Over the weekend of Oct. 28, the nest will be a bit more bustling as families flock to campus for Parent and Family Weekend. The weekend reunites Owls with their loved ones and lets them show off all Temple—and Philly—has to offer.

A strong lineup of academic, arts and athletics events on and around campus is scheduled for the weekend. And many of the events are free of charge or discounted to help parents, families and students make the most of the weekend. Round up your personal parliament for what’s sure to be a memorable weekend.

Friday
What’s college without the classroom? Parents and family members are invited to participate in a number of scholarly activities, which include sitting in on a session of the popular Dissent in America lecture series, listening to classical Indian sarangi music or taking in the exhibition of Temple Rome faculty art work.

For a unique-to-Philadelphia experience, pre-order tickets for a dinner cruise down the Delaware on the Spirit of Philadelphia or take a walk on the spooky side with a seasonally appropriate ghost tour of the city’s historic streets.

Saturday
Are you ready for some football? (Of both the American and international varieties.) Temple’s football team hosts the Cincinnati Bearcats at Lincoln Financial Field. The game kicks off at 3:30 p.m. At 7 p.m., head over to the newly opened Temple Sports Complex on Main Campus where the men’s soccer team hosts UCF.

As much as Philly and Temple love sports, that’s not all the city has to offer. Carve out some time to head to Old City, America’s most historic square mile. Wander down the nation’s oldest residential street, hang where the founding fathers drafted the Constitution and dine on 18th-century cuisine. You won’t regret it.

Sunday
First, brunch. Head to the Great Court in Mitten Hall for the Welcome to Our Nest family bruch.

Then enjoy some light-hearted family fun with a screening of The Secret Life of Pets at the REEL Cinema or cheer on the field hockey team as it faces off against Lafayette.

At dinnertime, head to Center City District for hearty meals at Sampan or The Dandelion, or nosh on cheesesteaks at Jim’s South Street. Check out Victor Cafe in the Italian-built South Philly, where every 20 minutes, servers put on operatic performances—many of the singing servers happen to be Temple voice students.

Only in Philadelphia
All of Philly’s museums are worth a visit, but the medical history Mütter Museum is the most peculiar, with its human skull collection, the cast of conjoined twins Chang and Eng and pieces of Einstein’s brain. On Sunday, Oct. 30, the museum celebrates Day of the Dead—a perfect activity for Halloween weekend.

For those thrill-seeking Owls, tour Eastern State Penitentiary, a nearly 200-year-old prison that once housed more than 80,000 inmates (including Al Capone). At night, the prison transforms into a massive haunted house, Terror Behind the Walls. Enter if you dare.

Also this weekend, thousands of rowers, including the Temple men’s and women’s rowing teams, will participate in a 2.5-mile race at the Head of the Schuylkill Regatta, a Fairmount Park fixture. The popular event along the Schuylkill is a free, picturesque and exciting Philadelphia tradition.

—Hayley Chenoweth