field trips in la

14 Best School Field Trips in Los Angeles

Your students deserve a chance to explore science, math, history and art in their communities. However, tight school budgets and transportation issues may impede these efforts. Luckily, the Los Angeles area is home to many field trip venues that are either free or low priced and full of fun and adventure for all grade levels.

Whether that’s visiting a local museum , exploring a beautiful botanical garden or going tide pooling at the beach, every student deserves a hands-on education.

14 Best Student Field Trips in Los Angeles

Here is a list of 14 Best School Field Trips in Los Angeles to supplement your students’ classroom learning and education whether they attend public or private school or homeschool.

Aquarium of the Pacific , Long Beach

Bring your students to the Aquarium of the Pacific for a fun learning experience. Come explore and discover over 12,000 animals that call the Aquarium their home.

Explore the wonders of the Pacific Ocean on a self-guided field trip . Observe penguins, sea otters, sea jellies, and so much more. Dive deeper into your learning experience by adding an education program where your class can investigate further with an Aquarium educator.

The Aquarium also hosts homeschool days and children education classes throughout the year.

The Arboretum , Arcadia

The Los Angeles County Arboretum and Botanic Garden is a unique 127-acre botanical garden and historical site located in what was the heart of the historic Rancho Santa Anita in the city of Arcadia.

Self-guided and educator led field trips are offered at the Arboretum.

Available to grades 1st through 12th, Nature Investigations are hands-on, interactive programs led by Arboretum educators. Each Nature Investigation leads students on a journey into the garden where they will take a closer look at the incredible natural systems at work through the lens of different themes, including Habitat, Pollination, Plant Adaptation, Ethnobotany, and Biodiversity. While these themes are different, they contain overarching, crosscutting concepts that connect all five programs. Each program can accommodate approximately 20 students for up to a total of 100 students per day. 

Available to all grade levels, self-guided visits of the Arboretum present a wonderful opportunity to enhance your classroom curriculum. With their chaperone as their guide, students can explore science, history, wildlife, or simply spend a day discovering nature in a free-choice learning environment.

The Arboretum also hosts a holiday event every year called Lightscape and special exhibits from time to time.

Autry Museum of the American West , Los Angeles

The Autry features innovative exhibitions, a broad range of programs and extensive collection of art and artifacts, the Autry National Center explores the distinct stories and interactions of cultures and peoples, and their impact on the complex, evolving history of the American West.

The Autry’s mission to bring together the stories of all peoples of the American West, connecting the past with the present to inspire our shared future continues as we bring the museum to you through virtual tours , standards-based self-paced lessons, and fun activities for students of all ages.

The Autry Museum provides hands-on educational programs to explore the history of the American West for grades 3 through 12. There are two options for field trips ; a docent guided tour or museum teacher program.

School admission fee is $2.00 per person for students, teachers, and chaperones.  Adult chaperones are required for all student programs. A minimum of one adult chaperone per every 8 students is required for your visit.

Cabrillo Marine Aquarium , San Pedro

Located in San Pedro, Cabrillo Marine Aquarium is a trusted resource that inspires exploration, respect and conservation of Southern California marine life.

The Cabrillo Marine Aquarium offers many programs for school groups and individuals of all ages to gain better awareness of our coastal environment.

Hands-on programs include everything from hatching grunion to the ancient Japanese art of Gyotaku. Lectures by noted scientists and authors offer an in-depth look at an array of topics from extreme waves to bioluminescence and our marine biology workshops teach subjects from Ichthyology to Animal Behavior to spark an interest in science at any age.

The California Science Center, Los Angeles

The California Science Center provides an innovative model for science learning by combining exhibits with an on-site Science Center School and Amgen Center for Science Learning as well as a teacher professional development program.  The Science Center is open to the public seven days a week, 362 days per year, with free general admission to its permanent exhibit galleries.  The facility spans more than 400,000 sq. feet and includes four major exhibit areas.

Things to do on a field trip include the IMAX Theater, Space Shuttle Endeavor, Big Lab and Permanent Exhibit Galleries.

Group reservations are available for parties of 15 or more. Call (213) 744-2019 to speak with a reservation assistant. Reservations are accepted weekdays 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and weekends from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

The California Science Center also hosts  homeschool days  and  special exhibits  throughout the year.

Discovery Cube of Los Angeles , Simi Valley

Discovery Cube Los Angeles is   an indoor wonderland of learning and imagination through interactive play and real world experiences . Their mission is to inspire and education young minds through engaging science-based programs and exhibits therefore creating a meaningful impact on the communities they serve.

Discovery Cube LA offers a variety of twelve field trips programs including:

Roots and Fruits – This new 3-hour field trip features a workshop style experience about the life cycle of a plant, parts of a plant, what a plant needs to grow and survive, plant habitats, pollinators, water conservation (grades 1 & 2), and composting (grade 3). Includes pre & post field trip activities and videos.

World of Motion – This new 3-hour field trip features a workshop style experience about gravity, friction, potential and kinetic energy, energy transfer, Newton’s Laws of Motion and engineering design. Includes pre & post field trip activities and videos.

A Perfect Fit – This guided 2-hour field trip features a special presentation about animal adaptations that allow different animals to survive and thrive in different environments.

Dodgers Stadium , Los Angeles

Since 1962, Dodger Stadium has welcomed fans from all corners of the globe and enchanted them with its breathtaking views and its storied past.  This 56,000-seat icon of American sports history has been home to some of the greatest players in the game and is home to the best fans in all of baseball.

The Dodger Stadium Tour provides fans the opportunity to see the ballpark in a very unique fashion. This behind-the-scenes tour lets fans visit some of the most restricted and non-public areas and view the Stadium from a whole new perspective. As baseball’s third-oldest stadium, Dodger Stadium remains one of the game’s most beautiful and most historic venues.  This is a walking tour of the ballpark which includes climbing stairs and ramps.

Highlights of this 90 minute tour may include:  

• A trip down to the field at Dodger Stadium
• A visit into the Dodger Dugout
• An exclusive look at the Lexus Dugout Club, their VIP restaurant and lounge located behind home plate, home to our World Series trophies, Most Valuable Player (MVP), Cy Young, Silver Slugger and Rookie of the Year awards
• A walk through the Vin Scully Press Box, where the story of Dodger baseball is covered from every angle
• And more surprises!

To set up a private tour, please visit their website .

The Getty Museum , Los Angeles

Each year the Getty welcomes more than 160,000 K-12 students to the Getty Center and Villa to experience tours, programs, and creative spaces. A trip to the Getty is a multi-media experience; therefore, learning is enhanced through sensory and tactile inputs. Conversations about art can also spark an appreciation of culture and increase students’ ability to think critically about the arts. 

The Getty Museum offers two types of free tours:  Guided  and  Self-Guided . All school visits include a one-hour guided tour with a Getty docent. Students in small groups, accompanied by chaperones, are encouraged to explore the galleries and the Central Garden on their own following their guided tour. 

Available for groups of 8 students (minimum) to 120 (maximum) in grades K–12. 

The Grammy Museum , Los Angeles

The Grammy Museum, is an interactive, educational museum devoted to the history and winners of the Grammy Awards.  The Museum strives to inspire its visitors to learn about musical genres and history through interactive touch-screens, videos, and recording booths.  The museum also features a rich collection of historical music artifacts including costumes and instruments from the Grammy Awards, hand-written lyrics, records, and audio/video recordings.

From workshops centered around the creative process (Music Production), connecting to topics covered in the classroom (Music of the Civil Rights Movement), or to their career-based programs (Backstage Pass and Careers in Music), The Grammy Museum giving students the opportunity to learn about all subjects through music.

Student museum tours are offered at a cost of $12, which allows youth of all backgrounds to have the opportunity to learn through music.

After being greeted by a Grammy Museum representative, all school groups will participate in a self-guided tour of the Museum. Groups can choose to add on a Clive Davis Theater workshop or participate in a Museum-wide scavenger hunt.

Griffith Observatory , Los Angeles

Griffith Observatory is an icon of Los Angeles, a national leader in public astronomy, a beloved civic gathering place, and one of southern California’s most popular attractions. The Observatory is located on the southern slope of Mount Hollywood in Griffith Park, just above the Los Feliz neighborhood. It is 1,134 feet above sea level and is visible from many parts of the Los Angeles basin. The Observatory is the best vantage point for observing the world-famous Hollywood Sign.

Griffith Observatory’s free fifth-grade in-person school program uses the Observatory’s instruments, exhibits, and programs in the Samuel Oschin Planetarium and Leonard Nimoy Event Horizon theater to help students explore their place in the universe. The two-and-a-half-hour program is an integrated, standards-based experience which educates, intrigues, and inspires young minds. The combination of the Observatory’s engaging staff and our unique facilities produces an opportunity unlike anything offered anywhere else.

Sessions typically take place on Thursday and Friday mornings (9:30 a.m.-Noon) from late October to early June at Griffith Observatory. Only students enrolled in fifth grade are eligible. Advanced registration is required, and space is limited.

Griffith Observatory also offers virtual field trips for teachers to stream from their classrooms.

  Jet Propulsion Laboratory , Pasadena

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory holds a unique place in the universe. They are a leader in robotic space exploration, sending rovers to Mars, probes into the farthest reaches of the solar system, and satellites to advance understanding of our home planet.

The JPL Public Services Office offers a limited number of onsite, in-person tours , free of charge, for groups and individuals on an advance reservation basis. Visitor parking is also available free of charge. All tours commonly include a multimedia presentation on JPL entitled “Journey to the Planets and Beyond,” which provides an overview of the Laboratory’s activities and accomplishments.

Guests may also visit the von Karman Visitor Center, the Space Flight Operations Facility, and the Spacecraft Assembly Facility. Please see the below descriptions for additional information. Tours are booked one month at a time, and must be booked a minimum of three weeks in advance.

JPL’s free educational tours are designed for schools and educational groups of 20 people or more.  The tour is specifically geared for children in 3rd grade and up for comprehension of information.

Natural History Museums of Los Angeles , Los Angeles

Step back to the days when dinosaurs roamed the Los Angeles area. Watch as a T-Rex fossil closes in on its prey, or check out the  fossils of dinos such as a triceratops  at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles. With more than  300 fossils on display , kids of all ages will have a blast exploring California life from 65 million years ago.

Explore the exhibit halls, get up-close-and-personal with specimens and artifacts, and experience the museum with your students on a field trip. Self-guided field trips to the Natural History Museum are free for California Pre-K – 12 public or private school groups.

The NHM also offers specific homeschool days throughout the year for families to visit and enjoy the museum.

The Port of Los Angeles , Los Angeles

There’s no other port like it in the world! The Port of Los Angeles is a premier international Port, the #1 container port in the nation, a leader in environmental initiatives and home to diverse recreational and educational facilities.

The Port of Los Angeles offers free one-hour educational tours to school groups (fourth grade through college) aboard  Harbor Breeze Cruises  boats to showcase the dynamics of daily world trade at America’s busiest port. To prepare students for the tour, the Port can provide various materials and information, focusing on local history, international trade, and/or environmental awareness.

The Port of Los Angeles also offers free tours to the public from time to time. Guests experience 60-minute narrated tours that include up-close views of active vessels, container terminals and the bustling Los Angeles Main Channel.

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum , Simi Valley

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library is the repository of presidential records from the administration of Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the United States, and the burial place of the president and first lady, Nancy Reagan.

There are many exciting learning opportunities for you and your students at the Reagan Library. The Air Force One Discovery Center allows students to experience firsthand the responsibilities and challenges faced by leaders in our government, military, and media as they are immersed in our award-winning critical decision simulation.

As either a student or a teacher, you can join The Walter and Leonore Annenberg Presidential Learning Center and its commitment to engaging the future leaders of America and developing proactive informed, educated, and conscientious citizens and leaders.

You can also call to schedule a class tour of the exhibits or attend one of our on-site Education Workshops through the National Archives.

The Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum offers docent-led museum tours designed to engage and inform students about Ronald Reagan’s presidency and his legacy. Self-guided museum tours are available for educators who want to immerse their students in a more customized program.

Happy Field Tripping,

Barbara EpsteinBarbara

Tuesday 7th of February 2023

When I taught in San Pedro we used to collect recycling all year to pay for an extra field trip to Pointe Vicente Interpretive Center, followed by a nature hike in the hills above. Closer to nature than other choices.

What a creative and quite educational idea.

Best Field Trip Venues In And Around Los Angeles

By: Author Wendy Kennar

Posted on Last updated: March 28, 2024

For kids, field trips usually rank as one of the highlights of the school year. For teachers, field trips provide the chance to supplement classroom instruction, provide real-world experiences, and expose students to new places and situations. If your child hasn’t yet gone on a field trip this year, or you’re helping your child’s teacher organize a field trip, here is a list of some of the best field trip venues in and around Los Angeles.

