Planning a St. Augustine Field Trip
Experiential learning abounds in and around St. Augustine.
When fall is almost upon us and students and teachers are getting ready to go back to school, it's a perfect time to start planning educational opportunities for the school year, including a field trip to St. Augustine.
School field trips take students out of the classroom and into a world where they can see their lessons come alive. The nation's oldest city is an educational hotspot centuries in the making for teachers across the states of Florida, Georgia, and beyond. Nearly every school in the state of Florida offers a field trip to St. Augustine due to its significance in American history. Many historical sites in town offer school tour programs that correspond with the Sunshine State Standards, and special group pricing, keeping both students and teachers happy.
Instructors, teachers, or camp leaders with students of all ages will find that St. Augustine's exciting history can inspire any child. Whether you're planning a field trip for a class, a club, or your own family, centuries of educational fun can be found in St. Augustine.
Oldest House Museum
One of St. Augustine's historical sites is the oldest dwelling in the state of Florida. The Oldest House Museum Complex offers students an exceptional learning opportunity focused on Florida and American history. There are two museums and a changing exhibition gallery on site. The oldest house complex includes the González-Alvarez House which is the oldest surviving Spanish Colonial dwelling in Florida. This complex demonstrates the strong Spanish influence in St. Augustine as well as the British and American occupations. Students will get a first-hand sense of each occupation period as well as insights into the lives of the early settlers.
The Oldest House living room.
School tours also take students to the Manucy Museum on site, which traces the four centuries of St. Augustine's history, plus an exhibit that explains how the science of archeology is used to uncover and interpret evidence of the past. Lessons at the Oldest House Museum link with the Sunshine State Standards 1, 4, and 6 in history.
The St. Augustine Surf Culture and History Museum is also located at the Oldest House Museum Complex.
Old Town Trolley Tours
For a tour through town, Old Town Trolley Tours offer their own educational field trip through St. Augustine. Students are transported to several of the city's historical sites including the Castillo de San Marcos, the St. Augustine History Museum, the Old Jail, the Oldest Store Museum Experience, and more. The educational tour is narrated by a lively and knowledgeable guide who encourages students to ask questions to become more engaged in the tour.
The Old Town Trolley Tours begin at the Old Jail.
The program is curriculum-based and designed to link field trip experiences with a variety of Sunshine State standards. Each teacher or group leader receives a booklet with resource material for in and out of the classroom, and before and after the field trip. The Old Town Trolley educational tour combines history with fun and brings students up close with some of the most important historical sites in our nation's history!
The school trip package includes a guided tour of the Castillo de San Marcos and a teacher's choice between the Authentic Old Jail, the Oldest Store Museum Experience or the Florida History Museum. Educational tour groups are always conducted privately and take about five hours.
Fountain of Youth
A historical attraction in St. Augustine boasting a full 15 acres of history and fun, the Fountain of Youth Archaeological Park is located in the area believed to have been first explored by Juan Ponce de Leon in 1513 and settled by Pedro Menendez de Aviles in 1565.
The park includes a full range of historical and authentic sites to explore including the actual spring Ponce de Leon envisioned as the Fountain of Youth, a Navigator's Planetarium, a Timucua Indian Village, a reconstructed version of life in 1587, the San Augustin Watchtower, archeological excavation sites, and much more.
Kids also enjoy the peacocks that live at the Fountain of Youth.
Throughout the park, students will get the chance to watch history come alive as re-enactors portray early settlers. Students will easily see the influences of the Spanish and the Timucua Indians at this historical attraction. Fountain of Youth Park offers school group deals depending on how many students each teacher or chaperone has.
St. Augustine's vivid past is something every student learns. The chance for a sensory experience of Florida's history is a lesson that cannot be taught in a classroom but must be seen, touched, and heard from the many historical sites and attractions in the nation's oldest city.
More Educational Sites
- Florida Agricultural Museum features original structures from the past, including a Florida Cracker homestead, general store, and a number of barns. It's also home to the Old Florida Museum and offers educational programs.
- Lightner Museum houses beautiful artifacts from the Gilded Age. (More appropriate for older students.)
- Oldest Wooden Schoolhouse re-creates a day of school back in 1788. Great for students of all ages.
