Field Trips

Field Trip Ratings

Listen to the Narwhals 
0 Narwhals = Terrible, No Good, Better Off without Going
5 Narwhals = Amazing, Very Good, Definitely a Place to Go


ALABAMA

Huntsville:


Pros: A lot to do, a lot to see, free rides too!
Cons: A lot of the exhibits are reading based

Science and space lovers, this is for you. USSRC contains more than 1,500 items and is valued in the tens of millions of dollars. From America’s first satellite, Explorer I, to next generation space vehicles like Sierra Nevada’s Dream Chaser, the museum showcases the past, present and future of human spaceflight. It has simulators/rides included with admission: Space Shot (get shot up like a rocket 140 feet), G-Force Accelerator (feel the force of gravity - 3gs to be exact), Mars Climbing Wall (rock climbing wall), Hyper Ship (HD motion-based similator, 5 minutes - different rides available), Kids Cosmos & Mars Play Station (do similar things, but for the little kids)... to name a few. There are also permanent and temporary exhibits throughout the museum. (There is also a Marshall Space Flight Center Bus Tour ($20), which stops at the Historic Test Stands and the Payload Operations Center, which is the science command post for the International Space Station (ISS) and Marshall's central research hub for propulsion systems and technologies, the Propulsion Research and Development Laboratory.)

  • Hours: 9am-5pm
  • Price: Adult $24, Kid $16, Toddler (4 under) Free

Pros: Traveling exhibits, Location in Big Springs Park
Cons: Smaller museum & children's lab
The Huntsville Museum of Art is located in beautiful Big Spring International Park in downtown Huntsville, AL. The permanent collection of the Huntsville Museum of Art is comprised of over 3,000 objects, primarily focused on 19th and 20th century American art with an emphasis on art from the Southeast.

Inside the HMA there is a section just for kids: The Stender Family Interactive Education Gallery. It has an art lab and A Walk Through Time are on always available to guests. The art lab provides hands-on activities, which instruct on the basic elements of art – color, line, shape and texture. Art related books, a kaleidoscope, and interactive art activities are also available. A Walk Through Time takes a journey through the major events in art. It is an art timeline with replicas of famous works of art. From Paleolithic cave art to Mesopotamia, Egypt, and Greece to the Italian Renaissance and French Impressionism, to Modern Art and Abstract Expressionism. Each section of the gallery is filled with replicas of famous sculptures, statues, architecture, two-dimensional art.

  • Hours: Monday – Closed,Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, & Saturday – 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday – 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. ($5 after 5 p.m.!), Sunday – 12 to 5 p.m.
  • Price: $10: Adult, non-member/$5: Students & Children ages 6-11/$8: Seniors 60+ & Military & Educators/Members and Children under 6 are FREE



These three museums are maintained by the same group, but completely separate to visit. The link above will allow you to learn about all three, but below are reviews for each museum.

EarlyWorks Children's Museum

Pros: Great Alabama history section. There are some hands-on activities and a scavenger hunt list (a printed one available on-site).
Cons: I am always wishing there was a bit more to it. It is better for younger children.

EarlyWorks was designed for children – go ahead … touch, climb, pull, explore the South’s largest hands-on history museum. Hear stories from the Talking Tree, play a tune on the giant-sized instruments at the Alabama bandstand and try your hand at building in the Kidstruction Zone. Explore a 46-foot Keelboat, trade your wares at the General Store and try on 1800’s clothing in the federal house.  Pre-schoolers will enjoy exploring Biscuit’s Backyard and Hideout, a touch-and-learn area designed especially for them, which includes a garden, grocery store, water table tree house and even a cow to milk!

  • Hours: Tuesday-Saturday 9am-4pm
  • Price: Adult $12, Senior/Kid $10, Toddler $5


Huntsville Depot

Pros: Interesting tours given. Kids who like trains will like it!
Cons: Small, but worth a visit.

Hear the rattle of the tracks and the engineer’s whistle as you experience life on the rails in 1860. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the Depot served as the local passenger house & the corporate offices for the eastern division of the Memphis & Charleston Railroad. An active passenger station until 1968, the original depot building stands as a symbol of Huntsville’s transportation history & city growth.  The Depot grounds are open free to the public from 9am-5pm each day.
  • Hours: Museum, Wednesday- Saturday 10am-3pm & Depot, Daily, 9am-5pm
  • Price: $10

Constitution Village (Seasonal)

Pros: Learn history by walking through it.

Cons: It's small! Only opened during a few months.

