200+ Fun Field trip Ideas for Schools and Homeschools

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Last Updated on October 2, 2024 by Sarah McCubbin

One of the best parts of “school” is the ability to go on amazing field trips that bring learning to life. This guide has 200+ field trip ideas for all ages and stages!

When my kids were young, our field trips were often things like trips to the fire station, apple orchard or a farm. But as they grew, the trips did too. And their learning expanded along with it as they visited local businesses, history and science museums and took trips to the Federal Reserve Bank!

And let’s be honest…field trips aren’t just for kids. Adults love them too and we are usually learning right along side them.

The possibilities for field trips are truly endless, but in this guide, there are over 200 ideas for your next field trip!

What Makes a Good Field Trip?

A good field trip should be engaging, educational, and enjoyable. It needs to suit the age group, with activities that resonate with their learning level, whether it’s preschoolers, high school students, or a homeschool group. Incorporating hands-on activities like scavenger hunts or guided tours helps make the experience memorable.

Key factors to consider include:

• Relevance to Lesson Plans: Connect the trip to classroom topics or lessons, such as a visit to a botanical garden for biology or a children’s museum for younger students.
• Engagement: Whether it’s a hands-on exhibit at an art museum or an obstacle course at a farm, the trip should actively involve students.
• Accessibility: Think about students with special needs, and ensure the field trip is suitable for all students of all ages and abilities.

Types of Field Trips

When we are planning field trips. most of us tend to think back to our own childhoods. What field trips did we enjoy? But don’t let that limit your options! Field trips can happen literally anywhere! Start looking locally and expand your search. And if you can’t GO on a field trip, there are amazing virtual options that let your transport your students to far away places at the click of a button!

1. Local Field Trips: Explore your local community with visits to a grocery store, post office, or fire station to learn about essential services. Field trips to state parks or nature preserves can teach students about ecosystems and the environment. Visiting local businesses gives high school students insights into career paths.
2. Historical Sites: Teach students about American history by visiting sites from the American Revolution or historical museums that showcase artifacts from different periods. Older students might appreciate a trip to landmarks such as the Apollo Theater or the Empire State Building for a deeper look into New York City’s rich cultural history.
3. Outdoor Field Trips: Outdoor adventures are great for all ages. Take students on nature hikes at national parks, apple orchards, or pumpkin patches. Outdoor field trips provide an excellent opportunity for students to connect with nature through educational programs and self-guided tours.
4. Homeschool Field Trips: Homeschool groups often benefit from flexible schedules, allowing them to attend field trips during off-peak times. These trips can range from educational field trips to botanical gardens to interactive exhibits at local museums.
5. Virtual Field Trips: For a more accessible option, virtual field trips provide a way to explore places like national parks or historical sites without leaving the classroom. They are perfect for when budgets are tight or travel is not feasible.

Local Field Trip Ideas

Chances are, your own community has some great field trip ideas that are great for a family or a whole group. If you have younger kids, you will want to look at options that allow for them to move around more and do some hands on activities. Older students may be fine just taking tours and listening to a guide or expert. Be sure to pick field trips that match the attention span of your students!

• Children’s Museum: Offers interactive exhibits tailored to young children, making it a perfect place for hands-on learning.
• State Parks: These natural havens are excellent for outdoor education, with opportunities for nature hikes and learning about local ecosystems.
• Farm Tours: Learn about agriculture by visiting a local farm, where students can meet farm animals, explore a pumpkin patch, and understand the hard work behind farming.
• Art Museums: Inspire creativity with visits to art museums that offer hands-on activities for students to appreciate art history and practice artistic techniques.

How to Make a Field Trip Fun

If you are the one planning the field trip, there are many things you can do to make the field trip more “fun.” Try mixing in activities that use a variety of senses. If the field trip has a lot of listening, add in some elements that are hands on…or visual.

If you will be visiting a new place. it is helpful to do some classroom activities before hand that will help the students better understand what they are learning. Visiting an art museum? Try a few art techniques that they will see at the museum. Visiting a bank…learn about currency before hand through videos and hands on activities.

Here are more ideas on making field trips fun!

