2-Day Houston Field Trip

Discovery Green

Start your 2-day Houston adventure at Discovery Green, the 11-acre public park located in the heart of downtown Houston. This is the perfect spot to start for 3 reasons:

1. Location - Many consider this spot to be the center of the city of Houston.
2. Field Trip Options - If you are interested in setting up a guided tour, children's puppet show, or field trip programming in general, we can do that for you!
3. Sightseeing Options - Great spot to see essential Texas attractions, buildings, and scenery in general.

Watson Scavenger Hunt

In Houston your group will have several different options of hunts to take, some depending on age, interest level, and weather at the time of your visit. Each challenge will lead you around a major Houston attraction and ask you to complete various team tasks, puzzles, codes, photos, and much more. 'Your tasks may involve strange uses for food, new lyrics for old songs, people in uniform, strangers wearing valuable words, surprising secrets about local landmarks, and more.'

Downtown Aquarium OR Houston Zoo

Aquarium -

The 6-acre entertainment and dining complex holds over 500,000 gallons of aquatic display, one full-service restaurant, an upscale bar, and several shopping opportunities along the way. There are over 200 species within the aquarium itself. While here your group will get a chance to see them all and even have a couple one on one opportunities for learning from the workers and special speakers/educators themselves. Enjoy a customized family, scout, or classroom visit with your group, the latter of which caters to pre k through high school. There are several different options for education sessions, like 'Somethings Fishy' for preschoolers, teaching them all about how fish survive, or Physics of Flight for high schoolers, a more detailed look at the center's flying friends.

Zoo -

Housing, feeding, medicating, and educating over 6,000 resident animals, the Houston Zoo is one of the best in Texas, and even in the country! Located on 55 spacious acres within Hermann Park, the Houston Zoo hosts about 2 million visitors a year, between regular zoo visits and special private and public events/entertainment. The wide variety of events, educational programs, and exhibits make this truly 'a zoo for all', as well as a proud member of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA). Be sure to save enough time to see ALL of the wonderful animal exhibits such as the African Forest, Carruth Natural Encounters, Sea Lion Lab, and Children's Zoo.

Bat Bridge Pontoon Tour

Each night during Houston's sultry summer months, during that magical moment between sunset and dusk, you can head to Waugh Drive Bridge and see over 250,000 Mexican Free-Tail bats emerge from the caverns. This incredible sight attracts quite the crowd each night (unless the weather prevents so, of course), both locals and tourists awed by the event. The general suggestion is to get to the bridge 15-30 minutes before sunset for the best viewing chances.If interested, your group can take a Waugh Drive Bat Colony Pontoon Boat tour, offered the 2nd and 4th Fridays April through September. The ride lasts about an hour and a half and not only gets you close to the colonies cave quarters, but also informs you on the bats, their part in the local eco-system, and colony habits in general.

Houston Arboretum

The Arboretum is located within Memorial Park, one of the largest in the country. The park holds integral history for Houston, serving as a WWI training camp from 1917 to 1923. After it served its military purpose it was put aside as both a public park and nature preserve. While here your student group will be able to participate in several activities, from the regular onsite activities offered to all guests, to customized educational journeys specifically put together for your group.There are half day guided field trip experiences and Discovery Room programs that are particularly popular with groups, and a full day option that combines the two to provide hands-on indoor and outdoor educational activities in relation to nature and wildlife. Your group will learn about life cycles, food chains, habitats, and food webs, among other related topics.

Bayou Bend Collection and Gardens

With an emphasis on American decorative arts, Bayou Bend holds one of the finest collections of American furnishings, silver, ceramics, and paintings in the entire world. You will see several personal paintings collected by Ima Hogg, whose home this once was. Thousands of visitors come through to see the Hogg family collection and other art collected after their passing. Head to the Lora Jean Kilroy Visitor and Education Center to start, walk around the collections, head to the Kitty King Powell Library, spend some time in the manicured gardens, then shop at the Bayou Bend gift shop.

Battleship Texas State Historic Site 

This ship, notable for being the first permanent ship museum as well as the second US Navy Ship named in honor of the state of Texas, is a New York Class battleship first constructed in 1911, launched in 1912. The ship is also known for being the 'last surviving Dreadnought as well as the only battleship in existence today that fought in both World War I and World War II.' During student visits your group will be able to take a basic guided tour with a certified park interpreter for an hour or take part in the Battleship TEXAS Deck Activity Package for an hour (based on age level, minimum 3rd grade, goes over the ship, WWII, and community and crew life onboard).

San Jacinto

At the site, you will undoubtedly first see the San Jacinto Monument, a 489-foot obelisk that doubles as a museum and observation tower. The museum sits at the base of the monument and chronicles over 400 years of Texas history. There is an onsite theater featuring the documentary 'Texas Forever', a museum store for gifts and souvenirs, and of course, the observation floor at the top. From here you will see the battleground, seaport, and unbeatable views of the city of Houston in general. Outside of the monument, you will also have a chance to tour the battleground, Battleship Texas, and various walking trails throughout. There are picnic pavilions all throughout, geocaching opportunities, and wildlife watching stations. Take a walking tour and follow the granite markers with historical tidbits, or perhaps head to the Marsh Trail to see native prairie, tidal marsh, and bottomland forest.