field trip back in time

Experiential Learning

Experiential learning.

Connect directly with Explorers pushing the boundaries of science and discovery.

‘Travel’ to different parts of the globe through cutting-edge technology, interactive live sessions, and virtual field trips – without even leaving where you are. Learn about protecting rhinos firsthand from a conservationist in Africa. Explore the underwater world of manta rays with a biologist who swims among them.  Through immersive learning experiences, young people develop the skills to think critically, cultivate empathy, and seek solutions that create impact on their communities and the planet.

Explorer Classroom

Join live, interactive sessions that connect young people with National Geographic Explorers to hear behind-the-scenes stories and interact with these cutting-edge scientists, researchers, and powerful storytellers from around the globe. All events are free, open to the public, and include an instructional guide to help learners get the most out of the experience. 

Tracking Elephant Seals with Roxanne Beltran

Planetary systems with munazza alam, unplastify your world with agustina besada, seeing the sea floor with zoleka filander, virtual field trips.

With our Virtual Field Trips, students can travel back in time, go on a deep-sea excursion, or even explore the outer reaches of our Solar System – from anywhere in the world.

Virtual Field Trips Playlist

Exploring the Amazon

Native American Stories

Black history month, revisiting history.

Our Solar System and Beyond

Wild Washington

The Why of Where

Women Pushing Boundaries

Photo Credits from top of page: Mark Thiessen. Below: Michael Nichols, Andy Mann, Paul Nicklen, Ami Vitale, Christian Tryon, Kenneth Garrett, Mark Thiessen.

• WordPress.org
• Documentation
• Learn WordPress
• View Calendar
• Homeschool Roster Weekly: April 15 – 21
• Homeschool Consignment Sale Returns for In-Person Shopping this Summer
• Financial Literacy Simulation Offered for Teens
• Bolivar City Councilman Chris Williams Announced as Homeschool Graduation 2024 Commencement Speaker
• Shiloh National Military Park to Lead Two Historic Hikes about the Hornet’s Nest

FIELD TRIP: A Visit Back In Time {Members and Non-members}

EVENT DETAILS Hardeman County is having a birthday in October celebrating its bicentennial, 200 years.

We are going to visit the Bolivar-Hardeman County Library History Room. We will learn how to use the history room and trace history of the county and its people back before all of us were born. You may even learn history about your family.

SUGGESTED AGE/GRADE Kindergarten through high school, but younger children may attend.

DATES & TIMES Thursday, September 28, 2023 Thursday, October 5, 2023

LOCATION Bolivar-Hardeman County Library – Bolivar

PRICE Adult – $0 Student (grades K – 12) – $0 Child (ages 5, not kindergarten, and under) – $0

REGISTRATION DEADLINE The registration deadline for the field trip is Wednesday, September 27, 2023, at 12 p.m. CST. or until spaces fill.

READ WAIVER & RELEASE. Please read the waiver and release .

Check out upcoming field trips and events.

Learn more about Homeschool Roster.

Like and follow Homeschool Roster on Facebook .

Don’t miss a thing!  Subscribe to Homeschool Roster .

• Education Information Session: How to Balance It All

FIELD TRIP: Frontier Days Lantern Tour {Members}

You may also like.

FIELD TRIP: The Tempest

FIELD TRIP: Hamlet

FIELD TRIP: Disney on Ice {Members}

FIELD TRIP: Fire Station Tour {Members and Non-members}

Education Information Session: The Struggle is “READ”

FIELD TRIP: The Nutcracker {Jackson}

FIELD TRIP: The Beverly Hillbillies

The Amazon Rainforest

Introduce your students to the layers of the rainforest and the many animals who live there. Explore the adaptations that have evolved over time to make for a successful existence of life in the rainforest.

 Video length: 18:44 minutes.

How Coral Reefs Are Formed

Explore the underwater world of coral reefs. Here, in Part 1, we’ll find out how coral reefs are formed over time. Learners will be able to see how a tiny coral polyp can create structures large enough to be seen from space. They will also begin to appreciate the diversity of life that exists in coral reefs around the world.

Video length: 13:19 minutes.

Who Lives On A Coral Reef?

Life on a coral reef is both bizarre and beautiful! Let’s get a first-hand look at the neverending roles of predator and prey. Introduce vocabulary such as adaptations, camouflage, symbiotic, and nocturnal. Lastly, students will be highly entertained by the remarkable array of animals that call a coral reef home.

Video length: 15:46 minutes.

Sahara Desert

Welcome to the Sahara Desert –  the largest hot desert in the world!  We cover the climate and landforms of the Sahara and then move on to meeting the many insects, birds, reptiles, and mammals that live in these harsh conditions. Find out about the many adaptations that allow plant and animal life to survive and thrive here, along with the people who have called the Sahara home for many millennia.

Video length: 31:28 minutes.

African Safari

Enjoy a trip through an African Safari park to see an incredible variety of wildlife. Take a first-row seat at the waterholes where the action is. You’ll see elephants, giraffes, warthogs, rhinos, zebras, lions, and so much more.

Video length: 14:30 minutes.

Galápagos Islands

Utterly unique and enchanting, the volcanic Galapagos Islands provide a captivating zoological adventure unlike any other. Marine Iguanas grazing from the sea floor, Vampire finches, giant tortoises and many other animals provide fascinating insights into adaptation and survival in this harsh and otherworldly environment.

Video length: 24:22 minutes.

Washington, DC (Grades K-5)

Even the youngest of students will appreciate the treasures, history, and beauty that their nation’s capital has to offer. Explore the architecture and artifacts that make Washington fascinating for all to see.

Video length: 22:36 minutes.

Washington, DC (Grades 6-8)

All students will appreciate the treasures, history, and beauty that their nation’s capital has to offer. Explore the architecture and artifacts that make Washington fascinating for all to see.

Video length: 26:29 minutes.

Canada: Coast to Coast

Come along with us as we travel across this diverse country from the Maritime provinces on the Eastern coast, visiting Quebec and Ontario, making our way across the Western provinces and the Pacific coast of British Columbia, ending up in the Arctic North.

Video length: 32:58 minutes

Paris: City of Light (K-5)

Paris has long been considered one of the world’s most historically important cities and is also packed with iconic images. Explore the unforgettable buildings that took centuries to complete, such as Notre Dame, the Eiffel Tower, and the Arc de Triomphe. Students will gain insights into the reasons why Paris’ significance is so timeless.

Video length:15:30 minutes.

Highlights of Paris (Grades 6-8)

Video length: 21:16 minutes.

Canada: Our Northern Neighbor

Learn about our northern neighbor as we go back in time to see how Canada came into being. Next, we’ll explore their style of government and compare it to the U.S. We’ll see what drives their economy, how they celebrate, and which sports they like.  Lastly, we’ll see the symbols that help define Canada, have a look at cultural influences, and test our pop culture knowledge with famous Canadians.

Video length: 36:00 minutes.

Jerusalem: Then and Now (K-5)

Introduce your younger students to the history and landmarks of Jerusalem. Explore the many aspects of the religious significance of this city that makes it so important to so many.

Video length: 19:19 minutes.

Jerusalem: Then and Now (6-8)

Few places in the world are so important to so many. Whether students are learning about their own or other faiths, ancient civilizations, current events, or geographical locations – Jerusalem is a place that is worthy of their time and understanding.

Video length: 20:45 minutes.

Rome: The Eternal City

Rome has continuously been one of the most important cities in the Western World. First as the capital of the Roman Empire, and continuing today as the center of the Catholic Church. Rome also embodies some of the greatest attributes of the Renaissance era. Come along with us as we explore the many highlights of this ever-changing city.

Video length: 33:33 minutes

Barcelona is a unique Spanish city with a language and culture all its own! Barcelona is remarkable for its food, architecture, scenery, and vibrant atmosphere. Let’s find out why!

Video length: 11:24 minutes.

London: City of Pomp and Majesty

Exploring London can be an exciting adventure and a valuable experience. Together, let’s unfold a wealth of historical treasures and take a peek at life in the times of Kings and Queens who once ruled over vast empires.

Video length: 22:26 minutes.

National Parks - Alaska & Hawaii

The running theme of this video is “extremes”, and there are many in both Alaska and Hawaii! We explore the beautiful and stark wilderness of the parks in Alaska, learn about glaciers and fjords, see some grizzlies and humpbacks, and end off with the volcanoes of Hawaii. A thrill ride for all!

Video length: 23:20 minutes  

National Parks - Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana & Colorado

Dramatic glacier-covered rugged mountains, a temperate rainforest, craggy rock-towered coastlines, giant sand dunes, ancient cliff dwellings, and steep sheer rock canyons. All of these landscapes, their history, and more are explored in this tour of the National Parks of the northern part of the Western region.

Video length: 27:09 minutes

National Parks - Wyoming & Utah

Introduce your students to the magnificent landforms throughout the National Parks in Wyoming and Utah. In Wyoming, we’ll gaze in wonder at the drama of the Grand Teton Mountain Range, as we also find out about fault-block mountains.   We’ll contrast that experience with the ever-moving, always-changing landscapes of Yellowstone N.P. including the “Old Faithful” geyser. Moving on to Utah, we’ll compare and contrast 3 National Parks – Bryce, Zion, and Arches National Parks.   We’ll see how erosion and ancient salt beds have created these wondrous sites.

 Video length:   22:41 minutes

National Parks - California & Nevada

Come along as we visit Nevada’s one and only National Park – Great Basin.   Then, we move on to visit 5 parks in California, comparing and contrasting along the way. Joshua Tree and Death Valley demonstrate high desert vs. low desert landscapes and conditions.   Sequoia and Redwood NP’s show us the difference between trees that are gigantic in circumference vs. height. Lastly, we visit one of the crown jewels of National Parks – Yosemite N.P.

Video length:   17:19 minutes

Ancient Greece

Let’s travel back in time to explore the world of the Ancient Greeks. Your students will be surprised how much we all have in common with them, and how much they still influence and inspire our lives every day. This video introduces Ancient Greek lifestyle and customs, along with the various gods important to all aspects of life.

Video length: 21:28 minutes.

Ancient Egypt: Land of the Pharaohs

A civilization like no other – let’s start with the Egyptian gods that ruled over the smallest details of everyday life. They also protected the all-powerful Pharaoh. We examine Egyptian royalty, and the social structure of Ancient Egypt, right down to the everyday people, their daily life, and the symbols that were important them.

Video length: 26:41 minutes

Ancient Egypt: Land of the Pyramids

Let’s have a close-up look at the magnificent structures that the Ancient Egyptians have left behind for us to marvel over, even thousands of years later. Pyramids, Sphinxes, and many, many temples delight our senses as we take this trip back in time to the Land of the Pyramids.

Video length: 19:51 minutes

Ancient Rome

Ciao Amici! Hello Friends! Let’s go on a stroll through Ancient Rome visiting the noble ruins of the Roman Empire. Power, politics, and pagan gods – all part of the glory and majesty of the Eternal City! We take a walk back in the footsteps of time to explore the enduring feats of engineering, and the lasting grandeur of the seat of Western civilization.

Video length: 14:39 minutes.

Ancient Mayans

Let’s hear it for the Mayans and their many accomplishments! They have given us many gifts – an accurate 365-day calendar, their glorious cities that have stood the test of time, a lasting body of knowledge about the night sky, and maybe best of all – chocolate! Step back in time with us as we explore what it meant to live in the time of the Ancient Mayans.

Video length: 22:17 minutes.

Exploring Cuba

We would like to welcome you to the beautiful and diverse country of Cuba! Our comprehensive video explores many of the fascinating aspects of this picturesque nation. Geography, politics, history, economy, culture, and natural history are many of the topics we explore, along with others.

Video length: 25:20 minutes

Amazon Rainforest: People & Threats (Grades 2-5)

Meet the people who have called the Amazon rainforest home for centuries. Learn about the threats facing all who live there and how everyone can help overcome these challenges.

Video length: 14:00 minutes.

Amazon Rainforest (Grades 6-8)

Introduce your students to the layers of the rainforest and the animals who live there. Explore the adaptations that have evolved over time to make for a successful existence of life in the rainforest.

Video length: 20:05 minutes.

Amazon Rainforest: People & Threats (Grades 6-8)

Video length: 14:29 minutes.

Paris - La Ville Lumiere (French)

Bonjour et bienvenue dans la ville diverse et dynamique de Paris. Nous allons voir certains de ses hauts lieux et decouvrir la vie dans cette ville exceptionnelle. (When logged in, students can follow along with the narration using the scripts).

Video length: 21:08 minutes.

Tokyo: City of Contrasts

Tokyo is both steeped in ancient history, and yet one of the most modern and trendsetting cities in the world. Visit the juxtaposition of old and new that embraces both neon and nature.

Video length: 11:35 minutes.

Grade 4 - Northeast Region of the U.S.

Video Storyline :  Let’s take a trip back and forth in time to learn how the Northeast region became the place it is today. Along the way we’ll look at the natural resources, geography, history, and economy of the area to help us understand how the people and the places have developed over time.

Video Length: 37:05 minutes.

Grade 4: Southwest Region: Early Beginnings

Video Storyline : Let’s take a trip back in time to learn how the Southwest region came into being. We’ll look at the landforms, geography, natural resources, climate, history, and economy of the area. Students will gain an understanding of how the region became the place it is today.

  Companion video to Southwest Region: Today

  Video Length: 34:20 minutes

Grade 4: Southwest Region: Today

Video Storyline : Let’s take a tour of the Southwest region. We’ll explore many of its larger cities and see some of the features that make them each unique. Next, we’ll explore both the natural and manmade landmarks of the region, along with its famous people, food, and celebrations.

Companion video to Southwest Region: Early Beginnings

  Video Length: 32:55 minutes

Grade 4: Southeast Region of the U.S.

Video Storyline : Take a tour of the Southeastern states as we go back in time to look at this region as the early colonists did. Along the way we’ll look at the geography, history, and economy of the area to help us understand how the people and the many natural resources have helped to shape its development over time.

Video length: 15:32 minutes.

Grade 4: Midwest Region: Early Beginnings

Video Storyline : Let’s take a trip back in time to learn how the Midwest region became into being. Along the way we’ll look at the landforms, natural resources, history, and economy of the area to help us understand how the Midwest region became what it is today.

Companion video to Midwest Region: Today .

  Video Length: 32:25 minutes.

Grade 4: Midwest Region: Today

Video Storyline : Let’s take a tour of the Midwest region. We’ll explore many of its larger cities and see some of the features that make them each unique. Then we’ll explore the landmarks of the Midwest, both the natural and the manmade.

Companion video to Midwest Region: Early Beginnings.

  Video Length:  21:05 minutes.

Grade 3 - A Country of Cultures

Video Storyline :  The U.S. has a rich and diverse cultural heritage. Some of our heritage comes from the Native Americans. We’ve also been culturally enriched by the immigrants that have moved here. From all these groups we’ve learned about new customs and cultures.

Video length: 14:31 minutes.

Grade 3 - The First Americans

Video Storyline : Let’s go back to a time when there were only Native Americans in the U.S. We outline some of the major tribes, their housing, and way of life. We then meet Pocahontas and the first Europeans. Moving forward, we explore early settler life and then the events that led to the Declaration of Independence, and the Birth of the U.S.

Video length : 14:12 minutes.

Grade 3 - How The Country Was Settled

Video Storyline : Explorers like Daniel Boone helped many of the early pioneers move Westward. President Jefferson arranged for the Louisiana Purchase which doubled the size of the new country.  Lewis and Clark mapped the new areas, and with the help of Sacagawea, established the Oregon Trail.  Eventually the transcontinental railroad made migrating westward easier. Other inventions made life easier and created many jobs for the new immigrants and people who moved from the South with the Great Migration.

Video Length: 12:03 minutes.  

Grade 3 - Businesses At Work

Video Storyline : This video introduces the challenging concepts of early Economics to young learners in a way that can be easily understood.  It also pairs with “I Am A Consumer”. Vocabulary words like profit, pricing, supply, demand, human resources, capital resources, factory, assembly line, specialization, import/export, domestic/international trade, and the economy are presented with real-life, easily understood, and highly visual examples to make learning connections.

Video length:  6:29 minutes.

Grade 3 - The Geography of Our Communities

Video Storyline :  Our communities play many roles in our lives, because this is where we live, play, work, and help out. Communities can differ by their size –  urban, suburban, and rural. Communities are spread around the 5 regions of the U.S,. which have different land forms and types of natural resources.  Humans sometimes adapt themselves or their environments when they have to, but need to exercise care in making changes.

Video length: 17:56 minutes.

Grade 3 - I Am A Consumer

Video Storyline : This video introduces the challenging concepts of early Economics to young learners in a way that can be easily understood.   Vocabulary words like consumer, budget, income, expenses, saving/spending, and opportunity cost are presented with real-life, easily understood examples to make learning connections.  

Video length:   6:48 minutes.  

Grade 3 - How Government Helps Our Communities

Video Storyline : Introduce your students to the 3 branches of government and the roles performed by each. They will also hear about their state and local governments. Lastlly, they will begin to understand that they are citizens with rights and responsibilities.

Video length: 14:22 minutes.

Grade 2 - Living Together

Video Storyline : Families make up the backbone of our society.  They are usually made up of different generations, rules and customs. We live in our different communities, which can be urban, rural or suburban. Together we sometimes have celebrations as we share our cultures.

Video length:  6:52 minutes

Grade 2 - Early Americans

Video Storyline :  Families long ago used to live on farms and grow their own food. Transportation was slow and life was hard. Settlers began to arrive and everyone had to obey the rules of the King of England. People felt he was unfair and decided to fight for their freedom from him. They won, and created a new country with new leaders.

Video length: 7:45 minutes.

Grade 2 - Work and Money

Video Storyline :  We use money to buy both needs and wants. People work to earn money to buy these items. Technology has made work easier over time. There are different types of jobs people can have. Some jobs are called service jobs, and some people called volunteers work for no money at all.

Video length: 7:20 minutes.

Grade 2 - Our Government At Work

Video Storyline :  When America was a new country its leaders created a plan called the Constitution. Our leaders, lawmakers, and judges still use this plan today.

Video length: 12:01 minutes.

Grade 2 - Land and Water Around Us

Video Storyline :  Earth is made up of many types of both land and water. We also find different types of landforms and natural resources. We change the land around us with our building and creating. We also use a lot of our natural resources, but have to learn to protect the ones that can run out.

Video length: 13:17 minutes.

Grade 1 - All About Work

Video Storyline :  What is money and what can it buy? We use money to pay for our needs and wants. People have to work to make money, and there are many jobs they can have.

Video length: 6:15 minutes.

Grade 1 - Life Long Ago

Video Storyline :  A long time ago a group called the Pilgrims came to America. They settled here among the various native American groups. Other settlers also came to America from other countries. Many came here to be free. Many historical people and symbols have come to mean freedom in the United States.

Video length: 6:21 minutes.

