Tuesday, November 3; Thursday, November 12; Thursday, December 3; Thursday, January 28; Thursday, February 11; Thursday, March 4
Times: 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Cost: Price varies by workshop. See below for details.
Museum Education Building
Adult Field Trips: Museum Ed Workshops
Some of the best field trips never really have to end.
For more than 50 years, students have learned by doing in Old Sturbridge Village’s Museum Education Building. Now, adults can step into the experience with our Adult Field Trip series! These hands-on workshops bring history to life through making, experimenting, and discovering.
Led by our expert museum educators, each workshop draws inspiration from the programs we offer to school field trips, with more advanced techniques and unique experiences designed just for adults.
Whether you’re a lifelong history lover, a curious crafter, an OSV member, or simply someone who likes to make, try, and discover, these workshops offer a chance to get curious, learn something new, and experience history in a whole new way.
Gather your friends or sign up and meet new friends. Simply choose a workshop and come ready to make and learn! Adult Field Trips also make unique gifts.
Important Adult Field Trip Details:
- Workshops take place in the Museum Education Building, and guests can park in the Museum Ed lot. View map (PDF).
- Workshops are designed for ages 14+
- Fees include material costs
- Space is limited, and pre-registration is required
- Old Sturbridge Village is closed to the public during this workshop.
- Wine and seasonal mocktails will be served during each program
- Please let us know as soon as possible if you need to cancel your workshop tickets. As these workshops are in high demand, refunds for workshop fees will only be given up to one week prior to the event date, or in the case of cancellation by Old Sturbridge Village.
Election Cake & Broadside Workshop
Tuesday, November 3, 2026 | 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Cost: Members: $50 | Non-members: $60
Join us on Election Day as we explore community traditions during the 1840 election, the first modern presidential election. What made it modern, and what were the issues? Who could vote, and how did they cast their ballots for the candidate of their choice? We will be making an Election Cake, a popular dessert used to commemorate elections in the 19th century, over the open hearth. We will also discuss campaign slogans and headlines and create our own broadsides while our Election Cake bakes.
At the Hearth: Thanksgiving Sides
Thursday, November 12, 2026 | 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Cost: Members: $80 | Non-members: $90
We all know that the best part of Thanksgiving is the sides! Working together over the fire, participants will prepare several traditional side dishes they can easily use this holiday season at home. As the sides take shape, we will discuss the tools, techniques, and challenges of hearth cooking, from managing fire and coals to timing multiple dishes without modern conveniences.
By the end of the class, we will be able to sample our hard work, gaining not only a taste of the past but also a deeper understanding of the labor and traditions that shaped early American kitchens.
Menu:
Sweet Potato Buns
Gourd Soup
Dressed Macaroni
Hot Slaw
Cranberry Pie
Foil Embossed Garland
Thursday, November 12, 2026 | 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Cost: Members: $45 | Non-members: $55
Embossing, or the process of creating a raised design, was a popular art form in the 19th century, used to embellish paper, metal, and leather. We will make an embossed metal garland using simple Christmas designs to decorate your fireplace mantel.
Fabric Marbling & Block Printing
Thursday, December 3, 2026 | 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Cost: Members: $45 | Non-members: $55
Participants in this class will decorate two tea towels using methods that people often associate with paper goods: block printing and marbling. Many 19th-century cotton fabrics were embellished with block-printed designs, a technique developed in India in the 12th century. Marbling was an inexpensive yet beautiful way to embellish books or paper goods. Using these two popular 19th-century techniques, we’ll create colorful and personalized towels. Participants will also get a close look at fabrics from our collection and examples of marbled books and papers.
Calligraphy Survey Course
Thursday, December 3, 2026 | 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Cost: Members: $40 | Non-members: $50
Try your hand at hand lettering based on historic styles using a variety of tools and tricks. Participants will gain a working knowledge of letterforms and learn how to keep using them at home in functional and fun ways. Special emphasis will be on practicing an upright round-hand style known as the Foundational Hand.
Teacup Pincushion
Thursday, January 28, 2027 | 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Cost: Members: $45 | Non-members: $55
Waste not, want not. OSV’s collection features many “make-do’s,” or useful household items created from broken goods. Inspired by a broken glass lamp base that found new life as a pincushion, we’ll use this thrifty idea to make a whimsical teacup pincushion. We will stuff it with wool and personalize it with assorted ribbon and baubles.
Faux Stained Glass
Thursday, January 28, 2027 | 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Cost: Members: $50 | Non-members: $60
Bring a little color and creativity to your day as you learn the art of creating beautiful faux stained glass. In this hands-on class, discover how simple materials and artistic techniques can be used to recreate the look of traditional stained glass without the need for specialized equipment.
You’ll design your own one-of-a-kind stained glass-inspired piece, learning techniques to create the look of leading and vibrant, translucent glass. Whether you choose a historic-inspired design or something uniquely your own, you’ll leave with a beautiful finished piece ready to display at home.
Sailors’ Valentines
Thursday, February 11, 2027 | 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Cost: Members: $50 | Non-members: $60
During the early 19th century, thousands of New England men took to the sea for years-long whaling voyages. Some returned with sailors’ valentines for their loved ones.
Intricately decorated octagonal boxes covered in romantic imagery and messages created from shells and seeds. Participants will create their own shell-decorated keepsake while learning more about the ways that 19th-century New Englanders used natural materials to create art and keepsakes.
Valentine’s Bites
Thursday, February 11, 2027 | 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Cost: Members: $80 | Non-members: $90
Make some new friends and bake a chocolate cake and a lemon pie from our vast collection of 19th–century receipts. We will sip some drinking chocolate as we enjoy the fruits of our labor.
Needle Felting a Landscape
Thursday, March 4, 2027 | 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Cost: Members: $45 | Non-members: $55
Using wool roving and felting needles, create an artistic spring landscape. We will look at some examples of landscape paintings from the Village’s collection and some pictures of our new spring lambs for inspiration before beginning to craft.
Gelli Plate Printing
Thursday, March 4, 2027 | 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Cost: Members: $45 | Non-members: $55
Shake off those late winter blues by experimenting with printmaking. Gelli plate printing is a form of monoprinting that uses reusable soft plates to transfer unique patterns, textures, and layers of paint onto paper. We will be using flowers, leaves, and other textured materials to create artful prints.