Saturday, October 3, 2026
Times: 9:30 AM – 4 PM
Cost: For non-members, cost is $12 per Scout for full-day admission to Old Sturbridge Village. One adult per Scout ages 5 and above is admitted at the rate of $17. Hands-On Workshops are an additional fee.
Join us on October 3, 2026, for a day of hands-on exploration! Scouts will discover how children of the 1830s used skills that Scouts still practice today—from teamwork and problem-solving to outdoor skills, making, exploring, and helping others. Enjoy special drop-in activities, included with admission, or sign up for hands-on workshops!
Scout Day Admission
On Scout Day, Old Sturbridge Village offers a special rate on general daytime admission for participating scouts and families: $12 Youth / $17 Adult
Workshops are included with general daytime admission or membership, and we are offering a special rate for participating scouts and families:
$12 Youth / $17 Adult
Purchase Admission for Scout Day
FREE Drop-In Activities
No registration is required for the following Scout Day activities, included with general daytime admission or membership. Drop in throughout the day and try your hand at a variety of historical challenges that connect 1830s childhood with Scouting today. Pick up a map, your Scout Stamp Card, and a location guide at the Country Bank Visitor Center.
- Historical games on the common
- Orienteering
- Try the cider press at Museum Education and a sample of some apple cider from a local orchard!
- Help us put our garden to bed.
- Make a block print at Museum Education and discover how people communicated in the 1830s.
- Meet the animals at Freeman Farm.
- Find the Scarecrows in the countryside and make one of your own!
Complete all the free drop-in activities and receive a special Scout Day patch! Activities are subject to change.
Fee-Based Hands-On Workshops
Looking for a deeper hands-on experience? Scouts can register for optional workshops led by museum educators. Choose from experiences such as woodworking, hearth cooking, and textiles. Space is limited, and pre-registration is required.
Things to know:
- These are not drop-in programs, unless otherwise noted. Our staff will have a list of registrants for each workshop.
- Students’ guardians must stay in close proximity to the program location for the entire duration of the activity for safety reasons.
- Though each listing includes a list of which the activity may fulfill, these programs are open to all Scouts.
- Meeting locations for these workshops may change. Stay tuned to your email or signage at the Country Bank Visitor Center on the day of the program for any potential location changes.
- Workshop times are approximate. Please stay close by during your child’s workshop.
Carding & Weaving | 50 Minutes | $7 | Ages 8+
Meets at Museum Education
The process of making clothing in the 1830s was a little different than it is today. Step into the role of an 1830s villager and learn about the hard work behind making sheep’s wool into fabric. Participants will get hands-on experience carding wool from the Village’s own sheep and then weaving thread into cloth.
May fulfill the following requirements:
Juniors: Playing the Past 2, 4
Seniors: Textile Artist: 1, 2, 3
Make a Suet Feeder | 50 Minutes | $7 | Ages 8+
Meets at Museum Education
Scouts will get a chance to use different woodworking tools and learn proper tool safety. With winter coming soon, participants will construct a suet feeder with their new skills! This workshop is limited to 10 registrants.
May fulfill the following requirements:
Bears: Baloo the Builder 1 and 3
Webelos: Build It 1, 2, and 3
Cadettes: Woodworker 3 and 5
Open Hearth Cooking: 1830s Apple and Cornmeal Cakes | 50 Minutes | $7 | Ages 6+
Meets at Museum Education
Nothing says fall quite like apples baked and cooked in all forms! In this 50-minute workshop, Scouts will cook over the open hearth a hearty apple “pancake” using the following ingredients: milk, cornmeal, apples, baking soda, molasses, flour, and butter.
May fulfill the following requirements:
Tiger: Tiger Bites 2, 5
Bears: Bear Picnic Basket 4
Daisy: Yellow Petal (Friendly and Helpful), Purple Petal (Respect Myself and Others)
Brownies: Snacks 3, Senses 4
Juniors: Simple Meals 1, 4; Social Butterfly 2
Writing in Secret Code | 50 Minutes | $7 | Ages 6+
Meets at Museum Education
People have been writing in code for a long time to keep their messages safe. Other codes, like Morse Code (developed during the Village’s time period!) and semaphore, were created to make communication easier. Learn about the history of codes, write in invisible ink, and then decipher and encode your own messages to share with friends in your own secret code journal.
May fulfill the following requirements:
Brownies Letter boxer 3
Tigers: Curiosity, Intrigues, and Magical Mysteries 3, 4
Phantoms by Firelight: Frankenstein Encounter
Join Us for Opening Night on October 3