Grade 1 - Let's Learn About Our Government

Video Storyline : As a new country, the United States had to create its own of new rules. We look at some of the important laws and symbols of the country, and what it means to be a citizen.

Video length: 7:46 minutes.

Grade 1 - The Earth Around Us

Video Storyline :  People live in communities, where change happens every day. Around us we see a variety of land and water types which have helped to create our natural resources. We can also see changes around us throughout the four seasons.

Grade 1 - Families and Neighbors

Video Storyline : Families make up the backbone of our society, and have different customs. We share these customs with others with our celebrations. Many of the people that immigrated here brought many things with them, along with their customs.

Video length: 6:55 minutes.

What Else Would You Like To See On This List?

Top ways to experience nearby attractions

Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Field Station: Dinosaurs - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

• Tue - Sun 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM
• (0.59 mi) Hampton Inn & Suites Teaneck/Glenpointe
• (0.59 mi) Homewood Suites By Hilton Teaneck Glenpointe
• (0.67 mi) Teaneck Marriott at Glenpointe
• (1.16 mi) Hyatt Place Fort Lee / George Washington Bridge
• (4.18 mi) 710 Guest Suites
• (0.65 mi) Pancetta Italian Restaurant
• (1.20 mi) Amarone Ristorante
• (1.18 mi) Balthazar Bakery
• (0.77 mi) Dante's Place
• (0.57 mi) Sonny's Pizzeria & Restaurant

Bring Back In-Person Field Trips. Here’s Why

• Share article

Just as peak field trip season was set to get underway in the spring of 2020, the pandemic hit. Schools, and the cultural institutions and countless other organizations that normally welcome K-12 students for experiential learning, closed their doors.

“The pandemic was absolutely devastating for field trips. They went off a cliff, even when schools went back to in-person,” said Susie Wilkening, principal of Wilkening Consulting, a Seattle-based audience research firm.

Statistics bear this out. In the spring of 2023, Wilkening Consulting and the American Alliance of Museums conducted a survey of 340 museum directors from around the country on post-pandemic visitation. Forty percent of respondents reported that they continued to experience lower on-site visitation from K-12 teachers and students.

Several factors may be keeping schools from venturing back to in-person field trips. Virtual field trips rose in popularity during the pandemic, allowing students to glimpse educational sites as far-flung as the Egyptian pyramids or the Louvre art museum in Paris from the comfort of their homes or classrooms—and those opportunities still exist.

Logistics and funding may also be preventing schools from returning to on-site field trips. Educational researchers have suggested that some schools prioritize putting resources toward activities that may improve student achievement on standardized tests over experiences like field trips, whose results aren’t as quantifiable. That may especially be the case for schools struggling to help students recover from pandemic-era learning declines.

The argument for doing field trips again

But a growing body of research, advocacy from some district-level officials, and anecdotes from students provide compelling reasons for bringing back in-person field trips.

Lin Tajeken Jeufack, a high school junior at Kenwood High School in Maryland’s Baltimore County schools, vividly recalls how a 6th grade field trip to the National Aquarium in Baltimore that offered a behind-the-scenes glimpse into husbandry of aquatic animals planted an idea in her head about one day becoming a marine biologist.

Lin described testing the water in the animal tanks, peering under a microscope in an onsite laboratory at the aquarium, and learning about a profession she knew little about. The 16-year-old, who is now enrolled in her school’s International Baccalaureate program, volunteers at a local hospital, and says she’s leaning toward majoring in math in college, though she hasn’t ruled out a career in marine biology. Lin still welcomes the opportunity to attend in-person field trips—like a recent outing to the Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute, an art museum that features a “Giant Heart” exhibit that allows visitors to walk through the organ’s enormous, lifelike chambers.

“I think students feel safer now [post-pandemic],” said Lin. “We have a really tough course load; we’re always working. It’s good for us to get away from school for a little while.”

Field trips are especially beneficial for disadvantaged students

The lasting benefits of field trips don’t necessarily register in students’ consciousness at the moment of the visit. But these experiential outings have been proven to increase student interest in, knowledge about, and motivation to study subject matter to which they’re exposed, according to a sweeping, decade-old report by Ohio University researchers on field trips. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds tend to reap the biggest benefits from these experiences, as they are less likely to have the opportunity to engage in these activities outside of school-sponsored trips.

That’s not lost on Kadee Anstadt, superintendent/CEO of Washington Local Schools in Toledo, Ohio, who’s committed to ensuring that the students in her high-poverty district take field trips routinely.

“We are quite intentional now about the breadth of experiences we are offering our students,” said Anstadt, who recently established what she refers to as “superinten-dates,” in which she personally takes groups of students on field trips they likely wouldn’t otherwise experience.

“As an urban district, our kids sometimes don’t get to see their larger community. We’ve been to the Detroit Auto Show, to hear a Holocaust survivor, experienced the Toledo Opera, and taken the entire junior class to the Henry Ford Museum,” she said.

Some of the field trips students in the Washington Local Schools take are culturally enriching; others, practical. The district has developed a partnership with two local YMCA branches in which every 2nd grader receives eight water safety lessons.

“This ensures our kids know the dangers of a pool, pond, or lake, and also know how to get help if they need it. Some learn to swim during this time. For so many, it’s the first time they’ve ever been in a pool,” said Anstadt.

Since last year, more than 1,000 of the district’s approximately 7,000 students have received the lessons.

Fish hatcheries, hiking, ice fishing, and Native American landmarks

Laurie Barron, superintendent of the Evergreen school district in Montana, shares a philosophy on experiential field trips similar to Anstadt’s—but with vastly different surroundings to explore.

“We are in northwestern Montana bordering Glacier National Park, a recreation mecca,” said Barron, reeling off a number of recreational and cultural resources available within a quick bus trip: fish hatcheries, hiking, ice fishing, skiing, forestry opportunities, and Native American landmarks.

Barron says administrators aim for younger students in the K-8 district to go on between two and four trips per year, a number that increases to six to eight trips by the time students reach 8th grade.

“We love for them to have several off-campus opportunities each year, experiencing the great west Montana outdoors. It’s very relevant and easy to connect that to our curriculum and content,” Barron said. “And students remember a lot more that way than just reading about places in a book.”

Sign Up for The Savvy Principal

Edweek top school jobs.

Sign Up & Sign In

• Our Mission

Yes, Field Trips Are Worth the Effort

Culturally enriching trips can boost grades and decrease absences and behavioral infractions, new research reveals. 

As a teacher, Elena Aguilar often looked for opportunities to get her students out of the classroom and into different neighborhoods or natural environments. “We did the usual museum trips and science center stuff, but I loved the trips which pushed them into unfamiliar territory,” writes Aguilar , an instructional coach and author. Nudging kids out of their comfort zones, she says, “taught them about others as well as themselves. It helped them see the expansiveness of our world and perhaps inspired them to think about what might be available to them out there.”

Aguilar’s thinking made an impact: 15 years after traveling with her third-grade class to Yosemite National Park, a student contacted Aguilar on Facebook to thank her for the life-changing excursion. “You changed our lives with that trip,” the student wrote. “It's what made me want to be a teacher, to be able to give that same gift to other kids.”

As schools grapple with pandemic-related concerns about balancing in-seat instructional time with non-essentials like trips, new research published in The Journal of Human Resources argues that field trips, and the vital educational experiences that they provide—whether it’s a visit to a local museum or a big commitment like Aguilar’s national park trip—deliver a host of positive social and academic outcomes and are worth the effort.

“The pandemic should not keep schools from providing these essential cultural experiences forever,” asserts Jay P. Greene , one of the study’s co-authors and a senior research fellow at the Heritage Foundation, in an opinion piece for the Daily News . “If schools make culturally-enriching field trips an integral part of the education experience, all students—especially those whose parents have a harder time accessing these experiences on their own—would benefit.”

In the study, researchers assigned more than 1,000 fourth- and fifth-grade students in Atlanta to two groups. One group participated in three to six “culturally-enriching” field trips—visits to an art museum, a live theater performance, and a symphony concert—while students in the control group stayed put in class. The outcome? Kids in the field trip group “scored higher on end-of-grade exams, received higher course grades, were absent less often, and had fewer behavioral infractions,” compared to students in the control group, according to a ScienceDaily brief . Benefits lasted two to three years, Greene writes, and were “most visible when students were in middle school.”

“We are able to demonstrate that a relatively simple intervention—and we consider it pretty low-touch; three field trips in a year, maybe six field trips in two years—can actually have some substantial impacts,” says lead study author Heidi Holmes Erickson in an interview with The 74 . “They’re not just limited to social benefits. It shows that smaller interventions can actually have some significant effects on academics as well.”

Field trips aren’t a threat to in-class instruction, Erickson notes, they’re a tool to help bolster engagement and expand students’ horizons. “It's possible to expose students to a broader world and have a culturally enriching curriculum without sacrificing academic outcomes, and it may actually improve academic outcomes,” Erickson says. Far from harming test scores, the researchers found that culturally rich excursions reinforce academics and “students who participated in these field trips were doing better in class.”

Meanwhile, class trips don't need to be elaborate productions to make an impact: small excursions outside the classroom—"low-touch," as the researchers call them—can pack a punch. Here’s how three educators recommend dialing it back with low-stakes options that are both engaging and stimulating for students, but might not require days to prepare and plan:

Make Them Bite-Sized : Instead of allocating an entire day to a field trip, educational consultant Laurel Schwartz takes her classes on micro field trips , or “short outings that can be completed in a single class period.” These real-world encounters, she says, are especially beneficial for English learners and world language students. A micro field trip to a nearby park or around school grounds, for example, can be a great opportunity to “enhance a unit on nature and wildlife while reinforcing vocabulary for senses, colors, and the concepts of quantity and size,” Schwartz writes. “Afterwards, students might write descriptive stories set in the place you visited using vocabulary collected and defined together by the class.”

Try Teacher-Less Trips : To encourage exploration and learning outside of the classroom, former social studies teacher Arch Grieve removes himself from the equation with teacher-less field trips rooted in students’ local communities. Grieve only suggests options that are directly tied to a unit being discussed in class—like attending a talk at a local university or visiting a museum or cultural festival—and offers extra credit to incentivize students. “These trips allow for a greater appreciation of my subject matter than is possible in the school setting, and perhaps best of all, there's little to no planning involved.”

Explore Virtual Options : It may not be as fun as visiting in person, but the Internet makes it possible to visit museums like The National Gallery of London and The Vatican Museums without leaving the school building. Middle school English teacher Laura Bradley likes to search the Museums for Digital Learning website by topic, keyword, and grade level, to find lessons and activities that meet her unique curricular needs. The site grants access to digitized museum collections, 3D models, audio files, documents, images, and videos. 

Bring Back In-Person Field Trips. Here’s Why

• Share article

Just as peak field trip season was set to get underway in the spring of 2020, the pandemic hit. Schools, and the cultural institutions and countless other organizations that normally welcome K-12 students for experiential learning, closed their doors.

“The pandemic was absolutely devastating for field trips. They went off a cliff, even when schools went back to in-person,” said Susie Wilkening, principal of Wilkening Consulting, a Seattle-based audience research firm.

Statistics bear this out. In the spring of 2023, Wilkening Consulting and the American Alliance of Museums conducted a survey of 340 museum directors from around the country on post-pandemic visitation. Forty percent of respondents reported that they continued to experience lower on-site visitation from K-12 teachers and students.

Several factors may be keeping schools from venturing back to in-person field trips. Virtual field trips rose in popularity during the pandemic, allowing students to glimpse educational sites as far-flung as the Egyptian pyramids or the Louvre art museum in Paris from the comfort of their homes or classrooms—and those opportunities still exist.

Logistics and funding may also be preventing schools from returning to on-site field trips. Educational researchers have suggested that some schools prioritize putting resources toward activities that may improve student achievement on standardized tests over experiences like field trips, whose results aren’t as quantifiable. That may especially be the case for schools struggling to help students recover from pandemic-era learning declines.

The argument for doing field trips again

But a growing body of research, advocacy from some district-level officials, and anecdotes from students provide compelling reasons for bringing back in-person field trips.

Lin Tajeken Jeufack, a high school junior at Kenwood High School in Maryland’s Baltimore County schools, vividly recalls how a 6th grade field trip to the National Aquarium in Baltimore that offered a behind-the-scenes glimpse into husbandry of aquatic animals planted an idea in her head about one day becoming a marine biologist.

Lin described testing the water in the animal tanks, peering under a microscope in an onsite laboratory at the aquarium, and learning about a profession she knew little about. The 16-year-old, who is now enrolled in her school’s International Baccalaureate program, volunteers at a local hospital, and says she’s leaning toward majoring in math in college, though she hasn’t ruled out a career in marine biology. Lin still welcomes the opportunity to attend in-person field trips—like a recent outing to the Philadelphia’s Franklin Institute, an art museum that features a “Giant Heart” exhibit that allows visitors to walk through the organ’s enormous, lifelike chambers.

“I think students feel safer now [post-pandemic],” said Lin. “We have a really tough course load; we’re always working. It’s good for us to get away from school for a little while.”

Field trips are especially beneficial for disadvantaged students

The lasting benefits of field trips don’t necessarily register in students’ consciousness at the moment of the visit. But these experiential outings have been proven to increase student interest in, knowledge about, and motivation to study subject matter to which they’re exposed, according to a sweeping, decade-old report by Ohio University researchers on field trips. Students from disadvantaged backgrounds tend to reap the biggest benefits from these experiences, as they are less likely to have the opportunity to engage in these activities outside of school-sponsored trips.

That’s not lost on Kadee Anstadt, superintendent/CEO of Washington Local Schools in Toledo, Ohio, who’s committed to ensuring that the students in her high-poverty district take field trips routinely.

“We are quite intentional now about the breadth of experiences we are offering our students,” said Anstadt, who recently established what she refers to as “superinten-dates,” in which she personally takes groups of students on field trips they likely wouldn’t otherwise experience.

“As an urban district, our kids sometimes don’t get to see their larger community. We’ve been to the Detroit Auto Show, to hear a Holocaust survivor, experienced the Toledo Opera, and taken the entire junior class to the Henry Ford Museum,” she said.

Some of the field trips students in the Washington Local Schools take are culturally enriching; others, practical. The district has developed a partnership with two local YMCA branches in which every 2nd grader receives eight water safety lessons.

“This ensures our kids know the dangers of a pool, pond, or lake, and also know how to get help if they need it. Some learn to swim during this time. For so many, it’s the first time they’ve ever been in a pool,” said Anstadt.

Since last year, more than 1,000 of the district’s approximately 7,000 students have received the lessons.

Fish hatcheries, hiking, ice fishing, and Native American landmarks

Laurie Barron, superintendent of the Evergreen school district in Montana, shares a philosophy on experiential field trips similar to Anstadt’s—but with vastly different surroundings to explore.

“We are in northwestern Montana bordering Glacier National Park, a recreation mecca,” said Barron, reeling off a number of recreational and cultural resources available within a quick bus trip: fish hatcheries, hiking, ice fishing, skiing, forestry opportunities, and Native American landmarks.

Barron says administrators aim for younger students in the K-8 district to go on between two and four trips per year, a number that increases to six to eight trips by the time students reach 8th grade.

“We love for them to have several off-campus opportunities each year, experiencing the great west Montana outdoors. It’s very relevant and easy to connect that to our curriculum and content,” Barron said. “And students remember a lot more that way than just reading about places in a book.”

Sign Up for The Savvy Principal

Edweek top school jobs.

Sign Up & Sign In

The Miraculous Comeback of the Field Trip

What we can learn from a group of third graders on their first school outing since the start of the pandemic

This article was featured in One Story to Read Today, a newsletter in which our editors recommend a single must-read from The Atlantic , Monday through Friday. Sign up for it here.

You could hear them getting antsy through the bus windows. “I want to see a meerkat!” “Finally, I get to feel my feet!” And a deeper voice, just as emphatic: “SIT! DOWN!” It was a little after 10 a.m. on May 6 when three busloads of third graders poured out into the heat of a dusty parking lot at Out of Africa, a wildlife park about 90 miles north of Phoenix, Arizona. As a billboard had promised us on I-17, here in the high desert scrub, next to the Yavapai County jail: Adventure awaits.

After a year of Zoom school, followed by another year of mostly in-person learning characterized by stringent masking, constant hand sanitizing, and extended absences because of COVID-19 cases and possible exposures, the Academy of Math & Science Glendale had finally taken the plunge and returned to field trips. Now some 140 third graders were milling about, awaiting their next round of instructions in the unending sequence of logistics involved in a school outing.

AMS Glendale, a charter school in a working-class suburb of Phoenix, is more than two-thirds Hispanic; many parents are immigrants. About 80 percent of the students qualify for free- or reduced-price lunch. For most of the kids, this was their first field trip since before the pandemic; for some, it was their first field trip ever; for a few, it was their very first taste of Arizona beyond the edge of Phoenix’s sprawl. The school had been building anticipation for weeks with lessons about mammals and vertebrates, and a “habitat diorama” project planned for the kids’ return. I doubted whether Out of Africa, with its chain-link fencing and lethargic rhino, was the best place to learn about habitats, but the value of an outing to break the kids’ collective cabin fever was impossible to miss.

Field trips have been on the decline in American schools since well before the pandemic, much like art and music classes, and even recess. Administrators cite the usual culprits: money, instructional time. And research about the educational value of visiting zoos and museums has been mixed—sometimes kids aren’t even aware of what teachers hope for them to learn. But another strand of scholarship broadens the lens: It may be less important to absorb the particulars of what makes an ungulate an ungulate than it is to simply lay eyes on a giraffe, and, as a result, find yourself more interested in science than you were the day before.

Read: Why the demise of the field trip is bad news

One parent-chaperone joked that the years of cancellations and postponements during the pandemic have felt more like dog years in terms of child development. He was talking about his sons’ three missed seasons of Little League, but for children this age, the pandemic lines up, roughly, with not just the years when they learn to catch and throw but also the years they learn to read and write, ride a bike, tie shoes, establish deeper friendships, and develop a sense of self outside their parents’ orbit. A field trip couldn’t compensate for the long months of learning over a bad Wi-Fi connection. But it did promise to deliver a jolt of what parents told me their kids have missed: socialization, time outdoors, and a break from the pandemic doldrums.

We’d missed the turnoff for a planned bathroom break on the drive up, and now chaperones were eyeing a bank of porta-potties nervously as the kids squirmed. When I asked if she was excited for the occasion, Miley, shuffling in her patent-leather boots and bobbing a head full of twists, couldn’t yet focus on the attraction at hand—“It’s just another day until I get to use the bathroom.” Her classmates giggled in agreement. Half the charm of a field trip is in the waiting: the bus rides, the snacks, the jumbling of the social order as a school gets transposed onto a new environment. Standing in line to get into the park, Miley and her friends tested one another on the proper pronunciation of supercalifragilisticexpialidocious . The moment when this are-we-there-yet energy transformed into full-on catharsis finally came when we boarded a park bus inside the gates for a loop of the Serengeti section, where, we were told, we’d get to feed a giraffe.

