On-site Field Trips
Step right into the story!
Questions? Contact our Education Team at education@gcv.org or (585) 294-8200.
Historic Village Field Trips
Whether your group is visiting for two hours or all day, you and your students can explore at your own pace. Several locations throughout the village provide hands-on activities for students to do during their visit. Be sure to review our 30-minute Enrichment Activities (below) hosted by a museum interpreter as a capstone to your visit.
Self-guided tours are available on limited Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from May – November. Grant funding may be available for your school.
GCV&M Theme Days
Attend the museum on one of our monthly theme days! Key locations throughout the village are set up to guide your group along – with activities, games, and costumed experts – theme days allow your students to make clear connections between life in the 19th century and today. Each theme covers specific curriculum standards.
Grant funding may be available for your school. Pre-registration is required.
Enrichment Activities
Enhance your self-guided tour by scheduling a structured hands-on 30-minute Enrichment Activity lead by a museum educator. Options include:
- Tin Tapping – Learn about an important 19th century trade and make a tin ornament to take home.
- Little Red School House – Experience a one room school house and practice writing in cursive with a quill pen.
- History Stinks – Learn about many smelly aspects of 19th century life and make a lavender sachet to take home.
- History’s Mysteries – Use objects to compare life in the 19th century to today. Play a game to determine the identity of common 19th century objects.
- 19th Century Games – Explore what children played with in the past. Try your hand at whimmy diddles, pommawongas, jackstraws, graces and more!
Grant Funding
Several generous donors allow GCV&M to offer limited grant funding to schools that meet certain qualifications.
Visit this page to see more details about the grant funds we have available
Contact education@gcv.org to learn more.
FAQs
The museum has several generous donors who allow us to offer grant funding to schools that meet certain qualifications.
To see if your school qualifies, follow this link: Teacher Resources
The cost of chaperone admission is $13/individual. Chaperones will pay upon arrival at the admissions tunnel – do not collect their payment in advance.
Thanks to a partnership with Museums for All, if a chaperone brings a valid EBT card and ID they are eligible for $3 admission.
- This varies depending on the type of program. On a regular, non-guided, field trip day we recommend a 1:10 staff/chaperone to student ratio. For guided field trips – there will be a set number of chaperone spots available.
You need to fill out the bus order form in your main office and put GCV&M down as the person to bill. Specific contact information for First Student is: William Simpson, Rochester First Student, 1-585-288-8080.
It is important to dress for the weather, as all of our programs have outdoor portions that take place rain or shine.
This answer varies depending on the program, please reach out to 585-294-8200 with questions about your specific field trip date/program.
Yes, we recommend bringing lunch for your students to enjoy while at the Museum. Upon arrival you will receive a lunch location where you can both store your lunches and eat.
Retail locations are open Wednesday – Sunday from May 1 until October 10. The Museum Store is open on select days throughout the rest of the year. Click here to learn more.
Enrichments are 30 minute guided activities that cost an additional fee per student. They allow students to engage in hands-on historical activities. The extra cost of enrichments can not be covered by grant funding. Enrichments must be booked at the time of registration.
The Nature Center is located to the right of the Museum, just before the first two parking bays. However, you will still need to check in at the Red Admissions Building, even if you are coming for a Nature Center field trips.
The teacher who registers for the field trip is responsible for collecting student payment, presenting a final headcount upon arrival, communicating with GCV&M about any changes to your confirmation, and receiving and distributing materials from the museum upon arrival (maps, schedules, etc.). We also recommend that this teacher give their cell phone number to all parent chaperones and bus drivers to facilitate communication.
All necessary teachers, aides, nurses, and bus drivers count as school staff and are admitted at no charge. Non-school staff adult chaperones are not staff and thus have to pay admission to the museum.
Homeschool groups may sign up as a “school group,” as long as there are 10 students in the group. In these instances, only the adult registering is free and other parents must pay the chaperone fee.
We have a robust year of homeschool-specific programming, which can be found here: Click here
Thank you for being a Museum Member! In the instance of school programs, all students must pay regardless of membership status.
If the parent comes for any general admission day, they are free!