Our field trips require a minimum of 15 students to book. For groups of fewer than 15 students, please go directly to our admission counter upon arrival, or consider purchasing a membership.
Airplanes, chessboards, and toilet seats are just some of the amazing objects you will find hidden in our "Product Tree."
Are your students studying a particular topic in Washington's history? Are you interested in exploring the museum at your own pace? If so, a self-guided visit is the option for you!
Exhibits at the museum are interactive and self-paced. We don't give guided tours of the museum, but your class will receive an introduction to our galleries, along with information about the featured exhibits on view during your visit. Students have the opportunity to view artifacts up close. Our volunteer gallery interpreters will help students in their search for information, answer questions about the museum, and provide insight about objects and exhibits.
Additional information
on the Great Hall of Washington History.
Make a reservation for a self-directed tour of the Great Hall of Washington History. Admission prices are $4 per student. The museum admits one chaperone per five students for free.
Are your students ready to listen, learn, and make connections? Time and Place are two tools used in the Lab to make connections.
From the moment a class walks into the History Lab, the excitement begins. Students become detectives in this engaging, one-and-a-half hour facilitated field trip where they learn about historical evidence by using the "tools of the trade." Artifacts, ephemera, and images are all tools that your class will use to solve a particular mystery in Washington state’s history. Armed with a map, a clue, and a code, students must crack the case and find the answer to one of the many secrets in Washington's past.
This program serves students in grades K-12, with a capacity of 25-30 students per session. We offer two Lab sessions per day.
Additional information on the History Lab Learning Center.
Make a reservation for a facilitated visit to the History Lab Learning Center. Admission prices are $5 per student. The museum admits one chaperone per five students for free.
Come and sail the seas with Washington's most famous explorers in our Pirates, Shipwrecks, and Lost Treasures maritime history program.
Live actors and artists bring the Great Hall to life in these special school programs. Reserve your class's space early — these programs fill quickly!
Please note: History Lab will be unavailable during the run of these programs.
Native Heritage in Washington State
Thursdays and Fridays in November, 2008
Plan a field trip to the History Museum in November and let your students experience Native American storytelling, art demonstrations, and a close-up examination of artifacts. The stories and lifeways of Washington's native peoples will be presented as part of an introduction to Plateau and Coastal Native American tribes.
Pirates, Shipwrecks, and Lost Treasures
February 3-7, 2009
Did pirates really sail along the Northwest Coast? Is there a lost fortune in the woods of Washington? Who sang show tunes as the SS Queen went down in flames? Find the answers to these and more in Pirates, Shipwrecks, and Lost Treasures, an exploration of Pacific Northwest maritime history. Artifacts provide clues to guide students on a journey through Washington's past and present.
Make a reservation for a facilitated visit to a Ghosts of the Great Hall program. Admission prices are $5 per student. The museum admits one chaperone per five students for free.
Visit the Prep Materials page for helpful hints and instructions to enhance any field trip visit!