Mission San Gabriel Arcangel 428 S. Mission Dr., San Gabriel, CA 91776

Some schools, depending on their location, opt for a field trip to the San Gabriel Mission. It was the fourth of the California Missions and is home to a collection of sacred art pieces. As you wander among the “Pride of the Missions,” you’ll also have the chance to learn more about the history of the Spanish priests and the Native Americans who lived here.

Mission San Fernando Rey de Espana 15151 San Fernando Mission Blvd., Mission Hills, CA 91345

Elementary-aged schoolchildren learn about the California Indians and the Spanish Mission system. A visit to one (or both) of the nearest Missions makes the past alive, which then usually makes it more interesting for students. At the San Fernando Mission (also referred to as the “Mission of the Valley”), classes have an opportunity to walk among the rooms (acknowledging the shorter doorways), and learn what daily life was like for both the California Indians and the Spanish priests. 

The Autry Museum 4700 Western Heritage Way, Los Angeles, CA 90027

For children learning about the history of California, the Autry Museum may be the perfect place for a field trip. Docents lead classroom groups throughout the Museum and focus on western expansion, Native Americans, and the California gold rush. Different field trip options are available and are designed for different grade levels (K-2, 3-6, and 7-12). Most field trip tours are 55 minutes in length.

School Boat Tour Program Port of Los Angeles 425 S. Palos Verdes St., San Pedro, CA 90731

Students in grades four and above can take a one-hour field trip aboard Harbor Breeze Cruises. These field trips allow students to get an up-close-and-personal look at the Port of Los Angeles, the busiest container port in the country. Students learn about world trade and the fact that many of the items in their homes passed through the Port of Los Angeles.

Underwood Family Farms 3370 Sunset Valley Rd., Moorpark, CA 93021

A visit to Underwood Family Farms really lets kids see where their food comes from. And kids that are more invested in their food, who understand how their food is grown, are more likely to make healthier eating choices. Different tours are offered, including one where classes pick a basket of strawberries, one where classes pick a variety of vegetables, and one where classes pick a sugar baby pumpkin. All tours also feature a presentation by the farmer, a vintage tractor ride, and a visit to the Farm Animal Center.

Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County 900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90007

Regardless of your child’s grade or what he/she is currently studying in class, a field trip to the Natural History Museum will most likely effectively supplement his/her unit of study. Their exhibits include the Dinosaur Hall (where you can see a trio of   different aged/different sized T. Rex fossils), the Gem and Mineral Hall (including more than 2,000 specimens of gems and minerals from around the world), the Becoming Los Angeles exhibit (which tells the 500-year history of our city), the outside Nature Gardens , the Hall of Birds , the hands-on Discovery Center (complete with microscopes, touchable fossils and furs, and a polar bear collected in Norway back in 1964), Animal Habitat Halls (featuring impressive dioramas), and much more.

California Science Center 700 Exposition Park Dr., Los Angeles, CA 90037

The California Science Center has it all including plenty of things for kids to do, touch, and experience first-hand which helps to make sometimes abstract science concepts more concrete and understandable. A variety of field trip options are available including “Big Lab Programs” which allow students to become hands-on as they investigate, an IMAX screening, “Ecosystem Field Trip Lessons,” as well as Live Shows and Demonstrations. In addition, classes can view the Space Shuttle Endeavour and the planet’s only External Tank.

Drum Barracks Civil War Museum 1052 N. Banning Blvd., Wilmington, CA 90744

Children learning about the Civil War might think it has nothing to do with life in southern California. However, a field trip to the Drum Barracks Civil War Museum in Wilmington will change that. The Museum is housed in the “last remaining original wooden building of the 22 structures built as a military post during the Civil War in the Los Angeles area.”

Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum 40 Presidential Dr., Simi Valley, CA 93065

Understandably, many children have concerns and questions about our country’s new administration. A visit to the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum   provides docent-led tours designed to keep children engaged while learning about the presidency in general and Ronald Reagan’s legacy. Students will observe an exact replica of Reagan’s Oval Office, view a 6-ton piece of the Berlin Wall, tour Air Force One, and more.

El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument 125 Paseo de la Plaza, Los Angeles, CA 90012

A field trip to the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument allows students to learn about the founding and history of our city. Los Angeles is a true city of immigrants and a visit here will help students see themselves as part of something larger and realize how important diversity is to our city, and by extension, our country. El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument is considered a “living museum.” Students will view historic buildings, murals, statues, and more.

Hollywood Bowl 2301 N. Highland Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90068 and Walt Disney Concert Hall 111 S. Grand Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90012

It’s all about music and the power of music when children visit either the Hollywood Bowl or the Disney Concert Hall. Depending on the field trip, children may hear a performance by the Los Angeles Philharmonic, receive a guided tour, learn about different instruments, or tour the Hollywood Bowl Museum.

College Campus Tours several locations

It’s never too early to start the conversation about attending college and letting our kids see college as a very real part of their future. Fortunately, there are several colleges and universities in southern California and all host campus tours. Be sure to check out Occidental College , California State University Los Angeles , University of Southern California , and University of California Los Angeles . (And don’t forget, CSU also has nearby locations in Long Beach , Dominguez Hills , and Northridge as well).

MomsLA is your source for Things to do with Kids in Los Angeles

Disclaimer:  MomsLA has made every effort to confirm the information in this article; however, things can often change. Therefore, MomsLA makes no representations or warranties about the accuracy of the information published here. MomsLA strongly urges you to confirm any event details, like date, time, location, and admission, with the third party hosting the event. You assume the sole risk of relying on any of the information in our list. MomsLA is in no way responsible for any injuries or damages you sustain while attending any third-party event posted on our website. Please read our Terms of Use which you have agreed to based on your continued use of this website. Some events have paid to be listed on MomsLA.

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Los Angeles Field Trips

The FieldTripDirectory.com is a resource of Los Angeles field trips for elementary school students thru high school students, camp groups, homeschool groups and scout troops for day field trips, overnight field trips and youth retreats. Learn about Los Angeles’ museums, zoos and aquariums, botanic gardens, nature centers, historic sites, amusement parks, recreation, performing arts and more, CLICK on the ACTIVITY FILTER below for further field trip information. For those unable to travel to these locations, check out our  Virtual Field Trips  section or  Outreach Field Trips & School Assembly Programs  section.

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Fulcrum Adventures

Fulcrum Adventures programs actively engage youth groups with hands-on opportunities to lead, solve problems, make decisions, and work as a team.

Pinstripes Topanga

Dine, Play, Celebrate! The best field trips happen at Pinstripes, an esteemed dining and entertainment destination that offers a kids-friendly Italian-American menu and a modern spin on bocce and bowling.

America's Teaching Zoo

America’s Teaching Zoo is the hand-on classroom for the Exotic Animal Training and Management students AND a community attraction in a beautiful hilltop setting.

Augustus F. Hawkins Nature Park

Augustus F. Hawkins Nature Park is a 8.5-acre state-of-the-art natural park surrounded by the urban landscape of Southern California. A school or youth group trip includes a tour of the facility, an art/craft activity and a self-lead scavenger hunt.

AUTRY MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN WEST

The Autry Museum of the American West mission to bring together the stories of all peoples of the American West, connecting the past with the present to inspire our shared future.

California African American Museum

The California African American Museum’s mission is to research, collect, preserve, and interpret for public enrichment the history, art, and culture of African Americans with an emphasis on California and the western USA.

California Science Center

The California Science Center features hands-on exhibits and inquiry-based education programs. Features major exhibit areas: World of Life, Creative World, Ecosystems and Air and Space.

Cayton Children's Museum

The Cayton Children’s Museum offers 21,000 square feet of discovery-based exhibits and immersive play connecting to arts, to the world. The Museum is a place where children experience the transformational and lifelong benefits of abundant, creative and purposeful play.

Craft Contemporary

With a focus on contemporary art made from craft media and processes, Craft Contemporary presents dynamic exhibitions by established and emerging artists and designers.

Descanso Gardens

Descanso Gardens is a unique Southern California landscape distinguished by its specialized botanic collections, historical significance, and rare natural beauty. 

Discovery Cube Los Angeles

Discovery Cube’s campuses and education programs is an organization brimming with mind-growing activities, try-it-out experiments, and numerous other paths to pursuing scientific understanding. These engaging experiences have their basis in STEM education.

El Dorado Nature Center

El Dorado Nature Center is an oasis of natural habitat, offering visitors to explore the 105 acres that make up the Nature Center grounds provide sanctuary for animals and plant life. Offers tours for various nature themes.

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Los Angeles Field Trip Guide

Teachtopia’s LA Field Trip Guide helps parents and teachers find the best field trips in Los Angeles.  Field trip trips are learning, memories,  and fun.   Our field trip guide includes a  variety of Museums,  Gardens, Theme Parks,  Zoos,  and Aquariums.

Our Los Angeles field trip guide is the collaboration with  LAwithKids.com .  When you are searching for field trip ideas, we assure that the Teachtopia field trip guide is the place to go.  In a major city like Los Angeles, several of the field trips have costs including  parking fees, admission fees, as well as additional charges once you are at the attraction. For LA field trips, research is essential. This field trip guide to LA is your best means of getting information of Los Angeles Field Trips

Los Angles Museums and Zoos

There are wonderful museums and zoos in the la area..

African American Museum (CAAM) 600 State Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90037 Cost for family field trips: Free. Parking Fee: While accessible through rail, the parking fee is 15 dollars Cost for school Field Trips: Field trips must be arranged in advance and have no fee.  What makes the California African American Museum (CAAM) a great field trip is that the exhibits changes on a regular basis. Topics have included Visual Artists, History, Political Activism, Literature, and more. website:  Chinese American Museum 425 N Los Angeles St, Los Angeles, CA 90012 Cost for family field trips: free, but donations are recommended.

Cost for school field trips: free, but recommended donation of 7 to 10 dollars. This museum is in an area called El Pueblo de Los Angeles.  This Mexican themed a called Olvera Street is adjacent to the larger China Town. website:

Craft and Folk Art Museum 5814 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036 Cost for families: This museum is 7 to 9 dollars Monday through Saturday.  Sunday is “Pay what you can”

This museum is strategically located right down the street from the Pedersen Automotive Museum and literally across the street from both LACMA and the La Brea Tar Pits.

Fowler Museum 308 Charles E Young Dr N, Los Angeles, CA 90024

Cost for Family field trips: Free with a fee for parking at UCLA Cost for School field trips: Free The Fowler Museum is located in the heart of UCLA campus, has not cost of admission, and has incredible art from around the world on display.

Getty Center 1200 Getty Center Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90049 Cost for family field trips: Free with a fee for parking at the Getty Center Cost for School Field trips: Free The Getty Center is an amazing Museum that truly has enough to provide ten field trips worth of content. From the tram ride up the hill to the large garden area the Getty Museum is incredible art and a whole lot more. website:

Getty Villa 17985 Pacific Coast Hwy, Pacific Palisades, CA 90272 Cost: School Field Trips are free. Cost for Families: Parking is $20 dollars and admission is free. The Getty Villa is home to incredible art from Greece and Rome. It also has incredible landscaping and gardens. website:  www.getty.edu

Griffith Observatory 2800 E Observatory Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90027 Cost: While admission is free, there is an fee to see the observatory show.

Cost for schools: School field trip admissions are free.  The Griffith Observatory is as much about seeing true Los Angeles history as it is seeing a world class observatory and planetarium. There are field trip for student throughout the year. website:  griffithobservatory.org

Hammer Museum 10899 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90024 Cost: No cost The Hammer museum is world class art museum that is adjacent to the UCLA campus in Westwood.  It is operated by UCLA. website:  hammer.ucla.edu

Japanese American National Museum 100 N Central Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012 Cost for Families: 7-16 dollars (2020) Cost for Field Trips: 5 students and 7 dollars adults (2020) The museum has a permanent exhibit documenting the history of Japanese internment camps in the United States. website:  www.janm.org/

Los Angeles County Museum of Art 5905 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036 This is a very large Los Angeles Art Museum with someone tor everyone. website:  www.lacma.org

LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes 501 N Main St, Los Angeles, CA 90012 Cost for Family visits: Free Cost for School Field Trips: 10 dollars per student. Title 1 Schools are free with reservation.  If your school qualifies as a Title 1 school, then then the admission fees are waived. This field trip destination is great place to learn about Los Angeles history. This LA Museum not only has so much to see, but also has a great staff of professionals that make sure that children have a great experience when they visit this cultural center.

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Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) 250 S Grand Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (Main location) 152 North Central Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012 (Second Location) There are two locations for MOCA in Los Angeles.

