Are you planning a school field trip to an amusement park in Pennsylvania? Whether your class trip is to celebrate graduation or you’re seeking an end-of-the-year fun educational experience, we’ve narrowed down the search. With so many to choose from, we’ve whittled down the plethora of theme parks to those that offer educational opportunities alongside exciting rides and themed adventures.
Pennsylvania has over 50 theme and water parks throughout the state, many providing exceptional educational opportunities for kindergarten through high school students on field trips. Along with thrilling rides and unique attractions, these parks offer possibilities to learn in exciting environments in topics such as STEM, STEAM, performing arts, zoology, physics, letters and numbers, marketing, business, agriculture, navigation and map reading and more.
1. Hersheypark (Hershey)
Opportunities for K-12
- STEM
- History
- Marketing & business
- Letters & numbers
- Geometry
- Physics
- Zoology
- Class celebrations
Milton S. Hershey founded Hersheypark, which opened on Memorial Day 1906, as a recreational gathering place for his company’s employees and community members. Today, Hersheypark provides numerous educational and interactive opportunities for student groups in kindergarten through high school. In between riding thrilling roller coasters and exploring one-of-a-kind attractions, many days during the spring and summer are dedicated to education.
Museum EduQuest
These programs are curriculum-themed scavenger hunts around The Hershey Story Museum, suitable for kindergarten through high school. They focus on subjects such as science, history, technology, geography, marketing, letters, numbers and geometry.
Chocolate Lab
Students visiting the Chocolate Lab will get hands-on experience making their own take-home treats. During this class, groups will explore the unique qualities of chocolate while learning about subjects like history, geography, economics, science and more.
Education Days
These field trips offer in-park educational opportunities, classroom resources and in-person learning from industry leaders and community educators. Education Days include:
- Zoology Day: Hersheypark’s ZooAmerica® North American Wildlife Park hosts exciting educational experiences for all grade levels. Enrichment activities include zoology and Q&As with animal trainers about the park’s wildlife.
- Business & Marketing Day: Your classroom is challenged to help Hersheypark create its next thrilling ride. Tasked with crafting a marketing plan, high school students will gain real-world knowledge in a unique setting.
- STEM & Physics Day: STEM is everywhere you look around Hersheypark, and the park provides educational opportunities, including a Physics Quiz Show and a Scavenger Hunt.
- Entertaining Arts Day: This educational performance showcases the park’s California sea lions and Atlantic harbor seals. Trainer Q&As are available before the show. The performance is followed by an Entertaining Arts Q&A Session, an interactive and fun learning experience about the entertainment industry. Students will hear from park actors and stage crew with opportunities to ask direct questions.
- Hershey History Day: Students will engage in a self-guided QR code scavenger hunt to uncover the history of Hersheypark.
Field Trips
If you aren’t visiting Hersheypark on an Education Day, don’t worry. You can still visit the park with your students and have a fun and educational experience. The park offers downloadable activity sheets that focus on:
2. Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom (Allentown)
Opportunities for K-12
- Physics
- STEM
- Geometry
- Performances (band, choir, orchestra)
- Class celebrations
Dorney Park & Wildwater Kingdom is less than a two-hour drive from New York City, making it a perfect amusement park in Pennsylvania for a class field trip or end-of-year celebration. Dorney Park was established in 1884 as a place where families and friends could be together and have fun. The park is comprised of more than 60 rides, unique live shows, a kids-only area and a waterpark, making it the perfect location for fun and education.
Educational Programs
- Performance in the Park: During any public operating day, the park hosts school marching bands and performance groups to showcase their skills to park guests. This program is a chance for students to share their talents in front of a live audience while enjoying the fantastic park attractions afterward.
- Coaster Quest: In collaboration with Kutztown University, this program focuses on matter, energy and principles of physics and how they are part of modern-day roller coasters. Downloadable do-it-yourself workbooks (Algebra, Geometry, Physics, Middle School) are available to use at the park during field trips for added educational value. This program is suitable for middle school through high school students.
3. Kennywood (Pittsburgh)
Opportunities for K-12
- Performances (band, choir, orchestra, dance)
- Math
- Science
- Team building
- Class celebrations
Just 10 miles outside the heart of Pittsburgh, Kennywood is a vintage amusement park in Pennsylvania that has been entertaining groups for over 125 years. Voted USA Today’s 10Best Theme Park, Kennywood provides modern thrilling rides, water attractions, and exciting roller coasters for endless entertainment.
Education Days
Two designated days in May feature interactive educational activities for student groups in middle to high school. Focused subjects include science and math, with a 45-minute interactive presentation with workbooks.
Music Festivals
During select summer dates, school performance groups in choir, band and orchestra are invited to participate in a one-of-a-kind experience. Celebrate the end of the year at Kennywood with a live performance in front of excited park guests.
Group Performances
Dance troupes, choirs, bands and other performance groups can be the stars of the show with opportunities to perform live for park guests. Students will gain real-world experience on stage, with knowledgeable staff on-site.