Step inside the picket fence and be transported back to 1819…Hear the whir of the spinning wheel… smell the enticing aroma of freshly baked bread being prepared over an open fire… turn the great wheel lathe in the cabinetmaker’s shop… and visit with villagers busy with their daily tasks, seemingly unaware that nearly two centuries have come and gone. The local shop is open Monday-Saturday 10am-4pm year round (even though village itself is not).
  • Hours: Wednesday – Saturday 10am – 4pm (April- May) 
  • Price: Adult $12, Senior/Kid $10, Toddler $5

Santa's Village (Seasonal at Constitution Village)

Pros: Fun for the kids! A great holiday tradition.

Cons: It is a small museum, but definitely a must if you have small kids.

Come see Santa’s Magic Garden! This magical garden will come to life right before your eyes. Christmas trees will talk and sing, while holiday lights magically keep up the beat.  There’s lots to see and do in the magical village that Santa calls home!
  • Hours: Nov. 25 – Dec. 23, 2016 • 5pm to 9pm nightly
  • Price: $5

Orange Beach:

Pros: Lots of animal encounters ($)
Cons: Very small, overpriced for what you get
The Gulf Coast Zoo has wide pathways throughout the park offer close up views of over 500 exotic animals including: lions, tigers, bears, primates, leopards, wolves, and more! Visit the reptile house, petting zoo, and aviary. There is a shaded picnic area, gift shop and seasonal concessions. We are open year round with seasonal animal encounters, animal shows and keeper talks.

  • Hours: Open daily from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
  • Price: Adults (13-54) $11.00/Seniors $9.00/Children (3-12) $8.00/Children 2 and Under Free


Birmingham:

Coming soon...

Dauphin Island:


Pros: Great opportunity for kids, loads of activities/learning, & hands on!

Cons: Maybe cost, but you get a lot for what you pay for & you will be busy, so have the energy& you sleep in a dorm room... as you get older it's less fun!

The sea lab provides K-12 field programs, teacher-training, and public engagement. Including homeschool trips! The BayMobile, DISL's traveling classroom, allows Sea Lab educators to bring marine science lessons to schools all across the state.

  • Hours, vary (homeschool opportunites available)
  • Price: varies (will be in hundreds, for 4 day adventure)


Pros: A great small aquarium.

Cons: It is small.

This is a the public aquarium of the DISL, focuses solely on the Mobile-Tensaw Estuary System, and offers a variety of hands on exhibits including the Rays of the Bay Tank, creature table, and and touch tank. It is a small museum, but good to go to if you are in the area.

  • Hours, vary
  • Price: 
    • Adult $11.00
    • Children (5-18) or Students with ID $6.00
    • Seniors $9.00




FLORIDA

Panama City:

ZooWorld

Pros: It's a zoo!

Cons: Expensive (admission, extra for feeding/encounters)

ZooWorld is home to over 260 animals including exotic and endangered species in Panama City Beach, FL.
  • Daily, 9:30am-4:00pm
  • (Last admission 3:00pm every day)
  • Price:
    • Adult: $16.95 
    • Child: $12.95
    • Senior: $15.95


TENNESSEE

Chattanooga:

Coming soon...

Nashville:

Frist Center

Pros: Free for kids. Experience art... make a lot of things to take home!

Cons: Pay for parking

Art-exhibition center that has new exhibitions in the Art Deco building every 6 to 8 weeks. The Martin ArtQuest Gallery teaches through activities: make a print, paint a watercolor, create a sculpture!
  • Monday-Wednesday: 10:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
  • Thursday-Friday: 10:00 a.m.–9:00 p.m. (ArtQuest closes at 5:30 p.m.)
  • Saturday: 10:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m.
  • Sunday: 1:00–5:30 p.m.
  • Price:
    • Adults $12.00
    • Visitors 18 and younger FREE

Pros: It's art & ancient Greek history!

Cons: Expensive for what you get.

A full-scale replica of the original Parthenon in Athens, as well has a small art museum inside.
  • Tuesday-Saturday, 9:00am-4:30pm
  • Sundays 12:30 -4:30 pm
  • Price:
    • Adults $6.00
    • Seniors & Children (4-17) $4.00

Adventure Science

Pros: A lot of interactive exhibits.

Cons: Can be loud and overwhelming for some kids.

Science museum with nearly 175 hands-on exhibits focused on biology, physics, visual perception, listening, mind, air and space, energy and earth science. Traveling exhibits too.
  • Daily, 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
  • Price (Combo Tickets Available):
    • Adults $14
    • Children (2-12) $11
    • (ASTC Passport Program - FREE admission)

Gaylord Opryland Hotel

Pros: It is beautiful. Water shows are free and fun to watch.

Cons: Very expensive (parking is costly too).

Hotel is 600,000 square feet with dining, shopping, recreational activities, and entertainment.
  • Delta Riverboat Flatboat Tour ($) - It is pretty pricey for the short boat ride.
  • Two Waters Fountain Shows (FREE) -Water and light are choreographed to music. Nightly shows at 6pm & 8pm and 7pm & 9pm

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