Museum of Latin American Art 628 Alamitos Ave, Long Beach, CA 90802 The art inside the museum and the sculptures garden outside the museum walls make this museum a most see.  There is always more than one exhibit representing Latin American Art.

Museum of Tolerance 9786 W Pico Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90035

Cost for Families: Age 5 and up 12.00 to 16.00 (verified 2022) Cost for Schools:  Limited assistance may be provided for Title 1 Schools (verified 2022) Many major cities within our country have field trip destinations that remind us of the Holocaust as well as try to teach tolerance. In Los Angeles there is both the Museum of Tolerance and to a lesser extent some of the content at the more diverse Skirball Cultural Center which addresses many aspects of Jewish History and Life. As a parent or teacher planning a field trip to the Museum of Tolerance it is important to understand that this is a serious field trip that discusses racism and tolerance yet also provides hope for the future.

Natural History Museum 900 W Exposition Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90007

The Natural history Museum has significantly more than could be seen in one day on a field trip.  There is a nature lab, outdoor garden, gem collection, dinosaur remains and more. website:

Norton Simon Museum 411 W Colorado Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91105 A large and famous collection of global art in Pasadena. The Norton Simon will offer your field trip encounters with a large European and Asian collection of art. website:

Page Museum (La Brea Tar Pits) 5801 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036 Prehistoric animals in Los Angeles are the focus of this museum. It is at the location where they do excavation for remains. website:

Petersen Automotive Museum 6060 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036 An incredible automotive museum with a very large collection of cars consistently on display. website:

Skirball Cultural Center 2701 N Sepulveda Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90049 Jewish history and Jewish cultural museum in Los Angeles. website:

Travel Town Museum 5200 Zoo Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90027 Cost: Free This Train museum at the Gateway to Griffith Park’s entrance has many train cars and locomotives on display. There is also a train ride around the ground for a fee. website:

USS Iowa Museum 250 S Harbor Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90731 If you want to go on a real battleship and learn about United States history at the same time, this is the place.   website:

Los Angeles Parks and Gardens

There are several significant gardens including botanical gardens in the los angeles area..

Descanco Gardens 1418 Descanso Dr, La Cañada Flintridge, CA 91011 The train ride is a highlight. Please make sure that the train is running prior to visiting. Gardens of the World 2001 Thousand Oaks Blvd, Thousand Oaks, CA 91362 This garden located right by the Thousand Oaks Cultural Center.  We recommend a visiting this garden before or after a matinee performance at the cultural center. We also recommend a visit to the also free nearby Thousand Oaks Botanical garden. Griffith Park While there are garden areas within Griffith Park, Griffith Park is an extremely large park that happens to contain gardens, train rides, museums, concert venues and more. Huntington Library and Gardens 1151 Oxford Rd, San Marino, CA 91108 While the Huntington is very famous for its extensive themed gardens there are also art galleries with significant American and European holdings, sculptures on display, and a display of historical books within the public facing section of the garden. A field trip to the Huntington might be focused on their indoor museum and not the gardens, so it is very important to plan with the Huntington the type of visit you are going to have. Los Angeles website: Los Angeles County Arboretum 301 N Baldwin Ave, Arcadia, CA 91007 This is an incredible garden. Make sure you visit the greenhouses as well as the small lake. website: UCLA Botanical Garden 707 Tiverton Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90095 Cost: Free A field trip to UCLA should include a stop at the Botanical Gardens.There is an array of plants as well as water features. 

Theme Parks Field Trips with Educational Programs

Going to a theme park as a field trip is a memorable experience that students will never forget..

Disneyland 1313 Disneyland Dr, Anaheim, CA 92802 Disneyland Field Trip offerings range from a general group rate trip to a specialized trip that could teach skills such as leadership, science, or music.The Disneyland Youth Education has offerings for students from elementary age through their Grad Night at Disneyland. Knott’s Berry Farm 8039 Beach Blvd, Buena Park, CA 90620 Knott’s Berry Farm has an array of field trip offerings.A must see is the Independence Hall recreation directly accross the street from the main park entrance. Six Flags Magic Mountain 26101 Magic Mountain Pkwy, Valencia, CA 91355 Cost for field trips for families: Cost for field trips for school field trips:Six Flags Magic mountain field trips could be books to include topics related to Physics, Engineering, Math, Cartography, Art, Design, and Business skills. They also have group packages. Sea World, San Diego 500 Sea World Dr, San Diego, CA 92109 Seaworld has various education programs for families, schools, and groups. Seaworld also has a program that encourages teachers to visit. Universal Studios Hollywood 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, CA 91608 Universal Studios has a Youth Education program that welcomes groups throughout the year. The Universal Studios Hollywood theme park has both an authentic tram tour of a movie studio as well as The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.

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300+ Southern California field trips for fun and education.

13 Amazing Field Trips Every Louisianian Took As A Kid…And Should Retake Now

Kezia Kamenetz

Kezia Kamenetz is a native to southern Louisiana and lives in the Marigny neighborhood of New Orleans currently. When not writing about all the amazing things to be found in her state, her central passion is dreams and the wisdom they can offer, which you can learn more about by visiting KeziaVida.com

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Do you remember when you were a kid and it was field trip day at school? Wasn’t that just the most exciting thing in the world? We’ve found some amazing field trips you can take in the Louisiana area—whether you have kids or not. These are the best places to take field trips in Louisiana, and the most kid-friendly places in Louisiana:

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These amazing places to take your kids in Louisiana are truly special aren’t they? Do you remember visiting places like this when you were a kid? Let us know about your experiences! We love to hear your feedback.

OnlyInYourState may earn compensation through affiliate links in this article. As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

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Louisiana Field Trips

Field trips are a great way to reboot a bad homeschooling week, get out of the house when everyone has cabin fever, and learn about your local area. Before heading out, check out Jeanne's tips for improving homeschool field trips .

Our listing of Louisiana field trips for homeschoolers is ordered alphabetically by city. If you would like to submit a Louisiana field trip destination, you may do so using the red button above.

At the UCM, Louisiana's Most Eccentric Museum - This roadside attraction near New Orleans is a folk art environment with 1000s of found objects, and home made inventions. See a miniature Southern town with push-buttons that activate animated "displays." On exhibit are odd collections, memorabilia, pure junk, and old arcade machines that are a lot of fun to play.

UCM Museum - Abida Mystery House website

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Through its exhibition program of an ever-changing array of collections on loan from around the world, its extensive permanent collection of contemporary Louisiana art and the state's largest collection of North Louisiana Folk Art, AMoA entices visitors of diverse tastes.

Alexandria Museum of Art website

The park offers a wide variety of programs, classes, events and volunteer opportunities designed to enrich appreciation of wild life and wild places. The hands-on classes for home school children include a presentation and a lab activity. Students will also get to take a hands-on activity home.

Alexandria Zoological Park website

Pleasantly located on several small bluffs that extend over and into the Toledo Bend Reservoir, South Toledo Bend Reservoir State Park offers a scenic, waterfront view from many vantage points. While the reservoir is nationally recognized as a destination for bass fishing tournaments, visitors to the park can also enjoy other outdoor recreational activities such as hiking, cycling, birding, camping and enjoying the many forms of wildlife in the area.

South Toledo Bend State Park website

Take an exciting journey through the past and discover the dynamic history of Strategic Bombardment at the home of the 2nd Bomb Wing, the mighty 8th Air Force, and the new Air Force Global Strike Command. The Barksdale Global Power Museum is not only a memorial to our successes in battle, but a recognition of the many years spent training to deter war. The peacetime history of Barksdale Air Force Base is as significant as those years at war. Come out and see vintage aircraft like the venerable B-17 and B-24 bombers of World War II: along with their best "Little Friend", the P-51 Mustang. You can also see Cold War heroes such as the B-52D and B-52G Stratofortress. We will show you the highest and fastest flying jet aircraft ever - the MACH 3+ SR-71 Blackbird.

Barksdale Global Power Museum website

This 503-acre site takes its name from the French word meaning "high road," which was the route used by Native Americans many years ago in their seasonal migrations. Chemin-A-Haut State Park was designed with children in mind. Two playgrounds in the day-use area are a favorite spot of the younger patrons as is the wading pool in the swimming complex.

Chemin-A-Haut State Park website

The Capitol Park Museum tells a story of passion, adventure and discovery that could have happened only in the Bayou State. Come explore a way of life like no other.

Louisiana State Museum - Capitol Park Museum website

Louisiana's Old State Capitol, a Gothic architectural treasure, stands high on a bluff overlooking the Mississippi River. The 150-year-old statehouse has withstood war, fire, scandal, bitter debate, abandonment and an occasional fistfight. Today, the building stands as a testament to bold, inspired leadership and active citizenship. Now referred to as the Museum of Political History, the Old State Capitol has received awards for its architecture, exhibits and preservation.

Louisiana's Old State Capitol - Museum of Political History website

Magnolia Mound Plantation is a rare survivor of the vernacular architecture influenced by early settlers from France and the West Indies. This venerable landmark is unique in southern Louisiana not simply because of its age, quality of restoration, or outstanding collections, but because it is still a vital part of the community. Through educational programs, workshops, lectures, festivals, and other special events, Magnolia Mound's mission is to illustrate and interpret the lifestyle of the French Creoles who formed the fascinating culture which still influences and pervades life in southern Louisiana.

Magnolia Mound Plantation website

Welcome to the official Internet home port of the Fletcher-class destroyer USS KIDD (DD-661), the "Pirate of the Pacific." Located in the heart of scenic downtown Baton Rouge, Louisiana, she is the centerpiece of a memorial which serves to honor the men and women of our American armed forces. Examine the dented helmet of an infantryman who stormed the beaches of Normandy. Touch the names of the fallen Americans whose names are carved into the black granite walls of the Louisiana Memorial Plaza.

USS KIDD website

Encounter the past at one of the "Top 10 Outdoor museum in the World," according to the British Museum! Travel back in time in three unique areas of the Museum containing the largest collection of material culture of 19th century Louisiana, all in a safe, outdoor rural landscape: * The Exhibit Barn features hundreds of artifacts dealing with everyday rural life up to the early 20th century. * The Plantation Quarters consists of a complex of 19th century buildings - commissary, overseer's house, kitchen, slave cabins, sick house, schoolhouse, blacksmith's shop, sugar house, and grist mill - authentically furnished to replicate all the major activities of life on a typical 19th century working plantation. * Louisiana Folk Architecture is interpreted in a wonderful collection of buildings exemplifying the house types of Louisiana including - a country church, pioneer's cabin, Carolina cabin, shotgun house, Acadian house, and dogtrot house - whose divergent construction traits illustrate the various cultures of Louisiana settlers.

Rural Life Museum website

The Old Arsenal Museum, formerly known as the Powder Magazine, was built in 1838 and is the third structure to stand on this site. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the site was of particular military importance due to its location on the Mississippi River. It later served as the main defensive position of the southwestern United States. The museum contains exhibits about the structure of the historic powder magazine and the history of the State Capitol grounds.

Old Arsenal Museum website

"Where people connect with Animals". The zoo offers a Zoo Krewe program open to all teenagers 13-17 years old with a GPA of at least 3.0 or higher. Zoo Krewe is designed for youths that are thinking about a career with exotic animals and in public speaking.

Baton Rouge Zoo website

Housed in a historic railroad depot on the banks of the Mississippi River, the Louisiana Art & Science Museum offers educational entertainment for visitors of all ages. The art galleries showcase changing fine art exhibitions and selections from the permanent collection. In the interactive art and science galleries designed just for children, creative and enlightening fun comes in many forms. The Ancient Egypt Gallery houses ancient artifacts and a Ptolemaic-era mummy that rests in a re-created rock-cut tomb. The Irene W. Pennington Planetarium features sky shows, large-format films, visual music shows, and galleries devoted to space science. In the Museum Store at LASM, visitors enjoy shopping for unique handcrafted merchandise, books, toys, and a large selection of objects related to LASM's exhibits.

Louisiana Art & Science Museum website

Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center is a 103-acre facility dedicated to conservation, education, recreation and tourism. It houses an award-winning, 9500-square-foot building filled with live animal exhibits; photographic presentations of the site's flora and fauna; natural artifact displays; and a sizeable, vintage Louisiana waterfowl decoy carving collection. Ecology and art exhibits are featured periodically. Over a mile of gravel paths and boardwalks link varied habitats including cypress-tupelo swamp, beech-magnolia and hardwood forests. Programs and special events are offered year-round.

Bluebonnet Swamp Nature Center website

St. Bernard State Park is the ideal spot for visitors who are seeking a family atmosphere and natural experience, as well as for campers who don't want to or cannot stray far from civilization. Many campers consider combining a camping vacation with a touring vacation of the New Orleans area. The Chalmette National Historic Park, Jackson Barracks, and other historic sites and plantation homes are also nearby.

