ABC’s Abbott Elementary Visits Please Touch Museum

Season four finale features treasured Philadelphia children’s museum, airing April 16, 2025 on ABC and streaming on Hulu.

The students, faculty, and staff of Abbott Elementary recently visited Please Touch Museum on a field trip, just like thousands of Philadelphia-area school children have done before. This “field trip” was over a year in the making, with Museum staff collaborating with the location team and producers of the hit ABC comedy on how to weave an iconic Please Touch Museum experience into the show’s storyline.

“During two location scouts, we showed the producers, production designers, and location team every nook and cranny of the Museum, along with the educational frameworks behind our guided field trips to serve as inspiration for the episode,” said Tracy Curvan, Chief Operating Officer of Please Touch Museum. “It was amazing to see the how the writers identified small details found in our interactive exhibits such as Adventure Camp, and wove them into the season finale. We are honored that Please Touch Museum holds special childhood memories for Quinta Brunson and that she wanted to incorporate the Museum into Abbott Elementary in such an immersive and authentic way by bringing the entire production to Philadelphia.”

Production took place over three days while the Museum was closed to the public. A local agency received more than 3,000 submissions for the casting call and 340 local children and adult actors joined the primary cast during production. In advance of filming, the Museum’s exhibits, operations, and security teams were hard at work preparing for the Abbott Elementary team, even pausing Memorial Hall’s restoration of the historic marble floor in order to accommodate the production.

The script called for filming in nine of the Museum’s permanent exhibits: the Rocket Room, Roadside Attractions, River Adventures, Adventure Camp, Centennial Innovations, Food & Family, Wonderland, the Playhouse Theater, and the Independence Blue Cross Carousel House. During the production, PTM’s exhibits team made minor modifications to accommodate camera angles, and even helped with scenic painting for some of the Museum’s Playhouse Theater set pieces.

Episode Storyline

The episode highlights an end-of-school field trip to Please Touch Museum, with Ms. Schemmenti sharing, “Next to an Eagles, Phillies, Flyers, Sixers, or any other live sporting event, there’s not a more exciting place in all of Philadelphia.”

The eighth grade class is not as thrilled, as one student shared with Mr. Hill, “The Please Touch Museum is for babies.”

As the episode ensues, the older kids are encouraged by a PTM staff member to use their creativity to write and produce a play about their teachers.

Images from Abbott Elementary Production

Surprise Visitor

City of Philadelphia Mayor Cherelle Parker was so excited to hear the Abbott Elementary team was filming at Please Touch Museum, she stopped by during production to greet cast members and had a chance to sit in on a few takes!

“Please Touch Museum is grateful for the opportunity to be featured during Abbott Elementary’s season four finale,” shared Tracy Curvan. “The show shines a bright light on Philadelphia and the cultural institutions that are essential to the learning ecosystem of this vibrant city. Please Touch Museum’s mission is to change a child’s life as they discover the power of learning through play, and we know that one Museum visit for a small child can spark creativity and imagination which can begin their journey of self-directed inquiry.”

Abbott Elementary’s season four finale airs on April 16, 2025 on ABC and is available to stream via Hulu.

MEDIA COVERAGE

Please see the links below for media coverage of Abbott Elementary’s Season Four Finale featuring Please Touch Museum, including behind-the-scenes happenings at the Museum.