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A Survey Of Free Field Trips In All 50 States

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Preeti Chauhan
Educational Researcher


Are you asking yourself, what’s a fun free field trip near me?  Well, look no further.  We’ve compiled a list of a ton of FREE activities broken down by state.  While this list is far from including everything, hopefully it will inspire some ideas of great school field trips to do near you!

Do you have a favorite free destination to take your class that is not on the list?  If so, please send it to us!

Free Field Trip Destinations By State

 

Alabama

1. Foley railroad museum – Foley

2. Fairhope Museum – Fairhope

3. Museum of Art – Birmingham

4. Botanical Gardens – Birmingham

5. Airmen National Historic Site – Tuskegee

6. Audubon Bird Sanctuary – Dauphin Island

Need more ideas? Check out Trip Advisor or a listing of free activities.

Alaska

1. Wells Fargo Museum – Anchorage

2. Whaling wall – Anchorage

3. Turnagain Gallery – Anchorage

4. The Tony Knowles Coastal Trail – Alaska

5. Earthquake Park – Alaska

Need more ideas? Check out Grayline Alaska or a listing of free activities.

Arizona

1. Heritage Square – Phoenix

2. Scottsdale Art Walk – Greater Phoenix

3. Karsten Manufacturing Tour at the Ping Factory – Arizona

4. Rookie League Baseball – Phoenix

Need more ideas? Check out Trip to Discover or a listing of free activities.

Arkansas

1. The Arkansas State Capitol – Little Rock

2. The Arkansas Arts Center – Little Rock

3. The Delta Cultural Center – Helena

4. The Vogel Schwartz Sculpture Garden – Little Rock

5. Blanchard Springs Recreation Area – Mountain View

Need more ideas? Check out Trip Advisor or a listing of free activities.

California

1. Japanese Tea Garden – San Francisco

2. Griffith Park – Los Angeles

3. Fortune cookie factory – San Francisco

4. Museum of Contemporary Arts – Chicago

5. Music Center Tours – California

6. Lakeside Botanical Gardens – Oakland

Need more ideas? Check out Matador Network for a listing of free activities.

Colorado

 

1. Garden of the Gods – Colorado Springs

2. Celestial Seasonings Tea Factory Tour – Boulder

3. United States Air Force Academy Colorado Springs

4. The Pioneer Museum – Colorado Springs

5. Nature Centers – Bear Creek and Fountain CreekColorado Springs

6. North Cheyenne Cañon Park – Colorado Springs

7. Red Rocks Park & Amphitheatre – Denver

Need more ideas? Check out Mile High On The Cheap for a listing of free activities happening each week.

Connecticut

 

1. First Presbyterian Church – Stamford

2. Whitney Museum of American Art – New York

3. UCONN Stamford Art Gallery – Stamford

4. Bartlett Arboretum and Gardens – Stamford

5. The Connecticut Welcome Center – Darien

Need more ideas? Check out Travelling mom or a listing of free activities.

Delaware

 

1. Air Mobility Command Museum – Dover

2. Junction and Breakwater Trail – Rehoboth Beach

3. Cape May Point State Park – Cape May Point

4. Indian River Inlet Bridge – Bethany Beach

5. Johnson Victrola Museum – Dover

Need more ideas? Check out Trip Advisor or a listing of free activities.

Florida

 

1. The National Naval Aviation Museum – Pensacola

2. The Town of Murals Walking Tour – Lake Placid

3. Florida Keys Eco – Discovery Center – Key West

4. Museum of Florida History – Tallahassee

5. Harry P – Leu Gardens – Orlando

6. Ideal Classic Cars Museum & Showroom – Venice

Need more ideas? Check out Only in your state or a listing of free activities.

