This guide assists teachers and field trip planners with a comprehensive, easy-to-follow list of creative arts and cultural experiences throughout PA
What creative skills or perspectives can students develop on field trips? Across Pennsylvania, middle and high school groups can experience the arts as makers, storytellers, performers, audience members, and creative thinkers through hands-on opportunities tailored for them, ensuring age-appropriate engagement.
Whether the journey takes place at historic theaters, during student matinees, or at museums, art studios, cultural centers, orchestras, and interactive workshops, the Keystone State offers countless ways to engage learners in collaboration, communication, identity, and self-expression.
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GUIDE AT A GLANCE
This comprehensive, easy-to-reference guide is divided into sections organized by creative skills for streamlined planning. We cover six learning themes and highlight an extensive list of locations across Pennsylvania by region that offer exceptional opportunities for student groups.
- Perform with Confidence
- Go Behind the Scenes
- Experience Stories Through Art
- Experience Culture, Identity & Community
- Create, Make & Design
- Discover Music, Movement & Live Events
PERFORM WITH CONFIDENCE
Immersing students in performance experiences can foster their confidence, communication skills, and creative growth, inspiring educators to see the impact of arts education.
Brandywine Valley
People’s Light – A professional theater with strong community engagement and educational programming.
Salt Performing Arts – Community-based theater offering performance opportunities for youth groups.
Bucks County
Bristol Riverside Theatre – Regional professional theater surrounded by Delaware River town settings.
Bucks County Playhouse – A historic venue featuring live theatrical performances and musical productions.
Cumberland County
Oyster Mill Playhouse – This intimate community theater showcases local talent and volunteer collaboration for a glimpse of how small venues mirror local identity.
Little Theatre of Mechanicsburg – Students can see how community theatre operates at the grassroots level.
Delaware County (Delco)
Hedgerow Theatre – This established theater has a long tradition of live performances that help students understand and appreciate teamwork and audience engagement.
Media Theatre for the Performing Arts – This musical theater venue offers arts education and youth performance opportunities.
Gettysburg Area
Gettysburg Community Theatre – This community theater offers students hands-on workshops, interactive programming, and performance opportunities.
Totem Pole Playhouse – This summer theater offers student matinees, youth programming, and interactive workshops.
Lancaster
Fulton Theatre – A historic professional theater ideal for student groups to catch a live show at one of Lancaster’s signature performing arts spaces.
Bird-in-Hand Stage – Live productions rooted in storytelling, music, and regional culture, perfect for in-depth experiences.
Ephrata Performing Arts Center – A community-based venue that supports creative collaboration and performance through accessible productions.
Laurel Highlands
Geyer Performing Arts Center – A long-standing community venue and cultural gathering space with live performances.
Stage Right! – Training-focused organization that pairs youth performers with professional working artists.
Westmoreland Performing Arts – Student-centered theater education that promotes inclusivity and builds confidence.
The Theater Factory / KIDWORKS – This community theater offers groups live performances, youth programming and scholarships.
Greensburg Civic Theater – A community-forward theater that emphasizes engagement, participation, and appreciation of the arts.
Philadelphia
Arden Theatre Company – A professional venue with strong connections to performing arts education, storytelling, and dramatic literature.
The Wilma Theater – This contemporary theater is well-known for its thought-provoking performances and dazzling ensemble work, where students can learn about teamwork and collaboration.
Walnut Street Theatre – A landmark historic theater that offers groups connections to theater education and professional productions.
Reading & Berks County
Miller Center for the Arts – Located on the Reading Area Community College campus, this center offers live experiences and quality programming for all ages.
Santander Performing Arts Center – A historic performing arts venue highlighting cutting-edge technology and high-caliber performances
Reading Musical Foundation – Exceptional musical education venue offering educational programs, music scholarships and music outreach.
GO BEHIND THE SCENES
Introduce students to how production comes to life behind the scenes, where interactive experiences teach them about stage technology, operations, event planning, venue management, production, and the business of performance. These locations offer students a unique perspective on how productions start as stories and become electrifying on-stage performances.
Delaware County
Villanova Theatre – University-based theater programming focused on directing, designing, performance training, stage presence, and visual storytelling.
Gettysburg
Majestic Theater at Gettysburg College – Arts programming, live performances, and student matinees introduce groups to backstage work, theater operations, and college-based arts education.
