Philadelphia hosting 8 major museum shows in 2009

PHILADELPHIA – Philadelphia is hosting a series of major museum shows this year, showcasing works ranging from the Impressionist art of Paul Cezanne to the drawings of beloved children's author Maurice Sendak.

"Galileo, The Medici and The Age of Astronomy" will be held at The Franklin Institute Science Museum, April 4-Sept. 7, and "Cezanne and Beyond" is at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Feb. 26-May 17. Philadelphia will be the sole venue for both shows.

The city also hosts the world debut of Tavis Smiley's "America I AM: The African American Imprint" at the National Constitution Center, Jan. 15-May 3, celebrating African and African-American contributions across nearly 500 years of American history. The show, conceived by talk-show host and author Tavis Smiley, features more than 150 artifacts, including the typewriter Alex Haley used to write "Roots," Muhammad Ali's boxing gloves and the doors from a dungeon off the coast of Ghana where captive Africans were detained.

If you're a fan of "Where the Wild Things Are" or other Sendak books, you'll want to catch "There's a Mystery There: Sendak on Sendak" at the Rosenbach Museum & Library, which includes more than 130 pieces from the museum's Sendak collection, the largest in the world. That show runs through May 3.

Next fall, families will enjoy "Jim Henson's Fantastic World" at the James A. Michener Art Museum, Sept. 12-Nov. 29.

"Edgar Allan Poe: His Life and Work" debuts at Philly's Edgar Allan Poe National Historical Site Jan. 17. This year marks the bicentennial of Poe's birth.

For visitors interested in science, "Surviving: The Body of Evidence" at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology is up through May 3 and honors Charles Darwin by looking at how evolution impacts daily lives.

A show late this fall at The Academy of Natural Sciences explores the life and work of the visionary and educator George Washington Carver, Nov. 12-Feb. 28.

Philadelphia is also offering an overnight hotel package. The two-night offer is available any night of the week at more than 30 hotels throughout the region. The package includes free hotel parking (up to a $75 value), a new Philadelphia Privileges coupon book and a teddy bear. The package is bookable online at http://www.gophila.com/love.