St. Bernard State Park website

Located on a peninsula on Caney Lake, Jimmie Davis State Park offers two boat launches and a fishing pier that cater to the sportsmen looking for a prime freshwater fishing spot. Waterskiing is another way to enjoy the clear waters of the lake, which was created by damming Caney Creek in 1986. Don't forget to look back at the lakeshore to appreciate the beautiful mixed pine and hardwood forest surrounding the lake and the birds and animals that make the forest their home.

Jimmie Davis State Park website

Welcome to the Schepis Museum of Columbia, Louisiana. Founded in 1994, the museum has grown and developed greatly over the past 10 years. Initially presenting artifactual exhibits of local interest, the museum now features varying artistic and historical exhibits.

Schepis Museum website

Cypremort Point is the only locality near the Gulf of Mexico that can be reached by car. A half-mile stretch of a man-made beach provides a delightful area for relaxing, picnicking and enjoying the water. It also affords an opportunity for fishing, crabbing, water skiing, windsurfing and, of course, sailing.

Cypremort Point State Park website

Offers visitors an outlet for a variety of watersport activities and a scenic backdrop for waterfowl migration each spring and fall. The fish and wildlife species inhabiting or migrating through the reservoir are numerous. Anglers can fish the lake year round. The region falls within the Mississippi Flyway for many winged species. Depending on the season, visitors will see cormorants, ducks, geese and pelicans.

Poverty Point Reservoir State Park website

The sands of Louisiana time seem to stand still for a moment at Destrehan Plantation. This majestic antebellum home watches over the banks of the great Mississippi River, just minutes from New Orleans. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Destrehan Plantation was established in 1787 and remains the oldest documented plantation home in the lower Mississippi River Valley.

Destrehan Plantation website

Showcases the contributions of African Americans who lived and worked on the plantations along the Mississippi River. The museum's location in Donaldsonville is significant in that it incorporates the stories and unique history and landmarks of the Donaldsonville area which once was the capital of Louisiana.

River Road African American Museum website

Situated on the western shore of Lake Bistineau, this park offers a satisfying blend of beautiful vistas and outstanding recreational facilities. Memorable for its upland mixed hardwood forest, its open waters, and its enchanting stands of cypress and tupelo trees, the park offers two boat launches, hiking and biking trails, playgrounds, two swimming pools, a lakefront beach, camping, cabins, lodges, and excellent fishing!

Lake Bistineau State Park website

Calling all homeschoolers! Baby animals and Spring on the farm are just a few things kids will learn about on their field trip to CM Farms. All 4-hour field trips include a wagon ride around the farm, LIVE milking demonstrations, meet 'n' feed time with farm animals, and an explanation of how food is grown in the Hamburger Garden. Enjoy loads of playground time (Jumping Pillow, Dirt Mountain Slide, Rubber Duck Races, Diggers Sand Pile, and more). Add-on options including Easter Egg Hunts, Gemstone Mining, and U-Pick Strawberries are available. Ages 3 and up.

CM Farms LLC website

Located in northeastern Louisiana, Poverty Point commemorates a culture that thrived during the first and second millennia B.C. This site, which contains some of the largest prehistoric earth works in North America, is managed by the state of Louisiana. These state park facilities are open to the public.

Poverty Point National Monument website

Piney forests, rolling hills, five fishing piers, and a beautiful lake draw visitors to this quiet, majestic state park. Designed to keep the focus on nature, park facilities blend with the natural landscape to enhance the outdoor experience of this 655-acre park.

Lake D'Arbonne State Park website

Previously known as the Ferriday Museum and housed in the old post office, the Delta Music Museum is located in Concordia Parish just minutes away from historic Natchez, Miss. Ferriday is the birthplace of entertainers Jerry Lee Lewis and Mickey Gilley, evangelist Jimmy Swaggart and blues trombonist Leon "PeeWee" Whittaker. See exhibits focusing on the history and culture of Louisiana's and Mississippi's Delta region music and visit the museum's hall of fame.

Delta Music Museum website

Over 700 acres of wild and cultivated beauty, Hodges Gardens State Park, located in Sabine Parish, is a unique member of the State park system. Originally designed and opened to the public in 1956 by oil and gas businessman A.J. Hodges Sr., the site's gardens consist of a variety of plants and flowers, from a formal rose garden to a collection of Japanese Red Maple trees.

Hodges Gardens State Park website

Our Mission is to focus attention on Louisiana's Historic buildings; to promote interest in the study of Louisiana's architectural heritage; to disseminate information on Louisiana's landmarks and to support their preservation. Through the Society's management and maintenance of the Grevemberg House Museum, the vitality of 19th century life in south Louisiana is showcased, thus making the past more meaningful to present and future generations.

Grevemberg House Museum website

This is Grand Isle State Park--a natural haven on the most popular barrier island off the coast of Louisiana. A beach ridge created by the action of the waves of the Gulf, Grand Isle serves as a breakwater between the Gulf and the network of inland channels that connect to the bayou tributaries of the Mississippi River. It is also the launching point for excellent deep-sea salt-water fishing adventures.

Grand Isle State Park website

The Gretna Historical Society welcomes you to its Museum Complex of historic buildings, blacksmith shop, guided tours and gift shop, in the midst of one of the nation's largest National Register Historic Districts. Gretna, Louisiana, an old German town, is replete with shot-gun houses (singles and doubles), camel back houses and Creole cottages. And it's all across the Mississippi River from New Orleans.

Gretna Historical Society Museum website

Civil War Tours of New Orleans is the only guided Civil War tour west of Nashville, Tennessee. Started three years ago by a historian, former Park Ranger for the State of Louisiana and the National Park Service, and a student of the Civil War for over thirty years, Civil War Tours of New Orleans offers tours that cover the significance of New Orleans during the Civil War. Topics covered on our most popular tour, the French Quarter, will touch on secession, economics, politics, social history, and Union occupation.

New Orleans French Quarter website

History of Claiborne Parish. The museum today includes a chronological timeline from the arrival of the original settlers with an Indian period and a Pioneer period. An actual log cabin that was acquired in the late summer of 1982 from the George Green Estate was disassembled at its present location and reassembled inside the museum.

H.S. Ford Memorial Museum website

Take your pick: swimming, fishing, birding, boating of all kinds, waterskiing, camping, hiking or just plain relaxing and enjoying unsurpassed natural beauty. It's all here . . . at Lake Claiborne State Park. For fishermen, the freshwater lake was lavishly stocked with largemouth bass, bluegill sunfish, channel catfish, black crappie, striped bass, chain pickerel, bream, and white perch. The lake itself, at full reservoir level, has a surface area of 6,400 acres.

Lake Claiborne State Park website

Southdown Plantation House is a 19th-century sugar manor house and home to the Terrebonne Museum of history and culture. Exhibits include original bedroom furniture of the Minor family and other antique furnishings; a history and culture room; a Mardi Gras room; a Native Peoples room; changing works by local artists; a sugar industry room; Boehm and Doughty porcelain birds; Charles Gilbert art collection; Thad St. Martin literature collection; a re-creation of the Washington, D.C office of U.S. Senator Allen J. Ellender; and a restored 1880's plantation worker's cabin.

Southdown Plantation House website

Ah-Louisiana, The Land of the Acadians: Wildfowl Carvers. Wildfowl decoys are not only a work of art as a carved and painted sculpture, but also a piece of history. Unique to North America, the wildfowl decoy is folklore, a form of regional art. Decoys depict bird species found along our waterways, and become history of a people, a time, and a place.

Zigler Museum website

The Saints Hall of Fame has brand new exhibits and memorabilia covering the entire history of the New Orleans Saints from the awarding of and formation of the franchise to the present. Fans can review a time line tracing the history of the team through the years, enjoy the Saints Theater with highlight films from every season in team history, check out the lockerroom display, the broadcast studio, the great moments in Saints history video, the actual playing surface on the floor of the Superdome, updated standings boards, the all-time team display, and the Hall of Honors with all of the busts and portraits of previously inducted Saints Hall of Famers.

Saints Hall of Fame Museum website

The Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum offers a number of educational programs for children. International Children's Museum, Docent led tours and academic enrichment programs all designed for students grades K through 8th.

Paul and Lulu Hilliard University Art Museum website

The Nature Station and its accompanying 3+mile trail system is owned and operated by the Division of Arts & Culture, in the Department of Community Development, Lafayette Consolidated Government. Environmental education programming began here in 1974 as an offshoot of our parent organization, the Lafayette Natural History Museum. As a result of increasing demand for our programs, the Nature Station was constructed in 1978. Since that time, our staff has conducted field trips, workshops, and other educational activities and programs for many thousands of school children and adults alike.

Acadiana Park Nature Station website

As a folklife museum, Acadian Village offers an authentic vision of Acadian society in South Louisiana during the 19th century. Period homes of Acadian architecture have been restored to their original appearance and furnished with antiques native to the area.

Acadian Village website

The Children's Museum of Acadiana (CMA) is a hands-on participatory museum serving children and their families, schools, and community organizations by providing interactive exhibits, special services, performances, and workshops.

Childrens Museum of Acadiana website

Vermilionville authentically portrays a way of life preserved with a distinctly French accent. Situated on the banks of the Bayou Vermilion, this Cajun/Creole heritage and folklife park recreates life in the Acadiana area between 1765 and 1890. The beautiful grounds, which are laid out as an historic village, contain eighteen structures, including six restored original homes. In most of the structures, costumed interpreters demonstrate traditional crafts or musical styles.

Vermilionville website

Historic City Hall Arts & Cultural Center is a public art and history gallery, which showcases numerous traveling exhibitions from around the world. It is also the home to Black Heritage Gallery and Gallery by the Lake. Both galleries give spotlight to dozens of regional and local artists. The Center features three floors of gallery space, a clock tower, and a landscaped brick plaza. Traveling exhibitions by well-known artists Pablo Picasso, Norman Rockwell, and Tasha Tudor have visited the Center, as well as historic exhibits.

Historic City Hall Arts and Cultural Center website

The Children's Museum, established by the Junior League of Lake Charles in 1988, is the home of 19,000 square feet of hands-on exhibits for kids and parents. The museum has three floors and over 45 hands-on exhibits that provide children and their parents the opportunity to interact, learn and have fun in a safe atmosphere. It offers field trips, birthday parties and special events year round.

Children's Museum of SWLA website

The Imperial Calcasieu Museum is a leading cultural and educational resource for the Lake Charles community, providing model education an outreach activities.

Imperial Calcasieu Museum website

Originally named for the Texas folk hero who traveled extensively in the western reaches of Louisiana, Sam Houston Jones was given its current name in honor of the state's 37th governor, who was instrumental in setting aside this tract of land for the public to enjoy. Abundant wildlife inhabits the area. The park is located just north of the most productive birding region of Louisiana. The numerous waterways in this area make water sports a natural highlight at the park. The three hiking trails winding through this beautiful park make strolling or serious hiking, pleasurable.

Sam Houston Jones State Park website

The museum is dedicated to preserving the history and heritage of cotton cultivation and its influence on life in Louisiana.

Louisiana State Cotton Museum website

Southern Forest Heritage Museum is the oldest complete sawmill facility in the South. This complex is unique in that it is a complete sawmill complex dating from the early 20th century, and that it has the most complete collection of steam-powered logging and milling equipment known to exist. The museum is spread over a 57 acre area. On the property is the commissary, providing an entrance to the museum, the Planer Mill, the Planer Mill Power Plant, the Water Pumping Station, the Round House, the Machine Shop, the Carknocker Shop, the Sawmill, the Sawmill Power Plant, and Storage Sheds. Railroad equipment that can be seen at the museum includes three locomotives, a McGiffert Loader, and a rare Clyde Rehaul Skidder. In addition, one can see many artifacts that were left in place when the mill closed February 14, 1969.

Southern Forest Heritage Museum website

Scattered throughout the park beneath a canopy of huge oak trees, you will find numerous picnic tables, as well as a group pavilion, a playground, and comfort stations. Spend a relaxing afternoon on the river or venture out into the water for lively outdoor recreation. When you enter the park, you will notice a large home facing the water. This is Otis House, originally built in the 1880s.

Fairview-Riverside State Park website

The crumbling brick ruins of a sugar mill built in 1829 by Bernard de Marigny de Mandeville, founder of the nearby town of Mandeville, suggest an interesting history for this site, and indeed there is. The 2,800-acre park is located on the shore of Lake Pontchartrain. On a clear day, visitors can see the lake dotted with multi-colored sailboats of all sizes and types. The sandy beach also is a delight for sunbathers. An old railroad track that runs through the park has been converted into the Tammany Trace as a part of the Rails to Trails program. It is a wonderful route for cycling, hiking and in-line skating.