After a quick advisory on volume control, we rumbled forward, each clutching tiny sprigs of acacia leaves. Around a bend, Pilgrim came into view, towering over a fence beside the road: 23 feet of legs and neck covered in brown puzzle pieces, somehow both muscular and gangly. The row behind me let out an electric squeal, and the driver crackled over the loudspeaker, telling us to wave our acacia around outside the windows. Bracketing for a moment the question of whether a life of being hand-fed by screaming children in an enclosure on the juniper savanna is a good and humane one for a giraffe, the next 60 seconds were an ear-splitting assault of juvenile joy. The giraffe bent low and unfurled a gigantic black tongue, plucking the wisps of cool, green acacia from outstretched hands to choruses of “Oh my God!!!”

And yet I wondered whether the thrill owed more to the giraffes or to the social outlet provided by such a concentrated dose of other kids. When a squirrel crept along the fence line to see what the fracas was about, one student shouted, “The squirrel! The squirrel!” This pattern repeated itself throughout the day as we explored the park on foot—outbursts of euphoria triggered by things that seemed impossibly mundane. Yes, the kids screamed at the baby tigers splashing around a shallow pond with their handlers, but they screamed just as loudly at the sight of lizards crossing the road, a daily sight in Phoenix at this time of year. I remembered how invigorated I’d felt on the few occasions in the past year when I’d been surrounded by the freewheeling energy of a crowd—high in the stands at a WNBA game or dancing at a friend’s wedding. In this case, the crowd was one the kids saw almost every day, but schools are like airports or offices; your visits unfold on somebody else’s terms. Here, perhaps for the first time in years, they were out in force and (relatively) free to set their own agenda.

On the way up, I rode in the back seat of a Chevy Suburban as the fifth wheel to a group of chaperones—three mothers and an aunt—who pulled up photos from the school-bus convoy that teachers had uploaded in real time on an app called ClassDojo. Dalia Garcia said that her daughter Elena had woken up at 5 a.m.: “Today is the excursión !” Ana Laura Santiago and Katia Duran, sisters with daughters born a day apart, said that their children had been talking about it all week. Santiago adopted the tone of a child paraphrasing Very Serious Orders from her teacher. “I have to finish my homework, because if I don’t, I won’t be able to go on my field trip.”

Gauging exactly what we’ve asked kids to give up throughout the pandemic is hard. Fully grasping COVID-19’s impact on school learning and child care—to say nothing of the illnesses and deaths of millions—will take decades. But the lessons we take from childhood experiences can veer sharply from what adults might expect. My informal poll of students crowned Zoom school a clear winner over in-person classes, for reasons only third graders would think of: “You can’t get sent to the office”; “You can sneak onto YouTube”; “You can turn off your camera to go … ”—here, my respondent mimed the bliss of nodding off in class. It’s possible that they were serious. For an 8-year-old, the sacrifices and disruptions of the pandemic have now colored more than a quarter of their life, and perhaps as much as half of the time that they actually remember.

Even parents who professed relief at the strong return-to-normal energy of an all-day field trip acknowledged that it required some adjustment from them too. During the past school year, Alyssa Gastelum told me that she had felt mounting anxiety over the fact that her daughter, Melyssa, an only child living with her mom and grandparents, was “only around adults.” But she got emotional when she heard that the field trip would take Melyssa an hour and a half from home. “It was excitement, and then a little bit of fear,” she said. “I wasn’t comfortable with her being so far away.” Chaperoning was, for her, a kind of trip back to the realm of parenting in normal circumstances, a chance to get used to seeing Melyssa venture farther afield.

Maria González had left Yuma, a farming town on the Mexican border, at 4 a.m. to meet her granddaughter on the field trip, and at the end of the day she waited in the shade of a juniper tree until she was sure her nieta was safely back on the school bus. “This is very good to restore the confidence of the kids,” González said, keeping her eyes on the idling bus. “They finally feel a bit free—running around, not wearing a mask. Kids will pick up on the confidence we project.” Her own children had lost patience with COVID-19 precautions, but she still wore a mask, and her nieta did too, at least when she was hanging out with grandma. Today, though, it felt good to put the pandemic out of mind.

• Skip to primary navigation
• Skip to main content
• Skip to primary sidebar

Teaching Expertise

• Classroom Ideas
• Teacher’s Life
• Deals & Shopping
• Privacy Policy

41 Exciting Project-Based Learning Field Trip Ideas

August 14, 2023 //  by  Lauren Du Plessis

Discover a world beyond your classroom with 41 vibrant project-based learning field trip ideas. As teachers, we continually seek new ways to engage and inspire our young learners. For this reason, we’ve curated a list of unique educational destinations- each offering a wealth of hands-on learning experiences for you and your young explorers! From museums to farms, TV stations to local startups, these trips will ignite curiosity and enhance learning, so let’s jump right in to explore more.

Preschool (3-5 years)

1. puppet theater.

Ever wondered what your puppets would say if they could talk? It’s time to unleash creativity and weave magic with a charming puppet theater. The stage is set, the lights dim, and your young puppeteers have a chance to spin enchanting tales for all of their peers to enjoy.

Learn More: Bob Baker Marionette Theater

2. Children’s Museum

This next field trip idea allows your littles to discover something new with every step they take! Children’s Museums are a galaxy of interactive exhibits- with every room designed to pique curiosity and spark fascination.

Learn More: MCM

Let’s swap those classroom walls for sun-drenched fields and wide-open skies. Among the chirping birds and friendly farm animals, your kids can delve into the heart of rural life; discovering a new respect for farmers and all the hard work they complete.

Learn More: YouTube

4. Local Library

Let the local library shelves whisper tales of mystery, adventure, and knowledge into your students’ ears. Watch as their curious minds unearth the joy of reading and embark on countless journeys through the pages of their favorite books.

Learn More: The Colorful Apple

5. Petting Zoo

Ready for a fuzzy, furry adventure? The petting zoo awaits to greet your students with an assortment of friendly wildlife. As your kids pet and care for these adorable animals, they’ll learn important lessons about empathy and responsibility.

Learn More: Seattle’s Child

6. Fruit Picking Farm

Swap the hustle and bustle of the city for a day amidst vibrant orchards. A fruit-picking farm offers an opportunity to pluck, taste, and learn about various fruits. As your students reach out for those ripe apples and juicy strawberries, they are sure to experience the farm-to-table journey firsthand.

Learn More: Smith’s Nursery Inc.

7. Toy Factory

Step into a life-sized playhouse with your students by taking them on an enchanting trip to the toy factory! Watch the wonder evolve as they discover the intriguing process behind how their favorite toys get created.

Learn More: Trip.com

8. Children’s Art Studio

Welcome to the colorful chaos of a children’s art studio! Here, creativity reigns supreme, and messes are masterpieces in the making. Let your little Picassos unveil themselves through their imaginative designs and creations.

Learn More: Art Fun Studio

9. Aquarium

Dive into a magical underwater realm with a trip to the aquarium! As your students marvel at the vibrant marine life, they’ll gain insights into the mysteries and beauty of our oceans.

10. Local Bakery

Tell your students to grab their chefs’ hats as you step into the aromatic world of a local bakery. During this scrumptious adventure, they will discover the science behind baking and might even get to try their hands at decorating cookies!

Learn More: Good Time DIY

11. City Park

There’s more to city parks than meets the eye. These spaces are living classrooms nestled in nature- offering lessons about local wildlife and providing countless outdoor activities for your students to indulge in.

Learn More: City Park Conservancy

12. Dance Studio

Let your students be entranced by the beat of the music and the flow of movement at a local dance studio. This field trip provides a space where your little ones can discover the joy of dancing, paired with the harmony between body and mind. Get their feet tapping and their hearts racing on this rhythmic journey.

Learn More: Jadore Dance

13. Botanical Garden

Envision the botanical garden as a living book of floral wonders just waiting to be explored by your kiddos. As they wander through a stunning array of plants, they’ll uncover the fascinating world of nature’s extraordinary diversity.

Learn More: Naples Garden

Elementary School (6-10 years)

14. planetarium.

Buckle up and prepare your pupils for a cosmic journey as they visit a local planetarium! As they gaze at the starlit dome, the mysteries of the universe are displayed- sparking curiosity and wonder about the cosmos with a quick voyage amongst the stars!

Learn More: HRM

15. Historical Museum

Step back in time with a trip to the historical museum. Each artifact tells a riveting tale; bringing history to life for your young explorers. From stone tools to vintage attire, every exhibit is a time capsule for your elementary learners to enjoy.

Learn More: History Colorado

16. Art Museum

Embark on a kaleidoscopic journey by visiting an art museum. This artistic adventure is sure to awaken your students’ creative side and inspire a deeper appreciation for the arts.

Learn More: The Art of Education

17. Recycling Center

Reduce, reuse, recycle! At the recycling center, your everyday trash gets transformed into treasures! Here, your children can discover the importance of recycling and how it preserves our planet- making this a memorable lesson in waste management.

Learn More: Rethink Waste

18. Science Museum

How about a trip to the science museum to ring home those hard-to-explain concepts? Interactive exhibits morph complex scientific concepts into fun-filled experiences; resulting in a hands-on approach to learning that lets your kids experience the thrills of scientific discovery.

Learn More: EdSurge

19. Historic Houses

Peek into the past with a visit to historic houses. As your students walk through these corridors of history, they’ll develop an appreciation for the heritage and culture of eras gone by.

Learn More: Simple Homeschool

20. Conservatories

Welcome to the conservatory, where every plant holds a lesson in biology, conservation, and ecology. As your children discover the wonder of our green planet, they’ll be encouraged to take better care of our Earthly home.

Learn More: Phipps Conservatory

21. Music Studio

Transport your students to a world of rhythm and rhyme with a trip to the music studio. Here, your learners are sure to strike the right chord in more ways than one- getting an introduction to different instruments and the recording process at large.

Learn More: PBS

Middle School (11-13 years)

22. tech company.

What does the future look like? Let your students discover this answer for themselves at a tech company! In our ever-changing world of technology and innovation, your children will gain insights into the possibilities of tomorrow!

Learn More: The Tech Interactive

23. Archaeological Sites

Give your students the opportunity to walk in the footsteps of their ancient ancestors by visiting an archaeological site. As they explore these open-air museums of human history, they’ll connect with the past and unravel the threads of evolution and civilization.

Learn More: Explore Hampi

24. University Laboratory

Enter the frontier of scientific discovery with a visit to a university laboratory. In this bustling hub of investigation, your student’s experimental ambitions are sure to be sparked; feeding their curiosity and opening their eyes to the wonders of scientific exploration.

Learn More: The Cre8ive Zone

25. Theater

Lights, camera, action! Let your students experience the enchanting world of performing arts with a visit to the theater. From costume design to dramatic performances, they’ll get a glimpse of the magic behind the curtains- igniting a passion for drama and possibly even playwriting!

Learn More: KMS Drama

26. Sports Complex

As your students sprint on the tracks or score goals on the fields, they’ll learn the importance of teamwork, physical fitness, and healthy competition. Taking them to the local sports complex teaches them that not only winning is celebrated, but taking part matters as well.

Learn More: LA Galaxy

A fun-filled adventure to the zoo is a classic field trip idea! Every enclosure will provide your learners insight into the beauty of the animal kingdom; inviting them to discover facts relating to animals from around the world and learn more about the importance of conservation efforts.

Learn More: Lincoln Park Zoo

28. Community Service Centers

At community service centers, kindness isn’t just a virtue; it’s a way of life. Here, your children will learn about the power of empathy and helping others- reinforcing the crucial lesson of giving back to the community. This field trip will allow them to grow, not just as individuals; but as compassionate members of society.

Learn More: Lancaster Edu

29. Local Newspaper

The bustling newsroom of a local newspaper opens a window into the world of journalism. Amid the clattering keyboards and the urgent phone calls, your learners can grasp what goes into the process of news creation, from just a spark of information to a published article.

Learn More: English Classes Cygnaeus Pori

30. Historical Reenactment Sites

Journey back in time by taking your students to historical reenactment sites. Here, history gets brought to life through vibrant performances where your kids can learn about the past in a way that textbooks could never teach them!

Learn More: Student Travel Planning Guide

31. Weather Station

I’m sure all your students have wondered how the forecast predicts if you need an umbrella or sunglasses! Answer their burning questions by taking them to your local weather station. From temperature readings to radar images, they’ll get a firsthand experience of meteorology!

Learn More: CW3E Edu

High School (14-18 years)

32. national park.

In the national park, lessons are etched in the rings of trees and whispered on the wings of butterflies. It’s here that your children can learn about the harmony of nature and the importance of conservation- bonding with the great outdoors and having a well-deserved break from classroom life.

Learn More: Global Travel Alliance

33. TV Station

The TV station pulls back the curtain on the captivating world of television production. From script writing to broadcasting, your learners will get the chance to witness the exciting process of how their favorite shows get created.

34. Biotech Company

Venture into the cutting-edge world of Biotech! Here, your students will get a glimpse into the science that is shaping the future of health and medicine. It’s an awe-inspiring experience that could inspire the next generation of biomedical innovators.

Learn More: Promega Connections

35. Local Government Office

With this field trip your pupils can learn about the inner workings of local governance- getting a practical understanding of civics that no textbook could provide. Bonus: It’s a hands-on lesson in leadership and responsibility.

Learn More: Nations Classroom Tours

36. News Studio

Enterinto the bustling energy of a live broadcast studio. From the anchors’ desks to the control room, your children will get a dynamic view of live journalism to fuel a deeper understanding of the world we live in.

Learn More: Olympic High School

37. Courthouse

Step into the halls of justice with a visit to the courthouse. Given the opportunity to learn about all kinds of legal processes, your learners can gain real-world insight into the judicial system; promoting a better understanding of their rights and responsibilities as citizens.

Learn More: FHN Today

38. Botanical Research Institute

Green thumbs at the ready! Taking your kids to the botanical research institute offers a unique opportunity for them to learn about the importance of plants and their environmental significance. Who knows, this could be the seed that grows into a future career in botany!

Learn More: GITM Edu

39. Architectural Firms

Explore the nitty-gritty blueprints behind society with this field trip! As your learners observe how architects design and build, they’ll gain an appreciation for the relationship between art, science, and community at large.

Learn More: Arch Design

40. Local Startups

Welcome to the ambition playground! On a trip to local startups, your students will witness the journey of how an idea transforms into a thriving business. This trip might inspire them to become the startup heroes of tomorrow

41. Film Studios

Take a behind-the-scenes tour of the big screen! From script to screen, your learners will witness the mesmerizing process of filmmaking. This cinematic adventure might inspire the next generation of filmmakers within your school!

Learn More: NST Group

• Skip to global NPS navigation
• Skip to the main content
• Skip to the footer section

Exiting nps.gov

Ten tips for a successful field trip.

Planning a field trip to a national park near you? Here a 10 quick tips to help you and your students get the most out of your trip:

• Plan everything well in advance. Call to schedule the field trip or request an educational fee waiver, get a confirmation, and make necessary arrangements for school and parental permission and transportation. Plan the educational experiences and activities for the field trip. Know how to get to the field trip site, how long it will take, and where you will have lunch. Bring along any supplies and materials needed for activities that you have planned. Share this with all the teachers and chaperones involved.
• Use pre-visit activities to help prepare the students for the field trip. Make field trip planning a part of in-class learning.
• Develop clear learning objectives and share them! Make sure that the students and other teachers know these objectives.
• Chaperoning is not a spectator sport. Chaperones can be a big help if they understand their role.
• Give everyone nametags. Make sure that even the teachers and chaperones are wearing readable nametags. It also helps to divide large groups into smaller sub-groups before the trip and color code their name tags.
• Keep the students engaged. Encourage the students to participate in the activities but remember you are responsible for their behavior.
• Keep students accountable for learning. A field trip is not a day off from school! Did you accomplish the planned learning objectives?
• Encourage independent observation time. Constructive free time can help make the trip more memorable.
• Bring the experience back home. Use post-visit activities back in the classroom to make the field trip relevant and reinforce concepts.
• Use evaluations and sharing. Improvements can only be made through honest feedback and evaluation.

You Might Also Like

• shenandoah national park
• field trip preparation
• field trips

Shenandoah National Park

Last updated: August 30, 2023

Your browser is ancient! Upgrade to a different browser or install Google Chrome Frame to experience this site.

Take the field for a trip back in time.

Be Your Own Guide

A fun, easy way to tour.

Now with our OnCell app, exploring baseball's history will never be the same. With one free download, you can discover the world of baseball through a carefree, self-guided tour of Hot Springs.

PARKING UPDATE: The Durham’s upper-level entrance and parking lot will be CLOSED Monday-Friday, May 6-10, for maintenance. LEARN MORE »

Field Trips

The 2023-24 school year is here. plan your field trip to the durham museum soon, pricing and scheduling, k-12 school group admission pricing.

K-12 school groups can experience a field trip to The Durham Museum with no admission cost to the museum . Thanks to our generous sponsors, underwritten admission is provided for K-12th grade groups with 10 or more students (adults not included in this count). This includes accredited public schools, accredited private schools and homeschool groups. School staff (1 per 10 students) will be admitted at no charge. Additional parents chaperones may pay a reduced rate of $5 (plus tax). Museum members attending as chaperones may use their membership card for admission.

bus funding

Limited bus funding is available for accredited schools within a 30-mile radius of the museum and with at least 40% of students who qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch services. Buses are provided on a first come, first-served basis for schools who qualify and have at least 30 students in the group. To receive funding, districts must allow the bus to be booked and paid for directly by the museum.

Pricing for Pre-Schools, Daycares, After-School Programs and Community Organizations

Underwritten admission does not apply to pre-schools, daycares, after-school programs and community organizations. These groups must include 10 or more students to receive a reduced admission rate of $5/student. Staff will be admitted at no charge and additional non-staff chaperones may pay a reduced rate of $5. Museum members attending as chaperones will not be charged.

scheduling your trip

Field trips can be booked on a day and time of your choosing. For us to provide you the best museum experience possible, we kindly ask that your field trip request be completed at least TWO WEEKS prior to anticipated field trip date. Booking further in advance in highly recommended for larger groups.

Teachers will choose from the options below to customize the programming for their visit. For assistance choosing your programs, booking or scheduling, please contact the Education Services department at 402-444-5027 or [email protected] .

Field Trip Options By Age Group

Pre-k options:, 1. all aboard.

Trains are fascinating! Buy a ticket at Union Station’s ticket window and head on down to track #1 for a tour of the museum’s train cars, caboose and steam engine. Learn about the kinds of cars on a train, the experiences children had while riding, and what the train signals and whistles mean. Our “O” scale model train adds to the railroading fun, allowing children to see how towns thrived from a railroad depot! All aboard!