Lancaster
Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre – This dinner theater offers students a glimpse at how audience participation, hospitality, and live performance work together.
Magic and Wonder Dinner Theater – Illusion, magic, and theatrical spectacles allow students to study visual storytelling, audience participation, and stage presence.
Sight & Sound Theatres – Large-scale productions showcasing immersive narratives, staging, technical design, costume work, and music.
Laurel Highlands
The Palace Theatre – Academy training and professional performances help connect students to pre-professional arts learning and creative career preparation.
Philadelphia
Forrest Theatre – Touring productions that allow students to view Broadway-style shows, musicals, and extensive stagecraft.
Miller Theater – Theater, concert, and dance theater offering cultural programming that introduces groups to performing arts careers and live event presentation.
The Met Philadelphia – A restored historic venue that gives students a window into production logistics and performance scale and helps them examine the business of major live events.
EXPERIENCE STORYTELLING THROUGH ART
This section highlights arts venues that encourage students to slow down, take in what they see, and interpret meaning. They can practice observation, interpretation, and aesthetic literacy through visits to galleries, museums, and visual cultural sites throughout Pennsylvania. These destinations help students assess artists’ use of color, texture, form, materials, symbolism, and composition to communicate thoughts and concepts creatively across time.
Brandywine Valley
Brandywine Museum of Art – A collection of regional art that explores landscape illustration, visual storytelling, and the relationship between place and artistic expression.
Bucks County
Michener Art Museum – Art exhibits help students understand the role museums play in preserving creative works, regional identity, and visual culture.
Lancaster
Demuth Museum of Art – Explore Charles Demuth’s legacy and connect his work with modern art, visual interpretation, and local identity.
Philadelphia
Barnes Foundation – Study patterns, color, arrangement, and visual relationships through close-examination exercises.
Calder Gardens – Discover Calder’s legacy, which connects students to balance, sculpture, movement, design, and modern creative expression.
Philadelphia Museum of Art – Discover major works of art across eras and cultures that support lessons in symbolism, creativity, visual analysis, and artistic movements.
Rodin Museum – Sculpture-focused experiences allow student groups to examine movement, emotion, form, and the creative process.
Pittsburgh
707 Penn Gallery – This gallery showcases local creative works and how small community art spaces support community conversations.
820 Liberty Gallery – Explore contemporary exhibits that introduce groups to curatorial choices, public access to art, and emerging artists.
Andy Warhol Museum – Pop art allows students to learn about consumer culture, media, celebrity, and modern visual communication methods.
Mattress Factory Museum of Contemporary Art – Installation-based artworks that encourage students to think about perception, environment, space, and creative exploration.
Reading & Berks County
Reading Public Museum – Interdisciplinary art, science, and cultural collections allow students to practice observing and interpreting objects across time.
GoggleWorks Center for the Arts – International, national, and regional contemporary art, makers classes, theatre films, and student programming.
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EXPLORE CULTURE, IDENTITY & COMMUNITY
Arts and cultural experiences connect students to how communities express and preserve identity, memory, and continued storytelling across generations. Educators will find numerous locations where student groups can engage with lessons in social studies, history, cultural studies, literature, humanities, and community-based learning opportunities.
Brandywine Valley
Chester County History Center – Community stories, archives, and local history help groups connect preservation, culture, and regional identity.
Historic Yellow Springs – A historic village that links art, cultural landscapes, and preservation in a setting shaped by creative community life.
Bucks County
Gather Place Museum at the Old A.M.E. Church of Yardley – Explore African American history, community, faith, and local cultural preservation.
Pittsburgh
August Wilson African American Cultural Center – Arts programming helps students connect with African American storytelling, cultural expression, and literature.
Latin American Cultural Center – Exhibits and student programs introduce groups to Latin American culture, art, global perspectives, and identity.
Maxo Vanka Murals – A collection of murals that help students understand immigrant history, public art, community values, and social themes.
Soldiers & Sailors Memorial Hall & Museum – A civic institution that connects students to service, symbolism, memory, and public commemoration.
Reading & Berks County
Alvernia University – A campus-based arts and humanities program that helps students consider pathways in higher education and communication.
Kutztown University – College-level arts and cultural experiences that help students grasp concepts in creative learning, communication, and design.
