Planning an educational outing for a large group of 1st graders may not always be the easiest thing to do, especially on your own. That’s why we’ve put together this list of some of the top places to take 1st graders on field trips! These choices, in particular, are centered around the best children’s museums across the United States, making it that much easier for you to customize your own trip close to you!
Children's museums allow kids of all ages to explore, discover, play, and learn all at the same time! Students love hands-on learning activities and you’ll love how easy it is to plan a trip for them! Most of the following museums provide either an onsite cafe, food court, or boxed lunch catering options for class field trip groups, as well as a gift shop for souvenirs, so keep that in mind as you are planning your outing!
- Please Touch Museum
- Philadelphia, PA
This highly popular 2-story museum in Philadelphia creates entertaining learning opportunities daily that are truly fun for kids, making it our top choice for 1st-grade adventure! While here your students can explore a mini-Philly-esque neighborhood, see exhibits on airplanes and automobiles, learn the history of the river and the train station, get lost in the immersive Alice in Wonderland exhibit, or take a spin on the 1908 Carousel. Remember, please touch everything!
- Boston Children’s Museum
- Boston, MA
This eco-friendly 63,000 square foot children’s museum is considered to be a century-old Boston hotspot, the city’s first green museum that promotes the power of play! Students will enjoy the fun hands-on activities, and you’ll enjoy the fact that they are learning valuable life skills the entire time! Explore the landscaped waterfront park then head inside to learn about art, music, science, and architecture.
- St. Louis City Museum
- St. Louis, MO
Meet me in St. Louie to see a true one-of-a-kind museum, the largely repurposed city museum! Here you will find a unique building with tons of fun architectural and industrial objects mixed into the design from old St. Louis. This museum is housed in a 600,000 square-foot former International Shoe Building, today offering visitors a great mix of a playground, funhouse, and educational and architectural wonder. Explore the City atop the roof, enchanting caves, 3-level tree house slide, and so many more hands-on physical science learning exhibits!
- Minnesota Children’s Museum
- St. Paul, Minnesota
Currently in the process of a $28 million expansion process, this St. Paul staple provides guests with several different educational and immersive experiences, attracting over 6 million visitors to date since it’s opening within the Mall of America. Inside you will see exhibits and information on local habitats, rooftop art, and local neighborhoods. This museum was ‘designed in part by kid testers’, and even offers a really fun 4-story climbing tower your students will love.
- Children’s Museum of Houston
- Houston, TX
Welcome to the Children’s Museum of Houston, the huge pretend city for children cleverly nickname ‘kidtropolis’. Inside you will find a city hall, bank, news station, and even vet clinic, the entire establishment meant to teach children all about occupations and economics, in a very hands-on and immersive way. Little inventors can create their own gadgets and gizmos in the Invention Convention while here, and children of all ages can participate in daily activities and/or camps that may be taking place!
- Children’s Museum of Indianapolis
- Indianapolis, IN
We may have saved the best for last, the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is the official largest children’s museum in the world at an astonishingly large 472,900 square feet. Sitting on a whopping 29 acres, this hands-on learning lab is perfect for curious hands-on children, it’s most popular exhibit possibly being the Dinosphere, the place in which children can dig up bones, touch a t-rex, and learn about fossils! In fact, there are over 120,000 artifacts here for you and your group to explore!