Fontainebleau State Park website

Tramploline park offering open jump time and private parties.

Surge Trampoline Park website

The Germantown Colony and Museum, located northeast of Minden, provides visitors with a look into the past, to a way of life once believed by its founders to be a utopia. The colony is one of three founded in the U.S. in the early 19th century by the Utopian Movement of the Harmonist Society, which originated in Germany. In 1835, under the leadership of the Countess von Leon, the colony was established and operated on a communal basis until 1871.

Germantown Colony and Museum website

The largest visual arts museum in northeast Louisiana, and is a vital part of our local culture. Because admission is always free, all members of our community can expand their horizons through the museum's many and diverse offerings.

Masur Museum of Art website

Permanent exhibits include, Kids' Cafe, Health Hall, the Think Tank and Toddler Town. The museum also hosts a variety of changing traveling exhibits centered on hands-on learning.

Northeast Louisiana Children's Museum website

Preservation and Promotion of African-American Contributions and Culture Through Public Education, Artistic and Cultural Events.

Northeast Louisiana Delta African American Heritage Museum website

The Biedenharn is an exciting place with many activities including guided tours, special exhibits, children's programs, concerts and more.

Biedenharn Museum and Gardens website

International Petroleum Museum and Exposition is a non-profit corporation established for the purpose of educating the general public, and the next generation, on the significance of the offshore oil and gas industry and its affect on the local area, the state, the nation, and the world.

International Petroleum Museum and Exposition website

Hola! Bienvenidos al Camino Real de los Tejas National Historic Trail. Come on a journey that will carry you through 300 years of Texas and Louisiana frontier settlement and development.

El Camino Real de Los Tejas National Historic Trail website

Wander thoughtfully through the grounds of Oakland and Magnolia Plantations. While admiring a hand-wrought door hinge or a cleverly-worked wooden gate, we might reflect on the social and agricultural practices that built these tenant houses, pigeonniers, carpenter and blacksmith shops.

Cane River Creole National Historical Park website

A place where many cultures - American Indian, French, Spanish, African, Creole, and later American - came together to create a way of life dependent on the land, the river, and each other.

Cane River National Heritage Area website

The Shadows-on-the-Teche is an antebellum historic house museum property of the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Dedicated to telling the story of life on a nineteenth-century southern Louisiana plantation. Located in the lush semi-tropical city of New Iberia, Louisiana, set among towering live oak trees, draped with Spanish moss swaying in the breeze off the Bayou Teche, bathed by the sunlight as it gently shines across the trees casting shadows on the house and the flowing muddy waters of the bayou.

Shadows on the Teche website

Lose yourself in a wonderland of flora and fauna, a twenty five-acre semi tropical paradise that captures the senses and cleanses the soul. Discover a year-round explosion of color where irises, magnolias, hibiscus, camellias, azaleas, thousands of springtime bulbs and a breathtaking array of annuals paint a landscape across the Southern sky.

Rip Van Winkle Gardens website

Bring your class to the New Orleans Botanical Garden and take a natural science tour both you and your students will enjoy! Knowledgeable tour guides share interesting and amazing facts about the plants, animals, insects and living fossils encountered on a stroll through their garden. To register, call (504) 483-9470 or e-mail [email protected] Age group: Kindergarten - 8th Grade, Tour fee: $4/student Requirements: Free entry for chaperones (one per 8 students required). Additional chaperones are $6/each. Reservations are required two weeks in advance.

New Orleans Botanical Garden website

The mission of the New Orleans Museum of Art is to inspire the love of art; to collect, preserve, exhibit and present excellence in the visual arts; to educate, challenge and engage a diverse public.

New Orleans Museum of Art website

The Louisiana Children's Museum is New Orleans' most playful place to explore, experience and learn. Plan a fun family outing. Enroll your child in a dynamic art holiday or summer camp. Organize a field trip or let the LCM bring the fun and learning to your classroom with unique outreach programs that make classroom lessons come to life.

Louisiana Children's Museum website

Field trips at Grow Dat provide hands-on, experiential learning opportunities to students in grades K-8. The seven-acre site in New Orleans City Park hosts a 2.5-acre farm, produce handling and storage facilities, and a lush, dynamic wild space along our Birding Corridor, which runs parallel to the bayou on the west side of our campus. There are three curriculum tracks that incorporate these interactive spaces on the farm to engage students in science and social studies concepts throughout the field trip learning experience. Go to growdatyouthfarm.org/fieldtrips for more info!

Grow Dat Youth Farm website

The National WWII Museum of New Orleans offers a wealth of information for learning about World War II. In addition to the casualty statistics listed on this page, you can find articles profiling veterans and service members, lessons and educator resources, and resources for additional research.

National WWII Museum: Worldwide Casualties website

One of New Orleans' best known historic homes. The Beauregard-Keyes House, built in 1826 for wealthy auctioneer Joseph LeCarpentier, is a fine example of a raised center hall house. It is named for two of its former residents, Confederate General Pierre Gustave Toutant (P.G.T.) Beauregard and author Frances Parkinson Keyes. In addition to public tours, the house and garden are available for private events, including weddings, receptions and parties. Listed on the National Registry of Historic Places

Beauregard-Keyes House website

The only Creole colonial style house museum in New Orleans. It tells the story of life along Bayou St. John since the earliest days of settlement. The Pitot House has had a variety of owners from prominent lawyers to austere nuns. One of the most prominent was James Pitot, the first American mayor of New Orleans who lived here from 1810-1819. The Pitot House is a National Trust for Historic Preservation Partner Place.

Pitot House website

A Victorian Mansion, Wedding Chapel and Dollhouse Museum. This architectural gem is an impressive feat of engineering. In addition to being beautiful, the house is also very interesting. The original two story home built in 1850 was lifted in 1884 by Wm. Renaud, who added the magnificent first floor as a spacious setting for family weddings, receptions and parties. On the second floor, enter the magical wonderland of an extensive dollhouse collection that was personally designed and decorated by the owner, author and Polish Countess, Bonnie Broel, over a period of fifteen years. The enchanting collection of over sixty historically accurate scale model mansions, houses, shops and vignettes includes an English manor house, an antebellum plantation and a 28 room Russian palace, 10 ft. tall & 12 ft. wide.

House of Broel website

The Historic New Orleans Collection is a museum, research center, and publisher dedicated to the study and preservation of the history and culture of New Orleans and the Gulf South region.

Historic New Orleans Collection website

Listed on the National Register of Historic Places as an historic building within the Vieux Carre Historic District, the New Orleans Pharmacy Museum showcases its extensive collection and provides interpretive educational programs to present and preserve the rich history of pharmacy and healthcare in Louisiana; past and present. The Museum also highlights the role of Louis Joseph Dufilho, Jr. whose work symbolizes the beginning of a system of certifying the professional competence of pharmacists, and recognizing the vital significance of that competence for the public health.

New Orleans Pharmacy Museum website

The museum tells the history of Italian Americans in the Southeast and their contributions to all areas of our daily lives through photographs, articles, family histories, and memorabilia. The museum memorabilia are displayed on different walls identified and categorized by themes such as Societies and Festivals, Music, the Immigrant, Genealogy, Personalities, and much more.

American Italian Cultural Center website

Visit the Official Museum of The Louisiana National Guard. See artifacts, weapons and memorabilia from every major American war.

Jackson Barracks Military Museum website

Audubon Nature Institute is a 501(c)3 not for profit that operates a family of museum and park dedicated to nature. These New Orleans facilities include: Audubon Park, Audubon Zoo, Woldenberg Riverfront Park, Audubon Aquarium of the Americas, Freeport-McMoRan Audubon Species Survival Center, Entergy IMAX® Theatre, Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species, Audubon Wilderness Park, Audubon Insectarium and Audubon Nature Institute Foundation.

Audubon Nature Institute website

A National Historic Landmark in New Orleans, Louisiana. Longue Vue features Classical Revival style buildings and landscaped gardens, a magnificent collection of European and American decorative and fine arts pieces, museum exhibits, entertaining tours, educational programs, and a delightful museum shop.

Longue Vue House and Gardens website

An elegant Spanish colonial building that houses many rare artifacts of America's history. Among them is Napoleon's death mask, one of only four in existence.

The Cabildo website

The Presbytere, originally called Casa Curial or "Ecclesiastical House," was built on the site of the residence, or presbytere, of the Capuchin monks. The building was used for commercial purposes until 1834 when it became a courthouse. In 1911, it became part of the Louisiana State Museum. The Presbytere's two permanent exhibits tell two sides of the ongoing Louisiana story; one of celebration and one of resilience.

The Presbytere website

Gallier House - In 1857, esteemed New Orleans architect, James Gallier, Jr., put his considerable talen to work designing a residence of his own. Gallier House is an outstanding example of accurate and comprehensive historic restoration of one of New Orleans' loveliest and time-honored landmarks. - Experience this wonderfully furnished home with its detailed garden, elegant carriageway and slave quarters. Hermann-Grima House - Prior to the Civil War, prosperous Creole families enjoyed an elegant lifestyle in the Vieux Carre. Walk through this meticulously restored residence and experience the Golden Age of New Orleans. Built in 1831, the Hermann-Grima House is one of the most significant residences in New Orleans. This handsome Federal mansion with its courtyard garden boasts the only horse stable and functional 1830s outdoor kitchen in the French Quarter. Painstakingly restored to its original splendor through archaeological studies and careful review of the building contract and inventories, the museum complex accurately depicts the gracious lifestyle of a prosperous Creole family in the years from 1830 to 1860.

Gallier House/Hermann-Grima House website

Confederate veterans of Louisiana founded Memorial Hall, also known as the Confederate Museum, in New Orleans in 1891 as a repository for their memorabilia from the War Between the States. These veterans and their families have donated more than 90% of the artifacts preserved and now exhibited in Memorial Hall. Memorial Hall contains the second largest collection of Confederate memorabilia in the United States and is the oldest continually operating museum in Louisiana.

Louisiana's Civil War at Confederate Memorial Hall website

Renowned historian, author and educator, Dr. Stephen Ambrose founded The National World War II Museum Foundation in New Orleans in 1991. The Museum, which opened on June 6, 2000, is the only museum in the United States that addresses all of the amphibious invasions or "D-Days" of World War II, honoring the more than one million Americans who took part in this global conflict. The National World War II Museum opened its doors on the 56th anniversary of the Normandy invasion that liberated Europe. It is located in New Orleans, Louisiana because it was here that Andrew Higgins built the landing craft used in the amphibious invasions; the landing craft which President Eisenhower believed won the war for the Allies. The Museum stands as our country's tribute to the men and women who made the invasions in Europe, Africa and the Pacific theaters successful. It presents their stories to an international audience, preserves material for research and scholarship, and inspires future generations to apply the lessons learned from the most complex military operation ever staged.

The National World War II Museum website

A story rich with innovation, experimentation, controversy and emotion, the park provides an ideal setting to share the cultural history of the people and places that helped shape the development and progression of jazz in New Orleans.

New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park website

Jean Lafitte was a French pirate and privateer in the Gulf of Mexico in the early 19th century. The park tells the story of pirates and treasures of the times, as well as, the New Orleans culture that has shaped the area. Website has educational information for those unable to visit the park in person.

Jean Lafitte National Historical Park and Preserve website

The Sankofa Wetland Park & Nature Trail project is restoring 40 acres of a deteriorated natural area adjacent to the Bayou Bienvenue Triangle into a bald cypress-water tupelo wetland habitat. The already-developed 8 acre Wetland Park offers outdoor recreation and STEM education with hiking, biking, natural play, fishing, and birding. Youth learn about wetland conservation and green infrastructure through activities such as water quality testing, flora and fauna species identification, and planting of native trees.

Sankofa Wetland Park and Nature Trail website

The Lousiana State Museum is a complex of national landmarks housing thousands of artifacts and works of art reflecting Louisiana's legacy of historic events and cultural diversity. The Museum operates five properties in the famous French Quarter: the Cabildo, Presbytere, 1850 House, Old U.S. Mint and Madame John's Legacy. Also the Louisiana State Museum - Patterson in Patterson, Louisiana State Museum - Baton Rouge, the Old Courthouse in Natchitoches, and the E.D. White Historic Site in Thibodeaux.

Louisiana State Museum website

The Pointe Coupee Parish Museum, located on the west bank of False River near Parlange Plantation, is architecturally significant because it is a rare example of a log cabin type construction in a Creole type house. The original portion of the house dates from the early 19th century. It has a typical Creole plan, consisting of two rooms, front and rear galleries, and a single central chimney.

