Field Trips
Now booking in person and live virtual field trips!
See below for options and pricing.
Download our 2021-2022 school year brochure here.
The Village offers a variety of exciting field trip programs, both in person and in a virtual setting. See below for details.
Questions? Email osved@osv.org or call 508-347-0274 for more information.
In-Person Programs
Self-guided Visit
School, Scout, and youth groups are invited to explore Old Sturbridge Village’s 200 acres and discover New England history. Whether your group is visiting for 3 hours or all day, curate your Village experience on this self-guided visit.
3rd–8th grade groups have the option to use our themed Make History Guides to explore the Village. Themes include Amazing Agriculture, Cooking and Eating, and Making It. Printed Make History Guides are available for free upon arrival at the museum. You can also download the guides below (for best results print double-sided on 8 1/2″ x 14″ paper)
Make History – Amazing Agriculture
Make History – Cooking and Eating
Recommended for K through 12th grades.
Students………………………………………………$10
Chaperones…………………………………………$15
Chaperones include parents, guardians, and other adults accompanying the trip who are not employed by the booking school.
Teacher/Youth Group Leader…………..FREE
Teachers include classroom teachers, school administrators, nurses, aides, and any school personnel accompanying the group during their trip.
* Minimum total fee of $100 required to qualify for the Student group rate of $10.
We welcome chaperones but ask that you please share this guide with all teachers chaperones attending the field trip.
Hands-On Workshop
In addition to exploring Old Sturbridge Village, students and youth group members can participate in hands-on workshops in our Museum Education Center. Each class will participate in a 50-minute workshop focused on one of the following themes: cooking, agriculture, textiles, or printing. Each theme allows them to try out some of the activities they’ll see costumed historians doing in the Village. Through inquiry and analysis, students make connections and comparisons to life today.
Recommended for 1st through 12th grades. Minimum of 10 students.
Students…………………………………………….$15
Chaperones……………………………………….$15
Chaperones include parents, guardians, and other adults accompanying the trip who are not employed by the booking school.
Teacher/Youth Group Leader…………FREE
Teachers include classroom teachers, school administrators, nurses, aides, and any school personnel accompanying the group during their trip.
* Minimum total fee of $150 required
We welcome chaperones but ask that you please share this guide with all teachers chaperones attending the field trip.
Guided Tour
This option is great for groups preferring a more structured tour experience. Classes will be divided in half to tour the Village with a museum educator. Tours are 2 hours and themes include trades and households, early industry, or agriculture. When booking tours, please include your focus of choice in the notes section.
Recommended for 3rd through 12th grades.
Students…………………………………………….$20
Chaperones……………………………………….$15
Chaperones include parents, guardians, and other adults accompanying the trip who are not employed by the booking school.
Teacher/Youth Group Leader………..FREE
Teachers include classroom teachers, school administrators, nurses, aides, and any school personnel accompanying the group during their trip.
* Minimum total fee of $200 required
We welcome chaperones but ask that you please share this guide with all teachers chaperones attending the field trip.
Town Meeting
In this civics-focused program, students participate in a mock town meeting where they learn how local government functions. The program explores the essential question “How should our town care for its poorest citizens?” At the start of the trip, students begin with a short, educator-led introduction at the Museum Education Center. They then enter the museum on their own to interview Villagers and gather different points of view. The program concludes in the Center Meetinghouse, where students participate in a 45-minute Town Meeting lead by a costumed interpreter to debate and vote on the issue. This interactive program encourages students to think critically, form arguments, and back up their opinions using historical information. Please note: Times selected are for concluding Town Meeting. We recommend that students spend about 1.5 hours in the Village gathering information before the Town Meeting conclusion. The conclusion to this program takes place at 12:30. This program is available on Wednesdays.
This program requires pre-visit work to be done in class ahead of your trip. Click here to download pre-visit materials. Click here to read more about what to expect during the Town Meeting program.
Recommended for 6th through 12th grades. Minimum of 25 students.
Students……………………………………………..$12
Chaperones………………………………………..$15
Chaperones include parents, guardians, and other adults accompanying the trip who are not employed by the booking school.
Teacher/Youth Group Leader………….FREE
Teachers include classroom teachers, school administrators, nurses, aides, and any school personnel accompanying the group during their trip.
* Minimum total fee of $300 required
We welcome chaperones but ask that you please share this guide with all teachers chaperones attending the field trip.
Abolition and Social Change in 19th-Century New England
Through primary sources and interactive experiences throughout the Village, students will learn about the ways in which the Northern states participated in the institution of slavery in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, as well as the ways that some people fought against this system. Focusing on the 19th-century abolitionist movement, participants in this program will piece together a larger picture of the impact of slavery in a town like Sturbridge in the 1830s. At the start of the trip, students begin with a short, educator-led introduction at the Museum Education Center. In small groups, they will visit specific sites in the Museum to look at primary sources. They will think deeply about the factors that influence their everyday choices and how they can use their own voices to create radical change. The program concludes in the Center Meetinghouse, where students participate in a 30-minute guided discussion and conclusion. The conclusion to this program takes place at 12:30. This program is available on Thursdays.
This program requires pre-visit work to be done in class ahead of your trip. Click here to download pre-visit materials. Click here to read more about what to expect during this program.
Recommended for 5th through 12th grades. Minimum of 25 students.
Students……………………………………………..$12
Chaperones………………………………………..$15
Chaperones include parents, guardians, and other adults accompanying the trip who are not employed by the booking school.
Teacher/Youth Group Leader………….FREE
Teachers include classroom teachers, school administrators, nurses, aides, and any school personnel accompanying the group during their trip.
Virtual Programs
Virtual Tours
Our new virtual field trips work well as a stand-alone activity for students, or as a preview to an in-person visit to Old Sturbridge Village. In this 45-minute virtual experience, a knowledgeable educator utilizes 3D tours of several of the Village’s buildings to explore different themes live for a class of students. Peek behind counters and zoom in on artifacts to get closer than you ever have before. Tour topics include: the district schoolhouse and education in the 1800s; 19th-century commerce and the Asa Knight Store; and a general Village tour will be available later this Fall. Teachers will also receive supplemental craft lesson plans to enhance the virtual field trip.
Pricing:
$125 per class maximum of 30 students per class
