Sunday, December 9 : Delaware Art Museum - Longwood Gardens - The Pre-Raphaelites are back from tour. Plus: "Seeing the City: Sloan's New York"; "In Company with Angels" - Stained Glass Windows; Chihuly, "Precious Spaces: Masterpieces in Miniature" and outdoor Labyrinth. www.delart.org. Longwood Gardens for their Yuletide Buffet and beautiful Christmas display. Cost: $65; Youth (12 to adult) $50; Child (5-11) $40. (transportation, admission, buffet, gratuity and non-alcoholic drinks). Board bus: 12:00. Leave 12:15. Return 9:00. Closing date: November 9.

Sunday, January 12 : Bernstein Festival with The Philadelphia Orchestra at Kimmel - Eschenbach conducting (his last season with Orchestra) Leonard Bernstein's Symphonic Dances from West Side Story; Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet; and New Work by Higdon. Cost: Third Tier: $50; Family Circle: $71. Youth same. Board bus: 6:45. Leave 7:00. Return 11:00. Closing date: December 14.

Sunday, March 30 : Frida Kahlo at the Philadelphia Art Museum - 50 paintings from the beginning of her career from 1926 until 1954, including her powerful self-portraits, with photos of Frida, her family and friends. A rare opportunity to see such a large body of work. Cost: $35; Youth (5-12) $30; Students (13-college); $32. (transportation, audio, and Perelman Center) Board bus: 12:15. Leave: 12:30. Return 5:30. Closing date: February 29. Film on Frida February 19. (See Art Films)

Saturday, April 19 : Whitney Museum (Biennial), or Frick Collection, and Nicholas Roerich Museum. Dinner in Chinatown/Little Italy - The Whitney Biennial is a world-renowned showcase for recent American art, typically by young and lesser known artists. The Whitney show is generally regarded as one of the leading shows in the art world, often setting or leading trends in contemporary art. The Frick Collection, housed in a Fifth Avenue Mansion, has Masterpieces of Western painting, sculpture, and decorative art. The Whitney and Frick are in walking distance, so you can do one or both. Nicholas Roerich Museum devoted to works by this Russian Master, "whose paintings are a kind of teaching--about spiritual development, about culture and its role in human life, and about opportunities for the achievement of peace in a fractious world." He painted more than 7,000 paintings in his lifetime. Donation. Cost: $49: add $15 if you wish to do both museums. Youth: $32 Whitney; $37 Frick. Lunch/Dinner on your own. Board 8:00. Leave 8:15. Return 9:00. Closing date: March 14. Specify Museum(s).

Saturday, May 17 : LaTraviata, Academy of Vocal Arts - is distinguished by its reputation for high quality performances acclaimed by critics locally, nationally and internationally. Over 30 of their alumni have joined the Met. Gordon Theatre on Rutgers Campus (no obstructions, good acoustics). Fully staged production. Cost: $47. Board 6:30. Leave 6:45. Return: 10:30. Closing date: April 17.

Sunday, June 8 : Arboretum, Woodmere Museum - Thousands of rare and lovely woody plants, including some of Philadelphia's oldest, rarest, and largest trees, set in a romantic, 92-acre, Victorian landscape garden of winding paths, streams, flowers and special garden areas with a world class rose garden. The Woodmere Museum housed in a gracious 19th century stone Victorian mansion on six acres in Chestnut Hill, it was the wish of its benefactors to create "a very lively art center...to awaken the spirit of, the appreciation of, and the knowledge of art . . . in the City of Philadelphia and surrounding territory." Today, the Permanent Collection houses more than 2500 works of art, much of it celebrating the art and artists of the Philadelphia region. We will be visiting the Arboretum first, lunch on our own either at the garden or Chestnut Hill, after which we will visit the Woodmere. Cost: $35. Youth (3-18) $30. (transportation, admission) Board 9:15. Leave 9:30. Return: 6:00. Closing date: May 9.