Georgia

1. The King Center for Non – Violent Social Change – Atlanta

2. Walking Tour of Our Solar System – Gainesville

3. Georgia Racing Hall of Fame – Dawsonville

4. Georgia Guidestones – Elberton

5. Cumberland Island – St Mary’s

6. Atlanta Festivals – Atlanta

7. Folkston Railroad Depot and Train Museum – Folkson

Need more ideas? Check out Only in your state or a listing of free activities.

Hawaii

1. Mokupapapa Discovery Center – Kamehameha Ave

2. Lava Tree State Park – Pahoa

3. Panaewa Rainforest Zoo & Gardens – Stainback Hwy

4. Keanae Arboretum – Kula

5. USS Arizona Memorial and Pearl Harbor – Honolulu

Need more ideas? Check out Tripster or a listing of free activities.

Idaho

1. Wander into the Morrison Knudsen Nature CenterSouth Walnut Boise

3. The Idaho State Capitol Building – Boise

4. Julia Davis Park – Boise

5. Old Mission State Park – North Idaho

6. Kathryn Albertson Park – Boise

7. Idaho Anne Frank Human Rights Memorial – Boise

8. North Idaho Centennial Trail – Coeur d’Alene

Need more idea? Check out Trip advisor or a listing of free activities.

Illinois

 

1. Lincoln Park Zoo – Chicago

2. Millenium Park Chicago

3. Chicago Cultural Center – Chicago

4. Gail Borden Public LibraryElgin

5. Krape park – Freeport

6. Lincoln Home National Historic Site – Springfield

7. Lincoln Tomb & War Memorials – Springfield

Need more ideas? Check out Trip advisor or a listing of free activities.

Indiana

1. Indianapolis Art Center – Indianapolis

2. The Philharmonic Orchestra – Indianapolis

3. War Memorials – Indianapolis

4. Rolls – Royce Heritage Trust – Indianapolis

5. Indiana Landmarks center – Indiana

6. The Indiana State Police Museum – Indiana

Need more ideas? Check out Visitindi or a listing of free activities.

Iowa

 

1. The Shrine of the Grotto of the Redemption – West Bend

2. The Iowa State Capitol Building – Des Moines

3. The University of Iowa Museum of Natural History Mississippi

4. The Des Moines Art Center – Des Moines

5. the Union Pacific Railroad Museum – Council Bluffs

6. The Sanford Museum & Planetarium – Cherokee

Need more ideas? Check out Trip Advisor or a listing of free activities.

Kansas

1. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art – Kansas City

2. Union Station Kansas City

3. City of Fountains – Kansas City

4. The Money Museum at the Federal Reserve – Kansas City

5. Deanna Rose Children’s FarmsteadOverland Park

Need more ideas? Check out Tripsavy or a listing of free activities.

Kentucky

 

1. Abraham Lincoln’s birthplace – Hodgenville

2. Kentucky’s Folk Art Center Morehead

3. State Capitol Building – Frankfort

4. The Historic Apple Valley Roadside Attraction – Calvert City

5. Aviation Heritage Park – Bowling Green

6. Old Kentucky ChocolatesLexington

7. the Scott County Arts and Cultural center – Georgetown

8. Toyota’s Manufacturing Plant – Georgetown

Need more ideas? Check out Travelling mom or a listing of free activities.

Louisiana

1. Lower 9th Ward Living Museum – New Orleans

2. The Second Line – New Orleans

3. The LSU Museum of Art – Baton Rouge (The first Sunday of every month is FREE admission)

4. The Louisiana Art & Science Museum – Baton Rouge (Admission is free and Planetarium shows are reduced to $8 on First Free Sunday -)

5. The Baton Rouge GalleryBaton Rouge

6. Creole Nature Trail Adventure PointSulphur

Need more ideas? Check out Louisiana Tourism or a listing of free activities.

 

Maine

1. Portland Head Light & Fort Williams Park – Cape Elizabeth

2. Acadia National Park and Bar Harbor – Maine (Only some of the days are free to get in, for further details check out Free entrance)

3. Maine State Museum – Augusta

4. Viles Arboretum – Augusta

5. Brick Store Museum – Kennebunk

Need more ideas? Check out Tripsavy or a listing of free activities.

