Homeschool Days in September and October: Jamestown, Yorktown, Colonial Williamsburg, Mt. Vernon, Nat’l Aquarium and more
Fall is an amazing time to take homeschool field trips. The weather is gorgeous and there are often special programs and discounts for homeschoolers! I’ve highlighted some Homeschool Days from along the east coast: Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Ohio, New York… even the Kennedy Space Center has a special Homeschool Day event! I noticed that this next week in particular has a huge number of Homeschool Days. (If you have any suggestions that I should add to the list, be sure to let me know!)
Jamestown Settlement, Yorktown Victory Center, and Colonial Williamsburg are all offering a series of special history programs geared specifically toward homeschool families. You can pre-register for a number of special programs. All three of these historic parks have homeschool programs run from Sept. 12 through Sept. 27, 2015.
- Jamestown Settelment and Yorktown Victory Center: This website has more information about Jamestown and Yorktown. We stopped by Jamestown about a year and a half ago. See what it was like for our family here: A Tour of Jamestown, Fabulous for Families
- Colonial Williamsburg This link will take you to the Homeschooler Experience page for Colonial Williamsburg. Every couple of years, we’ve made a trip with our friends and we can honestly say this is an amazing experience! Be sure to sign up for their special programs (our kids loved the Ghost Walk, being a soldier, the trials… everything!) So more about our experiences here: Homeschool Week at Colonial Williamsburg or here at Hands-On Experiences at Colonial Williamsburg
The National Aquarium in Baltimore has special Homeschool Days September 16, 17 and 18, 2015. Find out more at the National Aquarium website.
Mt. Vernon, George Washington’s Home (near Washington D.C.) has a special homeschool day October 3, 2015. They describe it this way: Discover what life was like for soldiers during the American Revolution! Students will form ranks and learn the skills needed to fight for liberty against the most powerful army in the world. Visit the regimental surgeon to learn about medicine in the 18th century. Experience the sights, sounds, and smells of camp life as the daily rations are prepared over an open fire. For more information visit this website: Mt. Vernon, George Washington’s Home
Historic London Town and Gardens in Edgewater, MD has a special Colonial Trades Homeschool Program Thursday, October 08, 2015 09:30 AM – 12:00 PM — Take on the role of a young apprentice, and learn about the products that London Towners provided each other and visitors to their small seaport. Make cordage at our reconstructed Ropewalk. Carve wood in our rebuilt Carpenters Shop. Clear the kitchen garden and identify plants that might be sold out of the local apothecary. Bake over an open hearth, just as female tradespeople did. Learn about the demanding tasks of a servant or slave in the William Brown House and Tavern. All of this as part of our Trades Month homeschool program.
Valley Forge, PA has a Homeschool Day with free admission on October 7, 2015. Must register 2 weeks ahead. Find out more at the Valley Forge National Park website.
Fort Ticonderoga in New York has a special day for homeschoolers Sept. 18, 2015: During the day students can learn about the French troops who helped construct Fort Carillon (Ticonderoga) in 1756. Interacting with these French soldiers, students can ask about the life of an 18th-century soldier. What did he eat? Where did he sleep? What did he wear? Where did his clothes come from? Throughout the day students can explore the Fort and museum exhibitions. They can take guided tours, learning about the Fort’s history, and observe musket demonstrations. They can visit the historic trades shop, where shoes and clothing are produced by the Fort’s staff, and learn about the global economy of the 1750s. See more at the Fort Ticonderoga Website.
Historic Roscoe Village in Coshocton, Ohio has Homeschool Days Sept. 14-15, 2015: Learn about 1800s life in this restored Canal era village. Learning is made fun for your homeschool child through hands-on activities. For more information visitcoshocton.com/events/ or www.roscoevillage.com
The Wilds (amazing 9,000 acre home to rare and endangered species from around the globe living in open range habitats) in southeastern Ohio has a special Homeschool Program October 30 from 1-4pm: Visit the Wilds for an opportunity that everyone will want to get their paws on! Wilds staff will show you what tools carnivores have to climb to the top of their food chains. Play games that let you feel what it’s like to be a predator. Finally, see carnivores first hand as you visit the Wilds’ Mid-sized Carnivore Conservation Center where we house cheetahs, dholes, and African painted dogs. $10 per person, 3 hours. For more information visit about their Homeschool Program Oct. 30: The Wilds website. Note: This special opportunity is offered while the Wilds is closed on weekdays in October. The restaurant will be closed and the Wilds will not be running Safari Transport or Open Air Safari tours.
We visited and took a safari about a year ago… it was amazing! Though they won’t be conducting tours that day, the Wilds is definitely worth a visit sometime! Read more about our visit here: What?! A Safari in Ohio?!!
Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts has its Homeschool Days on Wed. Sept. 16, 2015. This is a great opportunity for children to gain exposure to many aspects of 1830s New England life in an interactive way. For more information see the Old Sturbridge Village website.
The Biltmore Estate in North Carolina has their 14th Annual Homeschool Festival – The Vanderbilts at Home and Abroad September 17 & 18, 2015. For more information visit the Biltmore Estate website.
And even places like the Kennedy Space Center has a special homeschool event on Sept. 19. During this unique homeschool field trip, you’ll get the chance to take a bus tour of Kennedy Space Center, participate in special hands-on activities, learn about the latest NASA accomplishments, see Space Shuttle Atlantis℠, strap in to the Shuttle Launch Experience®, and even come face-to-face with a veteran NASA astronaut.
Do you know of something else that we should add to this list for the east coast? Drop me a note or leave a comment and I’ll add it to the list. 🙂 ~Liesl
Be sure to google “Homeschool Days” and your state to see what amazing opportunities are near you!
One last things before I go, I wanted to mention a really neat tool you can find over at Homeschool Buyer’s Coop. It’s an interactive map for finding field trips!! You click on the state you want to visit and it comes up with dozens upon dozens of options — from children’s museums to factory tours, museums to zoos. I was so excited when I saw this great tool a while back. I wanted to be sure to mention it again here.
See you again soon here or over at our Homeschool Den Facebook Page!