Pennsylvania German Cultural Heritage Center – Students can connect with language, folk heritage, and traditions through regional storytelling, immigration history, and identity.
Reading Pagoda – A site on the National Register of Historic Places, the Reading Pagoda was built in 1908 as a potential resort, but since 1911, it’s been used as a public observatory.
York
Crispus Attucks York History and Cultural Center – A center that introduces students to African American history, leadership, community, and cultural memory.
Susquehanna Folk Music Society – Folk music programming allows students to learn about regional identity, oral traditions, and cultural continuity.
CREATE, MAKE & DESIGN
For educators seeking interactive opportunities where students become makers, designers, and creators, Pennsylvania offers myriad locations that support creative, hands-on learning. Groups can visit working studios, makerspaces, workshops, and creative learning centers that encourage students to experiment with materials, practice with design methods, and understand artistry as a process.
Brandywine Valley
Chester County Art Association – Workshops, classes, and visual arts programs support design skills, creative practice, and local arts engagement.
Bucks County
Moravian Pottery & Tile Works – A historic tile-making space that teaches students about craftsmanship, pattern, architectural design, and materials.
Gettysburg
Adams County Arts Council – Educational classes, workshops, camps, exhibits, and festivals help students understand how community arts and hands-on creative practices are connected.
Hershey & Harrisburg
Susquehanna Art Museum – Visual art exhibits and programming help support contemporary art, interpretation, and creative expression.
Millworks Art Studios – Working artist studios help students understand how creators make, display, and sell their works of art.
Laurel Highlands
Latrobe Art Center – Hands-on workshops, classes, and exhibits teach students how art connects to community, local culture, and entrepreneurship.
Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art – Students can explore youth programming and art workshops that introduce students to personal creative expression and mixed media.
Reading & Berks County
GoggleWorks Center for the Arts – This studio-based venue offers students the opportunity to learn about craftsmanship, design, hands-on making, and creative entrepreneurship.
York
Creative York – Vibrant exhibits, hands-on classes, and community programming help students build artistic confidence through engagement with visual arts.
DreamWrights Center for Community Arts – The center provides groups with youth-centered arts programs that blend storytelling, creativity, community participation, and performance.
Hanover Area Arts Guild – Local exhibits and artists introduce groups to creative practices and the role community galleries play in the arts.
Keystone Kidspace – Hands-on maker experiences promote experimentation, inventions, and interactive problem-solving.
Marketview Arts – Arts programs and exhibits allow students to glimpse York College’s artistic community and college-linked creative pathways.
Sunrise Soap Creation Station – Hands-on soap-making workshops introduce students to ingredients, product design, branding and entrepreneurship.
DISCOVER MUSIC, MOVEMENT & LIVE EVENTS
Live entertainment and music experiences help students understand the nuances of collaborative art forms, including rhythm, listening, discipline and teamwork. The Keystone State offers several experiences for marching bands, choirs, orchestras, student musicians, and performing arts groups that promote observation and active participation in performance.
Brandywine Valley
Uptown Knauer Performing Arts Center – A theater venue featuring live music, cultural programming, and theatrical performances that allow groups to explore audience engagement, stage presence, and community arts.
Cumberland County
The Playhouse at Allenberry – Discover live shows in a destination setting where students can learn about theater operations, guest experiences, and regional cultural tourism.
Carlisle Theatre – Live productions, cultural events, and films that introduce groups to community arts programming and historic performance venues.
H. Ric Luhrs Performing Arts Center – Live concerts, cultural events, behind-the-scenes tours, and touring productions connect groups to theater, university-connected arts access, and musical performances.
West Shore Theatre – A restored theater that helps students understand how historic spaces can be adapted for filmmaking, live performances, and community engagement.
Laurel Highlands
Arcadia Theater – A historic venue that connects groups with theater, film history, music, and the evolution of live entertainment spaces.
Johnstown Symphony Youth Orchestra – The youth orchestra helps young student musicians build ensemble skills, discipline, and orchestral experience through rehearsals and performances.
State Theatre Center for the Arts – Discover touring productions, concerts, and educational series that teach students about venue management and professional arts programming.
Timber Rock Amphitheater – This outdoor setting hosts concerts where students can consider how landscape, audience experience, and atmosphere shape live performance.