Maryland

1. The Walters Art Museum Baltimore

2. Federal Hill Park Baltimore

3. Fort McHenry National Monument Baltimore (Children 15 years of age and younger are free)

4. Assateague Island National Seashore – Berlin (Check out free days here free entrance)

Need more ideas? Check out Visit Maryland or a listing of free activities.

Massachusetts

 

1. The Massachusetts State House – Boston

2. The USS Constitution Museum – Boston

3. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology – Cambridge

4. The Black Heritage Trail – Boston

5. Harvard Museum of Natural History – Cambridge

6. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI) – Woods Hole

Need more ideas? Check out Vacation Idea or a listing of free activities.

Michigan

1. Meyer May House – Grand Rapids

2. Seney National Wildlife Refuge – Seney

3. Great Lakes Maritime Heritage Center – Alpena

4. Michigan State Capitol – Lansing

5. Art prize Grand Rapids

6. The Eli and Edythe Broad Art Museum – East Lansing

Need more ideas? Check out 101 free things or a listing of free activities.

Minnesota

1. Swan ParkMonticello

2. Spam Museum – Austin

3. The Keepers of the Sacred Tradition of Pipemakers – Pipestone

4. National Trout Center – Preston

5. Minneapolis Sculpture Garden Minneapolis

6. Como Park Zoo and Conservatory – St Paul

Need more ideas? Check out Explore Minnesota or a listing of free activities.

Mississippi

 

1. The Fontainebleau Nature Trail – Gautier

2. Hurricane Museum – Waveland

3. Mississippi State Capitol – Jackson

4. Vicksburg National Military Park – Vicksburg

5. U -S -S – Cairo Museum – Vicksburg

6. Lynn Meadows Discovery Center – Gulfport (Only Fridays are free)

Need more ideas? Check out Vacation Idea or a listing of free activities.

Missouri

 

1. Forest Park – St – Louis

2. The Saint Louis Art Museum – St – Louis

3. the Saint Louis Science Center – St – Louis

4. The Missouri History Museum – St – Louis

5. The Saint Louis Zoo – St – Louis (Only first hour admission is free)

6. The Money Museum – Kansas City

Need more ideas? Check out Travel Nurse Across America or a listing of free activities.

Montana

1. Helena’s Science Museum – Jefferson City

2. Montana’s State Capitol – Helena

3. Missoula Art Museum – Missoula

4. Museum of Mountain Flying – Missoula

5. Montana Natural History Center – Montana

6. Children’s Museum Missoula – Missoula

7. Montgomery Distillery – Missoula

Need more ideas? Check out Vacation Idea or a listing of free activities.

Nebraska

 

1. Pioneers Park Nature Center – Lincoln

2. The Tulip Bloom Gardens – Lincoln

3. The Nebraska State Capitol – Nebraska

4. The Sheldon Museum of Art – Lincoln

5. The Museum of American Speed – Lincoln

Need more ideas? Check out Trip 101 or a listing of free activities.

Nevada

1. The Ethel M Chocolate Factory Las Vegas

2. The Wildlife Habitat at the Flamingo Las Vegas

3. Mike O’Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge – Boulder City

4. Bellagio’s Conservatory and Botanical Gardens – Las Vegas

5. The Seven Magic Mountains – Las Vegas

6. Goldwell Open Air Museum – Rhyolite

7. International Car Forest of the Last Church – Goldfield

8. Virginia City, largest historic landmark in the US

9. Stewart Indian School – Carson City

10. Oxbow Nature Study – Reno

11. River Fork Ranch – Genoa

12. Taylor Creek Visitor Center – South Lake Tahoe

13. Pyramid Lake

14. Hidden Cave & Grimes Point Archaeological Area – Fallon

15. Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area – Las Vegas

16. Stillwater National Wildlife Refuge – Fallon

17. Desert National Wildlife Refuge – Las Vegas

18. Ruby Lake National Wildlife Refuge – Elko

19. Ash Meadows National Wildlife Refuge – Amargosa Valley

20. Pahranagat National Wildlife Refuge – Alamo

Need more ideas? Check out Travelling Mom or a listing of free activities.

