Self-Guided School Field Trips for Students

If you’ve found this page, you already know how memorable a field trip to an art museum can be.  Bringing your students to the Minnesota Marine Art Museum will help them to develop critical thinking skills and make connections to their own lives.  Thank you for considering this experience for your students and encouraging new ways to look at the world.

 
 

Self-Guided School Field Trip Information

  • Groups: Recommended for students Pre-K (age 4) - 12th grade

  • Group Size: 12-55 students (For groups of 55 or more, we are happy to divide your group across multiple time slots or days).  

  • Group Cost: $5 per student. (Kindly note that self-guided field trips remain $5 per student on our Free Student Thursdays. Free Student Thursdays are not designed for school groups. The cost is not for admission, but for the support and materials provided.) 

  • Dates Available for Self-Guided Tours: Anytime we are open, with a few exceptions. During our designated guided school field trip experience weeks, self-guided tours are unavailable. Those dates for 2024 are: Feb 20-23, March 19-22, April 23-26, May 21-24, Oct. 22-25, and Nov 19-21. We are closed on Mondays, and throughout the year select galleries may be unavailable as we change exhibitions.    

  • Tour times available: 10am- 5pm 

  • Tour Duration: You may stay as long as you’d like. We recommend 45 minutes for groups ages 6 and younger, and 60 minutes for students older than 7.  

  • Teacher supports: Teachers will receive a tour plan, supported activities to use with their students, and pre-visit notes to share with students and chaperones.   

  • Tour Takeaways: Students will receive an exhibition postcard and MMAM branded  pencil. 

Important Scheduling Information

  • Self-guided school field trips must be booked a minimum of three weeks in advance. 

  • Kindly note that self-guided field trips remain $5 per student on our Free Student Thursdays. Free Student Thursdays are not designed for school groups. The cost is not for admission, but for the support and materials provided for your field trip.

  • One teacher or adult chaperone is required for every group of 10 students; those adults receive free admission.

  • The Museum does not have lunch facilities. Please plan accordingly. 

  • Confirm student attendance and final paymentwith the MMAM Programs Manager, Julie Heukeshoven (Jheukeshoven@mmam.org), 2 weeks before the tour.

Bus Information 

If funds are available, MMAM will pay up to $150 per group trip to help cover the cost of your bus. Thank you to the Winona Foundation for this support!  Bus funds are reserved for K-12 school groups.  Minimum of 25 students per bus.  You can let us know more on the online scheduling form. 

 
 
 
“My student’s #1 complaint is that they couldn’t stay longer and keep sketching in the galleries.”
— Abbey Potter, teacher, Chatfield Art Club
 

The Bus is on Us Program is thanks to the Winona Foundation.