2. Transportation Station

Have your tickets and tokens ready as you meet us at the station and explore modes of transportation from different time periods. Students will enjoy boarding a real train, learning about different train cars, “riding” a streetcar and learning about how the covered wagon experience changed the Great Plains.

3. Games Galore

It’s time to play! Learn about trinkets, knickknacks and pastimes from days gone by. Try your hand at different Plains Native American games, pioneer fun, parlor games and much, much more!

Elementary (K-6) Options:

Trains are fascinating! Buy a ticket at Union Station’s ticket window and head on down to track #1 for a tour of the museum’s train cars, caboose and steam engine. Learn about the kinds of cars on a train, the experiences children had while riding and what the train signals and whistles mean. Our “O” scale model train adds to the railroading fun, allowing children to see how towns thrived from a railroad depot! All aboard!

2. Historic Schoolroom

Step back to the 1890’s and see how different it was to attend a one-room school! Explore daily life from this time period through artifacts, stories and reciting real lessons students did in their classroom. Who will be the spelling bee champion or have the best penmanship? Students will also compare their visit to what they experience in classrooms today.

3. Neighborhood Store

Bring your shopping list along as we take a trip back to the time of streetcars and neighborhood grocery stores. Visit the museum’s Buffett Grocery Store exhibit and discover the fun of shopping for penny candy. Also learn how small grocery stories played an integral role in Omaha communities.

4. On the Trail with Lewis and Clark

Join the expedition! Learn about Meriwether Lewis & William Clark’s journey through the Louisiana Purchase. Explore the Corps of Discovery’s three important goals as they experienced the land that is now Nebraska and beyond.

5. Pioneer Life

Visit our log cabin and experience the life of a Great Plains pioneer. Learn about the types of homes people lived in, how large families made do with small living quarters, and the chores that children were expected to perform. Play prairie games, see pioneer clothing and take a turn at the butter churn!

6. Plains Native American Life

Explore the life of the Plains Native American tribes. Enter the Durham Museum’s tipi and earth lodge to interact with artifacts and meet Scout, our resident buffalo. Learn how the Plains Native Americans used the resources around them throughout the centuries.

7. Union Station Great Hall

Explore the beauty and grandeur of Omaha’s Union Station, wonderfully preserved by The Durham Museum. Learn about the building’s history both as a train station and museum, plus experience our 60-foot ceilings and “talking” statues.

8. Omaha Faces and Places

What do Paris, Chicago and London have in common with Omaha, Nebraska? They all hosted huge expositions many years ago that brought millions of visitors and put their cities “on the map”. Join us for a tour of a model, photographs and artifacts from the Trans-Mississippi & International Exposition (a.k.a. Omaha’s “World’s Fair”).

9. Omaha Homes and Families

Learn how people from all over the world lived as they came to Omaha to start a new life. From Omaha’s important immigration history to the homes they lived in, see how life changed for residents throughout Omaha’s past.

10. Transportation Station

Next stop, The Durham Museum! Students will enjoy “riding” a streetcar to catch their train and exploring the 1920s Cornhusker Club Car. After making new friends in the Lounge Car with fellow passengers, students will see their options of where to sleep for the night before discovering how people traveled before the railway!

11. Early Omaha

Ever wonder how Omaha got its roots? Learn about William D. Brown, Native American life and the struggles families faced in the early years of the city. Explore what it took for families like the Creighton’s and Dodge’s to establish the city’s first fire department, police unit and a public-school system.

12. Traveling Exhibit

Give your class a great opportunity to explore some of the nation’s top exhibits. Resources for pre and post visit activities are available for all tours. To view a complete traveling exhibits schedule visit the Current Exhibits page and Upcoming Exhibits page.

Teachers may choose from any of the options above to customize their visit.  A traditional Building our City Tour includes options 1, 8 and 9.  A traditional Nebraska History Tour includes options 1, 4 and 6.

Junior High and High School (7-12) Options:

1. guided tour.

This guided tour will lead students through hundreds of years of area history while exploring museum exhibitions. The tour includes information on the history of the building, and winds through restored train cars, into a Plains Native American Earth Lodge and Tipi, through recreated early Omaha city homes and to the Trans-Mississippi Exposition of 1898.

2. Traveling Exhibit Tour

3. self-guided tour.

The Durham Museum’s self-guided field trips are offered daily during regular museum hours.

For more information on field trips, please contact the Education Services Department at 402-444-5027 or email [email protected].

Masks required in Abakanowicz Research Center; optional for rest of Museum MORE

• Join & Give

• Field Trips
• Field Trip Reservation Form
• Field Trip Planning Tips

Virtual Student Workshops

Gallery tour videos, field trips at chm.

Field trips to the Chicago History Museum enable students to interact with artifacts, documents, works of art, interactives, learning stations, and more. See, hear, experience, and even touch history to develop an understanding of the past and how it informs our present.

Get field trip planning tips, along with on-site student worksheets and answers to your frequently asked questions here .

Learn More about COVID-19 Protocols Read more

Learn More about Field Trips for Different Age Groups

Frequently Asked Questions

How do i make a field trip reservation.

To schedule your trip, complete our  online form . Reservations are not accepted via telephone.

How far in advance should I schedule my field trip?

Please schedule your visit at least three weeks in advance. Spaces fill quickly, so please make your reservations early. Consult a school calendar in advance that indicates holidays, in-services, report card days, and school events.

How will I know if my reservation is confirmed?

Your visit is not guaranteed until you have received a confirmation letter via the email provided.

Can I make a lunchroom reservation?

Request a lunchroom reservation using the reservation form. Space is limited. The lunchroom is available for students up to grade 8, we will accommodate high school students as available. Students should bring their own lunches and beverages; storage will be provided.

Can I select my entrance or exit time?

Yes, you should choose both your entrance and exit times. Visits begin at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday and at 12:00 noon on Sunday. Visits can last from one hour to three hours. The museum closes at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday. We will do our best to accommodate your requested times, but we cannot guarantee them.

What is the maximum group size?

Maximum group size is 50. We ask you to subdivide your students into groups of 10 prior to your visit.

How many chaperones do you require?

We require one adult for every ten students for grades 3 through 12. For groups in grades pre-K through grade 2, we require one adult for every five children.

What activities can I do before and after my field trip?

There are an array of activities based on the M useum’s collection and developed in collaboration with educators to choose from . Take a look at our classroom resources page .

What are the Museum's gallery rules?

The following are not allowed in our galleries: backpacks, food, drinks (including water bottles), chewing gum, and pens.  These rules apply to students, teachers, and chaperones alike. Storage for coats and lunches is provided. While masks are recommended and appreciated, they are no longer required.

Can we visit the Museum store during our field trip?

Yes, 10 students with a chaperone are welcome to visit the store at a time. The Museum store opens at 9:30 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday and at 12:00 noon on Sunday. The store closes at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday.

What are your COVID-19 safety guidelines?

Student groups are not required to show proof of vaccination. While masks are recommended and appreciated, they are no longer required. We recommend you follow your district and school guidelines regarding masking when planning for your Museum visit. Please familiarize yourself with our COVID-19 safety guidelines in advance of your visit.

My question isn't answered here. How do I contact you?

Please use our  contact form  or call Jessica Bandera, Field Trip Coordinator , at (312) 799-2273.

I’m part of a partner university or college, how can I arrange a visit for my group?

Please fill out the University Partner Group Form to book your visit. A member of the Visitor Services team will confirm your request and reach out via email with further details regarding your visit.

Learn About Virtual Student Workshops

Bring the Museum to your students with our virtual student workshop experiences!

Museum staff facilitate these interactive programs using your video conferencing platform or our Zoom account. Workshop fees cover pre- and post-program resources, a short informational meeting in advance with workshop facilitators, and workshop facilitation. Workshops can be delivered to a range of teaching situations including full remote, in person, and a mix of both.

Learn About Gallery Tour Videos

Enjoy the Museum anytime and anywhere!

Our gallery tour videos can serve as a virtual visit to the Chicago History Museum, or as a pre- or post-visit tool. Our videos explore stories based on the Chicago: Crossroads of America  and  City on Fire: Chicago 1871  exhibitions.

75+ Places in San Diego to Explore with Kids

Awe, San Diego!  It is a beautiful city home to numerous picturesque beaches and alluring coastal landscapes.  However, did you know that San Diego is also a very kid-friendly city that caters to a broad and diverse range of interests and subjects.  Wherever your children’s interest may lie, you’re sure to find a place in San Diego, that will provide them with deeper insight, engagement and inspiration.  From the fine arts, including classical, contemporary and folk art, to science and natural history, San Diego offers an abundance of options for children.

Therefore, I have compiled a list of 75 kid-friendly places in San Diego County that love little visitors and hosts field trips for students.  Some of them are free.  Some cost a few dollars.  But as always, you know your children best, so please call ahead of time to make sure it is an appropriate venue to take your own family.

Discover Your Next Adventure with SoCal Field Trips

75 field trips in san diego for students.

1.  Adobe Chapel – San Diego

The Adobe Chapel was originally built in 1850 as a home, and was converted to a church by Don José Aguirre in 1858. After having been bulldozed for street realignment in the 1930s, the WPA rebuilt the adobe chapel in 1937.

Much of the interior artifacts from the original chapel have been retained, including the tabernacle, the altar with its beautiful marbleized finish, some woodwork including pews and doors, and José Aguirre’s tombstone is laid in the floor.

Open Saturday & Sunday, 12-4pm and by appointment.

2.  Barona Cultural Center & Museum – Lakeside

As San Diego County’s first museum on an Indian reservation dedicated to the perpetuation and presentation of the local Kumeyaay-Diegueño Native culture, the Barona Museum offers a unique educational journey for visitors of all ages.

The Museum’s collection represents thousands of years of history—some objects dating as far back as 10,000 years—and it demonstrates the artistry and skill of the hemisphere’s first inhabitants.

The Museum is excited to present a series of fun and educational classes that reflect upon native cultural traditions of San Diego County Indians.  Classes are open to the public and are held at the Museum.

3.  Bates Nut Farm  – Valley Center

Bates Nut Farm in Valley Center provides families the opportunity to spend time on a working farm.  While there, you will learn how the farm transformed itself from a groove of walnut trees to a full fledge retail business today.

Take a tour and discover how nuts get from the tree to your table.  Tours are available for groups of 15 or more.  Call 760-749-3333 for reservations.

4.  Birch Aquarium at Scripps – La Jolla

Birch Aquarium at Scripps is the public exploration center for the world-renowned Scripps Institution of Oceanography at UC San Diego. Perched on a bluff overlooking the Pacific Ocean, the aquarium features more than 60 habitats of fishes and invertebrates from the cold waters of the Pacific Northwest to the tropical waters of Mexico and beyond.  An oceanographic museum showcases research discoveries by Scripps scientists on climate, earth and ocean science and includes five dozen interactive elements.  Field Trips for students are offered year round.

5.  Bonita Museum & Cultural Center – Bonita

The Bonita Historical Society is dedicated to preserve, for public education and enjoyment, the culture, history, art, crafts, and aesthetic facets of the region, specifically El Rancho de la Nacion in South San Diego County.

The Bonita Museum contains two large galleries for visitors to view cultural exhibits. The front gallery presents a portion of the museum’s permanent collection which depicts the history of the Rancho de la Nacion – the Sweetwater Valley. The larger second gallery presents changing exhibits such as local Fine Arts and other local history.

6. Butterfly Farms  – Encinitas

Butterfly Farms share their knowledge about butterflies with in-depth educational tours of their vivarium and grounds.  Educational Workshops are held Monday through Friday beginning at 10am, the last workshop is at 3pm.  The educational workshop lasts approximately 1 hour.  There is a minimum of 15 students per workshop.  Accommodations will be made for large groups.  Teachers are free.

7.  Cabrillo National Monument  – San Diego

Climbing out of his boat and onto shore in 1542, Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo stepped into history as the first European to set foot on what is now the West Coast of the United States. In addition to telling the story of 16th century exploration, the park is home to a wealth of cultural and natural resources.

The Cabrillo National Monument commemorates Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo’s West Coast exploration, Point Loma’s 19th century lighthouses and San Diego’s WWII coast defenses, and protects sensitive tide pools and coastal sage scrub habitat.

8.  California Center for the Arts – Escondido

The Museum at the California Center for the Arts, Escondido is an inviting 9,000-square-foot exhibition space that boasts three galleries, a sculpture court, and a museum store.

Through its Education Department, the Center offers a multitude of enlightening and informative programs for students, teachers and the general public, including: field trip opportunities, weekday performances for youth, artist – and performer-led master classes, free arts and crafts workshops for families, teacher workshops, music education programs and more.

9.  California Pizza Kitchen   Behind-the-Counter CPKids Restaurant Tour – San Diego County

Every kid gets a thrill discovering how things work.  A free VIP-style restaurant tour at CPK is a unique opportunity to step behind the counter and see what happens in our kitchens.  Kids will love learning the secrets about pizza making from the experts in our hands-on pizza demo.  Each kid also receives an activity book, CPKids pencil, and a certificate for a free CPK Meal on their next visit.  Behind-the-scenes tours are for schools and non-profit organizations and recommended for kids ages 10 and younger.   It is very fun and lasts approximately an hour.  Please contact a CPK Manager to learn more at all participating locations.

10.  California Surf Museum – Oceanside

The California Surf Museum serves as an international repository and resource center on the lifestyle sport of surfing through capturing, preserving, and chronicling its art, culture, and heritage for the education and enjoyment of future generations.  They offer field trips for groups year round.

11.  Coronado Historical Association & Museum – Coronado

Four galleries explore Coronado’s early history, Navy and Army’s role in Coronado, Hotel del Coronado and Tent City.  A special exhibit gallery changes quarterly.

12.  Deering Banjo Company  – Spring Valley

All banjos made by the Deering Banjo Company are exclusively hand-built by the owners, Janet and Greg Deering, and their team of 48 dedicated banjo specialists.  Over the last 40 years they have made more than 100,000 banjos.

They love visitors and welcome folks to take a tour of their factory anytime by calling (800) 845-7791.

13.  Free Flight Bird Sanctuary – Del Mar

Free Flight was originally established in 1981 as a boarding and breeding facility by Dr. Robert Stonebreaker.  However, after sometime Dr. Stonebreaker noticed that some of his clients were unable to care for their birds and brought them back to him.  Hence, Free Flight eventually evolved into a one of a kind exotic bird sanctuary where birds and people interact together.

First Flight offers field trips for schools groups, homeschoolers and scout troops year round.  A field trip includes a personal tour of the facility and the opportunity to feed the birds and fish in their koi pond.

14.  Flying Leatherneck Aviation Museum – San Diego

The only official Marine Corps Aviation Museum in the U.S., including over 40 aircraft and other military equipment and vehicles on display, History of Women Marines exhibit, and a Museum Store.

What sets this museum apart from all others is the fact that it is the only museum in the world dedicated to preserving the incredible contributions made by Marine Corps aviators and their ground support personnel.  The museum has 34 aircraft and over a dozen military vehicles and support equipment on display on 7 acres along Miramar Rd, with a direct access entrance gate.  The 4,000 sq ft indoor facility has memorabilia and artwork from WWI to present day to include displays on Women in the Marine Corps aviation, Marines in the NASA space program.

They also have an Open Cockpit Days program where the public can sit in several select few vintage aircraft and enjoy the cockpit experience of Marine Aviators.

15.  Gaslamp Museum at the Davis-Horton House – San Diego

The Gaslamp Quarter Historical Foundation (GQHF) is housed in the historic district’s oldest standing structure, the Davis-Horton House (1850).  As the steward of the Gaslamp Quarter’s architecture, culture and history, GQHF operates the house as the Gaslamp Museum to share information about San Diego’s early history through exhibitions, tours of the house, and guided tours of the Gaslamp neighborhood, Tuesday – Saturday.

GQHF offers many tours for their guests from architectural and historical Children’s Tours, to Gaslamp Quarter Walking Tours, to tours of the Davis-Horton House, and to Ghost Tours and Paranormal Investigations.  Their programs serve as educational tools that allow the Foundation to fulfill its mission of preserving the architecture, culture and history of the Gaslamp Quarter, while sharing San Diego’s amazing heritage along the way.

16.  The Gemological Institute  – Carlsbad

Established in 1931, GIA is the world’s foremost authority on diamonds, colored stones, and pearls.  A public benefit, nonprofit institute, GIA is the leading source of knowledge, standards, and education in gems and jewelry.

GIA offers a field trip program for students in 4th grade and up.  They also have a museum featuring gems from all over the world that is available to be seen by appointment only.  To schedule an individual or group tour of the museum call 1-800-421- 7250.

17.  Heritage of the Americas Museum – El Cajon

The Heritage of the Americas Museum, located on the campus of Cuyamaca College in Rancho San Diego, California, invites visitors of all ages to experience a journey through time. Five wings divide the building into areas of Natural History, Archaeology, Anthropology, Art, and Education.

The museum is an educational and cultural center featuring the prehistoric and historic art, culture, and natural history of the Americas. Artifacts and art serve as a documentation of life and civilization throughout the ages.

Field Trips for 2-6 grades are scheduled from 10:00 a.m. to noon.  There is a maximum of 40 students.  Students are free.

18.  Little Creek Acres Farm  – Valley Center

At Little Creek Acres Farm there are dairy goats and sheep who know their names, chickens you can visit, cats that talk to you, farm dogs who love attention, as well as a veggie garden and an orchard to explore and learn in!   

The farm offers a two and a half hour experiential learning tour for youth groups of 5 to 90, ages 6 and up, scheduled March through November.

19.  Japanese Friendship Garden Society – San Diego

Enjoy the beauty and tranquility of the garden, which features a zen rock garden, koi pond, traditional Japanese art, and garden features.  All garden tours are free with paid admission!  The Girl Scouts of San Diego Imperial Council, Inc., in collaboration with the Garden also developed a craft program to fulfill badge requirements.

20.  John’s Incredible Pizza Learn/Eat/Play Tour – San Diego County

For around $10.00 each child will get a tour of the restaurant (including the kitchen), make their own pizza and receive a fun card that includes 1 ride.  Field Trips are held Monday – Thursday before 3:00 pm.  You need a minimum of 12 kids to book a tour.  Please call each individual location to schedule a tour directly.

21. Junípero Serra Museum – San Diego

The Junípero Serra Museum, in Presidio Park, is one of the most familiar landmarks in San Diego. As a major symbol of the city, it stands atop the hill recognized as the site where California began.  It was here in 1769 that a Spanish Franciscan missionary, Father Junípero Serra, with a group of soldiers led by Gaspar de Portolá, established Alta California’s first mission and presidio (fort).

The museum offers a field trip for elementary and middle school students called San Diego Before Statehood.  Journey back in time and tread in the footsteps of the padres, soldiers, and settlers who established the first mission and presidio in Alta California. Through a combination of museum educator/docent facilitated or teacher-led activities, explore a section of Presidio Park, learning about the plaza, stables, jail, chapel, and commander’s house that lie protected underground today.