New Hampshire

 

1. Libby Museum – Wolfeboro

2. The American Classic Arcade Museum Laconia

3. Chutters Candy Store – Littleton

4. The stunning ice castles – Lincoln

5. Goffstown Giant Pumpkin Regatta – Goffstown

6. Epic of American Civilization mural Hanover

Need more ideas? Check out Travel mag or a listing of free activities.

New Jersey

 

1. Cape May County Park & Zoo Cape May Court House

2. Princeton University Art Museum Princeton

3. Drumthwacket – Princeton

4. Heritage Glass MuseumGlassboro

5. Twin Lights Historic Site Highlands

6. The Center for Contemporary Art – Bedminster Township

7. Howell Living History Farm – Lambertville

Need more ideas? Check out Visit new Jersey or a listing of free activities.

New Mexico

 

1. Open Space Visitors Center – Albuquerque

2. Petroglyph National Monument – Albuquerque

3. Albuquerque Biopark and Zoo – Albuquerque

4. Art Installations for Kids – Albuquerque

5. Historic Old Town and Tiquez Park – Albuquerque

6. Geology Museum – Socorro

7. Indian Pueblo Cultural Center – Albuquerque

8. Sky City Cultural Center & Haak’u Museum – Acoma Pueblo

Need more ideas? Check out Vacation Idea or a listing of free activities.

New York

 

1. The New York Public LibraryNew York

2. The Brooklyn BreweryBrooklyn

3. The Staten Island FerryStaten Island and Manhattan

4. Times Square – Manhattan

5. Prospect ParkBrooklyn

6. Brooklyn Botanic GardenBrooklyn

7. Grand Central Station – New York

Need more ideas? Check out Culture Trip or a listing of free activities.

North Carolina

 

1. Wells Fargo Museum – Charlotte

2. Reed Gold MineMidland

3. The Billy Graham Library – Charlotte

4. Knightdale Environmental Education ParkKnightdale

5. Historic OakwoodRaleigh

6. JC Raulston Arboretum at North Carolina State University – Raleigh

Need more ideas? Check out visitraleigh or a listing of free activities.

North Dakota

 

1. North Dakota Heritage Center & State Museum – North Dakota

2. Scandinavian Heritage Park – Minot

3. South Unit Visitor Center & Theodore Roosevelt N -P – Medora

4. The Dakota Zoo – Bismarck

5. North Dakota State Capitol – Bismarck

6. National Buffalo Museum – Jamestown

7. Frontier VillageJamestown

8. Painted Canyon Visitor Center – Medora

9. Scandinavian Heritage Park – Minot

10. Enchanted Highway – Regent

11. Knife River Indian Villages National Historic Site – Stanton

12. Rosebud Visitor Center – Valley City

13. Long X Trading Post Visitor Center – Watford City

14. Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site – Williston

15. Roger Maris Museum – Fargo

16. The Greenway – Grand Forks

Need more ideas? Check out Vacation ideas for a listing of free activities.

Ohio

 

1. Cleveland Museum of Art – Cleveland

2. Toledo’s Arboretum and Museums – Toledo

3. Cincinnati’s Conservatory and Riverfront – Cincinnati

4. Cuyahoga Valley National Park – Ohio

Need more ideas? Check out tripsvvy or a listing of free activities.

Oklahoma

 

1. The Gaylord – Pickens Oklahoma Heritage Museum – Oklahoma City

2. National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum – Oklahoma City

3. Martin Park Nature Center – Oklahoma City

4. Oklahoma City Zoo – Oklahoma City

5. Oklahoma City Museum of Art – Oklahoma City

6. Bricktown – Bricktown

Need more ideas? Check out Travelling mom or a listing of free activities.

