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Tour the eerie Mütter Museum... in the dark. (Photo by B. Krist for GPTMC)

As if exploring jars of medical anomalies and mummified remains wasn’t already creepy enough, now you have the opportunity to do it in the dark just in time for Halloween.

The Mütter Museum is turning off their lights this Wednesday night for a special guided flashlight tour of the museum and its collection of medical oddities.

An activity that’s definitely appropriate for the season, the flashlight-only tour will guide you through the museum after normal museum hours, as it is lit only by the flashlights of you and your fellow tour-goers. You’ll even get to visit spaces inside the museum that are rarely seen by the public.

Darkened walls of skulls, jars of conjoined twins, and plenty of other strange medical wonders await.

There will be two tours: one at 7 pm and one at 8:30 pm. Guests are asked to arrive 15 minutes early. Tickets cost $25 for the general public and $15 for fellows and friends of the Mütter Museum.

Flashlight Tour of the Mütter Museum
Wednesday, October 27
7 pm & 8:30 pm
19 South 22nd Street

Mütter Museum [Official Site]

This Saturday, October 30th, the Headhouse Square Shambles (the covered market area at 2nd and Lombard Streets) is going to transform into a giant, urban pumpkin patch for a single day. Pumpkin Land will be open from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. and will offer attractions such as a performanc from Mystique the Magician at 10 a.m., a “Thriller” dance class with the Society Hill Dance Academy at 11 a.m. and a Children’s Parade and Costume Content at 1 p.m.

Entrance to Pumpkin Land is free, though some of the activities do require a small fee to cover the cost of supplies. For more information about Pumpkin Land, click here.

Pumpkin Land
Headhouse Square (2nd and Lombard Streets)
Saturday, October 30th, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

(Photo courtesy The PMA)

Celebrated Italian artist Michelangelo Pistoletto is marking his first solo exhibition in the United States in over 20 years with a restaging of his famous Scultura da Passeggio – Walking Sculpture.

Pistoletto will roll a giant ball of newspaper created by the Spiral Q Puppet Theater through the streets of Philadelphia, recreating his seminal 1967 performance in Turin. (Check out his 2009 performance in London)

Walking Sculpture is free and open to the public. The ball gets rolling at the Philadelphia Museum of Art on Saturday, October 30 at 1 pm.

Over 100 of Pistoletto’s works, many never seen in the United States, will be on display at the Museum starting on November 2.

Michelangelo Pistoletto: From One to Many, 1956-1974 and Michelangelo Pistoletto: Cittadellarte will explore the contemporary artist’s progression from early self-portraits to current work at his interdisciplinary laboratory in Biella, Italy.

Both exhibitions run until January 16, 2011.

Philadelphia Museum of Art [Official Site]

A polar bear made entire from Legos (photos by M. McClellan for GPTMC)

Since April, the Philadelphia Zoo has been playing host to a one-of-a-kind exhibition. Called Creatures of Habitat: A Gazillion-Piece Animal Adventure, the exhibit consists of 31 sculptures of ten different animals that have all been crafted from Lego bricks, displayed throughout the grounds of the zoo. The goal of the Lego animals is to raise awareness around issues of conservation and diminishing animal habitat.

Creatures of Habitat has been so popular with zoo visitors that official have determined to keep the Lego animals in place a bit longer. If you haven’t seen them yet, you can now grab a glimpse through Thanksgiving. However, the exhibition will pack up for good after November 28th, so make sure to get over to the zoo soon!

Creatures of Habitat
The Philadelphia Zoo
April 10 through November 28, 2010

Franklin Square is one of the many attractions hosting Fall-themed events this weekend. (Photo by G. Widman for GPTMC)

This weekend, October’s three favorite activities are in full swing throughout the region: harvest festivals, Halloween haunts and Phillies playoff action!

With Halloween just a week away, spooky tours, haunted houses (and prisons), and family-friendly Halloween activities are taking place all weekend-long. Head over to Reading Terminal Market’s for the  10th annual Harvest Festival, complete with hay bales, cornstalks and a massive pumpkin patch right on Filbert Street!

And as always, there’s all the great live music and DJ nights happening every night at venues around the city.

Check out more of our top weekend picks below:

Friday

Organic Beer Tasting at Bell Beverage

SHARP Dance Company presents REVELATION

Terror Film Festival

Saturday

Reading Terminal Market Harvest Festival

Blues, BBQ and Bourbon at The Market & Shops at The Comcast Center

Pumpkin Picking and Decorating at Franklin Square

Peoplehood Parade and Pageant

West Laurel Hill Home Brew Competition

Boo at the Zoo

Kol Ami Craft and Fine Arts Show

American Blackboard Dinner

Fort Mifflin Haunt Fest 2010

Phillies vs. Giants — NLCS Game 6 at Citizens Bank Park, 4 p.m.

Sunday

Philadelphia Film Festival – Final Day!

