Field Trip Ideas

Art Museums

Addison Gallery of American Art

Philips Academy, Andover

978-749-4000

American paintings, sculpture, drawings, and photographs; model ship collection.

Davis Museum and Cultural Center

Wellesley College, Wellesley

781-283-2051

Galleries for Medieval, Old Masters, 19th-century, early- and late-20th-century, and contemporary collections.

DeCordova Sculpture Park and Museum

Lincoln

781-259-8355

Encompasses 35 acres of beautiful rolling woodlands and lawns, and is the largest park of its kind in New England.

Harvard Art Museums

Harvard University, Cambridge

617-495-9400

Institute of Contemporary Art

Boston

617-478-3100

Outstanding contemporary art in all media, including visual art exhibitions, music, film, video and performance.

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

Boston

617-566-1401

Art collection displayed in a 15th-century, Venetian-style palazzo; flowering courtyard.

Museum of Fine Arts

Boston

617-267-9300

Let the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, bring art and history alive! Artful Adventures offers two programs specifically designed for Brownie and Junior Girl Scouts – Artful Adventures Girl Scout Tours and Girl Scout Badge Workshops. Call 617-369-3303 or email artfuladventures@mfa.org.

History Museums, Historical Sites

American Textile History Museum

Lowell

978-441-0400

Textiles, tools, machinery, and images chronicling the story of cloth-making in America; operating woolen mill and weave room. Programs designed especially for scouts, visit http://www.athm.org/education/scouts/girl_scouts/.

Boott Cotton Mills Museum

Lowell

978-970-5000

Operating 1920s weave room exhibit; audio-visual programs; interactive exhibits tracing America's industrial heritage.

Boston African American National Historic Sites

Boston

617-742-5415

The largest area of pre-Civil War black owned structures in the U.S. Roughly two dozen sites on the north face of Beacon Hill. These historic buildings were homes, businesses, schools, and churches of a thriving black community that, in the face of great opposition, fought the forces of slavery and inequality.

Boston Tea Party Ship & Museum

Boston

617-338-1773

Replica of ship where notorious protest took place on December 16, 1773.

(Closed for renovations - will open summer 2011)

Boston Women's Heritage Trail

Boston

617-776-1809

Honors some of the city's most prominent women; encompasses Beacon Hill, the North End, Chinatown, and Downtown Boston. Maps available at the Boston Common Visitor Information Center.

Buckman Tavern (Lexington Historical Society)

Lexington

781-862-5598

Meeting place of Minute Men on April 19, 1775; period furnishings, tours.

Bunker Hill Monument

Charlestown

617-241-7575

Multimedia re-creation of the Battle of Bunker Hill.

Charles River Museum of Industry

Waltham

781-893-5410

Industrial history, textiles, electronics; Waltham watch exhibit

Concord Museum

Concord

978-369-9763

New history galleries and period rooms; Revere's signal lantern; Thoreau's belongings from Walden Pond; Emerson's study.

Freedom Trail

Boston

617-242-5642

Three-hundred-and-fifty years of American history along a 2.5-mile red line on the sidewalk

Girl Scout Museum at Cedar Hill

Waltham

781-893-6113

Located at Cedar Hill, the 75-acre estate and former home of Cornelia Warren, the museum has Girl Scouting exhibits and archives. Open by appointment to Girl Scout troops and the general public. Free.

Hammond Castle

Gloucester

978-238-7673

Overnight Opportunities

Higgins Armory Museum

Worcester

508-853-6015

Overnight Opportunities

Armor mostly from the 16th and 17th centuries. Hands on Medieval culture exhibit.

John F. Kennedy Presidential Library & Museum

Boston

617-929-4523

Portrays the life, leadership, and legacy of President Kennedy through exhibits, video presentations, and period settings

Minuteman National Historic Site

Concord

978-369-6993

North Bridge Visitor Center; Minute Man Visitor Center and "Minuteman" statue; North Bridge, where "the shot heard 'round the world" was fired; exhibits, tours, and talks.

Museum of African American History

Boston

617-742-5415

Oldest standing black church building (1806) in US; New England Antislavery Society founded here in 1832. Classes include; Black Whalers, Kwanzaa, Abolitionists and a concert series.

Mystic Seaport

Mystic, CT

203-572-5322

Overnight Opportunities

Scouting at Mystic Seaport

New England Pirate Museum

Salem

978-741-2800

Dockside village, pirate cave, and 60 life-size pirates, including Blackbeard and Captain Kidd.