Pointe Coupee Parish Museum website

Chronicles the growth of Oil City with exhibits featuring the Caddo Indians and a variety of early oil-field equipment. The museum was formed in 1969 by a group of citizens dedicated to preserving the historical importance of the area as the site of the 1911 "Ferry No. 1" well, one of the world's first over-water discovery wells. Artifacts include a wooden flow line pipe, an electric motor patented in 1899, a steam-driven fluid pump, pipe tongs and other equipment. There is also a large collection of early boomtown and gusher photographs. Another part of the museum, the Caddo Indian Room, features Caddo Indian relics and arrowheads dating back 10,000 years. And, be sure to visit the oil derrick and historic boomtown buildings just outside the museum.

Louisiana State Oil and Gas Museum website

The Opelousas Museum and Interpretive Center is a general history museum dedicated to collecting, preserving, and interpreting those objects and artifacts which provide information about the history and culture of the Opelousas area from prehistoric times to the present. Exhibits cover prehistory, agriculture, home and family, business and professions, music, food and a Hall of Fame. One room is dedicated to the Civil War, and two other rooms house the Geraldine Smith Welch Doll Collection of over 400 dolls. The museum is also home to the Louisiana Video Collection Library and the Southwest Louisiana Zydeco Music Festival Archives.

Opelousas Museum and Interpretive Center website

The Louisiana State Museum, Patterson is the official state aviation and cypress sawmill industry museum and houses two very important collections documenting our state's rich history. The Wedell-Williams Aviation Collection focuses on the legacy of Louisiana aviation pioneers Jimmie Wedell and Harry Williams who formed an air service in Patterson in the 1928. Both men became nationally prominent during what was known as the Golden Age of Aviation. Although both Wedell and Williams perished in plane crashes, their legacy lives on in the memorabilia and planes on display. The Patterson Cypress Sawmill Collection documents the history of the cypress lumber industry in Louisiana. Lumbering became the state's first significant manufacturing industry. As a result, cypress lumber harvested and milled in Louisiana was shipped in mass quantities across the United States. The town of Patterson was once home to the largest cypress sawmill in the world, owned by Frank B. Williams, and in 1997 the Louisiana State Legislature designated Patterson as the cypress capitol of Louisiana. The exhibit features a variety of artifacts, photographs, and film that tell the story of this important regional industry.

Wedell-Williams Aviation and Cypress Sawmill Museum website

Pleasant Hill re-enactments and activities in the re-enactors camp will take place 3 miles north of Pleasant Hill at 23271 Hwy. 175, Pelican, LA. Early April. Check website for information and schedule for Education Day.

Battle of Pleasant Hill website

A great interactive field trip for 6th-12th graders sponsored by Dow. Experience what modern manufacturing is today, in a way you've never seen it before. Students enter a challenge every ten minutes, competing against the clock to bust myths, solve riddles, crack codes, solve problems and work together to create their future.

Creators Wanted at RPCC Campus, Plaquemine website

The Iberville Museum is located in the first Iberville Parish Courthouse. It houses artifacts of life in the parish from the early 1900s and features a Mardi Gras Room, complete with costumes of kings and queens of past carnival balls.

Iberville Museum website

The Louisiana Military Museum contains a unique collection of exhibits chronicling our conflicts from the Spanish American War, Civil War, World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm and today's war on terror. The museum features an expansive weapons collection, from swords and muskets to heavy machine guns. In addition, artillery pieces are displayed on the grounds.

North Louisiana Military Museum website

Our educational fieldtrips combine age-appropriate STEM based, hands-on learning with educational talks and up-close animal encounters! During your interactive visit students will gain a deeper understanding and appreciation of the earth's oceans and the creatures that inhabit them. Our fieldtrips include grade-level appropriate guided tours, animal feedings, biology lessons and more!

Shreveport Aquarium website

The Meadows Museum of Art at Centenary College of Louisiana is an educational unit of the College charged with the collection, conservation, preservation and interpretation of visual art works of museum quality from the permanent College Collection inclusive of the Indochina Collection of Jean Despujols. This comprehensive Collection represents the aesthetic achievements of a variety of world cultures and includes works by George Grosz, Emilio Amero, Mary Cassatt and Alfred Maurer. The Meadows Museum of Art has received a copy of The Triumphal Arch of Maximiliian I by Northern Renaissance artist and engraver Albrecht Durer.

Meadows Museum of Art website

Touchstone Wildlife and Art Museum includes more than 1,000 mounted animals from around the world displayed in natural habitats with hand painted backgrounds. The museum also features displays of American Indian artifacts and various memorabilia from the Civil War, World War I and World War II.

Touchstone Wildlife and Art Museum website

Free to the public for enjoyment and enlightenment, The R.W. Norton Art Gallery is a non-profit museum built in 1966 which features original works of American and European art. With the addition of the South Wing in 1991 and the North Wing in 2003, the Norton has continued to expand its permanent collection and bring outstanding art exhibitions from all over the country to the greater Shreveport area. Explore the Norton online and plan your next visit to experience its amazing art and gorgeous gardens.

R.W. Norton Art Gallery website

The Multicultural Center of the South is located in Downtown Shreveport and is host to numerous cultural exhibits that display a variety of cultures prominent in Northwest Louisiana. Students through grades Pre-K and up are welcome to take a vicarious journey through cultural exhibits such as Mexico, Iran, Greece, Ireland, Africa, India, China, Korea, and more! Tours with activity are available by appointment and are tailored to fit each grade level.

Multicultural Center of the South website

In 1929 the building was dedicated to soldiers and used as barracks and a place to house the early radar systems. In 1948 the building was used to start the Louisiana hayride to showcase new musicians. This is where Hank Williams, Johnny Cash and Elvis Presley all got their start.

Shreveport Municipal Auditorium website

To cultivate and preserve African American History. To Increase awareness and recognize African American contributions. To foster and promote African American artists.

Stephens African American Museum website

Sci-Port: Louisiana's Science Center provides a fun, educational environment for people of all ages to explore and actively engage in the world of mathematics, science and technology. Sci-Port serves to spark curiosity about the world around us, provides hands-on tools for using scientific discovery in everyday life, and encourages a passion for life-long learning. Sci-Port is a 92,000 square-foot science and entertainment center in Shreveport-Bossier, featuring over 290 science, space science, technology and math exhibits; daily changing programs, an IMAX Dome Theatre, open-access, interactive, laser SPACE DOME Planetarium, gift shop and cafe.

Sci-Port: Louisiana's Science Center website

The Spring Street Historical Museum's building was constructed in the 1860s as Tally's Bank and is one of the oldest remaining buildings in downtown Shreveport. The building retains one of Northwest Louisiana's few remaining examples of New Orleans-style cast-iron gallery grill work.

Spring Street Historical Museum website

Strolling through four ecosystems on over a mile of boardwalks through Tickfaw State Park, visitors can experience the sights and sounds of a cypress/tupelo swamp, a bottomland hardwood forest, a mixed pine/hardwood forest and the Tickfaw River.

Tickfaw State Park website

There are over 3,000 acres of water surface on Lake Bruin, and the visitors to Lake Bruin State Park have access to every acre for incomparable freshwater fishing, superb water sports and fine outdoor living. The 53-acre site was originally established in 1928 as a fish hatchery.

Lake Bruin State Park website

Honors the 3,000 men, women and children who found refuge in Louisiana after British forces exiled them from Acadie, their homeland on the Atlantic Coast of Canada, in the mid 18th century.

Acadian Memorial website

The African American Museum tells the story of the arrival of the Africans and of the development of the Free People of Color community in Louisiana. The museum also interprets their struggles, adaptations and contributions, with particular emphasis on the Attakapas District of Southwest Louisiana during the 18th and 19th centuries. It outlines the rise and fall of slavery, highlighting the Free People of Color and the economic struggles they faced during Reconstruction after the Civil War, through the end of Reconstruction..

African American Museum website

Lake Fausse Pointe State Park, at the edge of a beautiful water wilderness, is a perfect point from which to explore the natural and cultural heritage of South Louisiana. Fishing, boating and canoeing opportunities abound. A boat launch gives visitors easy access to the labyrinth of waterways that winds through the Basin. A visitor center complex features a boat dock with rentals, and a nature center provides fun programs and activities as a way to learn about the surrounding environment.

Lake Fausse Pointe State Park website

Family friendly farm raising many different farm animals. Field trips consist of a mule driven hayride, walking tour to pet and feed the various farm animals, and a barrel train ride. Groups may bring picnic lunches to enjoy on picnic tables or spread out a blanket underneath one of our many huge live oak trees. In the Fall, we will have a pumpkin patch with a chart on how to grow a pumpkin. We will also have tools to weigh and measure your pumpkin. We have scavenger hunts available upon request.

Almosta Ranch website

Our mission is preserving and enriching the culture of Southwest Louisiana. To accomplish this goal, we are currently working on a permanent exhibit on the history of the sulfur industry and how it has played a role in developing the city of Sulphur, Louisiana.

Brimstone Museum website

Camp Moore was the largest Confederate training camp in Louisiana and the only Confederate training camp still open to the public.

Camp Moore Confederate Cemetery and Museum website

The cool, clear waters of Lake Chicot have yielded record freshwater catches of largemouth bass, crappie, bluegill and red-ear sunfish. An extensive hiking/backpacking trail completely encircles Lake Chicot and includes several primitive campsites along the way. The park includes cabins, a group camp, a lodge, picnic areas and playgrounds, a swimming pool, a boat launch, a fishing pier and a dock with rental boats.

Chicot State Park website

Bayou Segnette State Park offers the best of everything. Just a thirty-minute drive across the Mississippi River from New Orleans, a multitude of recreational opportunities awaits visitors of all ages--boating, fishing, canoeing, picnicking, playgrounds and, of course, swimming in the wave pool, as well as an ecosystem that offers you the chance to spot plants, trees and wildlife from both swamps and marshland.

Bayou Segnette State Park website

Winnfield is considered to be the birthplace of politics in Louisiana, for it is the home of three governors. The museum has accumulated over 100,000 artifacts and memorabilia relating to politicians and politics in Louisiana. There are life-sized mannequins of the two famous brothers, Huey and Earl Long. Frequently you can hear recordings of the speeches made by both men being played as visitors look back into the political past of Winnfield. Each of the inductees into the Hall has his own display with a caricature drawn by famed political cartoonist Pap Dean, who is also a member of the Hall of Fame. Currently there are 120 inductees into the Political Hall of Fame.

Louisiana Political Museum and Hall of Fame website

Located on Toledo Bend Reservoir, one of the country's largest man-made reservoirs, North Toledo Bend State Park provides a venue for a wide variety of water-related activities in a pleasant environment. And for land-based activities, more than 900 acres are available for camping, picnicking, hiking, and relaxing in the heart of nature.

North Toledo Bend State Park website

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Top Field Trip Destinations in Los Angeles

With its beautiful beaches and Hollywood glitz and glamour, Los Angeles is undeniably one of the coolest cities in the US. LA’s wide selection of museums and learning centers makes it that much cooler! From ancient art to space exploration and dinosaurs to local wildlife, the city has locations to educate and inspire curious minds of all ages. School groups, summer camps, and community organizations have plenty of options to choose from when organizing a field trip in Los Angeles .

How to Get Around Los Angeles

If you’re an Angeleno, you know LA traffic can be an absolute nightmare. You also probably know that public transportation around the city is a less than efficient travel option. So carpooling or taking public transport anywhere can be tough for any type of group trip . School buses are usually a great option for groups traveling for school trips and camp outings, but they can quickly get uncomfortable in SoCal heat. This is when a bus rental in Los Angeles  can come in handy! Champion Charter Bus services the entire West Coast with minibuses and full-sized charter buses for a variety of events.

A charter bus can come with additional amenities to keep students, campers, and chaperones comfortable and entertained if stuck in LA gridlock. Each rental from Champion Charter Bus will include plush seats and a climate-controlled cabin for optimal comfort. Worried about kids getting bored or rowdy on the bus? Request a motorcoach with WiFi for students to play games, stream music, or work on digital assignments. Are you traveling with younger kids? Book a charter bus with TVs and DVD players to put on a popular movie to pass the time. Just ask your Champion Charter Bus reservation expert about available amenities when you call 310-295-9547 .

Students and chaperones can sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride as a professional driver safely transports you to one of these educational destinations in LA:

Griffith Observatory

Address : 2800 E Observatory Rd, Los Angeles, CA 90027

Phone : 213-473-0800

Located on a peak of Mount Hollywood in sprawling Griffith Park, Griffith Observatory is the premier Los Angeles educational spot to learn about the cosmos. The observatory has interactive exhibits about the solar system, planetarium shows, a variety of telescopes that are publicly accessible in the evening, and even a Tesla coil. The grounds also offer amazing views of the LA cityscape and the famous Hollywood Sign on nearby Mount Lee.