The Great Meatball Match Up

A Ghoulish Bride Family Spooktacular at the Painted Bride

Peddler’s Village Scarecrow Competition – Final Day!

Phillies vs. Giants — NLCS Game 7 at Citizens Bank Park, 8 p.m.

The Phillies have Liz Lemon in their corner.

On last night’s episode of 30 Rock, Liz Lemon showed that her allegiance to the Phillies goes way back…

Watch the clip below to see Liz tell a story about when she had a big-time crush on the 1980 Phillies, including a flashback to a 9-year old Liz rocking a Pete Rose haircut and posters of Mike Schmidt and Tug McGraw in her bedroom.

 
Phillies Fever, everybody is getting it.

Let’s Go Phillies!!

Take home a hand-crafted pint glass from Hudson Beach Glass (Courtesy Hudson Beach Glass)

Triumph Brewing Company and Hudson Beach Glass (HBG) are teaming up for Autumn Beer Tasting in Old City on Thursday, October 28.

Enjoy pumpkin ales, fall brews and seasonal appetizers at Hudson Beach Glass’ glassblowing studio and gallery at 26 S. Strawberry Street (between Market and Chestnut) from 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm.

Sean Gilvey, co-owner of HBG, will demonstrate the creation of their signature pint glass out of molten glass. Each attendee will get pint glass of their own to take home (worth $40).

Tickets are limited and cost $40. Get your tickets online at www.hbgphilly.ticketleap.com or call Hudson Beach Glass at 267-319-1887.

Autumn Beer Tasting at Hudson Beach Glass
Thursday, October 28
6:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Hudson Beach Glass [Official Site]
Triumph Brewing Co. [Official Site]

(photo courtesy of Xochitl)

In the United States, Halloween is the day towards which all eyes are turned. It’s the night (or this year, weekend) during which people dress up, perform mischief and ingest a few too many treats. As soon as the October 31 has passed, it’s time to pack away the spooky gear. However, for many other cultures, the truly important day is the one that follows Halloween, called Day of the Dead.

This year Xochitl, one of Philly’s most authentic Mexican restaurants, will be offering a special five-course Day of the Dead menu on Tuesday, November 2nd. The special menu he menu will feature a “Heart and Soul” theme, and includes creative and delicious interpretations of corazon (heart), sangre (blood) and alma (soul).

This menu costs $45 per person, excluding beverages, tax and gratuity. For more information, or to make a reservation, call (215) 238-7280 or visit Xochitl online.

LaScala's does it all: pizza, pasta, seafood, steaks, chops, desserts and more. (Photos courtesy LaScala's)

Hand-tossed pizza, broccoli rabe, stuffed long hots, sausage and peppers, veal chop parmigiano and, of course, pasta with gravy. On a recent visit, LaScala’s delivered the over-indulgent Italian dinner experience I’ve always dreamed of.

Growing up in a meat-starch-vegetable family — no seconds! — I envied my Italian friend whose grandparents spoke with heavy accents and didn’t understand colloquial phrases like “I’m full.”

Now thanks to LaScala’s, I know where to go to live out this fantasy.

The food — bread, appetizers, small plates, pizzas, entrees and desserts — is plentiful and homey, while also exploring new twists on traditional recipes.

Robert LaScala opened his eponymous restaurant five years ago to honor his grandfathers, and judging from the delicious food and the warm atmosphere, the LaScala family grew up happy, loved, and maybe a little plump.

Along with three hungry friends, I stepped into the brick-walled restaurant, complete with outdoor seating, hanging family photos and a large, Prosecco-slinging bar. (They had me at Prosecco.)

First, we sampled the crispy pizzas, which come with toppings such as clams and bacon, sausage and meatball, and sirloin and gruyere — not exactly your typical takeout pie. The size and variety make them perfect for lunch or for a festive pizza-sharing dinner with family or friends.

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Three performances this weekend, Oct. 22-24. (Photo Courtesy of Ed Flores)

Addictive and thought provoking, SHARP Dance Company‘s ten dancers will premiere five new pieces including “Blind Faith” with co-choreographer and Parsons Dance Company member, Steven Vaughn.

Among SHARP’s pieces in this performance you will see collaborations with various artists such as: composer Jason Andrew and Costume Designer Brian Strachan to connect their artistry with dance. The show was recently selected as an “Art’s Pick” for the Philadelphia City Paper.

SHARP brings together a company of strong dancers to perform work with a new vision. Their mission is to translate raw human emotion utilizing contemporary movement to connect the audience through individual interpretation. 

This five-year-old Philadelphia-based modern company feels that dance should be an experience with “meaning behind movement.”

Come enjoy an evening of kinetic energy and modern dance with SHARP.

Times:
Friday, October 22nd @ 8 pm
Saturday, October 23rd @ 8 pm
Sunday, October 24th @ 3 pm

Location:
The Jeanne Ruddy Performance Garage
1515 Brandywine Street
Philadelphia, PA 19130

Buy Tickets

Sharp Dance [Official Website]