The Rodin Museum was founded by art collector Jules Mastbaum, who died before it opened its doors in 1929. Located along Philadelphia’s Benjamin Franklin Parkway, the museum’s elegant beaux arts–style building and formal French gardens showcase the sculptor’s bronzes, marbles, and more, along with a collection of drawings, paintings, and studies.
Visit the museum independently or as part of a Philadelphia sightseeing tour. Entry is included with general admission to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and a skip-the-line private museum tour is available.
Admission to the Rodin Museum is pay what you wish and includes a self-guided audio tour.
Buy your tickets in advance to avoid waiting in line at the ticket booth.
Access to the museum’s gardens, where The Thinker stands, is free to the public.
The museum is accessible to wheelchairs, and it offers restrooms and Wi-Fi.
Arrive early if you want to take advantage of the museum’s limited street parking. Parking is also available at the Philadelphia Museum of Art’s parking garage.
There are several ways to reach the Rodin Museum, located on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in Philadelphia. Most visitors arrive as part of a hop-on hop-off sightseeing tour or by public transport—the Philly Phlash downtown loop stops right in front of the museum.
The museum is open every day except Tuesday, and there isn’t really a bad time to visit, though weekends are busier than weekdays. It’s closed on the 4th of July, Thanksgiving Day, and Christmas Day.
Visitors to the Rodin Museum can see many of the French sculptor’s most famous works, like Eternal Springtime, The Three Shades, The Kiss, and The Thinker. Over 30 of the pieces in the museum’s collection focus on studies of The Gates of Hell, including the first bronze cast ever made of this monumental pair of doors originally designed for a museum in Paris.