Griffith Observatory welcomes visitors of all ages, but organized school programs are only available for fifth-grade students. Summer camps, community organizations, or privately organized school groups from other grades can still visit the observatory for a free self-guided tour. The program is absolutely free for California fifth-grade students with an advanced phone reservation. You’ll need one chaperone for every ten students, and supervised groups can freely explore the observatory after the guided program.

Charter bus travel tip : Students attending the Griffith Observatory School Program must arrive by bus to keep everyone together and the program running according to schedule. Your charter bus driver will drop your group off at the end of the observatory’s driveway before parking elsewhere in Griffith Park. Nearby parking is available at the Greek Theatre (as long as there isn’t a show or event) and in the Ferndell Section 9 lot.

The Getty Center

Address :1200 Getty Center Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90049

Phone : 310-440-7300

The Getty Center (often just referred to as “The Getty” in conjunction with the Getty Villa in Malibu) is among Los Angeles’s top art museums. It has an impressive American and European art collection that includes more than 1,000 works from Vincent van Gogh, Claude Monet, and Paul Cézanne. Along with its art collection, The Getty is also known for its perfectly-manicured gardens and the modern architecture of its six buildings. Guests from young to old can learn about art, history, and architecture and marvel at the gorgeous greenery outdoors.

Admission to The Getty is always free, and student groups are welcome to visit Tuesday through Friday. You’ll just need to request a visit time online and specify whether your group will need a guided visit or if you’ll be doing a self-guided tour. Guided tours will last about one hour, and groups will need at least one chaperone per 15 students. The museum can accommodate groups of up to 120 students. Larger groups will need to submit two visit requests for separate days.

Charter bus travel tip : Garage parking at The Getty is free for everyone. School groups traveling by charter bus will be notified of where to park when their trip is confirmed. If any chaperones plan to drive their own vehicles, you’ll need to let the museum know ahead of time so parking can be reserved.

Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHM)

Address : 900 W Exposition Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90007

Phone : 213-763-3466

From dinosaur fossils to live critters, The Natural History Museum of Los Angeles (NHM) has plenty to capture the interest of young minds. The NHM is the largest natural history museum on the West Coast. The most popular exhibit at the NHM is Dinosaur Hall, a newly-opened section filled with more than 300 dinosaur fossils like well-preserved bones and full-scale models of the T. rex and triceratops. Other prehistoric exhibitions focus on mammals and sea creatures that roamed the planet more than 60 million years ago. Are your students more interested in live animals? Visit the museum’s butterfly pavilion and Nature Lab with live insects, arachnids, rodents, snakes, and frogs.

The NHM has educational programs for youth, adults, and families. Schools visiting for field trips can explore self-guided options at no cost. Guided programs can be added to your field trip but may cost a fee depending on your group size and program of choice. School groups will need at least one chaperone per five students (any additional chaperones beyond the 1:5 ratio will have to pay for admission.) Submit your field trip request at least three weeks in advance to secure your school’s spot.

Charter bus travel tip : Parking for school buses and charter buses begins at $12. Have your driver drop your group off at NHM before parking at Exposition Park Lot 6. This lot is cash only most of the time, so be sure to give your driver enough money to cover parking fees.

California Science Center

Address : 700 Exposition Park Dr, Los Angeles, CA 90037 Phone : 323-724-3623

The California Science Center is actually right next door to the NHM! If your group is filled with science lovers and you have plenty of time to spare, consider visiting both of these museums. This science center is filled with more than 100 interactive exhibits about everything from aerospace science to exploration of the world’s many ecosystems. The museum’s most popular exhibit introduces visitors to the retired Space Shuttle Endeavour and its 19-year history as a NASA orbiter. Guests will also learn about manned space travel, missions to other planets, and how tools like the Hubble Space Telescope came to be.

Once you get your fill of outer space, explore seven different zones in the museum that represent different ecosystems. From the familiar urban jungle of the L.A. Zone to the deepest depths of the ocean in the Extreme Zone, you’ll learn plenty about the planet’s varied terrain and the creatures that live there.

The above exhibits are free for schools, but additional special exhibitions and IMAX film showings may require admission fees. Groups of 15 or more are required to make a reservation before visiting the California Science Center. A $25 booking fee is required for every group, and discounted admission will be charged per person if your reservation includes additional experiences.

Character bus travel tip : Parking for your charter bus will cost $30, while parking for cars is $12 if any chaperones plan to drive separately. Since the California Science Center is located next door to the NMH, you’ll be using the same Exposition Park Lot 6 for oversized vehicles.

La Brea Tar Pits and Page Museum

Address : 5801 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90036 Phone : 213-763-3499

Los Angeles has several unique museums with exhibits you won’t be able to experience anywhere else. The La Brea Tar Pits are the only active Ice Age excavation site in the world, and California students can see it all for free! These tar pits have produced prehistoric fossils of dire wolves, wooly mammoths, sabre-tooth cats, and even humans that date back as far as 50,000 years ago. More than 3.5 million fossils have been excavated from the pits, and teams of archaeologists are still working today to uncover more wonders hidden beneath the tar. Guests can watch scientists excavate active pits, explore interactive exhibits inside the museum, and marvel at full-scale models of towering mammoths and ground sloths.

Self-guided visits at La Brea are free for California schools, and guided programs can be added on for no additional cost. Student groups will need at least one chaperone for every five students (additional chaperones will be required to pay $12 for admission.) Your school will need to make a reservation for your self-guided visit at least three weeks in advance. Keep in mind that some guided add-ons are available during select times throughout the year and are limited to one program per visit.

Charter bus travel tip : There’s always construction going on somewhere in LA, and the area surrounding La Brea is no different. A loading zone and bus parking area is usually available on Curson Avenue, but this road is periodically closed for long-term construction. Groups can be dropped off at the main entrance on Wilshire Boulevard or at the north entrance off of 6th Street. Bus parking is also available along 6th Street right outside of the museum.

Ready to Learn and Explore Los Angeles?

Booking your Los Angeles field trip transportation will only take a few minutes with Champion Charter Bus. The rental team is available around the clock at 310-295-9547 to help you organize safe and comfortable transportation for your educational outing. Have information like your field trip dates, destination, a headcount, and any additional requests on hand for a quick and accurate rental quote !

Outdoor Field Trips

Learn more about potential outdoor education field trips in the Los Angles Area.

Harbor Regional Park

Sepulveda Basin

Science Cube Los Angeles

Kenneth Hahn Regional Park

Vazquez Rocks

Madrona Marsh

Lopez Canyon Environmental Educational Center

Other outdoor education sites in greater Los Angeles Area:

LAUSD Outdoor Education site

Beyond the Bell and other outdoor opportunities

Outdoor Science School

Outward Bound California opportunities

Outdoors for all Sierra Club campaign

Open today: 10 a.m.–5 p.m. Buy tickets ›

Onsite Field Trips

School field trip reservations for the 2023/2024 school year begin August 14.

Pre-school through 12th Grade

Field trips are available during the regular academic school year, Monday through Friday from September through June. All schools must be listed in the California Public/Private School Directory and have a reservation in order to receive the school rate.

Colleges/Universities

Field trips are available during the school session. Reservations required in order to receive the school rate. For Docent-led College Primate or Adaptations Tours, contact [email protected] Attention: Linda

School Group Block Out Dates 2023-202 4

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Field trips.

Witness discoveries made daily at La Brea Tar Pits, the largest active urban Ice Age fossil site in the world!

Visit La Brea Tar Pits on a field trip! Explore our exhibit halls, get up-close-and-personal with specimens and artifacts, and experience our museum with your students. Self-guided field trips to La Brea Tar Pits are free for California Pre K–12 public or private school groups. See below for information on how to book your visit!

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Field Trips at the Natural History Museum

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Student Field Trips

The L.A. Conservancy brings Los Angeles history to life for students through our in-person and virtual field trips. Our enriching programs are filled with inspirational stories reflecting the cultural and architectural history of L.A.

Programs are led by Conservancy educators and support California’s Common Core State Standards in History and Social Studies, as well as highlight important lessons about the preservation of historic sites.

Please email us at [email protected] to learn more about Student Field Trips.

L.A. Conservancy Student Programs are now a part of LAUSD’s Black Student Achievement Plan! In 2023, the Los Angeles Conservancy joined the Los Angeles Unified School District’s Black Student Achievement Plan (BSAP) focused on improving learning opportunities and educational outcomes for Black students in Los Angeles. The Conservancy’s Student Walking Tour Program is offered as an enrichment opportunity to support student learning.

Student Field Trip Options

A Woman's Place: Union Station and Chinatown

Student walking tour or virtual tour available.

Uncover untold stories of the women who helped build Union Station and Chinatown.

Building Community: Pioneering Black Architects in L.A.

Virtual tour only.

An interactive exploration of historic places designed by pioneering Black Architects. Through the stories of Norma Merrick Sklarek, Paul R. Williams, Robert Kennard, and many others, students will understand how Black architects shaped Los Angeles and influenced communities through advocacy and design. Available as a virtual tour only.

Celebrating Griffith Park: Past and Present

A virtual trek through Griffith Park’s 125 years, including the history of Gabrielino Tongva who inhabited the land, historic buildings that remain, and the people and events that have made the park so special. Available as a virtual tour only.

Historic Downtown

A great introduction to the architecture and history of downtown Los Angeles.

Union Station

Explore America’s last great train station built at the end of the golden age of rail travel.

In-Person vs. Virtual Options & Pricing

STUDENT WALKING TOURS

• The cost is $10.00 per student. (One free chaperone per 10 students)
• Walking tours available: Historic Downtown, Union Station, and A Woman’s Place*.
• Offered Tuesdays and Thursdays. (Other days may be available upon request).
• Each session may be scheduled for up to 1.5 hours between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. We kindly request walking tour bookings be made at least two weeks before your desired date.
• Recommended for up to 30 students in grades 3-12.
• Large group options and scholarships are available! Just ask.
• *The A Woman’s Place walking tour takes students on the Metro L (Gold) Line. The cost of the ride is not included. Learn more about purchasing a TAP card here.
• Request a Student Walking Tour now!

VIRTUAL FIELD TRIPS

• The cost is $25.00 per individual session.
• Virtual tours available: Historic Downtown, Union Station, A Woman’s Place, Building Community, and Celebrating Griffith Park.
• Offered Monday through Friday (Weekends available upon request).
• Each session may be scheduled for up to 1-hour between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. We kindly request workshop bookings be made at least two weeks before your desired date.

Other Student Programs

Adventures in Architecture

Discover L.A.’s Broadway

Educational Resources

Major funding for the Los Angeles Conservancy’s educational programs is provided by the LaFetra Foundation and the Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation.

• LA COUNTY FAIR

Please call 909-593-8915 or visit our website Fairplexrvpark.com to reserve your site(s) today!

• CORONAVIRUS INFO

FAIRPLEX FIELD TRIPS

Choose your adventure.

LA County Fair

Register Here

The Farm at Fairplex

Closed until July 2024

Privacy Overview

School Field Trips

Our Field Trips are FINtastic!

Our school field trips are a science-filled adventure, where students can dive into hands-on learning and get up close and personal with some amazing sea creatures. With a focus on STEM combined with unforgettable animal encounters, students will gain a deeper appreciation for our oceans and all the creatures that call it home.

And the best part? We're not just educating, we're inspiring a passion for conservation and sustainability! 

STANDARD FIELDTRIP (60 min)

Enjoy a grade-level appropriate guided tour through the aquarium and learn all about our amazing animals with immersive hands-on experiences .   Be a biologist: Get an up close through a high-powered macroscope and see sharks teeth, crab molt, shark skin and stingray teeth.

Field trips are available Mon-Fri, Aug. 14 through June 7 , from   9 a.m. to noon. 

Field trips start at $135 for up to 15 students.  $9 per additional students.  One chaperone is complimentary for every 10 students. Additional parents are $12.    

Please try to allow a minimum of 6 weeks notice when booking your field trip. Field trips cannot be booked online with l ess than 7 days notice.  

NEW! Customize and extend your field trip with fun add-on experiences  and educational programs!

Stingray feedings

Mine for gems and fossils at our Red River Treasure Mine  (30-60 min) .  Sept - April only, not available during the month of May.

For groups under 60 students, choose  from a variety of curriculum-based educational programs that meet LA student's standar ds for science (30 - 60 min).  Sept - April only, not available during the month of May.

Add a pizza lunch for your group, complete with chips and lemonade.  Sept - April only, not available during the month of May.

Find out more information based on your group size :

Sign up to get our Educator newsletter with information on our fieldtrip and conservation programs and valuable educational resources

Oregon Field Guide

Meet the remarkable oregon horsewomen of the ‘hen party’.