• Interactive Challenges: Incorporate scavenger hunts or obstacle courses to keep students engaged. For example, while visiting historical sites, create a scavenger hunt for historical artifacts.
• Special Events and Performances: Plan trips around live theater performances, such as a visit to see the Radio City Rockettes, or explore cultural performances at local theaters.
• Hands-On Activities: Whether it’s a trip to a farm, an animal sanctuary, or an adventure park, hands-on learning experiences are always a hit with students.

20 Preschool & Kindergarten Field Trip Ideas

1. Children’s Museum: Interactive exhibits designed specifically for young learners.
2. Botanical Gardens: Explore plants and wildlife.
3. Animal Farm: Meet farm animals and learn about agriculture.
4. Pumpkin Patch: A seasonal favorite with educational activities.
5. Grocery Store: Learn about food and nutrition.
6. Fire Station: Meet firefighters and learn about safety.
7. Art Museum: Simple, interactive art projects for little artists.
8. Local Farm: Learn about how food is grown.
9. Nature Preserves: Observe local wildlife and plant life.
10. Scavenger Hunt: Plan an age-appropriate hunt in a park.
11. Post Office: Discover how the mail system works.
12. Ice Skating Rink: A fun way to get active while learning basic skills.
13. Fish Hatchery: Learn about aquatic life and conservation efforts.
14. Summer Camps: Explore outdoor activities and games.
15. Historical Sites: Teach history through storytelling and re-enactments.
16. Local Library: Participate in a reading session or craft workshop.
17. Birthday Party Venues: Transform fun into educational experiences.
18. Apple Orchard: A great place to learn about the seasons and farming.
19. Amusement Parks: Blend fun with educational science behind the rides.
20. Pumpkin Patch: Engage kids with educational harvest-related activities.

Field Trip Ideas for All Ages

Of course, field trips are fun way beyond preschool and kindergarten! Here are some trips that are great for all ages!

• Community Service: Encourage middle school students or high schoolers to give back by volunteering at a food bank or participating in local outreach programs.
• College Campuses: Perfect for high schoolers considering higher education.
• Live Theater: Attend performances for cultural enrichment, such as Broadway shows in New York City or local theater productions.
• Adventure Parks: Laser tag, obstacle courses, or outdoor adventure parks offer both fun and teamwork-building opportunities.
• Outdoor and Nature Field Trips: outdoor field trips are perfect at local, state and national parks and are usually free!
• Cultural and Historical Field Trips: These area great way to learn local history and develop a better understanding of how cultures have changed over time.

Science and Technology Field Trips

Science field trips can be some of the BEST ways to encourage students to pursue careers in STEM. They paint a picture of the vast possibilities that are available. Our family has enjoyed trips to recycling plants, science competitions, robotics labs, engineering workshops, science centers and more. This has led to my oldest sons both pursing STEM careers.

• Planetariums
• Science Centers
• Space Observatories
• Technology Exhibits
• Engineering Workshops
• Robotics Labs
• Astronomy Centers
• Energy Plants (e.g., Solar, Wind, Nuclear)
• Space Museums
• University Science Labs
• Geological Sites (e.g., caves, canyons)
• Meteorological Stations
• NASA Research Centers
• Medical Research Labs
• Weather Forecasting Stations
• Science Fairs and Competitions
• Environmental Conservation Centers
• Science-Themed Amusement Parks (e.g., Epcot)
• Wind Farms
• Recycling Plants
• Local Businesses

STEM Industry Field Trip Ideas

• Factories (car manufacturing, food processing)
• Financial Districts (e.g., Wall Street)
• Stock Exchanges
• Local Business Tours (e.g., bakeries, breweries)
• Robotics or AI Research Labs
• Construction Sites
• Science Labs at Universities
• 3D Printing Workshops
• Tech Startups
• Science Festivals
• High-Tech Amusement Parks (e.g., Virtual Reality parks)
• Tech Museums
• Car Dealerships (mechanical engineering lessons)
• Renewable Energy Sites
• Construction Supply Stores (learning how materials are used)
• Drone Workshops
• Software Development Companies
• Jewelry Manufacturing
• Food Production Plants
• Agricultural Research Stations

Civic and Government Field Trips

Government themed field trips are so important for our students. Government seems very large and intimidating but field trips help them see that real people are in these offices and that participating in government roles is something that they can do if they want.

