Educational Group Field Trips
General Information
- All educational groups MUST register at least three weeks in advance. See below for our field trip request forms.
- Your visit is not confirmed until you receive a confirmation email.
- Educational visits occur on weekdays during regular museum hours.
- These rates and offerings do apply to homeschool groups!
- Field trip groups must have a minimum of 1 adult chaperone per 10 students. It is the responsibility of the chaperone(s) to supervise the students at all times.
- Upon arrival, please check in at Admissions with the name of your group, the number of students and chaperones, and your payment ready.
- If you have questions, please email Alex Martin or call (307) 578-4028.
Schedule a Field Trip
Self-guided versus Guided Field Trips: What’s the difference?
- Self-guided field trips are completely teacher-led; no museum educators are present. Chaperones must monitor students in small groups at all times.
- Guided field trips are facilitated by our museum educators. These experiences last about one hour. Your group is welcome to arrive before and/or stay after your guided tour for additional self-guided time at no charge. Teachers can request one guided experience per visit. See below for a list of our guided field trip offerings.
What about preschool?
See a flyer of our FREE PRESCHOOL OFFERINGS here. Email Alex Martin or call (307) 578-4028 to book.
Field Trip Pricing
| Self-guided field trips Facilitated by you, the teacher | $2.00 per student |
| Guided field trips Facilitated by our museum educators | $3.50 per student |
| Teachers | Free |
| Chaperones Up to 1 chaperone per 4 students Additional chaperones over 1:4 ratio | Free $14.00/additional chaperone |
This program is made possible by the generous support of the Stephen M. Seay Foundation and other generous donors. Free admission for Park County K–12 school groups is currently in effect for the 2024–2025 academic year. Private raptor programs are not included.
Guided Field Trips at the Buffalo Bill Center of the West
Questions? Not seeing what you need? We are happy to customize our guided experiences to fit your group’s needs.
Call Alex Martin at (307) 578-4028.
Guided History Field Trips
Getting to Know Buffalo Bill
Recommended for grades K–5
During this guided experience students will imagine being a young child in the 1850s and compare Buffalo Bill’s early life to their own lives today. As they travel through time, students will uncover just how much communication, transportation, and entertainment changed during the life and times of the scout, buffalo hunter, town-builder, entertainer, and family man known as Buffalo Bill.
Trappers, Traders, and Trailblazers
Recommended for grades 4–8
This guided experience explores the adventurous culture of the West during the time of the trappers, traders, and trailblazers. Mountain men travelled, explored, and greatly impacted the Rocky Mountains in search of valuable beaver pelts. Discover the tools and techniques that mountain men used to survive in the wilderness while considering the unintended environmental impacts of the beaver trade.
Guided Art Field Trips
Journey Into Art
Recommended for grades K–5
What is art? Join us on an art exploration of our Whitney Western Art Museum to uncover the answer—there isn’t just one! During this guided experience, students will take a deep dive into forms of art, while participating in activities that help them describe, interpret, and react to art. Students will appreciate art by uncovering the parts, or techniques, of art (i.e. line, shape, and color).
The Artist’s Story
Recommended for grades 4–8
Join one of the Center’s educators in the Whitney Western Art Museum as you delve into the stories behind some of the art in our collection. This experience explores traditional and contemporary art. Students will learn how the stories of western American artists influenced their work and how their work influenced the world.
Do You See Me Like I See Me? Cultural Perspectives in Western American Art
Recommended for grades 6–12
Students will explore how culture, individuality, technique, and place in history influence an artist’s production. Educators will engage students using artwork to introduce students to historical and contemporary reflections of Plains Indian life. This lesson is interdisciplinary, meeting standards in art, history, and culture.
Guided Cultural History Field Trips
Plains Indian Lifeways
Recommended for grades K–2
Join Center educators for an experience in the Plains Indian Museum. Students will learn about art, games, language, and celebrations of Plains Tribes, both past and present, through stories and hands-on activities.
Plains Indian Culture: Yesterday and Today
Recommended for grades 3–12
Our educators will explore the Plains Indian Museum—considering the past, present, and future of Plains Nations. Students will consider the impacts of Westward Expansion and witness contemporary cultural expressions of art, powwow, language revitalization, buffalo reintroduction, and other important components of Plains cultures.
Guided Natural History Field Trips
Animal Adaptations
Recommended for grades K–8
Animals truly are amazing! Students discover basic habitat needs of animals and explore how living things are adapted to different environments: the alpine, forest, mountain meadow, and plains/basin environments. Using inquiry skills, students will see, think, and wonder about animal adaptations.
Fire, Water, and Ice
Recommended for grades 4–12
Explore how water, fire, heat, and ice have shaped the landscape around us—natural factors which determine what we see and where animals live in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem. Educators will challenge students to think about both large and small scale processes that shape the land around us.
How do our guided tours work?
