Discover Southeastern STEM field trips guaranteed to provide students with real-world experiences while interacting with industry experts
Planning a STEM field trip can be tricky. On the one hand, these field trips should be engaging and fun; on the other, they should be informative and test students’ limits. Finding the right balance isn’t always easy, so here is a list of some of the best field trips in the southeastern United States for STEM activities. Each one perfectly combines science, technology, engineering and mathematics while allowing students to interact with experts and gain real-world experience.Â
STEM Field Trips to Mammoth Cave, Kentucky
Located across 52,000 acres in central Kentucky, this national park boasts the impressive title of having the longest cave system in the world, making it the perfect STEM field trip location. Year-round, the park offers ranger-led tours that explore both the surface and underground cave systems.
Above Mammoth Cave
Students will be immersed in the scenic park that offers thousands of years of human and world history. The surface tours present the history of Mammoth Cave National Park, its abundant plant and animal life, and the scientific research that has taken place there. The area is rich in human history, dating back 12,000 years. Additionally, it includes experiences from Native American tribes, African American guides, and women who had monumental impacts on the national park and our understanding of its geology.
Underground in Mammoth Cave
While below ground, students will be led through the intricate cave systems, with multiple tours to choose from. In Mammoth Cave, students will be engrossed in real-world experiences led by experts as they explore and learn about rocks, formations, topography, geology, fossils and troglodytes. These exceptional tours allow a first-hand understanding of how the world works and its fascinating creations. The park also offers accessible activities for tours and guided walks, allowing any guest to expand their STEM knowledge.
Florida Aquarium; Credit Visit Tampa Bay
Build-A-Trip, Florida for Student STEM Field Trips
Build-A-Trip allows students to customize their exploration and learning about nature in southern Florida. The organization offers itineraries for one- to five-day trips and a choice of activities.
Student Group Day Trip
For one-day school trips, students will be occupied with real-world activities such as snorkeling in the John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, kayaking through the shores of Key Largo or exploring the shorelines and waterways of West Lake Park (among many more options).
Multi-Day STEM Trip for Students
For multi-day trips, the itineraries offer a more well-rounded experience and exclusive events such as swimming with manatees. They also include an in-depth look into Florida’s history, culture and geology. At night, students and guests will camp in parks or be lodged in cabins at the University of Florida Camp Cloverleaf.Â
Southern Florida is full of rich plant and animal life, which challenges students to think critically about their ecosystem, marine ecology, and human impact. Each tour is led by dedicated professionals, licensed educators, and marine biologists, perfect for groups interested in STEM.
Toyota Manufacturing Tours for Student Groups in Mississippi and Kentucky
Consider taking an educational tour through one of the largest car manufacturing plants in the world for a real-life STEM experience. After many years, Toyota manufacturers have halted their public tours and replaced them with educational tours for schools and organizations only. These field trips take students and faculty around the plant and explain how a car is made.
Field Trip Factory Tours
From the engine block to the seats to the bolts, each part is just as important as the last. STEM students can see for themselves through the assembly lines, the amount of ingenuity and planning that goes behind these major processes. After all, more than half a million cars are produced each year at just one facility. And it’s not just workers who students can observe, as robots and AI are used throughout the process, making things much faster.
Virtual Tours
Toyota has also created virtual tours for faculty who cannot get to these destinations, which come with lesson plans. This program was designed to help introduce STEM students into the world of advanced manufacturing and engineering, with a focus on encouraging women to pursue a path in manufacturing. It is no surprise that Toyota is ranked in the Top 10 for companies with the most diverse hiring.
iFLY for Student Groups in the Southeast United States
iFLY gives a once-in-a-lifetime experience and allows students to live out their wildest dreams of skydiving (without jumping out of a plane – of course). iFLY is world-class at simulating the skydiving experience without the feeling of falling towards the Earth. Students will learn real-world STEM applications through an interactive presentation, participate in a lab activity and demonstrate physics in the wind tunnel.
- Elementary School Groups
- Each field trip is catered to the student’s grade level. The trip will teach elementary students to predict object velocity, understand the difference between solids and liquids, and witness how object size affects its speed in the wind tunnel.
- Middle School Students
- Middle school STEM students are taught how to calculate terminal velocity in an object, introduced to a free-body force diagram, use algebra to understand proportional relationships and test their predictions in the wind tunnel.
- High School Student Groups
- High school trips to iFLY offer the highest level of STEM activities. Students will learn how to calculate their terminal velocity, apply engineering principles to tunnel design, derive equations for proportional relationships and understand variability and error in experiments. Of course, no field trip would be complete without stepping into the wind tunnel yourself and taking flight. This is a safe and educational STEM field trip for all-age classes.
Giving students a first-hand look at our world is invaluable. Whether it’s natural formations or man-made creations, we need STEM now more than ever. Be sure to check out these fantastic field trips and more to introduce students to the captivating and exciting world of STEM.