Westmoreland Symphony Orchestra – Explore youth orchestra programs that support listening skills, performance discipline, and music appreciation.
Philadelphia
Curtis Institute of Music – The institute offers students the opportunity to explore conservatory-style pathways in composition, performance, and professional music training.
Ensemble Arts Philly – Discover major performing arts programs that connect students to theater, dance, production, professional arts careers, and music.
Highmark Mann Center – This large-scale outdoor venue hosts productions that introduce students to audience experience, concert presentation, and event logistics.
The Fillmore Philadelphia – A live music venue that offers students connections to contemporary performance spaces, entertainment careers, and concert production operations.
Theatre of Living Arts – Students can participate in live performance and music programming that teaches young learners about entertainment management and audience engagement.
Pittsburgh
Music in the Parks at Kennywood – Performance groups have opportunities to showcase their talents during an adjudicated student travel experience tied to a popular amusement park.
Pittsburgh CLO – This venue offers students a glimpse into musical theater performances that help connect them to dance, acting, and collaborative stage production.
Pittsburgh Opera – Combine theater, music, design, storytelling, and language in multidisciplinary opera performance experiences.
Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra – Students can learn about discipline, ensemble collaboration, and listening during professional orchestral performances.
River City Brass Band – Explore brass performances that connect learners to regional music traditions, rhythm, musicianship, and live ensemble work.
Saint Patrick’s Day Parade – During iconic public celebrations throughout Pennsylvania, students are immersed in movement, music, civic participation, and heritage.
University of Pittsburgh High School Band Day – Marching band students can discover university traditions and school spirit, while connecting them with high school performances.
PUBLIC SPACES AS CREATIVE CLASSROOMS
Creative classrooms aren’t limited to theaters and museums. Performing arts students can experience what it takes to perform for a live audience in a public space. Visiting places such as plazas, historic sites, campuses, murals, outdoor venues, and stadiums can help students understand how public art shapes community spaces and how those communities use creativity to express their identities.
Hershey & Harrisburg
Harrisburg Arts District Walking Tours – Guided walking tours help students connect murals, architecture, and monuments to downtown revitalization and civic identity.
Pennsylvania State Capitol – Discover symbolism, architecture, and public art that help students understand how creative design communicates government values.
Philadelphia
Eastern State Penitentiary – This cultural and historic venue provides opportunities for students to explore social justice, storytelling, memory, and creative use.
Franklin Square – A public space that serves as a gathering place and supports tourism through conversations about parks and cultural programming.
Independence Mall – This iconic civic landscape helps students explore national storytelling and the design of public historic spaces that promote public memory.
Mural Arts Program – Groups can discover how local murals help shape neighborhoods through visual storytelling, collaboration and civic engagement.
Penn Museum – This museum venue offers student groups a connection to storytelling, creative interpretation and world cultures, plus Performance in the Garden experiences.
Philadelphia’s Magic Gardens – Immerse students in mosaic art during a visit to this walk-through experience that shows students how art transforms public spaces and offers lessons in material use, neighborhood creativity and community memory.
Pittsburgh
Arts Landing – This public-facing arts zone allows students to explore accessible arts, cultural life and placemaking.
PNC Park – This stadium teaches students about large venues and how they can support large-scale entertainment, audience experience and community gathering.
Point State Park – This major civic park connects students to urban design, public performance, place-based identity and geography.
Reading & Berks County
Mid Atlantic Air Museum WWII Weekend – This living history program connects learners to cultural memory through storytelling, reenactments and interpretation.
FirstEnergy Stadium – A stadium serving as a performance venue and event space, perfect for students to study community gatherings and audience engagement.
West Reading & Reading Murals – Discover vibrant public murals that help students understand how they support neighborhood identity and visual storytelling.
York
Royal Square Mural Park – An outdoor mural space where student groups can explore lessons in scale, symbolism, color, and artistic placemaking.
PLANNING TIPS FOR EDUCATORS
When planning a creative learning experience, whether it’s a performing arts trip or a cultural journey, Pennsylvania offers numerous opportunities for successful educational outcomes. By choosing the right creative skill first, teachers and field trip planners can build an itinerary that is focused, meaningful, and unforgettable.
Start planning an incredible immersive experience in Pennsylvania today, where creativity and hands-on learning open pathways for middle and high school students across the state.
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