Inside the Serra Museum, investigate artifacts that reveal the daily life of the Kumeyaay, the Spanish, and the Mexican inhabitants of early California. “Meet” real historic figures by dressing in costume as Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo,  Father Junípero Serra, Guillermo Carrillo, Señorita Pico, and Josefa Carillo de Fitch, all important leaders in the early years of the city.

22.  Key Creek Lavender Farm  – San Diego

Keys Creek Lavender Farm is San Diego’s counties only USDA certified organic lavender farm.  About two dozen varieties of lavender are grown on the 8 acres lavender farm.  After harvesting the lavender is processed into a variety of products which are available for purchase at the farm gift store.

During the summer blooming season (May and June) Keys Creek Lavender Farm is open Wednesday through Sunday from 10:00am – 3:00pm.  The rest of the year the farm is open for private events and tours.

23.  La Jolla Historical Society – La Jolla

Dedicated to preserving and making accessible the unique cultural heritage of La Jolla through exhibitions, education programs, research programs, and public outreach. In our newly renovated Wisteria Cottage galleries LJHS provides high quality, rotating exhibitions that explore the rich culture of La Jolla and interpret history for contemporary audiences.  Their education programs include BEtalks: Dialogues on the Built Environment and youth summer camps in photography and architecture. The LJHS archive consists of photographs, postcards, architectural drawings, and oral history recordings; plus bound collections of local newspapers, street and land use files, and business and personal documents.

24.  Lions, Tigers and Bears Sanctuary  – Alpine

The Lions, Tigers & Bears Sanctuary in Alpine is home to 17 species of animals located on a ranch with a rich history to explore, including a historical adobe.  All visits to the sanctuary are by appointment only.  You can choose from being a member-for-a-day, feed a big cat or bear of your choice or plan a school field trip.  They also offer patrons the option to stay the night at their exclusive White Oaks private retreat.  Advance reservations are required.  Check out Groupon from time to time for discounts for this location.

25.  Living Coast Discovery Center – Chula Vista

Set against the natural beauty of San Diego Bay and the Sweetwater Marsh National Wildlife Refuge, the Living Coast Discovery Center is an intimate zoo and aquarium featuring the unique animals native to the Southern California coastline, including endangered Eastern Pacific green sea turtles, sharks, rays, reptiles, owls, hawks, eagles and more.

The center offers a variety of field trips options so that you can choose your own adventure:

• CA Science Standards, Next Generation Science Standards and Common Core aligned curricula
• walking trails & sunshine by the bay!
• interactive scavenger hunts
• Living Labs & Dissections
• animal encounters

26.  Lux Art Institute – Encinitas

Lux Art Institute is redefining the museum experience to make art more accessible and personally meaningful.  At Lux, you don’t just see finished works of art; you see the artistic process firsthand.

They offer one in-house field trip options for children K-8 including:

Luxcursion –  Experience creativity in action with a field trip to Lux Art Institute. The Luxcursion includes a docent-led tour through the outdoor sculpture garden, artist’s studio and exhibition areas, followed by a related hands-on art project.  K-8 students.

High School and College Tours –  Bring your class for an interactive tour which include a 45 minute docent-led exploration of the artist studio for high school and college groups.  Classes have the opportunity to meet the artist-in-residence or sketch in the studio.

27.  Maritime Museum of San Diego  – San Diego

The Maritime Museum of San Diego enjoys a worldwide reputation for excellence in restoring, maintaining and operating historic vessels. The museum has one of the world’s finest collections of historic ships, including the world’s oldest active ship the Star of India.The Museum displays permanent and temporary exhibits on maritime history, commerce and exploration and stages popular public events such as “The Chocolate Festival”, “Pirate Buccaneer Birthday Bash”, “Festival of Sail each Labor Day weekend”, and family sleepovers on the Star of India.

The Maritime Museum of San Diego offers group and guided tours to accommodate the needs of school groups, touring groups, youth groups, community groups as well as offering a discount with your visit.  Tours are led by trained and knowledgeable museum staff who bring history to life through storytelling and reenactment.  Tours typically encompass visits to a number of ships including Star of India, HMS Surprise, B-39 Submarine, the 1898 Berkeley and the 1904 Medea as well as their galleries and exhibits which display a wide variety of maritime topics.  Any tour can be designed to emphasize particular interests such as subjects related to a school curriculum.

28.  Marston House Museum & Gardens – San Diego

The George and Anna Marston House in Balboa Park is a 8,500 square-foot home with five acres of gardens and trails, and is one of the most interesting house museums in all of California. George Marston is known as the father of Balboa Park, San Diego’s first citizen and is acclaimed as one of San Diego’s earliest environmentalists, conservationists and historic preservationists.

School guided tours for grades 1-12 of the Marston House Museum includes a certificate good for a free return visit with a paying adult to the Marston House Museum and Gardens.  Minimum 15 people including chaperones.

29.  Mingei International Museum – San Diego

Mingei International Museum preserves and exhibits folk art, craft and design from all eras and cultures of the world. Mingei celebrates human creativity, and the belief that everyday object and materials that often serve a useful purpose can also be objects of beauty.  The Museum’s collection now comprises more than 26,000 objects of folk art, craft and design from 141 countries.

The museum offers free tours for all K-12 when booked in advance.  Enhance your Docent-led tour with a hands-on art workshop inspired by the art forms on view in the galleries.  Classes must be booked at least two weeks in advance in conjunction with a Docent-led tour and are offered based on availability.

30.  Mount Laguna

At just over 6000 feet above sea level, Mount Laguna is one of the most popular places to see winter snow coming from the San Diego area.  If there is snow, chains are required and you’ll need to purchase them ahead of time.  The Laguna Mountain Lodge has reasonably-priced accommodations, a Visitor Center and Adventure Passes for sale.

31.  Mt. Woodson Castle  – Ramona

In 1909, Amy Strong, a famous San Diego dress designer, hired architects to build her dream home on the Ranch.  They pitched tents on the site for their own accommodations, drew renderings and blueprints. The home was completed by 1921.  The Strong home in Ramona is the vision of this artistic woman, the talents of her architects, and the philosophy of the Craftsman Movement.  The Castle has twenty-seven rooms and is made of eucalyptus, oak, and redwood, rocks and flagstone, adobe, bricks and tiles, plaster, concrete and stucco.  Tours are available daily.

32.  Museum of Contemporary Art  – San Diego & La Jolla

With two locations, the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego (MCASD) is the region’s foremost forum devoted to the exploration and presentation of the art of our time, presenting works across all media created since 1950. Located in the heart of downtown San Diego and in the coastal community of La Jolla, MCASD provides an unprecedented variety of exhibition spaces and experiences for the community, showcasing an internationally recognized collection and a dynamic schedule ofexhibitions and public programs.

MCASD offers guided tours and ArtLab workshops for middle and high school groups.

A Look/Explore Tour is an hour-long, student-centered dialogue in which students gain a greater understanding of the works on view through visual inquiry and in-gallery activities. Gallery Educators facilitate lively conversations on a select number of artworks, site-specific installations, or the architecture of the Museum to allow students to deeply engage with the works discussed. Look/ Explore Tours must be scheduled at least 3 weeks in advance and any applicable fees must be paid in full a minimum of one-week prior to the tour.  San Diego County Public and Charter Schools receive free admission.  Independent Schools and Schools Outside San Diego County required a minimum of 15 participants and are charged a fee.

ArtLab Workshops build on the Look/Explore Tour with an additional hour of hands-on art making experience in which students further explore process and materials.

33.  Museum of Making Music – Carlsbad

For over ten years, the Museum of Making Music has provided opportunities for cultural enrichment while preserving our musical heritage through special exhibitions, innovative concerts and educational programs aimed toward a wide range of audiences.

On permanent display are hundreds of vintage instruments, audio and video clips, and a vibrant interactive area. Organized chronologically, each gallery features the historic milestones, popular music and instruments of those eras. A snapshot of music business practices and nostalgic re-creations of music stores provide a glimpse into the music products industry.

Designed for children ages 3 to 5, the Preschool Fieldtrips provide an interactive exploration of the Museum.  Children will discover instruments like the cello, saxophone, ukulele, piano and more!  Tours feature a storytime, a group drum circle and a special take-home surprise!

The Museum’s MusicVentures Fieldtrip takes students on a musical exploration of the people, historical events and innovations that influenced music making and musical instruments. Led by a trained facilitator, students embark on creative thinking adventure through the instruments on display, sound and video clips, and an interactive activity.

34.  Museum of Photographic Arts – San Diego

The mission of the Museum of Photographic Arts is to inspire, educate and engage the broadest possible audience through the presentation, collection and preservation of photography, film and video.  MOPA is a center for visual learning, passionately dedicated to sharing and exploring the universal language of photography.

Enjoy a free gallery tour for your school group.  Two-weeks advanced notice required.  One chaperone per every 15 children (age 18 and under) is required.

35.  The Monarch Butterfly House  – Escondido

Here researchers study the behavior and biology of various native butterflies in their Butterfly Vivarium, conduct field trips, cultivate plants in a greenhouse and rear butterfly livestock.

36.  Oasis Camel Dairy – Ramona

An unusual family; Gil, Nancy, a small handful of very dedicated animal caretakers and a huge family of camels, birds and other farm animals call the Oasis Camel Dairy home.  Located on thirty-four rolling acres, this unique “farmily” supports the efforts of furthering the education of the public world-wide about the amazing nature of camels and their milk.  They also offer camel rides!

Public tours are available once a month and school field trips are offered throughout the year.  Please send an email to [email protected] for details.

37.  Oceanside Museum of Art – Oceanside

The mission of the Oceanside Museum of Art (OMA) is to educate and inspire the public through a diverse range of engaging exhibitions and programs that connect people with regional, as well as national and global artists and art forms of the 20th and 21st centuries.  The museum has more than fifteen highly praised modern and contemporary art exhibitions per year.

OMA offers engaging docent tours for groups and individuals.  Group tours are complementary for OMA members and students, and a small fee for non-members.

38.  Palomar College Planetarium  – San Marcos

This specific planetarium is the 5th largest planetarium in California.  The theater has 138 seats that sit under a 50-foot Astrotec dome.  The planetarium hosts field trips for area schools all year long.  At the planetarium students are given a brief tour of current constellations and the night sky. The students are then taken on a n informative virtual journey through the Solar System.

39.  Palomar Observatory  – Palomar Mountain

Palomar Observatory is owned and operated by the California Institute of Technology.  The Observatory is a popular destination in Southern California and receives tens of thousands of visitors a year from all over the world.  Most come to see the famous 200-inch (5.1-meter) Hale Telescope — for decades the largest effective telescope in operation.  They also offer guided tours of the facility.

40.  Palomar Mountain  – Palomar Mountain

Palomar Mountain is a hidden gem surrounded by the The Cleveland National Forest.  Home to Palomar Mountain State Park, the Palomar Mountains include peaks ranging from 3000-6000 feet above sea level.  If you decide to play in the snow at Palomar Mountain State Park, an Adventure Pass is required.

41.  Petco Park  – San Diego

Take a behind-the-scenes guided tour of Petco Park where you will have the opportunity to visit the press box, learn about the historic Western Metal Supply Co. Building and explore the Padres dugout.

Tours are available seven days a week for individuals, families or groups smaller than 25.  Tickets are available online.

42.  Presidio Park  – San Diego

Presidio Park is located on a hill above Old Town State Historic Park.  You can see Monarch Butterflies roost in the Canary Island Pine trees along each side of Cosoy Way.  In November, the butterflies can be seen in the eucalyptus trees.

43.  Queen Califa’s Magical Garden  – Escondido

Queen Califa’s Magical Garden is an unusual sculpture garden created by the late famous artist Niki de Saint Phalle.  There are only four of these gardens in the world and only one located in the United States in Escondido.

The Garden is open to the public a few days a month, weather permitting.  Docents are available to answer questions.  The Garden may also be visited by groups of 10 or more by making pre-arranged reservation by contacting (760) 839-4000.

44.  Reuben H. Fleet Science Center – San Diego

Since 1973, the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center (“the Fleet”) has been inspiring minds and bringing hands-on science to the San Diego community.  At the Fleet, you can create colored shadows, design images with a sand pendulum, examine the vibration of guitar strings and engage with a variety of intriguing scientific phenomena via more than 100 “do touch” exhibits for all ages.  The Fleet is home to the Heikoff Giant Dome Theater, presenting immersive IMAX films and digital planetarium shows.

The Fleet Education Department develops and implements a wide array of educational and innovative programs and exhibits to promote lifelong learning and a deep appreciation of science and technology for the entire community.  As an informal education and inquiry-based institution, the Reuben H. Fleet Science Center offers a number of activities designed to immerse your students in an interactive science experience.  Field Trips and classes are offered year round.

45.  San Diego Air & Space Museum – San Diego

Aviation history is truly a remarkable story, and it all unfolds at the San Diego Air & Space Museum.  Your journey through the history of flight begins as you stand beneath a model of the Montgolfier brothers’ hot air balloon of 1783 – the first manned vehicle in recorded history to break the bonds of gravity and lift humans above the Earth.  Rare specimens of aircraft suggest the excitement of air combat in the World War I Gallery. Marvel at the entertaining and dangerous antics of the barnstormers of the 1920s in the Golden Age of Flight Gallery.  Mint condition aircraft in a mint condition museum – a Spitfire Mk. XVI, a Navy F6F Hellcat and an A-4 Skyhawk jet – these beautifully restored airplanes help you appreciate the increasingly complex technology represented in the classic military aircraft of World War II, Korea and Vietnam.

The San Diego Air & Space Museum offers a variety of group and individual activities that are tailored to meet the needs of specific grade levels.  All programs correlate with the State of California’s Academic Content Standards for Science, Math, History/Social Science, and/or Language Arts, as well as the Science Framework for California Public Schools.

46.  San Diego Archaeological Center – Escondido

The San Diego Archaeological Center is a curation facility and museum where visitors can learn the story of how people have lived in San Diego County for the past 10,000 years. In addition to its role as a museum, the Center serves as an education and research facility and is the only local organization dedicated to the collection, study, curation and exhibition of San Diego County’s archaeological artifacts.

The Center Museum has changing exhibits and hands-on activities that explore 10,000 years of history of the San Diego region through the archaeological record. Learn about the life-ways of early Native American hunter-gatherers who lived in the region and the many groups and immigrants who have contributed to the region’s archaeological record.

The Education Department will customize a field trip program to fit the needs of homeschoolers and K-12 school groups. Minimum of 15 students, maximum of 70 students. Chaperones are free.

47.  San Diego Automotive Museum – San Diego

Rotating exhibitions plus a regular collection that includes a 1948 Tucker and Louie Mattar’s Fabulous $75,000, as well as a large collection of motorcycles and memorabilia.  The mission of The San Diego Automotive Museum is to tell the story of the social and technological past, present, and future of motorized vehicles through its collections, exhibitions, and educational programs.

The San Diego Automotive Museum’s Educational Programming offers the children of San Diego an opportunity for a number of educational experiences. The automobile represents a wide range of subject matter, from Social Studies (including local-national history), to science and physics along with technology and art.

48.  San Diego Botanic Garden – Encinitas

An urban oasis, featuring rare bamboo, a tropical rain forest, California native plants, and the West Coast’s nationally-acclaimed Hamilton Children’s Garden.  Enjoy four miles of trails amid 37 acres of over 4,000 plant varieties, restful vistas, flowering trees, majestic palms, and the nation’s largest bamboo collection. Thanks to San Diego’s mild climate, plants from all over the world thrive here.

The garden offers a variety of different group tours designed to meet the needs of all ages and interests including docent-led groups, self-guided tours, scout troops, school field trips and preschool groups.

49.  San Diego Children’s Discovery Museum – Escondido

Set sail on the museum’s Explore Discovery sailboat, experiment at the Magnification Station, and discover nature in the Children’s Discovery Garden.  There’s even a toddler area for the little ones.

Serving children ages 0-10, SDCDM focuses on these critical years of child development while also encouraging families to learn together. Through professionally designed exhibit spaces and programs, children engage a wide range of concepts about science, art, and world cultures. Whether children are playing musical instruments, putting on costumes to perform, or building structures out of recycled materials, children are able to combine learning with creativity for an educational experience all their own.

50.  San Diego Chinese Historical Museum – San Diego

The museum’s exhibits share the heritage of San Diego’s Chinese community and the essence of Chinese arts and culture through historic photographs, miniature models, ancient artifacts and explanatory text.  Special events also celebrate holidays like the Chinese New Year, the Moon Festival, and Veterans Day.

Enjoy a docent-led tour of the San Diego Chinese Historical Museum’s permanent collection and featured exhibit!  Museum tours are held the first Saturday of every month at 11:00am for the general public. School tours are held year round.

51.  San Diego Hall of Champions – San Diego

The Federal Building is the third home for the Hall of Champions. In 1959, Robert Breitbard arranged for space in Balboa Park and established the Hall of Champions as a non-profit sports museum.  San Diego’s sports history soon outgrew the facility, prompting a move to its grandest home when refurbishing of the historic Federal Building was completed in 1999.

See exciting exhibits like the Padres, Chargers and surf history exhibits or get your photo taken in the Athlete Hall of Fame.

52.  San Diego Inte rnational Airport – San Diego

The San Diego International Airport Authority offers a free tour called Terminals To Tarmac.  The tour is of the airport and airfield, including up-close looks at the runway, endangered species areas and public art.  Tours are two hours long.

53.  San Diego Model Railroad Museum – San Diego

At 27,000 sq. ft., the San Diego Model Railroad Museum is one the largest indoor model railroad displays in the world and the only accredited railroad themed museum in USA.  The individual HO and N scale layouts are among largest of their type. Construction of the model railroads is accomplished by volunteer club members.  With an interactive Toy Train Gallery, the San Diego Model Railroad Museum is fun for the whole family.

The museum offers field trips for students year round.

54.  San Diego Natural History Museum (theNAT) – San Diego

theNat mission is to interpret the natural world through research, education and exhibits; promote understanding of the evolution and diversity of southern California and the peninsula of Baja California; and inspire in all a respect for nature and the environment.

theNAT School’s Programs are dedicated to providing quality science education to students in our community. By focusing on Earth and Life Sciences, and adhering to California State Standards, their classes are led by Museum-trained Docents and professional educators who bring passion and enthusiasm for natural history to your students.  With many classes and programs to choose from, e.g., “Read a Rock,” “Incredible Insects,” and the overwhelmingly popular “Autumn Harvest,” their educators and Docents work with students and share the actual specimens that are thousands and sometimes even millions of years old.

55.  San Diego Zoo – San Diego

The San Diego Zoo in Balboa Park houses over 3,700 animals of more than 650 species and subspecies.  They offer guided and self guided field trips for preschool – 12th grader year-round.  Admission is free for all students in San Diego County during the traditional school year.  Non-San Diego County schools receive reduced admission.