New England Quilt Museum

Lowell

978-452-4207

National and international exhibits from folk art to fine art.

Old Sturbridge Village

Sturbridge

1-800-733-1830

Badge workshops, tours, Scout days.

Scout Activities

Orchard House

Concord

978-369-4118

Home of the Alcotts, living history programs.

Programs for Girl Scouts

Peabody Essex Museum of Salem

Salem

1-800-745-4054

Plimoth Plantation

Plymouth

508-746-1622

Outdoor museum re-creates village and life of Plymouth in 1627; costumed interpreters; Hobbamock's Homesite; crafts, barn, and gallery.

Scout Programs

Saugus Iron Works

Saugus

781-233-0050

1646 iron works: reconstructed blast furnace, forge, and blacksmith shop.

USS Constitution Museum

Charlestown

617-426-1812

Preserves the treasures of "Old Ironsides"; ship's logs,weapons, charts, journals, and hands-on displays.

Girl Scout Programs

Wenham Museum

Wenham

978-468-2377

Claflin-Richards House; international doll collection, model and toy-train exhibit, toy soldiers; play and learn room.

Scout Troops & Group Programs

Science Centers, Museums, Programs

Ecotarium

Worcester

508-797-9211

Science and nature programs.

Programs for Scouts

MIT Museum

Cambridge

617-253-4405

Holography, high technology, mathematics, and dimensions of science.

Museum of Science

Boston

617-723-2500

Museum Overnights

Connecticut Science Center

West Hartford, CT

203-231-2824

Overnights

Top Secret Science and Math

Woburn

781-935-9925

Girl Scout and Boy Scout Programs

For Junior Girl Scouts (and Bridging Brownies)

- Science Sleuth Badge
- Science Discovery Badge
- Sky Search Badge
- Weather Watch Badge
- Water Wonders Badge
- Dabbler Badge

For Brownie Girl Scouts

- Science Wonders Try-It
- Science in Action Try-It
- Space Explorer Try-It
- Movers Try-It
- My Body Try-It
- Senses Try-It
- Math Fun Try It

Childrens Museums

Childrens Discover Museum

Acton

978-264-4201

The Discovery Museums offers a number of exhibits that make a good match for scouting badges. While we no longer offer specific programs for scouts, we are happy to provide materials that will help you earn the badges you seek.

Boston Children's Museum

Boston

617-426-8855

Children's Museum of Portsmouth

Portsmouth, NH

603-436-3853

Click here for Scout program listing.

Nature Centers, Farms, Animals, Zoos

America's Stonehenge

Salem, NH

603-893-8300

Click here for Scout program listing.

Breakheart Reservation

Saugus

781-233-0834

Maple sugaring trip in March is a must for any Daisy troop!

Brooksby Farm

Peabody

978-531-7456

A 275 acre working farm and conservation area. Visitors can pick apples, strawberries and raspberries at the orchards, visit the petting zoo, browse the farm stand, hike or cross-country ski on the many trails on the property.

Butterfly Place

Westford

978-392-0955

An indoor garden filled with hundreds of freely-flying butterflies.

Cape Cod Museum of Natural History

Brewster

508-896-3867

Visit the museum in conjunction with your camping trip to Camp Favorite.

Drumlin Farm

Lincoln

781-259-9005

Drumlin Farm Wildlife Sanctuary offers on-and-off site programs specifically designed to meet the needs and interests of scouts. Taking part in one of our programs allows scouts to gain an appreciation and awareness of the natural world while learning responsibility toward themselves, their peers, and their community. Several of our programs are designed to meet badge requirements, and we also offer customized programming.

Franklin Park and Stone Zoo

Boston/Stoneham

617-442-2002

Bring your troop to the Zoos to fulfill badge requirements! Our experienced staff provides half-hour or hour-long classes on a variety of topics and can assist leaders in preparing for field trips.

To download a Scout Brochure, click here.

Snorin' Roarin' Sleepovers are also popular scouting activities. Overnight programs are available year-round, at Franklin Park Zoo and Stone Zoo, on the date of your choice. See the Snorin' Roarin' Sleepovers section for more information.

Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary

Topsfield

978-887-9264

Click here for Girl Scout brochere (PDF).

Belkin Family Lookout Farm

South Natick

508-651-1539

Working farm, educational programs.

New England Aquarium

Boston

617-973-5200

Overnight Opportunities