The Basics of School Field Trips

• School-sanctioned, scheduled field trips are free of charge for both students and chaperones.
• Field trips are geared for 4th-12th grades. Younger children are encouraged to visit the park grounds, gardens, tank park, hiking trail, and picnic area, but will not be permitted into the museums.
• Reservations are required and are available every day excluding Monday. The park is closed the month of January and open Friday-Sunday in February.
• Field trips are scheduled to visit both the Robert R. McCormick Museum and the First Division Museum in order to keep the group sizes manageable and to enhance the student’s experience.
• Field trips are available in four time blocks per day:
  9:30am-12pm; 10am-12:30pm; 11:30am-2pm; and 1pm-2:30pm. These times include arrival, orientation, visits to both museums, and walking time. Lunch will add approximately 45 minutes.
• A maximum of 90 students may be scheduled per time block. If your group exceeds 90 students, you must reserve two back-to-back time blocks or split your group into two days. One chaperone is required for every 10 students.
• Brown bag lunches may be eaten in our picnic area (warmer months/nice weather) or in our restaurant Le Jardin (colder months/inclement weather). Lunch times are assigned based upon your field trip time slot. Box lunches are available for purchase.
• Scheduling is done on a 12-month rolling calendar, meaning you can schedule a trip as far out as 12 months from today’s date.

Download our Field Trip Planning Kit for complete field trip information.

To request a field trip date, click here.

General questions regarding field trips? Call 630.260.8162 or email FieldTrips@Cantigny.org.