Guided tours are offered year-round and include a bus tour, behind-the-scenes visits, and up-close animal encounters.

56.  San Diego Zoo Safari Park – Encinitas

The San Diego Zoo Safari Park also offers field trips for preschool – 12th grader year round.  Admission is free for all students in San Diego County during the traditional school year.  Non-San Diego County schools receive a reduced admission.

57.  Santa Ysabel Store and The Feed Store  – Santa Ysabel

The historic Santa Ysabel General Store, an iconic landmark, is now open for business with an innovative dual purpose.  Dating from 1884, the store is now being restored, bringing a unique emporium brimming with heirloom and artisanal foodstuffs, back-to-nature gifts, wares for home and garden, and books and guides for the naturalist or cultural tourist.  The store, ideally located at a well-traveled crossroads where state Highways 78 and 79 meet, is slated to be a popular destination as it doubles as a new Backcountry Visitor Center focused on public trails, birds and wildlife, recreational opportunities, and cultural heritage sites.

58.  The New Children’s Museum – San Diego

The New Children’s Museum empowers children to think, play and create through participatory exhibitions, engaging art-making activities, captivating artistic performances and in-depth educational opportunities.  Serving all ages, from toddler to teen, NCM inspires new ways to see the world through the language of art.  Including a cafe, abundant seating, quiet space for parents and infants and an outdoor park, the Museum provides a comfortable and engaging environment for the entire family to enjoy together.

The New Children’s Museum offers tours for schools and other groups ranging from pre-kindergarten to high school, college and more.  In addition to a tour, groups can choose to participate in a studio art project led by trained Teaching Artists.

59.  The San Diego History Center – San Diego

The San Diego History Center is located in the heart of Balboa Park. Here you will not only find a collection of intriguing exhibitions that chronicle San Diego’s diverse history, but also our Library.  This is home to over 45 million pieces of paper and 2.5 million images that document the people, places and events of San Diego’s past.

At the history center they offer the following programs for school groups including Stories of San Diego, Mapping Balboa Park, Ingenious! The World of Dr. Seuss and The Lore Behind the Roar.

60.  The San Diego Museum of Art – San Diego

The San Diego Museum of Art, the region’s oldest, largest and most visited art museum, provides a rich and diverse cultural experience for almost 250,000 visitors annually.  Located in the heart of beautiful Balboa Park, the Museum’s nationally renowned permanent collection includes Spanish and Italian old masters, South Asian paintings, and 19th- and 20th-century American paintings and sculptures.  In addition, the Museum regularly features major exhibitions from around the world, as well as an extensive year-round schedule of supporting cultural and educational programs for children and adults.

Docents provide guided tours for students in grades K-12 of the Museum’s permanent collection and special exhibitions.  Tours include discussions as well as demonstrations of techniques and materials used by the artists. School tours fulfill the standards of the California State Framework for the Visual Arts: Artistic Perception, Creative Expression, Historical and Cultural Context, and Aesthetic Valuing.

Docent offer tours on the following topics:

• American Art
• Baroque Art
• Customized Tour (per teacher’s specifications)
• European (19th- and 20th-Century)
• Modern & Contemporary Art
• Museum Highlights
• Renaissance Art
• Sculpture Court
• Special Exhibitions

61.  Seabreeze Organic Farm  – San Diego

Seabreeze Organic Farm offers a farm stand, cooking and nutrition classes, a U-pick operation, organic fruits/vegetables and farm tours by reservation only.

62.  Spruce Street Suspension Bridge  – San Diego

Spruce Street Suspension Bridge was originally designed to provide pedestrian passage across a deep canyon, which isolated developing neighborhoods from the newly built trolley lines on Fourth and Fifth avenues.  Located just west of First Avenue, it is the only one of its kind in San Diego.

The beautiful 375 feet walkway floats among treetops and sways with the way of the wind.  The bridge is attached to steel suspension cables which are then anchored to massive concrete piers hidden beneath the soil at both ends.  From the center of the bridge you can see San Diego’s downtown skyline.  It is free to walk across the bridge anytime except when it is closed between 10 pm – 6 am.

63.  Suzie Farms  – San Diego

Suzie Farms offer a variety of ways to experience their beautiful 140-acre farm, located just south of Imperial Beach.  The farm is ever-changing and can be visited at any time during the year as a way to deepen your connection to your food, broaden your understanding of how a farm works, or simply enjoy a day out of the city.

School tours take a 90 minute exploration of our fields while tasting crops and learning about organic agriculture.  Identify various plants, visit the chickens and discuss farming as we walk among flowers and crops.

64.  The Water Conservation Garden – El Cajon

The Water Conservation Garden has nearly five acres of displays that showcase water conservation through a series of beautiful gardens, such as a native plant garden and a vegetable garden, as well as how-to displays such as mulch and irrigation exhibits. Admission is free, and the Garden can be viewed on a self-guided tour or through one of their programs.

Ms. Smarty-Plants award-winning programs inspire young people through interactive and engaging hands on learning in water conservation and stewardship of the earth.

65.  Taylor Guitars  – El Cajon

Taylor Guitars is one the country’s best known guitar makers.  They offer free guided factory tours ever Monday – Friday at 1 p.m.  The maximum group size is 10 people.  Reservations are not required.  You just show up and go!

66.  Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve – Imperial Beach

The Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve preserves, protects, and manages the natural and cultural resources of the Tijuana River Estuary by focusing on research and education with compatible recreation and resource use.  The Reserve encompasses beach, dune, mudflat, salt marsh, riparian, coastal sage scrub, and upland habitats surrounded by the growing cities of Tijuana, Imperial Beach, and San Diego.

The Tijuana River National Estuarine Research Reserve has exciting, hands-on education programs for students as well as tours, informative lectures and other outreach opportunities for adult audiences.

67.  Timken Museum of Art – San Diego

Affectionately known as a “jewel box” of fine art, the Timken Museum of Art in San Diego’s historic Balboa Park is home to the Putnam Foundation’s world-class collection of European and American masterpieces. Located on the Plaza de Panama, it is the only art museum in Balboa Park with free admission.

Offered daily, free docent-led school tours explore highlights of the permanent collection and special exhibitions.  Tours may be half hour to one hour long.  An instructor must accompany college classes and K-12 classes must include one chaperone per ten children.

68. Edna Harper’s Topiary Garden – San Diego

Edna Harper’s Topiary Garden in San Diego is made of 50 or so whimsical characters including elephants, whales, a rooster, a bunny, and Mickey Mouse.  It is free to visit.  However, just be sure to stay on the pathway and enjoy the garden from afar.

69.  USS Midway Museum – San Diego

Imagine experiencing life at sea aboard one of America’s longest-serving aircraft carriers.  Visitors to the USS Midway Museum enter a floating city at sea and walk in the footsteps of 225,000 Midway sailors who served our country and upheld the American ideals of strength, freedom and peace.

The USS Midway Museum is an unforgettable adventure for the entire family.  Guests can spend the day exploring more than 60 exhibits with a collection of 29 restored aircraft.  The self-guided audio tour, narrated by Midway sailors, brings the carrier’s history to life.  Those who dare can “take to the sky” aboard one of two flight simulators.

Adventurous learning awaits students 2-8 grades, teachers, and chaperones aboard the Midway. Our “On Board With” programs enable Midway to become a one-of-a-kind learning laboratory for a variety of exciting topics that are specifically designed to teach the California Content Standards in Science, Math and Social Studies.

All “On Board With” programs are two action-packed hours and include:

• Education-discounted admission to the USS Midway
• Pre-visit information with a glossary and activity lessons designed to support the program topic
• An introduction and orientation to the Midway by trained education staff
• The opportunity to visit selected exhibits and locations specially picked to highlight your “On Board With” subject matter
• Plenty of interactive and/or hands-on activities
• Post-visit lessons to help review the information learned on board the Midway
• Lots of active fun mixed with a good dose of learning

70.  Veterans Museum & Memorial Center – San Diego

The Veterans Memorial Center, Inc. was formed in March 1989 to create, maintain and operate an institution to honor and perpetuate the memories of all men and women who have served in the Armed Forces of the United States of America.

They provide a docent-led tour for large groups.  Advance reservations are required.

71.  Warner-Carillo Ranch House – Warner Springs

Built in 1857, the Warner-Carrillo Ranch House served as the Butterfield Stage Stop and was California’s first regular overland stage connection with St. Louis. With its multilayered history, the adobe ranch house tells the story of the emigrant trail, the overland stage, and the prominent ranching history of the area.

Group tours are available for large groups.  Call for complete details.

72.  Whaley House Museum – San Diego

The Whaley House is a classic example of mid-nineteenth century Greek Revival architecture, formally dedicated as a historic house museum on May 25, 1960 and has been open to the public ever since; it is one of southern California’s most popular visitor destinations.  Over 125,000 people visit the house annually, with guests traveling from across the globe to experience this world-renowned museum.

The Whaley House is a fine example of how a well-to-do family would have lived in San Diego during the 1860s and ’70s.  As home to an early county courthouse, San Diego’s first commercial theater, and Mr. Whaley’s general store, the possibilities for education are many.

School tours include a presentation of Whaley House history with a Q & A session in the courtroom by a knowledgeable docent in period attire, followed by a self-guided tour of the Whaley House and grounds.  Tours are for students in 1st through 12th grade.

73. Wild Willow Farm & Education Center – San Diego

Wild Willow Farm & Education Center is a six-acre working farm located less than three miles from the Pacific Ocean and two-thirds mile north of the Mexican Border.  The farm is nestled along the banks of the scenic Tijuana River, and borders the river’s stunningly beautiful estuary nature preserve.

Wild Willow Farm field trips typically last from 1.5 to 2 hours depending on your needs.  Visitors are split into groups and rotate through three to four hands-on activities, including light and easy farming and interactive lessons.  Farm tasks include planting, weeding, watering, bed-building,composting, mulching and more.

The following is a list of possible activities beyond farm work that tour groups can select from:

• Sustainability Scavenger Hunt
• Sensory Exploration
• Human Cameras
• Brown Bag Botany
• Homes for Seeds
• Recycling with Worms
• Meet the Chickens
• Farm Insects: Friend and Foe
• Soil and Water: Beyond Mud!
• Watering and the “Goldilocks Priniciple”: What is “just right?”
• Irrigation Methods: The Tinker Toys of Gardening!
• Plan a Farm

74.  Women’s Museum of California – San Diego

Since 1997 the Women’s Museum of California evolved into a full-fledged women’s history museum and valuable community educational resource.  With the help of many volunteers and a dedicated staff, the WMC features a variety of changing exhibits and displays on women’s history, sponsors workshop and lecture series, develops and implements educational and cultural events, including art shows, live performances and presentations; maintains a library and archive & collections.

Group tours give you the opportunity to learn more about the Museum Gallery, Museum Store, Museum Archives & Collections as well as the history of the Museum and it’s origins.  Tours are available Monday-Saturday before or after business hours when the Museum is closed to the public.  Group tours are approximately 1 hour and led by a Museum Docent.

75. Old Town San Diego – San Diego

Historic Old Town San Diego is the birthplace of California where the first Europeans settled.  There are over17 historic points of interest and the finest in professional theatre,  museums, artisans, galleries and shops all within easy walking distance with free live entertainment, mariachis, dancers, period attire docents providing tours and more.

They offer an official field trip program for all 4th grade students.

76. Best Places To See Wildflowers in San Diego – San Diego County

San Diego is a wildflower enthusiast’s paradise!  From the annual Flowers Fields in Carlsbad to the beautiful backcountry roads on the way Julian, there are numerous places to stop and enjoy the sprauling wildflower fields in San Diego.  There are also many opportunities to join other wildflower enthusiasts.

77.  The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch – Carlsbad

The Flower Fields at Carlsbad Ranch are home to Tecolote Giant Ranunculus, also known as a Persian Buttercup or Ranunculus Asiatic.  The typical blooming season is March 1 – May 8.

Happy Field Tripping!

More Things To Do With Kids in San Diego

Register For A Free SeaWorld San Diego Preschool Fun Card

Legoland California Family Travel Guide

Living Coast Discovery Center is one of San Diego’s Best Family Attractions

The Best Time To Visit The Flower Fields in Carlsbad

A Visit to the Museum of Making Music in Carlsbad

10 Botanical Gardens in San Diego You Will Want To Visit - SoCal Field Trips

Wednesday 7th of April 2021

[…] people automatically dream of heading to the beach and enjoying time in the sun and water. However, San Diego is home to amazing botanical gardens that invite people of all ages to enjoy time outdoors and take […]

Where To See Wildflowers in Southern California (Updated for 2021) - SoCal Field Trips

Thursday 11th of March 2021

[…] 75 Places in San Diego to Explore With Kids […]

A Field Trip To Butterfly Farms in Encinitas - SoCal Field Trips

Friday 29th of January 2021

[…] Farms, a hidden gem in San Diego, was established in 2012 out of concern with the decline of native butterflies and other native […]

40 Best Things To Do In San Diego - SoCal Field Trips

Monday 6th of July 2020

[…] in San Diego, you’ll need more than one day to explore them all.  It’s also a great place explore with kids!  While San Diego’s easy going culture and miles of beach breaks appeals to world class […]

Top 5 Reasons To Visit Aquatica San Diego - SoCal Field Trips

Thursday 10th of January 2019

[…] 75 Places To Explore in San Diego with Kids […]

• Show Spoilers
• Night Vision
• Sticky Header
• Highlight Links

Follow TV Tropes

http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/FieldTripToThePast

Field Trip to the Past

Edit locked.

"Fourscore and... (looks at his pocket watch) seven minutes ago... we, your forefathers, were brought forth upon a most excellent adventure conceived by our new friends, Bill... and Ted. These two great gentlemen are dedicated to a proposition which was true in my time, just as it's true today. Be excellent to each other. And... party on, dudes!" — Abraham Lincoln , Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure

Doing your history homework the exciting way!

This is a stock episode plot of having one of your protagonists learn their history by actually going back in time and experiencing it. If available the characters will use magical or sci-fi methods to travel back in time. Other times it's All Just a Dream or a hallucination caused by a bump in the head. Bonus points if someone quotes the saying, "If you don't learn from the past, you'll be doomed to repeat it."

If the character is not researching history it can be used to deliver An Aesop . If they take a major part in the story, that's You Already Changed the Past , Been There, Shaped History , or You Will Be Beethoven .

