midvale Ave, 19129, 10:30am. Bring knitting, crochet, embroidery, or whatever is currently defeating you.
  • Preschool Storytime, Coleman NW Regional Library, 68 W Chelten Ave, 11am. Ages 2 to 5, adult required.
  • TTRPGs at the Library: Ryuutama, Coleman NW Regional, 68 W Chelten Ave, 2pm. Beginner-friendly fantasy tabletop for ages 10 and up, with a guide running it. (Ryuutama is the gentle one where everybody plays travelers instead of warriors.)
  • Fiber Friends, Coleman NW Regional, 68 W Chelten Ave, 2–4pm. Drop-in crafting circle, bring your project. A sewing machine is available.

Sunday, September 6

  • Magic Railway Weekend, day two, Morris Arboretum, 100 E Northwestern Ave. See above. Free with admission.
  • Music and Musicians, The Foodery on Ridge, 6148 Ridge Ave, 3–5pm. Sunday afternoon, low stakes.
  • Grape Room open mic, The Grape Room, 105 Grape St, 6–10pm. Manayunk’s long-running open mic. Four hours is a commitment; you do not have to stay for all of it.

The Free Library branches are all closed Sundays, so a quiet Sunday on that front is correct, not a gap.

Monday, September 7, Labor Day

Every library is closed and most of the daytime venues we track posted nothing. But the evening is better than you’d expect:

  • Trivia Night with Brewtanant Dan, Twisted Gingers, 4317 Fleming St, 19128, 6:30–9pm.
  • Open mic, Wissahickon Brewing Company, 3705 W School House Lane, 19129, 6:30–10pm. Sign up early if you’re playing.
  • Quizzo at The Rook, 4001 Cresson St, 7–10pm.

Three separate trivia-adjacent options within a couple of miles of each other on a holiday Monday, which feels like a Roxborough–Manayunk specialty. And if you’d rather be outside, the Wissahickon is right there and nobody is scheduling you.

Tuesday, September 8

  • Sprouts, Schuylkill Center, 8480 Hagy’s Mill Rd, 9:30–11am. Same class as Thursday, same $20/$25, same registration requirement.
  • Free food and school supplies, Historic Holsey Temple, 5305 Germantown Ave, 19144, 10am–noon. State Sen. Art Haywood and State Rep. Andre D. Carroll handing out free produce and groceries, plus school supplies for grades K–12. First come, first served, no registration needed. Bring your own bags. Questions to Sen. Haywood’s office, 215-242-8171.
  • Baby and Toddler Storytime, Coleman NW Regional, 68 W Chelten Ave, 11:30am. Half an hour of songs and bounces for the under-twos.
  • Fiber Arts, Falls of Schuylkill Library, 3501 Midvale Ave, 2pm. Bring something portable and learn from whoever’s next to you.
  • LEAP: Storytime, Wadsworth Library, 1500 Wadsworth Ave, 4pm. School-age storytime with Ms. Wendy and Mr. Nate.
  • Mystery, Mayhem and Murder Book Club, Falls of Schuylkill Library, 3501 Midvale Ave, 4pm. Exactly what it says.
  • Taco Tuesday, Attic Brewing, 137 Berkley St, 4–10pm. Rotating taco truck, $6 La Libertad lagers, $6 margaritas, $6 tequila shots.
  • FAFSA Completion Workshop, Coleman NW Regional, 68 W Chelten Ave, 4:30pm. Free help getting the form actually finished, which is the hard part.
  • Board and Card Games, Wadsworth Library, 1500 Wadsworth Ave, 5pm. Scrabble, Uno, cards, whoever turns up.
  • Chess Club, Roxborough Library, 6245 Ridge Ave, 5:30pm. All ages, all skill levels, instruction plus free play.
  • Falls Writing Group, Falls of Schuylkill Library, 3501 Midvale Ave, 5:30pm. Free writing, prompts and writing games, all skill levels.
  • Tuesday Night Music at the Manayunk Bridge Garden, 100 Dupont St, 5:30–8:30pm. One of the better places in the city to spend a September evening.
  • 3D Printing for Kids, Roxborough Library, 6245 Ridge Ave, 6pm. Grades 5 through 8, most Tuesdays.

Wednesday, September 9

  • Quiet Meditation at the Library, Roxborough Library, 6245 Ridge Ave, 11:30am. An hour of guided, focused meditation with an experienced instructor. Free.
  • LEAP: Chess Club, Wadsworth Library, 1500 Wadsworth Ave, 3:30pm. Weekly, boards provided.
  • Supper Sessions 2026, 7100 block of Germantown Ave, 5–9pm. Mt. Airy CDC’s signature outdoor gathering and the last of the summer’s four. Free, no registration, sponsored by Temple Health Chestnut Hill Hospital. Come hungry and plan to run into people.
  • Quizzo! hosted by John, Attic Brewing, 137 Berkley St, 7–9pm. On this week, since it runs every Wednesday except the last of the month.
  • Open Mic at the Dawson, Dawson Street Pub, 100 Dawson St, 19127, 7–10pm.
  • The Grape Open Jam, The Grape Room, 105 Grape St, 8–10:30pm. Bring an instrument.

Running something we missed? Send it to hello@nwphilly.com and we’ll get it in next week’s list. We’d rather hear about your block party than miss it.

One housekeeping note: we check every listing against the venue’s own page before it goes in here, but places change plans, weather happens, and small venues don’t always update. Confirm before you drive over, and a Labor Day week is rougher than most on a printed calendar.

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