Early 20th-century adventurers left a legacy of female empowerment in the wilderness

By all accounts, Jean MacDonald Birnie and Grace Carter McKennon were unusual women for their time. Born in 1885 in Island City, outside of La Grande in Eastern Oregon, they were lifelong friends. As girls, they’d ride their horses in the hills above the Grande Ronde Valley in search of wildflowers and dine on berries they foraged along the way.

In this composite photo, lifelong friends Jean MacDonald (left) and Grace Carter (right) pose for studio portraits in the Victorian manner of their childhood. The girls would style themselves very differently as adults. Circa 1900

Courtesy of the Reece Family Archive

“Early on, Jean and Grace would take off on their own and kind of discover who they were as individuals and their relationship with nature and horses,” said Grace’s granddaughter Melissa Reece Over. “It just was so much a part of who they were.”

Melissa said the time spent in the outdoors helped the friends develop resilience.

“They found their peace and their contentment in nature and among friends and among horses and their dogs,” she said.

But peace was not the only thing the two friends were after.

“They were always kind of conniving to do stuff that wasn’t real respectable,” said Jessica Lackaff, Grace’s great-grandniece and unofficial family historian. “They tended to push the boundaries. They were very independent.”

Grace was rumored to have ridden horseback by herself all the way from La Grande to John Day, a distance of some 130 miles through the Blue Mountains.

This photo provided by the Reece Family Archive shows George Birnie, left, Jean MacDonald Birnie, Grace Carter and Raymond McKennon, right, in the Wallowa Mountains in 1913.

One well-documented horseback trip to the nearby Wallowa Mountains in 1913 shows Jean, her husband George Birnie, her friend Grace and a young man named Raymond McKennon. Photos show the foursome traversing steep mountainsides on horseback, crossing streams on downed timber and cooking their meals over an open fire, and apparently enjoying every minute of it. At the time, Grace and Raymond were not married, which may have raised eyebrows in an era when single people rarely met unchaperoned.

“I think that they were a little bit ahead of their time as young women,” Jessica said. “Always kind of pushing past what their parents thought was acceptable.”

Melissa and Jessica have long been inspired by the story of Jean and Grace, who would go on to spark the formation of a group known as the “Hen Party.” For some 30 years, this all-female coalition broke away from traditional gender roles to venture into the Wallowas on annual horse packing trips. In the summer of 2023, descendants of the original Hen Party, including Melissa and her two daughters, headed back into the Eagle Cap Wilderness to commemorate their ancestors’ independent spirit and love of nature.

“The Hen Party has always been a part of our family story and I think I have a longing for that experience, I can imagine it,” Melissa said. “And the Hen Party I don’t think, would be what it is without Grace.”

Hatching plans

In the summer of 1914, just a year after their memorable, if somewhat scandalous adventure in the mountains, Jean sent a fine new pair of riding boots to Grace, who was teaching school in Hood River. The package also contained a mysterious message.

“A plot is brewing,” Jean wrote to her friend. “If only you knew the mental effort that has gone into the formation of this scheme, in its every detail, you would be quite sure that somebody has your happiness at heart.”

Hen Party founder Jean MacDonald Birnie is pictured on horseback prior to a pack trip into the Wallowa Mountains in 1913.

The new boots were part of a plan to enlist Grace on a cattle drive that would put her in the company of Raymond to Fairbanks, Alaska.

All signs indicate that Grace signed onto the adventure with relish. She kept a daily journal as she made her way from Hood River to Seattle by train, up the inside passage to Cordova, Alaska by ship, and then by wagon and horseback to Fairbanks. Following a dangerous river crossing in which Raymond nearly drowned, Grace realized how important he’d become to her. The couple married the following January, in 1915.

As married women, Jean and Grace ran households and raised children. Jean had a son, and Grace had three children. Despite these responsibilities, or maybe because of them, the friends never stopped longing for the mountains.

“They basically told their husbands they were gonna go horse packing in the mountains, and they didn’t need the men,” Jessica recounted.

It was a daring proposition for the 1920s, but women all around them were shedding the Victorian strictures they’d been raised with and widening their horizons.

In 1912, Oregon women won the right to vote. A few years later, the 19th Amendment enfranchised most American women, giving them a new sense of agency. Jessica said it might have affected the way Jean and Grace thought of their own capabilities.

“This is sort of a big step forward in the thinking of women,” she said. “You know, ‘Maybe we can vote in an election and just have our own opinion. Maybe we can go to the mountains and just to do it ourselves.’”

In reading Grace and Jean’s lifetime of correspondence, Jessica found no record of a first Hen Party but did see references to the idea of an all-female horse-packing trip.

But their ambitious scheme did not go as planned.

The Hen Party is born

In 1926, Grace contracted scarlet fever and died at home, leaving three young children — including Melissa’s mother. Devastated by the loss of his wife, Raymond was unable to look after his children. Melissa said Jean and Grace had agreed to care for one another’s children in the event of death.

Grande Ronde Valley resident Grace Carter McKennon pictured circa 1918. The mother of three died suddenly after contracting scarlet fever in 1926.

“My mother was 8 and Jean became my mom’s surrogate mother,” she said.

Melissa and her sisters grew up calling Jean as “Grandmother.”

But Grace’s death was not the only tragedy for Jean in 1926; that same year, her 9-year-old son Gordon was killed in a horse accident.

“It must have been a very tough year for her, a very tough year,” Jessica said. “And I think that year must have been a turning point for her also because at that point, or very soon after that she began leading groups of women into the wilderness, and they would go alone without any men.”

The “Hen Party’' groups consisted of between six and 10 women, who would ride horseback into the Wallowas. Bringing in staples like flour, cradling eggs inside bags of horse feed and foraging for edible plants along the way, the women would stay in the mountains for up to two weeks.

“I think Jean wrapped herself in that memory, knowing comfort through being in nature and with her friends and animals,” Melissa said. “And I think she knew that other women would benefit from it as well.”

Jessica agreed.

“Sometimes, you just need to be with your own kind and kind of compare notes and strengthen each other, coming out and talking about these things that are hard to talk about like grief or how you feel about marriage, and I think it was very therapeutic for them,” she said.

The price of freedom

Today, it’s not unheard of for groups of women to navigate the Wallowas’ craggy granite landscape on horseback, to set up and take down camp each night, and wrangle horses on their own. But in the 1930s, this kind of freedom was a lot more work; there were no JetBoils for heating water instantly or Gore-tex for staying warm and dry. The Hen Party women didn’t even sleep in tents.

In this image provided by the Reece Family Archive, the "Hen Party" poses for a photo just before heading into the Wallowas Mountains. Jean Birnie, the group's leader, stands on the far right with a packhorse circa 1933.

“They slept on the ground. They put their bed rolls—you know, wool blankets—across the front part of their saddle, and they just slept on their horse blankets,” Melissa said. “I think for them—and for Jean especially—the idea was to get as close to the ground and as close to nature as possible.”

Along with being physically challenging, Hen Party trips cost money, and none of the participants was wealthy.

“They were just town women who could ride a horse, and they really couldn’t afford to take these trips. But they would figure out a way. They broke down the cost to like $6.50 apiece,” laughed Jessica, referring to a 1945 list of supplies and columns of tallied figures among Jean’s documents. But the costs were not just financial.

“It was a huge sacrifice for their families because they’d be gone for two weeks,” she said. “And these are the women that ran the household.”

Household management meant looking after children, caring for elders, preparing meals — often growing the food from which they were created — and doing all the household chores by hand. In rural Eastern Oregon, where modern conveniences were rare and families often raised farm animals, it was even more work.

Perhaps surprisingly, Jessica found no evidence that Hen Party husbands put up much resistance.

“Everybody seemed to be fine with it,” she said.

Despite the hardships and sacrifices, Hen Party women ventured into the mountains together for some 30 years, likely every summer until the mid-1950s. The freedom of being in the mountains on their own must have been worth every price it exacted.

“When you get into nature you sort of pare everything away and you find your fundamental self, and you’re sort of put to the test too. It’s usually kind of rough but you come out of it stronger,” Jessica said. “They would come out of it empowered.”

A view of alpine lakes and glacier-carved valleys as seen from the top of Eagle Cap in northeastern Oregon in August 2023. Hen Party women would revel in the epic glory of scenes like this.

Jule Gilfillan / OPB

A voice for conservation

Jean shared her love of nature with her friend U.S. Associate Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas, who spent much of his time away from court in the Wallowas. Melissa thinks Douglas’ wife Mildred Riddle and her sister Katharine Snider were members of the Hen Party. Like Justice Douglas, Jean was a vocal advocate for wilderness conservation.

“Locally, she was pretty well known,” Jessica said. “During the 1970s, she fought hard for the ‘Save the Minam’ project.”

The “Save the Minam” campaign was a conservation movement chaired by Jean’s son-in-law Dan Reece. The group formed in opposition to a proposal to build roads into the unprotected Minam River drainage to harvest timber. For locals, the Minam is the gateway to the Wallowas.

After more than a decade of wrangling, Oregon Senator Mark Hatfield championed the cause in Congress and the campaign prevailed. In 1972, an additional 73,000 acres were added to the Eagle Cap Wilderness.

An article in the La Grande Observer newspaper published Aug. 1, 1951 includes an example of how newspapers would post articles noting annual Hen Party trips. As was typical of the time, the women involved were not called by their own names, but by "Mrs." followed by their husbands' names.

La Grande Observer

As influential as Jean Birnie was, when the Hen Party women would make their annual trips into the mountains, the local newspaper would identify the participants not by name, but by printing “Mrs.” alongside their husbands’ names.

“Which is very ironic because they were actually doing something without their husbands,” Jessica chuckled.

Melissa and her daughters Leah Over and Casey Jane Reece-Kaigler were among the group of seven women who returned to the Eagle Cap on horseback last summer. Together, they visited many of the Hen Party’s favorite spots, cooked Hen Party dishes over open fires and revelled in the glory of the Wallowas.

“There’s so many women now who are taking their pack trips in. They know the importance of being in nature and what you can gain from that,” Melissa said. “When I think of the Hen Party and Jean, I would think that she knows that it’s living—that the legacy lives on.”

The modern-day horsewomen descended from the "Hen Party" in an East Lostine River meadow in Oregon’s Eagle Cap Wilderness, on August 11, 2023. (Left to right) Jeanie Mascia, McKenzie Funk, Leah Over, Casey Jane Reece-Kaigler, Melissa Over, Sharon Masica and Sally Deitchler.

Leah Over, Melissa Over, Casey Jane Reece-Kaigler, McKenzie Funk (seated) and Sharon Mascia at the top of Eagle Cap in Oregon’s Wallowa Mountains. The group returned to the Eagle Cap on horseback last summer to revisit the places the "Hen Party" visited.

Mountain meadow carpeted with wildflowers near the East Lostine River in Oregon’s Eagle Cap Wilderness. In the summer of 2023, descendants of the original Hen Party headed back into the Eagle Cap Wilderness to commemorate their ancestors’ independent spirit and love of nature.

Hen Party descendant Caey Jane Reece-Kaigler on horseback in the Eagle Cap Wilderness. In the summer of 2023, descendants of the original Hen Party headed back into the Eagle Cap Wilderness to commemorate their ancestors’ independent spirit and love of nature.

Hen Party descendants (left to right) Sally Deitchler, Sharon Mascia and Melissa Over (aka the Reece sisters) in a mountain meadow near the East Lostine River in the Eagle Cap Wilderness. They hoped to commemorate their ancestors’ independent spirit and love of nature.

"Hen Party" descendant Casey Jane Reece-Kaigler stands in the mountain meadow in the Eagle Cap Wilderness. In the summer of 2023, descendants of the original Hen Party headed back into the Eagle Cap Wilderness to commemorate their ancestors’ independent spirit and love of nature.

Riding boots at the foot of Eagle Cap. After riding horseback to the trailhead, the group of "Hen Party" descendants changed into hiking boots to climb to the 9,577-foot summit.

Morning campfire on the ”Hen Party-inspired” trip in the Eagle Cap Wilderness. In the summer of 2023, descendants of the original Hen Party headed back into the Eagle Cap Wilderness to commemorate their ancestors’ independent spirit and love of nature.

A view looking west from the slopes of Eagle Cap in northeastern Oregon’s Wallowa Mountains. In the summer of 2023, descendants of the original Hen Party headed back into the Eagle Cap Wilderness to commemorate their ancestors’ independent spirit and love of nature.

"Hen Party" descendant Melissa Over takes a nap in a mountain meadow near the East Lostine River in northeastern Oregon’s Eagle Cap Wilderness. For some 30 years in the 1900s, the original Hen Party, an all-female coalition, broke away from traditional gender roles to venture into the Wallowas on annual horse packing trips.

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