Field Trips
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.
OSV School Programs Brochure 2023–2024
In-Person Programs
Old Sturbridge Village offers grant funding to schools in several geographic regions throughout New England, as well as institutions with Title I status. You may be able to receive discounted admission for your students. Reach out to us to find out if funding is available for your school by emailing osved@osv.org or by calling 508-347-0274.
Important notes for In-Person Field Trips:
- Limited, non-refrigerated, sheltered lunch storage and eating space is available on a first come first served basis in the Lunch Room by the Museum Education Center.
- Outdoor picnic tables are available on a seasonal basis throughout the Village campus.
- Due to limited space, school groups are not allowed to dine in the Bullard Café unless purchasing food.
- Groups are welcome at the gift shop; chaperones must accompany students inside.
- Please see our chaperone guide, map to the Museum Ed Building, and other Educator Resources for more “know before you go” information here.
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 a few hours or all day, curate your Village experience with the Make History Guides of materials available below. Recommended for K through 12 grades.
Make History Guides
Third to 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 or you can download the guides here: (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………………………………………………$12
Chaperones…………………………………………$17
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 $120 is required to qualify for the Student group rate of $12.
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 on your own, students 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: cooking, agriculture, textiles, or printing. Each theme allows students to try some of the activities they’ll see costumed historians doing in the Village throughout the year. Through inquiry and analysis, students make connections and comparisons to life today.
Learn more about workshop options here.
Recommended for 1st through 12th grades. Minimum of 10 students.
Students…………………………………………….$17
Chaperones……………………………………….$17
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 $170 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 long and themes include trades and households, early industry, or agriculture. When booking tours, please include your focus of choice in the notes section. Currently offered on Wednesdays only.
Recommended for 3rd through 12th grades.
Students…………………………………………….$22
Chaperones……………………………………….$17
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 $220 required
We welcome chaperones but ask that you please share this guide with all teachers chaperones attending the field trip.
Town Meeting: Poor Relief in the 1830s
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?” Students interview Villagers and gather different points of view. Afterwards, they meet at the Center Meetinghouse for a 45-minute Town Meeting, led by a costumed educator, where they 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: The Town meeting is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. on Wednesdays only. We recommend that students spend about 1.5 hours in the Village gathering information before the Town Meeting. The program requires pre-visit work to be done in-class ahead of your visit. Download the materials and learn more about the Town Meeting program here.
Recommended for 6th through 12th grades. Minimum of 25 students.
Students……………………………………………..$14
Chaperones………………………………………..$17
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 $350 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.
The program requires pre-visit work to be done in-class ahead of your visit. Download the materials and learn more about the Abolition and Social Change program here.
Recommended for 5th through 12th grades. Minimum of 25 students.
Students……………………………………………..$14
Chaperones………………………………………..$17
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 $350 required
Hands-On Workshop + Guided Tour
Can’t decide between a tour or a hands-on workshop? Do both in this option that combines a 2-hour tour with a 50-minute hands-on workshop for a 3-hour total experience. Currently offered on Wednesdays only.
Recommended for 3rd through 12th grades.
Students…………………………………………….$27
Chaperones………………………………………$17
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 $270 required
We welcome chaperones but ask that you please share this guide with all teachers chaperones attending the field trip.
Call 508-347-0274 or email osved@osv.org for more details or to book this 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
