Students become the makers, historians, scientists and engineers during interactive workshops for kindergarten to high school groups
Learning outside the classroom opens a whole world of possibilities for students. When young learners are thrust into new situations, they come away feeling empowered with a deeper curiosity for the world around them. This is the mark of a successful field trip. But to craft an experiential learning journey, it’s important to consider what a day of activities would look like. After all, field trips aren’t just about seeing new places; they are about doing new things and learning through interactive experiences.
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LEARNING STYLES
Experiential learning journeys consist of participating in activities that promote understanding through doing. Participation is the core component of immersive learning, where students get hands-on experience by building, investigating, role-playing, performing or stewarding rather than simply listening and observing.
- Living History – combines role-playing, skilled trades workshops, Q&As, live demonstrations and interactive lessons
- Creative Production – promotes storytelling, design, performance and media-making
- STEM-Based – highlights science labs, engineering design and technology
- Environmental Stewardship – comprises active conservation and immersive field science
Learn in nature at Reflection Riding. Credit: Reflection Riding Facebook
IMMERSIVE LEARNING PROGRAMS FOR STUDENTS
This carefully curated list offers a robust array of destinations and experiences perfect for educators seeking immersive learning journeys. Each location provides hands-on learning field trips that expose students to a range of exciting topics.
LIVING HISTORY
Rather than simply reading about historical events, students experience them through programs that encourage interactive exploration and hands-on discoveries.
Plimoth Patuxet Museums encourages students to participate in history. Credit: Plimoth Patuxet Museums Facebook
Plimoth Patuxet Museums (MA)
Travel to the oldest town in New England, Plimoth Patuxet, Massachusetts, where unique cultures and fascinating history intersect. During a field trip to the Plimoth Patuxet Museums, students engage directly with historical elements in a memorable learning environment.
BEST FOR: Grades Pre-K–12
WHAT STUDENTS DO: Discover the 17th century through a 30-acre living history campus filled with fascinating exhibits that showcase interlacing cultures, trades, and worldviews of the time. Visit the Plimoth Grist Mill and the Historic Patuxet Homesite and interact with costumed interpreters. Student workshops and educational programs are ideal for all ages and focus on hands-on learning for 45minutes to two hours.
WHY IT’S IMMERSIVE: Self-guided or expert-led tours give students opportunities to interact directly with historians for up-close learning, while workshops and student programs provide experiential opportunities.
PLANNING TIP: The museums offer online teacher resources that tie into specific elements, while interactive programs can be tailored to educational goals.
Old Sturbridge Village (MA)
Explore history like never before during a field trip to Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts, where The Ultimate Immersion experience combines hands-on workshops with a guided tour that lets groups discover 1830s New England.
BEST FOR: Grades 3–12
WHAT STUDENTS DO: Investigate colonial life with a two-hour guided exploration of the Village, structured for immersive learning of New England’s rich past with interactive demonstrations and engaging narratives. Become active participants in history through student workshops that focus on authentic 19th-century activities and trades, and converse with costumed historians to inquire about daily life.
WHY IT’S IMMERSIVE: Hands-on student workshops for active participation and interactive guided tours that allow engagement with costumed historians.
PLANNING TIP: Student workshops are approximately 50 minutes long, with themes that include hearth cooking, textiles, printing, farm and garden, woodworking, and games. Guided tours are two hours long and vary by theme.
CREATIVE ARTS & STORYTELLING
Explore destinations that foster students’ creativity through storytelling, music and visual and performing arts.
Perform live at Disney during an interactive performing arts workshop. Credit: Disney Imagination Campus Facebook
Disney Imagination Campus (FL)
Prepare your class for real-world challenges in an inspiring and creative atmosphere at Disney Imagination Campus. Located in Lake Buena Vista, the campus is a place for students to gain firsthand knowledge of real-world topics, including the performing arts and STEM, through interactive workshops and student programming.
BEST FOR: Grades 3–12
WHAT STUDENTS DO: Students take center stage during any one of Disney’s incredible programs, with a dynamic mix of hands-on workshops that range from performance arts, visual arts, humanities, and musical workshops to science, technology, leadership, and innovation experiences.
WHY IT’S IMMERSIVE: Hands-on participation brings students directly into the magic of creation with immersive techniques and interactive opportunities to learn from professionals.
PLANNING TIP: Workshops can be customized to suit group needs, depending on the program.
Barter Theatre (VA)
An authentic theater experience for students awaits at the Barter Theatre in Abingdon, Virginia. The theater offers youth groups experiential opportunities with behind-the-scenes tours, customizable workshops, and interactions with actors, directors, and professional staff.
BEST FOR: High school–College
WHAT STUDENTS DO: Experience the world of theater like never before with exclusive access to what goes on behind the curtain at the Barter Theatre. Groups can participate in tailored educational workshops that guide them through all aspects of performing arts.