    open/close all folders 

• Superbook , an anime where the protagonists go back in time to experience the events of the Bible.
• Time Travel Shoujo: Mari Waka to 8-nin no Kagakusha-tachi The titular trio travel back in time to meet eight of the most prominent scientists and inventors in history, and also making sure that they wouldn't trapped in the past.
• The Chilean comic Mampato is about the titular character (a 10-ish year old boy) travelling to various places and time periods (including the prehistoric era, The Middle Ages , the Chilean War of Independence, and the 40th century ) using his "space-time belt". Being a bookworm, he does it out of a genuine desire to experience the time periods he reads about (or to help/meet with his friends, a caveman and a mutant girl from the future).
• Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure : as Abe Lincoln mentions in the page quote, the duo harvest various historical figures with their time machine and bring them in for their history report.
• Literally in Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey where after introducing guest speakers from the past, Rufus reminds his students of an upcoming field trip to Babylonia.
• Split Infinity has a teenage girl going back in time, and becoming her deceased relative — while learning about how The Great Depression was started.
• In Jodi Taylor's The Chronicles Of Saint Marys series, planning and performing trips to noteable events in the past (and documenting them for the record) is St. Mary's primary function.
• Isaac Asimov 's " The Message ": The protagonist is from the thirtieth century, collecting original research for an academic paper on infantrymen in World War II .
• The Magic Tree House series of children's novels, in which a young boy and girl discover a magical tree house filled with books, and if they sit in the tree house, point at one of the pictures, and wish they are in the place pictured, the tree house magically teleports them there. Using the tree house they visit places all over the world, in the past, and on the moon. As the series went on, though, it mostly dropped the "history" aspect, and now the kids are just as likely to visit fantasy locations (i.e. Camelot).
• Connie Willis ' time travel series, Fire Watch , Doomsday Book , To Say Nothing of the Dog , and Blackout / All Clear .
• Ayreon 's double album Universal Migrator : the last human, living on Mars, uses Imported Alien Phlebotinum to relive past lives, going all the way back to just before the big bang.
• Dot's Home : Dot returns to her grandmother's house in Detroit, MI to find that her Grandma Mavis is considering selling it to Murphy's Keys-for-Cash promotion in order to pay the bills, after refusing to do so because she would have nowhere to go after. Dot gets distraught by Mavis' decision, so she goes upstairs to her bed to sleep off her headache. Upon waking up, Dot discovers that she's mysteriously locked her room, and she finds a magic key that beckons her to use it. She unlocks the door and enters a magic hallway, taking her back to key moments of her family's past. Throughout the game, she learns about the historical housing discrimination against Black people firsthand and how her family survived it in order to provide her the home she's living in.
• JumpStart 3rd Grade , where the antagonist already knew the history and deliberately changed it her way, causing you to have to undo it back to normal.
• Tales From the SMP , a spin-off series of the Dream SMP , revolves around Karl Jacobs using his time-travelling powers to journey to the past and future of the SMP, and it is heavily implied that he uses these powers to stop the events of the SMP from getting worse, but at the cost of his own sense of identity and memories .
• Time Squad had a variant, wherein time has started slowly unraveling, causing history to go wildly off-course, from the relatively benign like Mahatma Gandhi refusing to work on gaining independence from the British Empire, because he's found his "true calling" in tap dancing, to the impossibly-weird such as Eli Whitney inventing flesh-eating robots instead of the cotton gin. Thus it's up to the eponymous Time Squad, with the help of the Tagalong Kid and noted history buff Otto, to go back in time and set history back on-course ... or at least attempt to.
• Time Warp Trio based on the book series is kind of like the Magic Tree House series. When the characters make an idle comment on a historic period, if the book is in earshot (which is always is) it'll transport them to that era. The kids have no control over it, because they haven't managed to translate the passages from it with the incantations that keeps them from being separated from each other and the book when they're transported to the past.
• Peabody's Improbable History
• U.S. of Archie , sort of
• The Horrible Histories animated series. In each episode, Stitch and Mo would be transported to a different historical era, which would help them learn a lesson or solve a problem in their everyday lives.
• Xavier Riddle and the Secret Museum is about three kids who travel back in time to meet famous people who changed the world, such as Marie Curie, Harry Houdini, Harriet Tubman, and many more. They use the lessons they learned from these historical figures to solve their everyday problems.
• Comics example: In the Golden Age, Batman and Robin would occasionally have a friend of theirs hypnotize them and send them back (or forward) in time to investigate certain events.
• Superman #293 features a teacher and students from the future travelling back in time to get firsthand experience of "Thirsty Thursday" (a day where Superman is trying to get Metropolis to drink water ).
• PS238 has several students being assigned a history report, which they decide to do on the first metahuman by bringing his daughter to their time.
• In The New Adventures of Superboy #26-27 (February-March 1982), the Boy of Steel tried going back in time once to complete a homework assignment on a project Mercury space launch four years earlier . (The teacher wanted the class to write essays as mock-"eyewitnesses" to a historical event.) Among other things, Clark learned: he shouldn't use his powers to take shortcuts on his schoolwork; he'd turn into an invisible phantom if he visits a time period when he's still alive; and he had no memory of most of the day's events, due to his younger self erasing his own memory. It turned out the younger Superboy had (under the request of President Kennedy ) secretly saved the Mercury mission from Russian sabotage. Ultimately, "our" Clark returned to his own time and did the assignment "like an ordinary student." Making this worse, Clark admitted at the start he remembered seeing the launch on TV at the time, and the story's events forced him to do more research about the space mission than had he done the assignment normally.
• Time Scout : In order to psych Margo up and get her interested in her difficult historical research, she's given a few tours downtime. First to Victorian England, then to Ancient Rome. She makes some serious mistakes each time, but also experiences some of the joys of learning.
• An episode of Happy Days had Fonzie inexplicably being an American history expert and helping one of the others with a report on the Pilgrims. Cut to the Mayflower's holds, full of the cast now singing about journeying to America.
• Boy Meets World does this twice.
• The Sabrina the Teenage Witch spinoff novel Salem's Tales does this.
• Family Ties does this in an episode where Alex P. Keaton falls asleep — and he witnesses the Declaration of Independence. As this episode occurred around the time that Michael J. Fox (Alex's actor) was also playing Marty McFly on Back to the Future , this episode was possibly a nod to the then upcoming film. In the film, Doc Brown types in the date of the Declaration of Independence — when demonstrating to Marty how his time machine works.
• The Twilight Zone (1959) : Inverted in the episode " The Bard " featuring a struggling TV writer named Julius Moomer who dabbles in black magic to summon William Shakespeare back from the dead to help him write his new show. After Shakespeare leaves in disgust after the TV execs butcher the script he wrote, the writer has another idea: a historical documentary, featuring the people who actually lived it.
• Oddly used in Star Trek: The Original Series in the Poorly Disguised Pilot episode " Assignment: Earth ". The Enterprise is apparently sent back on purpose to 1968 to do research. This despite the many, many other Time Travel stories in Star Trek featuring the dangers of interfering with the timeline.
• One of the main purposes of the Imagination Station on Adventures in Odyssey — virtual reality, but Your Mind Makes It Real .
• Inverted on The Fairly OddParents! . Instead of Timmy going back, he brought the founding fathers forward.
• South Park parodied it on one episode where Cartman intentionally electrocuted himself with a Tivo full of the History Channel. It worked too .
• In the Tennessee Tuxedo and His Tales short "Tell-Tale Telegraph", Tennessee fell asleep while reading about the Civil War. He dreamed that he was protecting a Civil War fort from Indians, and had to learn the workings of a telegraph.
• An old Looney Tunes Wartime Cartoon has Uncle Sam teaching Porky Pig the foundation of the USA.
• And the cavewoman who invented the wheel.
• The Magic School Bus episode "The Busasaurus", in which Ms. Frizzle et al. travel back in time 67 million years to learn about dinosaurs in person.
• Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures : In "Scrappy's Field Day", Scrappy misses the bus taking his class on a field trip to the museum, so Mighty Mouse takes him aboard his own bus and goes back to prehistory.
• An episode of Family Guy features Stewie and Brian using Stewie's time machine to take Chris to various points in history to help him pass an exam. They get away with it by telling Chris he's dreaming, but with consequences. Most of the episode takes place when Chris boards the Titanic.
• In the Star Trek (2009) fanfic Written in the Stars , female Kirk of the Alt Reality keeps getting shown memories of her counterpart's past, to her annoyance. When her counterpart is about to show her another one: Oh no, not another field trip to the past!
• In Thief of Time Susan Sto Helit (granddaughter of Death ) has taken the job of a teacher. Though it is never actually shown, it becomes fairly clear that part of her history lesson involves actually visiting the event, as her ancestry enables her to step a bit outside the physical world.
• Not literal homework, but in Guards! Guards! the Librarian needs to know what a certain book says. Unfortunately, the reason he needs to know is that the book has been stolen. So he walks back in time (which apparently all libraries can allow), and reads it before it is stolen.
• Doctor Who : In " The Woman Who Lived ", Clara is annoyed the Doctor helped one of her students complete a history assignment by arranging for her to meet Winston Churchill .
• In an early episode of The Simpsons , the rich Mr. Burns is forced to pay a huge sum of money to the city government for dumping radioactive materials. Lisa thinks the money should be given to the public school, and imagines a scene with virtual-reality helmets which show a simulation of ancient Mongolia where Genghis Khan says, "Hello, Lisa! I’m Genghis Khan. You’ll go where I go! Defile what I defile! Eat who I eat!" This scene only lasts about a few seconds.

Alternative Title(s): History Homework By Time Travel , Excellent Adventure , Hands On History Lesson

• Fidelity Test
• Fight Clubbing
• Fiction as Cover-Up
• RenamedTropes/F to K
• Fighter-Launching Sequence
• Fashions Never Change
• Time Travel Tropes
• Fighting Across Time and Space
• Adoptive Peer Parent
• QuoteSource/Live-Action Films (A to L)
• The Future Will Be Better

Important Links

• Action Adventure
• Commercials
• Crime & Punishment
• Professional Wrestling
• Speculative Fiction
• Sports Story
• Animation (Western)
• Music And Sound Effects
• Print Media
• Sequential Art
• Tabletop Games
• Applied Phlebotinum
• Characterization
• Characters As Device
• Narrative Devices
• British Telly
• The Contributors
• Creator Speak
• Derivative Works
• Laws And Formulas
• Show Business
• Split Personality
• Truth And Lies
• Truth In Television
• Fate And Prophecy
• Edit Reasons
• Isolated Pages
• Images List
• Recent Videos
• Crowner Activity
• Un-typed Pages
• Recent Page Type Changes
• Trope Entry
• Character Sheet
• Playing With
• Creating New Redirects
• Cross Wicking
• Tips for Editing
• Text Formatting Rules
• Handling Spoilers
• Administrivia
• Trope Repair Shop
• Image Pickin'

Advertisement:

Five Great Spots for STEM Field Trips in Chicago

• January 23, 2019

Field trips aren’t just for the Senior Class and the band kids anymore! We get tons of inquiries for private tours from science and engineering teachers. To help with your field trip planning, we’re highlighting the best spots for STEM field trips in Chicago. Of course, we’re always happy to lead your charges on one of our private tours , like the Downtown Chicago Bucket List tour.

We research stories from Chicago history, architecture and culture like this while developing our  live virtual tours ,   in-person private tours , and  custom content for corporate events . You can join us to experience Chicago’s stories in-person or online. We can also create  custom tours and original conten t about this Chicago topic and countless others.

#1. Museum of Science and Industry

The Museum of Science and Industry is the perfect starting point for STEM field trips in Chicago. MSI is stuffed to the gills with fascinating scientific displays and exhibits. My particular favorites are the coal mine, the Pioneer Zephyr, and the artificial storm creator. I bet your students will demand to see U-505 , a German WWII submarine preserved after its 1944 capture. Also, don’t forget to tell your students that MSI is the only remaining structure from the famous 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition. They can learn more about the World’s Fair in one of our virtual tours , too.

#2. Adler Planetarium

The smallest of the institutions out on Museum Campus might just be the perfect one for STEM field trips in Chicago. Adler Planetarium is, in fact, the first planetarium in the country, founded all the way back in 1930. These days, the star (hehe) attraction is The Universe: A Walk Through Time and Space . This general admission exhibit will lead your students on a walk to the furthest stretches of astronomy. You may also want to consider all-access passes so you can see one of the planetarium shows .

#3. Argonne National Laboratory

The National Laboratories are a likely career goal for many a STEM student. So why not visit the oldest of them, Argonne National Laboratory , out in suburban Lemont? Argonne dates back to the Manhattan Project, carrying out experiments that led to Chicago Pile-1 and the dawn of the atomic age. Student visitors to Argonne engage in Learning Labs , which are “hands-on experiments designed to educate participants on the major challenges that Argonne scientists and engineers are currently researching.”

#4. Fermilab

Chicago’s history of cutting-edge scientific research means we have two National Laboratories in the hinterlands. Fermilab , named after the Chicago-based physicist Enrico Fermi, is the Department of Energy’s particle accelerator. I won’t pretend to understand exactly what they’re doing out near Batavia. Your STEM students will enjoy visiting the spot where the “ Top Quark ” was discovered. Like Argonne, Fermilab offers Science Adventures for students, making this another great spot for STEM field trips in Chicago.

#5. McCormick Bridgehouse Museum and the Riverwalk

The Field Museum of Natural History is justly a go-to spot for STEM field trips in Chicago, and you may have expected it to round out our list. I want to highlight a smaller institution for your visit: the McCormick Bridgehouse Museum and the adjacent Riverwalk. The Bridgehouse Museum , located in the famous Michigan Avenue Bridge, explores both the natural history and human engineering of the Chicago River. Before or after their museum visit, students can explore the Riverwalk , a beautiful new addition to Chicago’s space.

Enjoy your STEM Field Trips in Chicago!

Any and all of these spots for STEM field trips in Chicago should leave students both entertained and enlightened. Such an experience can be just what budding, tech-savvy kids need to blossom into tomorrow’s great minds.

 – Alex Bean, Content Manager and Tour Guide

ABOUT CHICAGO DETOURS

Chicago Detours is a boutique tour company passionate about connecting people to places and each other through the power of storytelling. We bring curious people to explore, learn and interact with Chicago’s history, architecture and culture through  in-person private group tours ,  content production , and  virtual tours .

Chicago Detours is boutique tour company that tells neighborhood and city stories through in-person tours, virtual tours, and custom content for private group events.

• Architecture
• Chicago Art & Culture
• Chicago History
• Chicago Loop
• Chicago Neighborhoods
• Contemporary Chicago
• Detours News
• Food & Drink
• Travel & Events Industry
• Virtual Tours

In-person Private Tours!

Our small business tour company has been voted “Best Tour of Chicago” runner up for the past two years. Come see why!

Explore Tours

Interested in a virtual tour?

Our virtual tours uplift meetings and inspire connections for conferences, corporate groups, and universities.

Sign up for news!

Related posts.

Four Unconventional College Student Group Activities in Chicago

For Columbus Day: Five Sites for Italians in Chicago

Visit These Six Spots for a Self-Guided SNL Chicago Tour

Best stops for student performance groups in chicago, guided field trips in chicago from an educator’s perspective, book a tour, latest from the blog.

Tour Guides are Storytellers

© 2023 Chicago Detours

Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions

be a curious person!

SIGN UP FOR OCCASIONAL UPDATES FROM CHICAGO DETOURS.

Private Tour Coordinator and Tour Guide

There is no shortage of things to discover in Chicago—I love being an urban explorer and uncovering its hidden places. I have an MA in Public History from Loyola University Chicago, and I have worked as a museum educator and kindergarten teacher. My desire to learn new things fuels my passion for educating others, which I get to experience every day as a Chicago tour guide. I live in the northern neighborhood of Rogers Park.

Whether you are a first-time visitor or a lifelong resident, the vibrant history and modern majesty of Chicago never ceases to amaze. I’m a graduate of Columbia College with an M.A. in Interdisciplinary Art. I’ve worked for many years as an educator at City Colleges of Chicago. As tour guide at Chicago Detours, I integrate my enthusiasm for culture and architecture with my passion as an educator. West Town/Noble Square area is home for me.

With our Chicago neighborhoods, vibrant cultural institutions and nearly two centuries of larger-than-life stories, there’s never a dull moment here! I’m a fifth generation Chicagoan and a graduate of Washington University in St. Louis. In addition to guiding tours, I’m a creative writer and amateur genealogist. I also enjoy the city’s dynamic theater scene. You can also read overlooked stories from 19th-century newspapers on my “Second Glance History” blog. I live in River North.

Chicago is unique as it always evolves into the future while holding on to the past. I’m fascinated by how people latch on to old architecture but happily pave over others. My background is in theater and performance and I’ve been a tour guide here for more than 10 years. Currently I’m finishing my Master’s in Public History at Loyola University because I love to teach the history of this scrappy city. I’m in the Edgewater neighborhood.

Operations Coordinator and Tour Guide

Chicago’s history is so fascinating, you could spend a lifetime uncovering its secrets…I’m willing to give it a try! I have an M.A. in US History from the University of Nevada-Las Vegas and then pursued doctoral studies in Urban History at the University of Illinois at Chicago. I love to learn new aspects of Chicago’s rich history and then share my knowledge as a tour guide with Chicago Detours. I live in Ravenswood.

Content Manager and Tour Guide

Chicago has so many neighborhoods, buildings, and by-ways that it’s hard to go long without seeing something new, or something familiar from a new angle. I studied Cinema History for my M.A. from the University of Chicago. I’ve worked as a culture writer for various publications and as an educator of the humanities at the City Colleges of Chicago. I’m thrilled to share my love of this city’s busy past and unique architectural spaces with Chicago Detours. I live in the Chicago neighborhood of Lincoln Park.

Amanda Scotese

Executive director and tour guide, book a chicago event.

Let’s Connect!

• Grades 6-12
• School Leaders

Win a Yeti, gift cards, and more in Our Teacher Appreciation Giveaway 🎁!

260+ Field Trip Ideas for Grades Pre-K Through 12 (In-Person and Virtual)

Get out of the classroom and explore the world!

Field trips are a quintessential school experience. You usually only get one or two a year so it’s important to do it right! Our roundups of unique field trip ideas have something for every age, subject, and interest. We’ve even got resources like permission slip forms and chaperone tips. Get ready to leave the classroom behind to take learning on the road!

Preschool Field Trip Ideas

Early-grade field trips help kids learn about the world and also teach them good field trip behavior. These are our top picks for the pre-K crowd, but many of the options on our kindergarten list are perfect for this age group too.

• Library: Not every student’s parents take them to story time. Schedule your own trip, and show kids that having fun isn’t hard when you have a library card!
• Farm: Whether you learn how vegetables are grown or where milk and eggs come from, the farm is always a hit.
• Grocery store: Go behind the scenes at the supermarket, and use this trip as the foundation for lessons on healthy eating.
• Park: From local playgrounds to majestic national parks, it’s always worth getting kids into the great outdoors.
• Children’s museum: This is the age group most children’s museums were designed for! They’ll love all the hands-on fun and excitement.
• Post office: Learn how mail is sorted and shipped, and teach students about stamps and other mail-related items.
• Bank: Money is a new concept for these kiddos, and they’ll be fascinated to step inside the vault and learn other bank secrets.
• Fire station: There’s just something about a fire truck that gets every little one excited.
• Nursing home: Is there anything sweeter than watching seniors and wee ones spend time together?
• Animal shelter: For kids who don’t have pets at home, this can be a good introduction to animals. Others will just enjoy the time with dogs and cats waiting for their forever homes.

Elementary School Field Trip Ideas

@mjdstoronto

These are the prime field trip years! Here are our favorite trips for every grade.

• 14 Kindergarten Field Trips (Virtual and In-Person)
• 15 First Grade Field Trips (Virtual and In-Person)
• 15 Second Grade Field Trips (Virtual and In-Person)
• 15 Third Grade Field Trips (Virtual and In-Person)
• 23 Fourth Grade Field Trips (Virtual and In-Person)
• 22 Fifth Grade Field Trips (Virtual and In-Person)

Middle and High School Field Trip Ideas

@salinasvalleybasingsa

For this age group, you’ll need to step up your game a bit. (They’ve probably already been to the zoo, the aquarium, and the art museum.) Try some of these locations, which offer educational, social-emotional, and real-life learning opportunities.

• Food bank: Hold a food drive, then arrange a trip to your local soup kitchen or food pantry. Volunteering makes for truly meaningful field trips.
• Recycling facility: In a time when reducing landfill waste is more important than ever, a trip to a recycling facility can help drive home the message.
• Theater: Many theaters offer behind-the-scenes tours for schools and discount pricing when you buy tickets in bulk. (Want to go virtual? Check out the Hamilton Education Program !)
• Community college: Parents sometimes take kids on college visits, but a community college trip offers opportunities for even more students to see themselves getting a higher education.
• TV station: Kids interested in communications or technology will find this completely fascinating.
• Courtroom: There’s no better way to understand the justice system than to see it in action.
• State or county capitol: Every government class should visit a local capitol to meet with officials and see how the government works.
• Local business: This can be a cool way to learn about managing a business, working with customers, or discovering how products are made.
• Wildlife rehab facility: Introduce students to the people who help injured wild animals recover and live free once again.

Virtual Field Trip Ideas

@edtech_tusd

The terrific thing about virtual field trips is that they eliminate so much of the hassle. No need to collect permission slips, arrange for buses, or recruit chaperones. Plus, they’re usually free!

• 40 Amazing Educational Virtual Field Trips
• 20 Terrific Virtual Art Museum Field Trips
• 18 Incredible Virtual Zoo Field Trips
• 15 Fascinating Aquarium Virtual Field Trips
• 3 Science Virtual Field Trips Let Kids Travel the World

Field Trips by Location

If you live in one of these cities, check out some of our favorite spots.

• 16 Cool Field Trips in Houston, Texas
• 21 Terrific Field Trips in Chicago, Illinois
• Top 10 Washington D.C. Field Trip Ideas

Field Trip Tips and Resources

There’s a lot to do when you’re organizing an off-site field trip. These resources are here to help.

• Preparing Parent Chaperones for a Field Trip
• Free Printable Field Trip and School Permission Forms To Make Your Life Easier
• Things To Do Before Taking Your Students on a Major Field Trip
• Mistakes To Avoid When Planning a Field Trip for Students
• Why I Hate Field Trips (And How I Learned To Deal)
• Help! Is There Any Way I Can Get Out of Our End of the Year Field Trip?

Bonus: Looking for a laugh? Check out  Ways School Field Trips Are Like The Wizard of Oz !

What are your favorite field trip ideas? Come share your thoughts in the  We Are Teachers HELPLINE group on Facebook !

Plus,  virtual college campus tours to explore from home ..

You Might Also Like

20 Famous Art Museums You Can Visit from Your Living Room

Art from around the world has never been closer to home. Continue Reading

Copyright © 2024. All rights reserved. 5335 Gate Parkway, Jacksonville, FL 32256

School Field Trips

Enrich your students’ history learning at the museum.

You and your students will dig deeper into Spokane Valley’s history, taking a trip back in time to the draining of Saltese Lake, the traditions of local Indian tribes and so much more.

Your visit includes an opportunity to engage in hands-on learning at our outdoor exhibit that includes:

• Butter churning
• Water pumping
• Seed planting

School tour fees and policies

Developing and maintaining relationships with the local school districts is a vital part of the Museum’s mission. We invite schools to book guided class tours.

