Field Trips

Historic Arkansas Museum is a favorite field trip destination for educators across the state. With annual programs and field trips for grades K - 3rd, 4th - 6th and 7th - 12th, there's a field trip opportunity for any age group. Before arranging transportation, be sure your date and time have been confirmed. A confirmation letter will be sent out to confirm the date and time.

NOTE: The museum has limited field trip capacity. Please contact us for more info using the below form.

Kindergarten - 3rd Grade

1850s Farmstead Tour

1 hour • $1 each • Oct., Nov., Mar., Apr., May • Max. group size: 60; can accommodate 120 for 2 hrs. paired with Museum Center visit - Visit the log house, slave cabin, and blacksmith shop at the Parker Westbrook 1850s Farmstead and learn about the two families that lived at the farmstead. Students will discover how life on an 1850s farmstead is different than their lives today by participating in chores and understanding how natural resources were used.

Living in a Frontier City

1 hour • $1 each • Oct., Nov., Mar., Apr., May • Max. group size: 60; can accommodate 120 for 2 hrs. paired with Museum Center visit - Visit Little Rock’s oldest house plus the 1840s homes of Scottish immigrants. Learn how these settlers slept, traveled, ate, stayed clean and kept warm in the winter and cool in the summer.

Then and Now in Arkansas

1 hour • $4 each • Oct., Nov., Mar., Apr., May • Max. group size: 100 - Learn about the day in the life of a student in the 1840s as they get ready for their day, have breakfast, and go to school by comparing and contrasting the old and the new. Activities include comparing bathing habits of then and now, items used in the kitchen, and the school day. Students will have to the opportunity to learn a pioneer recess game that they can take back to school and play.

Self-Guided Museum Center Visit

1 hour • Free • Daily (must have reservations) - See a film related to a permanent exhibit, then take a self-guided tour of galleries. Permanent exhibits include We Walk in Two Worlds: The Caddo, Osage and Quapaw in Arkansas and The Knife Gallery (currently closed for refurbishment). Other galleries have changing exhibits, some always featuring the museum's Arkansas Made collection and contemporary Arkansas artists.

4th Grade - 6th Grade

Pioneer Log House Program

2 hours • $4 each • Tuesdays in Oct., Nov., Mar., Apr., May • Max. group size: 60 - At the 1850s Plum Bayou log house students will have an in depth look at life on a farmstead by participating in how daily needs were met. Activities include churning butter, carding wool, hand-dipping a candle, visiting the blacksmith.

Glow in the Dark

2 hours • $4 each • Tuesdays in Oct., Nov., Mar., Apr., May • Max. group size: 60; can accommodate 120 for 2 hrs. paired with Museum Center visit - Learn about the history of lighting in the 2 hour program that takes place at the 1850s Plum Bayou Log House and on the historic grounds. You’ll visit the blacksmith, hand dip your own beeswax candle, and learn how pioneers navigated in the dark.

Work and Play

2 hours • $4 each • Thursdays in Oct., Nov., Mar., Apr., May • Max. group size: 120 - Learn about the different occupations of surveying, laundry, and printmaking that the people who lived or visited our block had by doing the job yourself. But it was not all work for those in the 1800s so you also get the chance to learn about and play pioneer games and make your own pioneer toy to take home with you.

Historic Homes Tour

1 hour • $1 each • Daily • Max. group size: 60; can accommodate 120 for 2 hrs. paired with Museum Center visit - Learn why people came to Little Rock in the early 19th century. See how they built their homes, became part of the community, or continued their journey West.

Self-Guided Museum Center Visit

1 hour • Free • Daily (must have reservations) - See a film related to a permanent exhibit, then take a self-guided tour of galleries. Permanent exhibits include We Walk in Two Worlds: The Caddo, Osage and Quapaw in Arkansas and The Knife Gallery (currently closed for refurbishment). Other galleries have changing exhibits, some always featuring the museum's Arkansas Made collection and contemporary Arkansas artists. The Sturgis Children's Gallery, for hands-on interaction, is upstairs.

7th Grade - 12th Grade

Historic Homes Tour

1 hour • $1 each • Daily • Max. group size: 60; can accommodate 120 for 2 hrs. paired with Museum Center visit - Learn what brought settlers to Little Rock early in the 19th century. Visit the homes they built, learn what their current events were and find out why some left town in 1849.

Self-Guided Museum Center Visit

1 hour • Free • Daily (must have reservations) • Max. group size: 60; can accommodate 120 for 2 hrs. paired with Museum Center visit - See a film related to a permanent exhibit, then take a self-guided tour of the galleries. Permanent exhibits include We Walk in Two Worlds: The Caddo, Osage and Quapaw in Arkansas and The Knife Gallery (currently closed for refurbishment). Other galleries host changing exhibits often featuring the museum's Arkansas Made collection and contemporary Arkansas artists.

Annual Programs

School Fair

2.5 hours, $6, Grades K- 6 • Offered in Fall and in Spring - Hear pioneer music and storytelling and visit six activity stations in restored historic homes. All the presenters are costumed so visitors have an authentic experience of Historic Arkansas.

Upcoming Historic Homes Program

Tues-Fri • 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 1 p.m., 2 p.m., 3 p.m. • $1 for students, Free for teachers (1 adult per classroom) • Offered in February - Historic Arkansas Museum is working on a new Historic Homes Program that focuses more on the BIPOC on our block or connected to our block during the month of February. Check back for more details.