Before Your Field Trip

A Field Guide for Field Trips

Ready for your field trip to the Natural History Museum? Use the checklist below to ensure you’ve got everything you need for a successful field trip!

BEFORE YOUR FIELD TRIP

• Check that the information in your confirmation email is correct. Haven’t filled out a field trip request form yet? Book your visit.
• Looking for a museum map, park guide, or tips for your visit? Our Field Trip Guide (also available in Spanish) has everything you need to stay organized. Print copies for all of your adults and fill out any reservation times for Special Exhibits.
• Visit our Learning Resources library to download free, grade-appropriate lesson plans and activities for your visit.
• Review the Field Trip Guidelines (listed below) with your students and chaperones prior to your visit, including implementing and monitoring compliance with current safety measures intended to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in accordance with local, state, and federal public health guidelines. 
• Visiting the Nature Lab? Put yourself in their paws! Meet Rosie the Rat, who'll be your guide to the dos and don'ts of approaching the critters in our live animal collections. 
• Provide directions to the Natural History Museum to your drivers. The Natural History Museum is also easily accessible by Metro!
• Use our Museum Visit Social Narrative to help prepare your students for your visit (and check out our Accessibility Page for additional sensory-friendly resources)!
• Prepare for lunch time! School Groups can pre-purchase lunches for pickup at the Museum's Neighborhood Grill. Orders must be placed at least 7 business days in advanced. For details about pricing and menu options please email us at schoolprograms@nhm.org. 

ON YOUR WAY

• Bus drop-off and pick-up occurs on Exposition Park Drive in front of the South Lawn of the Museum.
• Bus parking is available in the Green Lot off of Hoover Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard. All yellow school buses pay $20 per bus, charter buses and all other oversized vehicles pay $42 per vehicle.
• Personal vehicle parking is available for $18 per car in the NHM Car Park on Bill Robertson Lane. 
• Leave lunches on the bus, in vehicles, or securely zipped in backpacks. Because of the sensitive nature of our collections, we cannot store lunches in the Museum. Thanks for protecting our collections!

YOUR FIELD TRIP BEGINS!

• When you arrive, gather your group on the South Lawn or Rose Garden and count the number of students, chaperones, and teachers/school staff.
• Have one teacher check in with a staff member at the East Entrance (also known as the "Rotunda Entrance") and ask students to wait with chaperones in designated waiting zones on the South Lawn or Rose Garden. On busy days, a staff member may meet you on South Lawn to check-in your group remotely. Note: With the opening of NHM Commons, field trips booked on or after November 18, 2024 will utilize the South Entrance. 
• Free admission is provided to all students, teachers, school staff (including TAs, 1:1 aides, and administrators), and chaperones. We require at least one adult for every 10 students. We ask that the number of chaperones does not exceed the number of students in your group. To prioritize student accessibility to special experiences, chaperones may not be included in add-on reservations (i.e. Butterfly or Spider Pavilion). Check your confirmation to see if your group is booked for any add-ons.
• Review any reservation times and locations with chaperones and school staff
• Remind your chaperones to help their students follow the Museum Guidelines available on their Field Trip Guide (also listed below), including compliance with current COVID-19 safety measures in place at the museum.
• Once admission stickers have been provided to all adults, you may escort your group to the East Gate Entrance to enter the museum.

museum guidelines

Take a look at the important information below to learn about how we can keep each other safe, protect the collections, and explore the Museum together. Questions? Contact us at info@nhm.org! 

How We Keep Each Other Safe

• Students should stay within view of a teacher or chaperone at all times, regardless of age, including in the NHM's Neighborhood Grill, Museum Store, and ticketed spaces.
• Be kind to our live animals by not tapping on the glass of their homes.
• Please be mindful of your voice, space around you, and other visitors while exploring the Museum.
• View up-to-date COVID-19 Safety Guidelines at NHM.org/covid-19-safety-guidelines.

How We Protect the Collections

• Help keep our Museum clean by consuming food and beverages outdoors. Food can attract pests that can damage our collections.
• School groups have designated outdoor lunch areas (see museum map). Due to the volume of school visitors, our NHM Neighborhood Grill, Cafe Patio, and Nature Gardens cannot accommodate school lunches. Visiting on a very rainy day? We've got you covered (literally)! Reserve your spot for indoor lunch during check-in on the day of your field trip. 
• Protect our fragile and very old objects in the Museum by looking closely (but not touching). There are many things in the museum you can touch! Look for a sign or staff member if you’re unsure.

How We Explore the Museum

• Spaces marked with an 'R' on the Field Trip Guide require prior reservation. Check with your lead teacher to see if your group has anything scheduled. If you have reservations, plan ahead to arrive on time.
• Encourage students to be curious and ask questions as they explore!
• Museum staff are always available to help. Staff will have a blue Museum shirt or badge.

Thank you!

QUESTIONS?

Check out our FAQs for more information!