What are the best cities for STEM educational tours?
You might think that leading a few STEM activities could balance out all of the history activities on your trip. Or, you might want only a few history activities to balance out your STEM trip. The goal of your program is to make the most impact on your students. Your trip could plant valuable seeds of inspiration for students to pursue careers in STEM.
Let’s back up a bit. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. A STEM educational tour is a focus on real-world activities in the STEM field. Whether you offer a single STEM activity or an entire STEM program, student engagement will increase.
You’ve seen it in your classroom. Maybe you experienced as a student yourself? Students love hands-on STEM activities. Next time you travel with your students, consider adding an activity or designing an entire STEM trip that you and your students will love.
STEM Field Trips --
Chicago, San Francisco Bay Area, Orlando, Boston, and Washington DC.
Chicago STEM Field Trip Ideas
Chicago has a lot going for it. The city is a science center for learning. Its sports teams are beloved. And the museums and architecture are on par with New York City. When you and your students visit Chicago, you’ll create lifelong memories.
At Chicago’s Museum of Science & Industry, their mission statement is Inspiring the Next Generation of Innovators. It’s one thing to say it. It’s another thing to back it up with a non-stop STEM experience. The activities at the Museum of Science & Industry are explicit and make learning accessible and fun. Their grade-specific learning labs offer something for students of any interest.
Next, your students will visit the Adler Planetarium. Housing two domed theaters, a favorite group show is “Destination Solar System.” The year is 2096. Space tourism is booming, and you’ve signed up for a quick trip around the Solar System with Space Express Tours! Don’t miss Adler’s exhibitions and world-class collections.
The Field Museum of Natural History’s activities will interest your students. Experience hands-on instruction at every exhibit. The Museum’s giant 3D screen will immerse students in STEM-themed production. The DNA Discovery Center is a favorite for both trip leaders and students.
Review/Ratings: Educators love the diverse options of activities in Chicago. Take a STEM-focused trip to Chicago, and your students will be thrilled.
Insider Tip(s) - Grab a Chicago dog and head to a Cubs game at Wrigley Field.
When to go - Avoid the winter. Brave the summer humidity and travel in the late Spring, Summer, and early fall. Avoid the crowds and travel in the fall.
Cost -
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5 days/4 nights in Chicago “air” costs $2,300–$3,300.
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5 days/4 nights in Chicago “bus” costs $2,100–$3,100.
San Francisco Bay Area STEM Field Trip Ideas
The San Francisco Bay Area offers many STEM options for student tours. The high-tech capital of the World is in the San Jose, Silicon Valley area. Just across the Golden Gate Bridge from San Francisco is Muir Woods. And a few hours east is Yosemite National Park. You want to highlight STEM and have diverse offerings of activities? San Francisco is a great place to start your best STEM student travel adventure.
STEM groups love the hands-on activities at the Exploratorium in San Francisco. The indoor and outdoor exhibits immerse visitors of all ages in science and wonder. Pier 39 and The landing for Alcatraz are a short walk away.
Muir Woods - You and your students will take a short hike among the old-growth coast redwoods. Highlights include Cathedral Grove, Bohemian Grove, and Redwood Creek. It’s hard to imagine this vast physical beauty, just a few miles up the road from a World-Class City.
You and your students will step into Golden Gate Park and enjoy your time at the California Academy of Sciences. Hold on tight! Students will love the interactive earthquake exhibit. The planetarium provides an interactive docent Q&A that gives you and your students a chance to speak with an expert. You’ll also enjoy watching the scheduled penguin feedings. Exit the Cal Academy and walk across the concourse to the DeYoung Museum and the Japanese Tea Gardens. Stroll through the tranquil gardens and sip warm green tea.
At the Tech Museum of Innovation in San Jose, your students will learn robotics, biotechnology, and math. Have fun in groups will their multi-player simulated bobsled or creating your robot movements. Visit Stanford University while you’re in the area.
Reviews/ Ratings - The San Francisco Bay Area is the birthplace of STEM innovation. In the SF Bay Area, you and your students will make memories and travel-inspired.
Insider Tip(s) - Pick up burritos in San Francisco’s Mission District. Check out the views from atop Twin Peaks.
When to go - Travel any time of year to San Francisco. Make sure to pack a jacket, even in the summer! Fall weather is the best!
Cost -
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5 days/4 nights in San Francisco “air” costs $2,500–$3,500.
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5 days/4 nights in San Francisco “bus” costs $2,300–$3,300.
Orlando Florida STEM Field Trip Ideas
At Wild Florida, your group will board an airboat and ride through the pristine headwater of the everglades. Beware. Your group may encounter snakes, alligators, and other critters. Explore the ecosystem of this untouched 4,200-acre nature preserve. You and your students will love Wonderworks Orlando and the over one hundred hands-on science exhibits. Add in some fun with laser tag and a 6d movie.
The Kennedy Space Center is an immersive experience that will inspire the next generation of space explorers. Your group will learn real-life NASA science, technology, engineering, and math. Students ride rocket launch and moon landing simulators. The Orlando Science Center has a makers lab, simulations, and sustainability education and awareness. Disneyworld and Animal Kingdom are great additions to add more excitement.