Oregon

 

1. Portland Art Museum – Portland

2. The International Rose Test Garden – Portland

3. “Living Museum” – Portland

4. Tom McCall Waterfront Park – Portland

5. Western Antique Aeroplane & Automobile Museum Hood River

6. Oregon Museum of Science and Industry – Portland

Need more ideas? Check out vacationidea or a listing of free activities.

Pennsylvania

 

1. Philadelphia Museum of Art – Philadelphia

2. Valley Forge National Historical Park – King of Prussia

3. Spruce Street Harbor ParkChristopher Columbus Blvd

4. The President’s House: Freedom and Slavery in the Making of a New NationPhiladelphia

5. The Independence Visitor Center – Philadelphia

6. Rodin Museum – Philadelphia

Need more ideas? Check out vacationidea or a listing of free activities.

Rhode Island

 

1. Cliff Walk – Newport

2. Beavertail Lighthouse Museum – Jamestown

3. Rhode Island Attractions: RISD Museum – Providence

4. Fort Adams State ParkNewport

5. Roger Williams Park Zoo – Providence

6. Rosecliff MansionNewport

7. Abrams Animal Farm – Block Island

8. Adam’s Berry Farm – Cumberland

9. Biomes Marine Biology Center – North Kingstown

10. Block Island National Wildlife Refuge – Charlestown

Need more ideas? Check out vacationidea or a listing of free activities.

South Carolina

 

1. Olde English District – Richburg

2. South Carolina State Museum – Columbia

3. Fort Sumter National Monument – South Carolina

4. McLeod Plantation Historic SiteCharleston

5. The Center for Birds of PreyAwendaw

6. The Charleston Tea PlantationWadmalaw Island

7. Hagood MillPickens

8. Freightliner FactoryChicago

9. South Carolina State Botanical GardensBotanical Garden

10. Mepkin AbbeyMoncks Corner

11. L. W. Paul Living History FarmConway

12. South Carolina Railroad MuseumWinnsboro

13. South Carolina State HouseColumbia

14. South Carolina Governor’s MansionColumbia

15. Angel Oak TreeJohns Island

16. Piedmont Physic Garden Union

17. South Carolina Maritime MuseumGeorgetown

18. Swan Lake Iris GardensSumter

19. Hitchcock WoodsAiken

20. Duke World of EnergySeneca

21. Pearl Fryar’s Topiary GardenBishopville

22. Walterboro Wildlife SanctuaryWalterboro

23. Bush River FarmClinton

24. Emerald FarmGreenwood

25. Bowie Arts CenterDue West

26. The M.A.C.KMcCormick

27. Park Seed CompanyHodges

28. Joanne T. Rainsford Region 2 Discovery Center Edgefield

29. Laurens County MuseumLaurens

30. Gray Court-Owings MuseumGray Court

31. Clinton MuseumClinton

32. Edgefield County Peach Museum – Edgefield

33. Greenwood County Arts Center Greenwood

34. Mice on MainGreenville

35. Falls Park on the Reedy and the Liberty BridgeGreenville

36. Downtown ParksGreenville

37. Historic Churches and CemeteriesGreenville

38. Greenville County Museum of ArtGreenville

39. American Legion Post 3 War MuseumGreenville

40. Kilgore-Lewis HouseGreenville

41. Museum and Library of Confederate History – Greenville

42. Shoeless Joe Jackson MuseumGreenville

Need more ideas? Check out vacation idea or a listing of free activities.

South Dakota

 

1. Storybook Island – Rapid City

2. South Dakota Attractions: Ingalls HomesteadDe Smet

3. Prairie Homestead Historic SitePhilip

4. South Dakota Air and Space MuseumRapid City

5. Mitchell Prehistoric Indian VillageMitchell

6. Minuteman Missile National Historic SitePhilip

Need more ideas? Check out Vacation Idea or a listing of free activities.

