Frankenstein Pop-Up

The Mütter Museum is bringing back its Frankenstein pop-up for spooky season, a seasonal installation that runs on select Saturdays from September 5 to November 7, 2026. It's one of those things that fits the museum's vibe perfectly: the pop-up draws on the Mütter's own collections to explore the medical and scientific world of the early 1800s that shaped Mary Shelley's gothic novel and Victor Frankenstein's creation. It sits right at the crossover between Shelley's fiction and actual medical history, so you get to see the real-world science that informed the story.

Most Saturdays it runs from 11 AM to 3 PM, though there's one exception: on October 3, it closes a bit earlier at 2 PM. It's also worth noting that it doesn't run every single weekend—September 26 is a day off, so keep that in mind if you're planning your trip. The whole thing is included with museum admission, so if you're already heading in to see the permanent collections, this is just one more thing to check off while you're there.

The run wraps up with a Meet & Geek finale on Thursday, November 12, from 6 PM to 7:30 PM. That one is a bit different from the Saturday pop-ups: it's led by museum educator Jo D'Avella, and it opens the galleries after hours, with bonus collection items on display to dive deeper into the novel's scientific and literary history. If you're more of a night owl or want to see the galleries when they're usually closed, that's the one to aim for.

So, you've got select Saturdays from September 5 to November 7, 11 AM to 3 PM (except September 26, and 11 AM to 2 PM on October 3), and the finale on Thursday, November 12, from 6 PM to 7:30 PM. All of it is at the Mütter Museum in Philadelphia, and the pop-up is included with admission.