Reviews/ Ratings - Orlando is an excellent mix of fun and STEM activities for educational travel groups. Florida is a great option to consider if you and your students love learning by doing and creating new adventures.
Insider Tip(s) - Cocoa Beach is just a quick 45-minute drive from the city on the Atlantic Coast.
When to go - Travel to Orlando in the Fall, Winter, and Spring.
Cost -
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5 days/4 nights in Orlando “air” costs $2,300–$3,300.
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5 days/4 nights in Orlando “bus” costs $2,100–$3,100.
Boston STEM Field Trip Ideas
Take your school trip on an entertaining Duck Boat tour of the Boston Harbor. When your duck tour finishes, take the 1-minute walk to the New England Aquarium. Your group will select and attend presentations by animal care specialists. Participate in a photo-style scavenger hunt to identify unique aquatic life.
Take a guided tour of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Visit a working lab and see an incubator for cutting-edge technology. While you’re in the neighborhood, take a guided tour of Harvard. See where STEM tech founders Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg went to school. Create time to relax and enjoy the sites, sounds, and bites in Cambridge.
Challenge your group’s puzzle-solving skills at Boda Borg. Your students will work together to complete a quest and use STEM skills in the process.
Tour Boston’s Museum of Science. An interactive scavenger hunt will guide your students through the museum. They’ll have fun creating STEM connections with their friends.
Take a guided Fenway Park tour and connect the rich history of Baseball and the Red Sox with STEM. Learn the roots of this iconic Boston landmark. Consider attending a game and sing Sweet Caroline at the 7th inning stretch.
Boston’s rich history and culture of STEM keep the attention of your group. Boston is an exciting place for teachers and their students to experience a STEM trip. Your group will be thrilled, and you will feel accomplished after your trip. Will you organize a STEM trip or a trip that focuses on STEM and history?
Insider Tip(s) - Eat a fabulous meal in Boston’s North End and make sure to grab a cannoli for dessert at Mike’s or Modern Pastry.
When to go - Travel to Boston from the later spring to early fall. Boston is lovely in the Summer.
Cost -
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5 days/4 nights in Boston “air” costs $2,300–$3,300.
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5 days/4 nights in Boston “bus” costs $2,100–$3,100.
Washington DC STEM Educational Tour
Washington DC has wonderful history activities. Most people do not know that DCs science museums offer a unique STEM learning experience.
Discover the world of secrets and espionage at the newly-redesigned International Spy Museum. You and your students will take the character of a spy and solve clues throughout the interactive museum. Try your hand at code-cracking and think like a counterintelligence agent. A short stroll away, you’ll find the Natural History Museum.
Enter the museum, and you’ll come face to face with Henry, the 13 foot African Bush Elephant and a mega-toothed shark. Visit the new Fossil Hall and chart the beginning of life on Earth from the dinosaurs’ time to the present.
Walk towards the Capitol and bask in the beauty of the US Botanical Garden. Identify Native plants and imagine DCs landscape changing over time. Students love the National Air & Space Museum on the National Mall in DC and the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center in Chantilly, Virginia. See over one hundred planes and learn the science of flight.
Explore the National Cryptologic Museum. Students learn the secret side of code-cracking (cryptology). Students will see how math and cryptology have changed the world.
The National Aquarium in Baltimore is a quick trip from Washington DC. Explore The aquarium holds more than has more than 17,000 specimens representing over 750 species of aquatic life.
Reviews/ Ratings - Washington DC has excellent options for groups focused on STEM or groups interested in adding STEM activities to their program. You and your students will love learning about STEM in Washington DC.
Insider Tip(s) - Plan a workshop at the Udvar Hazy Air and Space Musuem.
When to go - Travel to Washington DC in the spring or fall. DC can get hot and humid in the summer, but it’s manageable.
Cost -
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5 days/4 nights in DC “air” costs $2,500–$3,500.
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5 days/4 nights in DC “bus” costs $2,300–$3,300.
Middle School Students - Rank ordered based on accessibility, cost, connection to curriculum, and fun. Note: There is a slim margin of difference between 1 and 5.
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Orlando STEM
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San Francisco STEM
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Boston STEM
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Chicago STEM
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Washington DC STEM
High school and College Students - Rank ordered based on accessibility, cost, connection to curriculum, and fun. Note: There is a slim margin of difference between 1 and 5.
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Boston STEM
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San Francisco STEM
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Chicago STEM
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Washington DC STEM
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Orlando STEM
Conclusion:
There you have it. We analyzed five significant cities that deliver world-class STEM activities. Try one or two STEM activities on your next tour. Or, maybe you’re the type to jump right in and plan a STEM-focused educational tour. Either way, there is something fun and exciting for everyone.
You want to lead a trip that inspires all of your students. Providing STEM activities is engaging for all students.
In case you were wondering, we organize memory-making STEM trips for teachers and their students. Schedule a call. We’d love to build your perfect trip vision.
