Somehow, we blinked and it’s already August! Back-to-school season is upon us, which means new backpacks, new friends and new places for class field trips. Whether you’re a teacher, parent or even scout troop leader, here are some options for interesting, educational and fun field trips around Cincinnati.
American Sign Museum
1330 Monmouth Street, Cincinnati
(513) 541-6366
Did you know that Cincinnati is home to the only public sign museum in America? Kids will love touring the American Sign Museum, where they’ll see 150 signs, sign-making tools and equipment, salesman’s samples and more. A tour lasts about an hour, and brings to life American history and culture in a fun, highly visual way. On weekdays, the tour includes a visit to the onsite neon shop for a demonstration of how neon signs are made.
Behringer-Crawford Museum
1600 Montague Rd., Covington
(859) 491-4003
Located just over the river in gorgeous Devou Park, the Behringer-Crawford Museum is a great place to plan a field trip. This museum has several different levels with fun, interactive exhibits, but is still small enough that kids can tackle the entire museum in an afternoon. Afterwards, let the kids run loose in Devou Park’s playground.
blue manatee
3054 Madison Road, Cincinnati
(513) 731-2665
For smaller groups, blue manatee offers fun classes and activities tied to various books, themes and holidays. The bookstore encourages proposals for educational, creative and community meetings, including parent gatherings, craft demonstrations, expert lectures/discussions, in-store art fairs, etc. so feel free to propose an idea!
Cincinnati Fire Museum
315 West Court Street, Cincinnati
(513) 621-5553
The Cincinnati Fire Museum is tucked away in Over-the-Rhine – and is a must for fire truck obsessed kids. Children will love looking at the old gear, sliding down the fire pole and “driving” the interactive fire truck with a real working siren. Guided group tours are available by appointment, making this a fun option for smaller homeschool groups, scout troops or even play dates!
Cincinnati Museum Center
1301 Western Ave., Cincinnati
(513) 287-7000
The Cincinnati Museum Center is a popular field trip destination for local schools, but they also offer special programs just for homeschooled students. Every Monday, September through June, the Duke Energy Children’s Museum, Museum of Natural History & Science and Cincinnati History Museum provide walk-up floor programs as part of “Homeschool Mondays.” The Museum also offers specific classes for early childhood students and elementary-aged students, designed to supplement their homeschool curriculum.
Cincinnati Nature Center
4949 Tealtown Road, Milford
(513) 831-1711
The Cincinnati Nature Center (CNC) believes outdoor education should be part of every teacher’s toolkit – and this outdoor center has an expansive variety of programs to prove it! The CNC offers outdoor “expeditions” for students of all ages, plus special homeschool classes and teacher training programs.
Gorman Heritage Farm
10052 Reading Rd. Cincinnati
(513) 563-6663
Gorman Heritage Farm has creative, hands-on, interdisciplinary field trips for kids from preschool to middle School. All groups are led by trained staff and volunteers, and all material relates to Ohio State Standards. Field trip themes vary by age, and include topics such as food sources and Ohio history.
Hamilton County Recycling and Solid Waste District
(513) 946-7737
Now this is a field trip destination you probably haven’t thought of before! The Hamilton County Recycling and Solid Waste District offers free field trips to schools that are registered with the District’s Recycling Assistance Program. Kids can tour area landfills, recycling centers and nature centers. With titles like “Trash Talk” and “Compost Kids” these field trips offer kids and educational and fun way to learn about important issues.
Happen, Inc.’s Toy Lab
4203 Hamilton Ave., Cincinnati
(513) 751-2345
Happen, Inc. is a local non-profit organization dedicated to bringing kids and adults together through art. Kids can build their own creation out of recycled toys at Happen, Inc.’s Toy Lab and special “toy professors” will glue, drill and weld the toys right in front of them. This is a great option for smaller scout troops, youth groups or birthday parties.
The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati
Main Stage: The Taft Theatre, 5th & Sycamore Streets, Cincinnati
Ticket Office: (513) 569-8080, ext. 10
It’s never too early to introduce kids to the arts – and The Children’s Theatre of Cincinnati is an amazing resource for local educators. Kids can take a field trip to The Taft for a Main Stage performance, or view a theatrical show from the comfort of their school’s auditorium as part of the ArtReach program. There are even downloadable study guides available online to assist teachers in their lesson plans.
Every kid loves a field trip, so liven up your kids’ learning and schedule an adventure at one of these local spots today!