I have taken my own kids to sit a local drug court run by a judge who invited the public to come sit in the room. That experience was impactful. To hear the judge and the people trapped in addiction have a meaningful interaction humanized the legal system. It also demonstrated how important our choices are. Some choices lead to life, education and careers and others lead to addiction, crime and a downward spiral of poor choices.

Here are some great government offices worth arranging field trips to.

• Post Offices
• Fire Stations
• Police Departments
• City Hall
• Court Houses & Court Rooms
• U.S. Capitol
• Local Government Offices
• Federal Reserve Banks
• Legislative Assemblies
• Military Bases
• Embassies or Consulates
• Supreme Court
• Public Defender’s Office
• Prisons or Detention Centers
• Public Parks (for local government maintenance and conservation)
• Mayor’s Office
• Town Planning Office
• Local Libraries
• FBI or Police Crime Labs
• National Archives
• State Capitols
• Sessions of State or Federal House or Senate Meetings
• City Counsel Meetings

Cultural and Performing Arts Field Trips

Whether its taking a family trip to a local high school play or something bigger like watching a play on broadway, there is something uniquely valuable about watching live entertainment.

In our fast paced world, our kids often see very curated, polished entertainment. That did not exist for most of history. Live entertainment is imperfect and requires the inconvenience of going out of our houses! It provides an experience nothing like a screen.

In our community, there is a local Shakespeare company that does productions outdoors at Stan Hywet Hall and Garden every year. There is one night that they offer big discounts, so for the past few years, we have taken some of our kids to see these plays. Shakespeare is hard to understand…they do not follow everything that is happening. These plays happen in a garden. Years ago, I studied at Oxford University in England for a summer. And there we watched a lot of Shakespeare. My favorite were the garden performances. So we take our kids…partly to learn some Shakespeare and partly for a unique experience that is completely detached from screens.

My kids don’t LOVE Shakespeare, but the experiences have prompted some great conversations. And every summer, about half of them volunteer to go to another play.

Now that some are adults, I see them buying their own tickets to stage productions. It makes me smile. There really is something about live art products that inspires more than a screen ever could.

• Live Theater Performances
• Symphony Orchestras
• Dance Studios
• Music Halls
• Broadway Shows (New York City)
• Radio City Music Hall (Rockette performances)
• Apollo Theater (Harlem, NYC)
• Local Ballet Companies
• Concert Halls
• Movie Production Studios
• Television News Stations
• Local Radio Stations
• Art Galleries
• Opera Houses
• Choir or Music Concerts
• Puppet Theaters
• Jazz or Blues Clubs (for older students)
• School of Performing Arts
• Drama Workshops
• Street Art or Mural Tours

Community and Service Field Trips

Volunteering has so many benefits beyond a traditional field trip. It offers the opportunity to interact with people who are from all walks of life. In my experience, volunteering leads to compassion, empathy and the ability to understand people.

17 Ways: Find Local Volunteer Opportunities Near Me

• Food Banks
• Homeless Shelters
• Senior Citizen Homes
• Animal Shelters
• Community Gardens
• Environmental Cleanup Events
• Soup Kitchens
• Hospitals (volunteer programs)
• Orphanages
• Community Outreach Programs
• Church Mission Trips
• Blood Donation Centers
• Habitat for Humanity
• Local Nonprofit Organizations
• Rehabilitation Centers
• Thrift Stores (charity-based)
• Fundraising Events
• Environmental Awareness Groups
• Nursing Homes
• Veterans’ Organizations

Adventure and Recreation Field Trip Ideas

If you have “body smart” kids, they are going to LOVE these kinds of recreation field trips. This type of trip is excellent for families or groups. These tend to have a bigger price tag, but they often offer a group discounts.