WHY IT’S IMMERSIVE: Talkbacks with actors and stage staff give students the opportunity to ask questions and receive authentic feedback, while hands-on workshops and behind-the-scenes tours immerse learners in real-world settings.
PLANNING TIP: State curricula-compliant study guides for teachers, along with special group pricing and complimentary admission for chaperones, are available.
ENVIRONMENTAL STEWARDSHIPS
Encourage your students to become stewards of the environment through experiential opportunities at nature centers that teach through inspiring hands-on engagement.
Dig into Earth science at the Wylde Center in Georgia. Credit: Wylde Center Facebook
Wylde Center (GA)
The unique Wylde Center in the heart of Atlanta, Georgia, offers immersive learning programs for students focused on environmental education, with active participation at its core. Explore five green spaces in programs led by enthusiastic educators who care deeply about protecting the environment.
BEST FOR: K–12
WHAT STUDENTS DO: In efforts to empower students to think creatively and critically about the natural world around them, groups get firsthand knowledge of science and nature through engaging programs. Interactive classes are led by trained environmental educators and take students on an immersive learning journey through gardens, streams, and woodlands. They teach topics such as composting, garden genetics, habitats and ecosystems, plant species, and other Earth sciences, surrounded by nature.
WHY IT’S IMMERSIVE: Interactive and informative experiences put students to work in the field to better understand how to cultivate, care, and preserve the environment.
PLANNING TIP: Each program is approximately 60 to 90 minutes long, depending on the topic. Each site can accommodate up to 50 students, making this location ideal for large field trip groups.
Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center (TN)
Just ten minutes from downtown Chattanooga, Tennessee, the sprawling 300-acre Reflection Riding Arboretum and Nature Center is an incredible learning facility focused on teaching young learners about the environment.
BEST FOR: K–8
WHAT STUDENTS DO: Field trip groups can participate in one or multiple educational programs, including Saving the System, a guided walk-and-talk teaching tour focusing on conservation and land stewardship. Older students can explore invasive species removal with Land Conservation Team members for hands-on learning.
WHY IT’S IMMERSIVE: Interactive opportunities educate students about environmental responsibility by encouraging them to directly participate as stewards in a real-world setting.
PLANNING TIPS: Six environmental education themes are offered, and field trips can be adapted to suit learning objectives. Custom field trips for high school groups are available upon request.
Reflection Riding student programs immerse groups in the great outdoors. Credit: Reflection Riding Facebook
STEM- & STEAM-BASED IMMERSION
Interaction and participation are at the heart of STEM – and STEAM – based experiences, where students jump into the role of a scientist, engineer, or creative to learn through engagement with industry experts.
Media workshops for students. Credit: Florida Film & STEM Academy Facebook
Florida Film & STEM Academy (FL)
At the Florida Film & STEM Academy (FFSA) in Winter Garden, students can explore the art of creation in specialized labs focusing on various topics during full-or multi-day field trips. How about making a movie? Or discovering the magic behind video game design? Florida Film & STEM Academy has incredible STEM/STEAM programs to choose from.
BEST FOR: K–12
WHAT STUDENTS DO: Groups can become part of film productions, broadcasts, performance arts, and STEM-related activities at FFSA through engaging workshops and multi-day programming. From introductory-level exposure for young learners to advanced career-focused workshops ideal for high school students, FFSA is a spectacular hands-on field trip destination.
WHY IT’S IMMERSIVE: Engaging opportunities in filmmaking, creative arts, broadcast, STEM, and performing arts put students directly in the action, where learning becomes tangible.
PLANNING TIPS: Single-day field trips range from 4–8 hours with additional time available upon request. Multi-day excursions last up to three days with additional time available.
Fleet Science Center (CA)
In San Diego, the Fleet Science Center offers a wide variety of themed workshops across pre-K through high school, all tied to core STEM and STEAM disciplines. Classes are designed for active participation where students build, test, and experiment for exciting immersive learning. Instructor-led programs are conducted in lab-style settings called Learning Labs, offering engaging, hands-on lessons.
BEST FOR: Pre-K–12
WHAT STUDENTS DO: Through inquiry-based programs and more than 100 interactive exhibits, students have opportunities to learn by testing hypotheses, analyzing results and proposing solutions based on their findings. Workshops emphasize teamwork and collaboration, with activities designed to complement age groups—from sensory exploration for kindergarten students to multi-step problem-solving for middle and high schoolers.
WHY IT’S IMMERSIVE: Learning Labs anchor the field trip experience, with core objectives being hands-on active participation and room for creative exploration.
PLANNING TIPS: Educators can add expertly curated lesson plans and an IMAX documentary film in the Heikoff Giant Dome Theater.
STEM Day at Fleet Science Center. Credit: Fleet Science Center Facebook
Educational programs are structured learning time with tactile lessons and guided opportunities that foster skill-building, reflective thought and teamwork. When students are directly exposed to curriculum topics, they become part of the learning process through active engagement.
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