Garfield Park Conservatory is a green wonder under glass and a great place for groups of all ages to explore. Schools, camps, youth groups, college classes, social service groups, clubs and other adult groups can all take advantage of the historic and botanic beauty of the Conservatory at no cost. That’s right - your basic self-guided field trip is still FREE!

School, Camp & Youth Groups Summer Hours Tuesday – Friday
9:00 am – 1:00 pm arrivals

Adult Groups Everyday 9:30 am – 4:00 pm

Registration Policy: All schools and groups of 10 or more people must pre-register for their visit. If your group arrives at the Conservatory without pre-registering and we are at capacity, we may ask your group to wait or reschedule for another day.

Cancellation Policy: Please give us the courtesy of 24 hours notice if your group needs to cancel a scheduled visit.

(photo) Exploration Kits bring the plants alive to this group of diverse learners.

Field Trip Options

The Conservatory’s tropical and desert plant collections and outdoor gardens contain many possibilities for a field trip. Whether you’re studying plant science, food production, geography, art, history or just looking for a unique experience, you’re guaranteed to find something for your group.   Please note – at this time, we do not offer guided tours of the Conservatory as part of scheduled field trips.   Option 1: Self-Guided Tour (FREE)   All of our field trips are self-guided. Whenever possible, our staff will meet school and youth groups upon arrival for a brief orientation and introduction to the Conservatory. If we have available staff, we can also provide orientations for adult groups upon request. After checking in with us, you will be on your own to explore the Conservatory and its treasures. Please note - we require all school, camp and youth groups to provide a minimum of 1 adult per 10 students.           Option 2: Pre-K Morning Glories Program (FREE) - Thursdays    Please note: Morning Glories for Groups will not be offered in Summer 2010. This program will resume on Thursday September 2nd. Schedule early to get on our calendar!    Preschool groups who register for a visit on Thursday mornings have the option of participating in our Morning Glories Program at no cost. This program includes a storytime and hands-on activity led by our trained programming staff. Upon registration, you will be offered a menu of themes and activities from which to select. (The Morning Glories Program can accommodate groups of up to 60 students. Larger groups will need to schedule 2 field trip days.)       Option 3: Exploration Kits &   Scavenger Hunts       All groups have the option of enhancing their visit with one of our self-guided resources. Exploration Kits (backpacks) come complete with guidebook, maps, and touchable objects to share with your group while exploring the Conservatory. Each kit is designed for use with groups of up to 15 students. Larger groups will be required to rent more kits. Rental fee is $25 per kit. Click here for more information about our Exploration Kits.   We also have a variety of themed scavenger hunts to help groups of all ages find their way around the Conservatory in a meaningful way. A few of our scavenger hunts are free, but most can be purchased in packs of 30 for $5. Click here for more information about our Scavenger Hunts.           Option 4: Room Rentals   Many groups rent a classroom or meeting space at the Conservatory for coat storage, lunch space or a more private classroom. Schools, camps and youth groups can rent these spaces for $20 per 30 students. These spaces are limited and will be rented out on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please register extra early if you need a space.   Please note – these rental rates are for school and youth groups only. Adult groups will be asked to rent classrooms and meeting spaces through our regular Room Rental Program.

Field Trip Registration   All schools and groups of 10 or more people must pre-register for their visit. If your group arrives at the Conservatory without pre-registering and we are at capacity, we may ask your group to wait or reschedule for another day.   It’s easy! Please follow these steps to pre-register your group for a visit:     1. Download the registration form here. If you have any trouble downloading this form, please contact us and we will send it to you via e-mail or mail.                        School & Group Registration Form Word Electronic Form School & Group Registration Form    2. You can complete the form electronically as a Word Document and e-mail it back to us, or you can print it out, complete it manually, and fax or mail it to us.     3. If we have questions about your registration, we will contact you. Otherwise, you will receive a confirmation letter and pre-visit information from us by e-mail or mail.

PAGE & DOWNLOAD LINKS

CONTACT INFORMATION

 

eYESPY HUNT

 

Make the most of your school visit to the Garfield Park Conservatory; before your next trip to see us, download this free Conservatory Scavenger hunt PDF, and print off a sheet for each student in your class.

 

 

 

Download the PDF Here!

 

 

Important Pre-Visit Information for Teachers

We recommend that teachers and group leaders visit the Conservatory prior to their trip to familiarize themselves with the layout of the inside and outside spaces, the diversity of the plant collections and the general climate and terrain.

To help prepare you and your group, we also have a pre-visit guidebook available online. This free resource contains directions, maps, guidelines for chaperones, historical information and a few fun facts about each room of the Conservatory. To ensure a more successful and enjoyable visit, we recommend that you download this resource and review it with your chaperones and group members prior to your visit.

FIELD TRIP PREPARATION

 

Please note the following when preparing for your  Conservatory field trip:

 

 All Groups must now pre register for their visit to the Conservatory to ensure entry.

 

 Groups who arrive without prior registration may have to wait to enter the Conservatory if it is too crowded, and there is no guarantee that space will become available.

 

 Mail-in and fax registration options are available and described below.

 

 We recommend that teachers visit the Conservatory prior to their trip and familiarize themselves with the exhibition, the collection and its various habitats.

 

  Teachers can enhance their tour by using the Exploration Kit! This immersion experience continues throughout the five rooms making it easy for students to feel the differences of each of the Conservatory's environments.

 

  In order to maximize each child’s experience, the Conservatory requires 1 adult for every 10 children.

  

Scavenger Hunts: Turn Your Students into Sleuths!

We’ve discovered a good way to engage young groups in the excitement of self-guided plant pursuits – the basic scavenger hunt! Below you will find 7 themed explorations. Reserve one or several for the day of your visit. We can send you a digital PDF of these hunts before your visit, so you can talk with your students about what they will be seeing. The scavenger hunts, though appropriate for multiple ages, do require reading skills. For non-readers, we encourage chaperones to guide students using the pictures provided.

Rent an Exploration Kit!

Students and adults alike are discovering the secrets of the Conservatory by taking an Exploration Kit along on their journey! These self-contained backpacks hold colorful pull-out resources about each space in the Conservatory; tropical sensory objects like coconuts, cinnamon sticks, and cocoa seeds; and hands-on tools like magnifiers and leaf presses. Each kit also comes with clipboards, pencils and activity sheets to help students follow along and reinforce the lessons learned. For more details about what’s in an Exploration Kit and how to use one, please download this resource:  

All of our kits contain the same objects and tools, but we can customize the materials and pre- and post-visit activities according to grade level or developmental abilities. Please talk with us about the learning level of your group, so we can prepare your kits accordingly.