• Amusement Parks
• Adventure Parks (e.g., zip-lining, obstacle courses)
• Laser Tag Arenas
• Bowling Alleys
• Ice Skating Rinks
• Roller Skating Parks
• Water Parks
• Miniature Golf Courses
• Go-Kart Tracks
• Indoor Trampoline Parks
• Escape Rooms
• Rock Climbing Gyms
• Horseback Riding Ranches
• Archery Centers
• Hiking Clubs
• Outdoor Adventure Camps
• Scuba Diving Lessons
• Boating or Kayaking Trips
• Tree Top Adventures
• Ski Resorts
• White Water Rafting
• Professional Sport Games

Food and Culinary Field Trips

Food can be the basis for one of the easiest field trips. Whether the trip you are going on is an organized tour or it is one you cobbled together for your kids, culinary activities have built in interest…especially if there are samples involved!

If there is a field trip that you want that a business doesn’t offer, absolutely ask. If a business cannot provide an actual “field trip,” you can still visit, but you may need to do most of the educating ahead of time using documentaries or Youtube videos.

• Local Restaurants
• Bakeries
• Chocolatiers
• Ice Cream Parlors
• Farmer’s Markets
• Tea Farms
• Dairy Farms
• Local Wineries (for older students)
• Olive Oil Presses
• Cideries
• Organic Gardens
• Local Breweries (for educational purposes)
• Cooking Classes
• Pastry or Cake Decorating Workshops
• Spice Factories
• Food Expos
• Local Candy Shops
• Coffee Roasting Facilities
• Local Vineyards and Orchards
• Pop-up Food Trucks
• Grocery Stores

40+ Virtual Field Trip Ideas

If you have big field trip dreams but limited time or finances, virtual field trips offer a great way to visit popular locations around the world.

Here are 40 MORE Field Trips!

• Virtual Museum Tours
• Virtual National Park Tours
• Online Science Labs
• Virtual Planetarium Shows
• Live-Streamed Concerts or Plays
• Virtual Historical Reenactments
• Online Art Exhibits
• Space Exploration Programs (NASA live streams)
• Virtual Farm Visits
• Online Zoo Visits
• Virtual City Tours (e.g., Paris, New York City)
• Virtual Global Landmarks (e.g., Eiffel Tower, Great Wall of China)
• Virtual Safari Tours
• Online Tech Conferences
• Virtual Science Fairs
• Virtual Robotics Competitions
• Online Aquarium Visits
• Virtual Cooking Classes
• Virtual Factory Tours
• Interactive Online Geography Field Trips
• Botanical Gardens
• State Parks
• National Parks
• Nature Preserves
• Wildlife Sanctuaries
• Zoos
• Aquariums
• Farm Tours
• Pumpkin Patches
• Apple Orchards
• Fish Hatcheries
• Hiking Trails
• Beach Cleanups
• Butterfly Gardens
• Birdwatching Excursions
• Organic Farms
• Nature Walks
• Mountain Trails
• Arboretums
• Wetlands Exploration
• Art Museums
• Children’s Museums
• History Museums
• Local Historical Sites
• Monuments and Memorials
• Historic Homes
• Battlefields (e.g., American Civil War)
• Heritage Villages
• Old Churches or Cathedrals
• Lighthouses
• Historic Forts
• Historical Reenactments
• Indigenous Cultural Sites
• Archaeological Sites
• Old Cemeteries (for history projects)
• State Capitol Tours
• Presidential Libraries
• Themed Heritage Parks (e.g., Colonial Williamsburg)
• Historical Ships (e.g., USS Constitution)
• Underground Railroads Sites
• Virtual Disney World Experiences

Field Trips Bring Education To Life

Field trips are an exciting way to enrich your students’ educational experiences. From preschoolers visiting farms to high school students exploring college campuses, there are countless opportunities to make learning memorable. Whether you choose a local museum, a national park, or even a virtual field trip, these adventures offer a great way for students of all ages to connect with the world beyond the classroom.

More Reading:

• 30+ Activities and Events at Discovery Park Ohio
• 51+Best Tips for Visiting Cedar Point with Kids
• What is Unschooling Compared to Traditional Homeschooling?