Tennessee

 

1. Ijams Nature Center – Knoxville

2. Lotz House Museum – Franklin

3. National Civil Rights Museum – Memphis

4. Stones River National Battlefield – Murfreesboro

5. Bays Mountain Park & Planetarium Kingsport

6. Creative Discovery Museum – Chattanooga

Need more ideas? Check out vacation idea or a listing of free activities.

Texas

 

1. The Alamo – San Antonio

2. San Antonio RiverwalkSan Antonio

3. Houston Museum of Natural Science – Houston

4. Texas State Capitol Austin

5. South Padre Island Dolphin Research and Sea life Nature Center – Isabel

6. Museum of Fine Arts Houston – Houston

Need more ideas? Check out Vacation Idea or a listing of free activities.

Utah

1. Liberty park – Salt Lake City

2. Cove Fort Beaver

3. Hill Aerospace Museum – Hill AFB

4. Utah State Capitol – Salt Lake City

5. Discovery Gateway Children’s Museum – Salt Lake City

Need more ideas? Check out free things or a listing of free activities.

 

 

 

 

Vermont

 

1. Hildene – The Lincoln Family Home – Manchester

2. Marsh – Billings – Rockefeller National Historical Park – Woodstock

3. Brattleboro Museum and Art Center – Brattleboro

4. Bennington Museum – Bennington

5. Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks – Montpelier

Need more ideas? Check out vacation Idea or a listing of free activities.

Virginia

 

1. The Crooked Road—Virginia’s Heritage Music Trail – Abingdon

2. Torpedo Factory Art Center – Alexandria

3. National Air and Space Museum, Udvar – Hazy Center – Chantilly

4. The King Neptune Statue – Virginia Beach

5. 5 – Atlantic Wildfowl Heritage Museum – Virginia Beach

6. 6 – The Naval Aviation Monument – Virginia Beach

Need more ideas? Check out Trip Savvy or a listing of free activities.

Washington

 

1. Washington State Capitol Olympia

2. Washington Park Arboretum – Seattle

3. Port Angeles Fine Arts Center – Port Angeles

4. Fort Vancouver National Historic Site – Vancouver

5. Bellevue Botanical Garden – Bellevue

Washington D.C.

 

1. The Supreme Court – Washington

2. The Smithsonian Museums – Washington

3. The White House – Washington

4. The Library of Congress – Washington

5. The National Gallery of Art – Washington

6. The National Archives Museum – Washington

7. The Holocaust Memorial Museum – Washington

8. The National Arboretum – Washington

Need more ideas? Check out Nomadicmatt or a listing of free activities.

West Virginia

1. Exhibition Coal Mine – Beckley

2. West Virginia Botanic Garden – Morgantown

3. The State Capitol – Charleston

4. Bloomery Plantation Distillery Charles Town

5. Blennerhassett Island Historical State ParkBlennerhassett Island

6. National Radio Astronomy Observatory – Green Bank

Need more ideas? Check out Vacation Idea or a listing of free activities.

Wisconsin

1. The Milwaukee Central Library – Milwaukee

2. The Basilica of St – Josephat – Milwaukee

3. The Domes – Milwaukee

4. EAA Air Venture Museum – Oshkosh

5. Milwaukee Art Museum – Milwaukee

6. Paine Art Center and Gardens – Oshkosh

Need more ideas? Check out Tripsavvy or a listing of free activities.

Wyoming

 

1. The Backcountry in Yellowstone National Park – Yellowstone National Park

3. Grand Teton National Park – Wyoming

4. National Museum of Wildlife Art – Jackson

5. The Historic Occidental Hotel Museum – Buffalo

6. Craig Thomas Discovery & Visitor Center – Moose

7. Old Faithful Visitor Education Center – Yellowstone National Park

Need more ideas? Check out Vacation Idea or a listing of free activities.

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