Explore American history through immersive student experiences throughout Maryland, where past and present voices tell stories of events that shaped the state and nation.
Educational destinations statewide offer K-12 groups opportunities to immerse themselves in authentic period settings for memorable history, interact with STEM subjects in active learning environments, and discover the past through archaeological discovery and exploration. These locations provide opportunities for students to question, touch, and experience history through discussion and participation, shedding light on slavery, civil rights and cultural identity.
“Age-differentiated programming allows educators to craft a curriculum-focused field trip that explores the museum’s vast collection and connects state history to broader American stories.”
Planning a student trip? Explore more destinations and educational experiences in the Student Travel Planning Guide.
National Museum of Railroad History & Innovation (Baltimore)
Formerly the B&O Railroad Museum, the National Museum of Railroad History & Innovation features two centuries of transportation history through hands-on discovery. Standards-aligned programs span pre-K through high school, with carefully selected topics to match age levels. Railroad safety and commerce become immersive lessons for pre-K-2 students, while grades 3-12 can investigate the environmental impacts of railroads and Maryland’s rail history. Middle and high school students can tackle railroad engineering challenges tied to technology and STEM and learn Morse code to create coded souvenirs. Other experiences let visitors analyze artifacts documenting African American workers as they learn about railroads’ role in global conflicts.
Historic St. Mary’s City (St. Mary’s City)
Historic St. Mary’s City (St. Mary’s City)Stroll through an incredible outdoor museum where history surrounds students during a tour of Historic St. Mary’s City. Designated a National Historical Landmark, this archaeological site introduces students to 17th-century history through reconstructed buildings and landscapes, with costumed interpreters bringing Maryland’s stories to life for an interactive field trip. School programs are standards-aligned for preschool through high school groups, with appropriate, sophisticated learning levels that are easy to incorporate into a field trip itinerary. Explore a Colonial Town Center, a Woodland Indian Hamlet, and plantation and waterfront landscapes that capture the authentic setting. Students can learn about Indigenous ways of life, trade, religion, colonization and the experiences of enslaved and free people through hands-on demonstrations and live archaeological interpretations.
Reginald F. Lewis Museum of Maryland African American History & Culture (Baltimore)
Discover more than 300 years of African American Maryland history at the Reginald F. Lewis Museum, where stories of creativity, culture, achievement and resilience come into focus. Students in grades 3-12 can connect to important places, people, events and traditions on the Heritage Tour, while the Paths to Freedom program allows grades 4-12 to examine slavery through free and enslaved Black Marylanders’ experiences. In the Fight for Justice program, groups can investigate the Civil Rights Movement, Jim Crow and the campaigns for equality with thought-provoking activities. Guided tours and gallery activity sheets encourage groups to observe, discuss and take on different perspectives of issues and sensitive topics. Add a hands-on art studio activity, inspired by current exhibits, as a creative way for students to express what they uncover and learn.
Maryland Center for History and Culture (Baltimore)
Students can step into the role of historians and historical investigators as they comb through original artifacts and documents at the Maryland Center for History and Culture. Age-differentiated programming allows educators to craft a curriculum-focused field trip that explores the museum’s vast collection and connects state history to broader American stories. For grades K-2, Life Then & Now uses art, sensory experiences, and object handling to compare the past and present, while grades 3-8 students examine objects from the 1600s and 1700s during Colonial Maryland programming. Young visitors can get hands-on and turn gears, uncover mastodon fossils, create shadow stories and learn to navigate a compass and magnifiers in the WayFinders experience, especially suited for ages 5-11.
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