4. Waldameer & Water World (Erie)
Opportunities for K-12
- Performances (band, choir, orchestra)
- Physics
- STEM
- Class celebrations
Waldameer & Water World is a family-owned and operated amusement park in Pennsylvania, the fifth oldest continuously operated in the US and the fourth oldest in PA. Waldameer is German for “Woods by the Sea,” and the appropriately named theme park provides students in kindergarten through high school numerous exciting educational opportunities through their School Ticket Program. In between learning, students can enjoy thrilling, classic and kiddie park rides and a water park.
Educational Activity Packets
Choose between three insightful and fun activity packets that can accompany field trips for elementary through high school groups.
- Elementary Level (elementary school)
- Intermediate Level (middle school)
- Advanced Level (high school)
5. DelGrosso’s Amusement Park & Laguna Splash Water Park (Tipton)
Opportunities for K-12
- Team building
- Class celebrations
- Group picnics
Formerly Bland’s Park, DelGrossos’s Amusement Park & Laguna Splash Water Park provides opportunities for school groups to learn about the physics of roller coasters and water park attractions, along with team- and relationship-building. The unique environment boasts an Italian theme and famous food, including Fred and Murf’s “Best Spaghetti in Town.” The pride and joy of the 1907 park is the original antique Carouselle, made in the 1920s and one of only 70 remaining carousels in the U.S.
DelGrosso’s is ideal for hosting your end-of-year class celebrations with a School Picnic. Enjoy the perks of the park with a catered meal or snacks. Group pricing includes access to Laguna Splash Water Park during the summer season.
6. Sesame Place (Langhorne)
Opportunities for Kindergarten through Elementary School
- STEM activities
- Team building
- Class celebrations
Sesame Place has been a theme park staple for decades, where kindergarten through elementary school-aged children can learn while enjoying the park. During the park’s Back to School Bash, young students can better understand science through live experiments in Honker’s Super Fun Science Show. Classroom resources such as downloadable and printable activity sheets make learning fun. Sesame Storytime brings exciting tales to life, complete with your favorite Sesame Street characters.
Additionally, Sesame Place’s certified autism center provides ride accessibility for guests, quiet spaces in low-sensory rooms and areas, noise-canceling headphones, and accredited staff. Groups of 15 or more can purchase tickets online at discounted prices. School and daycare group tickets will be available again in 2025.
7. Knoebels Amusement Resort (Elysburg)
Opportunities for K-12
- STEM activities
- History
- Team building
- Class celebrations
Since opening in 1926, the Knoebels family has owned and operated this theme park, which features unique attractions and rare rides. In addition to state-of-the-art roller coasters and modern rides, the park boasts a 1913 steam-powered Grand Carousel, one of the largest in the world, comprising 63 intricately hand-carved wooden horses.
Knoebels offers instructor-led EDU tours by reservation. These include Ecology & Trees, Bald Eagle Habitat, and self-guided tours of the Anthracite Mine Museum, Knoebels History Museum and the Carousel Museum. Knoebels offers field trip groups free pavilion space, plus three lunch options: Grab & Go, Catered and a Grove Grub Card for in-park dining. Student groups of 20 or more also receive one complimentary chaperone pass for every 20 student passes.
8. Idlewild & SoakZone (Ligonier)
Opportunities for Kindergarten through Middle School
- STEM
- Team building
- Storytelling
- Class celebrations
- Performances (band, choir, dance)
Idlewild & SoakZone theme park has been around for quite some time and features both old-fashioned and modern attractions and rides. Young field trip groups can explore Story Book Forest, where students can meet characters from their favorite nursery rhymes and children’s tales. Idlewild has over 40 rides, from kiddie rides to thrilling experiences and waterpark attractions everyone will enjoy.
School and youth events include Adventure Day, where students experience a 45-minute interactive STEM-related presentation. School District Days in May and June celebrate the last days of school and the start of summer. Group Performances include choirs, dance troupes, bands, and school performance groups who want to perform as a GUEST STAR at the park.
9. Maize Quest Fun Park (New Park)
Opportunities for K-12
- Team building
- Navigation
- Agriculture
Unlike traditional theme parks, Maize Quest Fun Park focuses on education through entertainment and fun. Social interaction and teamwork are critical for groups braving the mazes. The park challenges students to navigate by finding all map pieces during their journey, honing students’ sense of direction, and encouraging them to trust their instincts. Agriculture is the third focus, teaching students to appreciate worldwide food systems and how to grow and process crops.
Students can also go gem mining, get lost in several unique mazes (bamboo, corn, straw bale and rope), play barnyard board games, race pedal karts, wander the stone labyrinth and enjoy seasonal U-pick opportunities.
10. Crayola Experience (Easton)
Opportunities for Elementary through Middle School
- STEAM
- Class celebrations
- STEM
At Crayola Experience, science, art and fun create magical field trips for young classes to learn creatively about STEM principles. Groups can glimpse live manufacturing demonstrations and experience hands-on learning at the interactive melted wax class, which teaches the science behind how Crayola crayons are made.
Students can witness the science behind Silly Putty and immerse themselves in virtual reality at the Rainbow Rain attraction. Or, for older students, get techy with the Adventure Lab challenge. Other Crayola attractions include Cartoon Creator, Activity Studio, Color Playground, Chaos and Creativity Show, Café Stage, Create & Play, and tons more! Field trip groups have all-day access to four floors of hands-on Crayola attractions, food package options and free bus parking.