Our tours are guided by volunteers who are knowledgeable in the subject matter and able to adjust presentations to your curriculum needs.  Please note, School fields trips are only hosted on Thursdays and Fridays.

$4.00 – Students  /  $4.00 – Adults (at the student price on field trips)

Our fees fund the museum and we are grateful for your participation!

Payment is accepted via cash, check or credit card.

• Your visit must be booked at least two weeks in advance.
• Call (509) 922-4570 to confirm your trip the day prior with an estimate of the number attending.

Buses need to approach the museum driveway from the west as there is a divider on Sprague making it impossible to pull into the driveway from the east. The buses are to pull into the parking lot from the museum driveway on Sprague Ave and will be able to pull through to exit through the alley onto Pines after the tour. A volunteer will direct the bus at the driveway entrance.  Please communicate this with the bus driver.

Students will step off the bus in the back area of the museum property and a volunteer will explain the format of the tour and groups will be formed.

Student Behavior

We request you review the following safe behavior with students before your arrival:

• Do not touch the items on display
• Walk with hands to yourself
• Use inside voices
• Listen when someone is presenting
• Do not touch or lean on the glass cabinets
• Leave backpacks on the bus
• No food, drink or gum is allowed inside
• We kindly ask teachers and parents assist with supervision of the students.

Our hope is to inform, influence and inspire the youth to make a connection to Spokane Valley and its rich history.

Teacher's Information Packet

We’ve hosted many school field trips and have some great advice to help make the visit go smoothly.

Bus Parking Instructions:

Schedule your visit.

Plan your visit to the museum for the best local history experience with a knowledgeable docent to guide you through the past.

Tour Registration form

Step 1 of 2

Next Steps: Install a Payment Add-On

Contact details, tour attendee details.

This 20-1 long shot could win the Kentucky Derby, rain or shine

The shortest-priced horses in Saturday’s Kentucky Derby field , Fierceness (5-2 on the morning line) and Sierra Leone (3-1), got bad news during the post position draw.

Fierceness, a one-dimensional front-runner, drew post No. 17 out of 20, requiring him to expend extra energy to engage with what should be a crowded first flight of horses or sit back and hope to get a perfect trip from farther back. Neither strategy is ideal for a horse that has never trailed by more than a half-length at the first call in his three career victories.

Sierra Leone, a closer, probably will have to drop back after trying to avoid the flurry toward the inside rail and work out a trip in which he can go outside to pass a majority of horses late or go against the running style that has made him successful and try his luck going wire to wire. Neither scenario is ideal for a winning run in the first leg of the Triple Crown.

My advice? Bypass both and focus on No. 7 Honor Marie, a promising 20-1 long shot on the morning line who has shown potential for success at Churchill Downs.

Trained by Whit Beckman — a former assistant to Todd Pletcher, Eoin Harty and Chad Brown — Honor Marie broke his maiden at Churchill Downs as a 2-year-old in September and then won the Grade II Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes two months later, seamlessly transitioning from the six-furlong sprint to the 1 1/16 mile route, the latter showcasing his late-running ability over two turns. A lackluster start as a 3-year-old (a fifth-place finish in the Grade II Risen Star Stakes) was forgotten after his close second in the Grade II Louisiana Derby.

More importantly, his speed figure in that final prep race (99) beat his career best as a 2-year-old, indicating another step forward is imminent. That this is his third start following a layoff — a favorite angle of potential improvement in handicapping circles — doesn’t hurt, either.

In addition to overall speed, Honor Marie finished the final three-eighths of a mile at the Louisiana Derby in 37.01 seconds, showing a closing speed that has been a hallmark of previous Kentucky Derby winners. Nine of the past 12 Kentucky Derby winners (and 19 of the past 26) finished the final three-eighths of a mile in their final prep race in less than 38 seconds. Many Kentucky Derby winners — 20 of the past 26 — covered the final eighth of a mile in their final prep race in 13 seconds or less. Honor Marie meets that standard as well.

Honor Marie’s pedigree is also encouraging. His sire, Honor Code, was a champion older dirt male who won the Grade I Metropolitan Handicap and Grade I Whitney Stakes. Honor Code’s progeny, including Honor A. P. and Max Player, have excelled in high-profile races such as the Grade I Santa Anita Derby and the Grade I Jockey Club Gold Cup. Honor Marie’s dam, Dame Marie, is a Smart Strike offspring who produced winners ranging in distance from 1 1/16 miles to 1⅛ miles. Smart Strike’s lineage also includes two-time horse of the year Curlin and 2007 Eclipse champion turf male English Channel, horses known for stamina and classy race wins.

If it rains Saturday — and the forecast is calling for scattered thunderstorms — it is worth noting that Honor Marie finished second at Churchill Downs over a sloppy track in October and his sire’s record over wet tracks is 84 for 505 this year (a 17 percent win rate). Jockey Ben Curtis is 7 for 37 (a 19 percent win rate) in 2024 over wet tracks, with a flat-bet profit of 42 cents per $2 wagered.

Finally, this horse is an overachiever, having won his maiden race at 14-1 and the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes at 9-1. His second-place finish at the Louisiana Derby came at 8-1 odds. (Beckman has also returned a flat-bet profit of five cents per $2 wagered on 70 dirt races this year.)

Everything is here for Honor Marie to have a successful run for the roses, and I would be willing to place a win wager on him at a price of 4-1 or higher.

There are three other horses I would like to highlight: No. 4 Catching Freedom (8-1 on the morning line), No. 1 Dornoch (20-1) and No. 8 Just a Touch (10-1). They all feature in my trifecta and superfecta Derby strategy .

Catching Freedom’s winning performance in the Louisiana Derby — when Honor Marie finished second — was above average; he closed in the stretch despite a slow pace to the three-quarter-mile mark and average final speed figure. Usually such race shapes are won by front-runners, but Catching Freedom, a closer, prevailed instead. His pedigree also boasts a ton of inherited speed while getting stamina from his sire line via Constitution and Tapit.

Dornoch drew the rail , a post that hasn’t produced a Derby winner since Ferdinand in 1986, yet it suits his front-running style. His three wins — a maiden route, the Grade II Remsen Stakes in the mud and the Grade II Fountain of Youth Stakes — came in wire-to-wire fashion, and it doesn’t make sense for trainer Danny Gargan to change anything now.

“I don’t think it’s the kiss of death,” Gargan said after the draw . “There’s no speed on our outside, so hopefully he’ll break running and we’ll put him on the front end and see how it goes. We planned on keeping his face clean. Now we’ll keep it real clean.”

Just a Touch, another grandson of Tapit, has just one victory in three career starts, a maiden sprint in the slop, but don’t let his lack of seasoning scare you away. He has two second-place finishes in graded stakes races and some of the fastest early fractions in the field. His most recent velocity from the gate to four furlongs was 56.4 feet per second, about two-fifths of a second faster than Dornoch, who has the second-highest velocity out of the gate in this field. My guess is he doesn’t engage in a speed duel with some of the others and instead conserves that energy for a later push.

• Election 2024
• Entertainment
• Newsletters
• Photography
• Personal Finance
• AP Investigations
• AP Buyline Personal Finance
• AP Buyline Shopping
• Press Releases
• Israel-Hamas War
• Russia-Ukraine War
• Global elections
• Asia Pacific
• Latin America
• Middle East
• Election Results
• Delegate Tracker
• AP & Elections
• Auto Racing
• 2024 Paris Olympic Games
• Movie reviews
• Book reviews
• Personal finance
• Financial Markets
• Business Highlights
• Financial wellness
• Artificial Intelligence
• Social Media

USA Track & Field expands its maternity policy to give athletes more time to work their way back

FILE - Christina Clemons, of the United States, and Helena Jiranova, of the Czech Republic, compete in a women’s 60 meters hurdles heat during the World Athletics Indoor Championships at the Emirates Arena in Glasgow, Scotland, Sunday, March 3, 2024. U.S. Olympic hurdler Christina Clemons sent email after email raising concerns over a gap in health-care insurance coverage for new mothers who still wanted to compete. Those baby steps turned into big strides as USA Track and Field unveiled a program Thursday, April 25, that expands an existing maternity support system to give new moms even more time to return to an elite level. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek, File)

FILE - Christina Clemons, of the United States, reacts after a women’s 100-meter hurdles semifinal at the 2020 Summer Olympics, Sunday, Aug. 1, 2021, in Tokyo. U.S. Olympic hurdler Christina Clemons sent email after email raising concerns over a gap in health-care insurance coverage for new mothers who still wanted to compete. Those baby steps turned into big strides as USA Track and Field unveiled a program Thursday, April 25, 2024, that expands an existing maternity support system to give new moms even more time to return to an elite level. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek, File)

• Copy Link copied

U.S. Olympic hurdler Christina Clemons sent numerous emails to those in the track community raising concerns over a gap in health care insurance coverage for new mothers who still wanted to compete.

Those baby steps turned into big strides as USA Track & Field unveiled a program Thursday that expands an existing maternity support system to give athletes more time to work their way back. It’s one less hurdle for women in the sport who want to start a family in the middle of their careers.

For Clemons , it’s a way to help carry the baton and follow in the footsteps of Allyson Felix and others who have been advocating for equality for mothers on and off the track.

“There is a huge lack of support in sports in general when it comes to mothers, which is crazy to me,” said the 33-year-old Clemons, who gave birth to her son, Kylo, on Feb. 4, 2023, and is trying to make the U.S. team for the Paris Games this summer. “This program (by USATF) really is filling a gap and coming in and saving the day. You don’t feel so pressured to perform at a time when no matter what you do, you really can’t — not a year after pregnancy.”

Under the current system, a Team USA athlete can gain assistance through the Elite Athlete Health Insurance set up by the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Committee. It provides insurance for one year after the end of a pregnancy, with the caveat that an athlete still expects to compete. There’s also an athlete stipend.

USATF’s new plan increases the time frame to give an athlete more of an opportunity to recover and more chances to requalify for their funding, which is based on results and rankings through a tiered system that need to be achieved by a certain date. To qualify for tier status, an athlete must meet certain criteria such as being a medalist or finalist in the most recent major meet (Olympics or world championships) or finish in the top 15 in the world rankings. There are other levels, too, based on performance.

This season, USATF’s expanded policy includes six athletes, with funding part of the organization’s overall budget. It reimburses for COBRA health care premiums, along with providing additional support through the USATF’s high-performance programs.

“For us, it’s a pretty simple fix — and an important fix,” said Renee Chube Washington, the chief operating officer for USATF. “It’s stressful being a new mom or dad. ... If we can help ease a little bit of that stress, we can and we will.”

For so long, women in track and field encountered the same sort of message — get pregnant and face barriers. Through the actions over the years of some of the sport’s top runners like Felix, Kara Goucher and Alysia Montano, more light is being cast on the subject. They successfully lobbied for more protections over endorsement-contract terms.

Clemons wants to help pave the way, too.

“It’s extremely important because these changes that us mothers are making will change the outlook women have on becoming mothers while still competing,” said Clemons, a silver medalist in the 60-meter hurdles at the 2018 world indoor championships. “Many women wait until after they finish their careers to become mothers because of the fear of not being supported. We shouldn’t have to put our lives on hold when men don’t have to.”

In addition, USATF is exploring ways to provide child care options at big events for athletes who are parents.

“It’s all a part of a holistic approach to help our athletes,” Washington said. “It’s part of the secret sauce that makes the difference to get us on the podium, which is where we want to be.”

For Clemons, the new health insurance policy became a game changer .

Clemons competed until she was 2 1/2 months pregnant, with her last race at the 2022 U.S. outdoor championships that June. She didn’t officially return to training until last October, which didn’t give her a chance to requalify for tier benefits by the September deadline. She sent email after email to officials to voice her concerns.

The new program grants her a grace period to obtain tier status. Clemons made the U.S. squad for the world indoor championships last month, advancing to the semifinals in the hurdles. But it wasn’t until a race two weeks ago when she truly felt back, matching a personal-best time.

“What USATF did to correct this (gap) is huge for mothers,” said Clemons, who is preparing for U.S. Olympic trials in June in an effort to earn a ticket to Paris. “I’m very appreciative.

“I have the support that I need behind me. I really, truly feel like I’ll make this team and I’ll come home with a medal.”

AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games

• Search Please fill out this field.
• Manage Your Subscription
• Give a Gift Subscription
• Newsletters
• Sweepstakes

Watch Gypsy-Rose Blanchard Take Her First Trip to Sephora

Makeup artist Alexis Oakley took Blanchard around Sephora for the first time and recommended all of her "go-to" products

Alexis Oakley/TikTok

Gypsy-Rose Blanchard is ready for her glam moment!

In a new TikTok post from makeup artist Alexis Oakley , Blanchard, 32, is seen on a shopping spree at a Los Angeles-based Sephora. The Munchausen by proxy victim was visiting from Louisiana to promote her upcoming Lifetime series, Gypsy Rose: Life After Lock Up . 

Blanchard was taken around the makeup store and bought a slew of products that would replicate her glam from Lifetime's Television Academy for Your Consideration event she attended on Wednesday, May 1.

At the start of the video, Oakley immediately takes Blanchard to shop for some contour, heading directly to Selena Gomez’s Rare Beauty station in the store. Oakley explained to Blanchard that “at the moment,” her favorite contour stick is the Warm Wishes Effortless Bronzer Stick , and she used it on Blanchard that day. She noted how it just “snatches you up” and “makes such a big difference.”

Blanchard immediately took the product and was ready to purchase, prompting Oakley to say, “Oh my god, you’re an easy sell!”

Next, Oakley took Blanchard to the Makeup Forever section after Blanchard asked for her foundation recommendations.

“I love the Makeup Forever foundation right now. That’s my go-to. That or the Armani,” replied Oakley. “I'll just show you the full face so you can recreate it back in Louisiana.”

She then offered Blanchard the HD Skin Hydra Glow Hydrating Foundation with Hyaluronic Acid , letting her know that the product is “really glowy” and “really pretty.”

After Blancard felt comfortable with the face products, she turned her attention to eyebrow products and asked for ideas on which products to buy. Oakley said she likes the Kosas Brow Pencil .

“I like this one too, because it’s so thin, so it’s so easy to draw hairlike strokes," Oakley said.

Once Blanchard got her questions out of the way, she then asked Oakley to tell her “everything” she used on her face.

Oakley then took Blanchard to the NARS section, popped a NARS concealer in her shopping bag, then took her back to Makeup Forever and scored their fan-favorite lip liner . She then added Charlotte Tilbury’s popular Matte Revolution Hydrating Lipstick .

The determined pair headed for the skincare section, where Oakley recommended Blanchard use Tatcha’s Dewy Skin Cream Plumping & Hydrating Moisturizer to use before she starts her makeup look.

The duo went back to the front of the store and scored some Patrick Ta blush, with Oakley recommending her application techniques to Blanchard. “I take my beauty blender and get [a] little bit of the cream and put it right on top of the powder," she said. "It brings the dew and glow back into your skin.”

She also shared that she used a “blush topper,” and used Rare Beauty’s Soft Pinch Luminous Powder Blush in the Shade Hope .

Before Oakley’s TikTok, Blanchard showed off her glam look , done by Oakley, as well as her recent blonde hair transformation and rhinoplasty .

Want to keep up with the latest crime coverage? Sign up for PEOPLE 's free True Crime newsletter for breaking crime news, ongoing trial coverage and details of intriguing unsolved cases. 

At the Lifetime's Television Academy For Your Consideration , Blanchard told PEOPLE that she was enjoying her chance to travel to California. 

"I'm just enjoying my time traveling," the Louisiana resident explained. "I don't get to travel very often because I am on parole, so I have to get permission from my [parole officer] to travel, so I'm just enjoying tonight."

Related Articles

Women's Track and Field 5/3/2024 11:03:00 AM

Track & Field Readies for A-10 Championship

Two-day championship begins on saturday.

Thanks for visiting !

The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy.

We ask that you consider turning off your ad blocker so we can deliver you the best experience possible while you are here.

Thank you for your support!

• Sports Betting
• Sports Entertainment
• New York Giants
• New York Jets
• Transactions

Recommended

Travis kelce parties it up without taylor swift ahead of kentucky derby.

• View Author Archive
• Follow on Twitter
• Get author RSS feed

Thanks for contacting us. We've received your submission.

Travis Kelce’s whirlwind stretch between the Chiefs’ Super Bowl win in February and the start of their 2024 campaign has now included a trip to the Kentucky Derby.

Kelce, who appeared to be attending without girlfriend Taylor Swift , donned a suit and fedora ahead of the 150th edition of the race Saturday at Churchill Downs that saw Mystik Dan win in a photo finish .

In a video posted on Instagram, the star tight end was seen getting excited during the running of one of the races on Saturday.

He — and Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers — also attended the Sports Illustrated “Revel at the Races” party Friday night at The Ice House that featured a performance from The Chainsmokers, according to The Courier-Journal .

Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco, center Creed Humphrey and offensive lineman Mike Caliendo attended the Trifecta Gala on Friday in Louisville, according to the Kansas City Star .

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Kentucky Derby (@kentuckyderby)

While it’s unclear if Swift will join Kelce before the main race’s post time at 6:57 p.m. on Saturday, her Eras Tour resumes Thursday with a concert in Paris, France.

Former NBA forward Chandler Parsons had hinted at Kelce’s appearance during a segment Friday on the “Up & Adams” show , adding it would “be fun.”

Last weekend, Swift and Kelce attended Patrick Mahomes’ 15 and the Mahomies Foundation Golf Classic gala in Las Vegas, and Kelce said during an episode of the “New Heights” podcast with his brother, Jason, that he had an “absolute blast.”

Earlier this week, the U.S. Sun reported that Kelce and Swift were also expected to join Mahomes and his wife, Brittany , at the Formula One Miami Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon — though it’s unclear if those plans have changed given Kelce’s appearance at the Kentucky Derby.

Travis at the Kentucky Derby! pic.twitter.com/YtsXn841fT — Travis Kelce Fan Page (@traviskelce_fan) May 4, 2024

Travis in Kentucky last night at the inaugural Sports Illustrated "Revel at the Races" derby kickoff party. #traviskelce #kentuckyderby #revelattheraces pic.twitter.com/kaN1yD5VuL — Kelce Brothers (@kelcebrothers) May 4, 2024

Mahomes and his wife partied in Miami on Friday, according to the Kansas City Star , and they were shown arriving Saturday afternoon at Hard Rock Stadium and walking toward a space marked for the Alpine Formula One racing team. 

Kelce and Mahomes, along with golfer Rory McIlroy and others, invested in Alpine in October , though the racing team hasn’t earned a point in the driver standings this year.

But for Saturday, at least, Kelce, who recently signed a two-year extension worth $34.5 million to become the NFL’s highest-paid tight end, will watch the Kentucky Derby.

Share this article:

Advertisement