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Museum Field Trips

Come Explore, Learn + Play with OMSI

Welcome back to school! Kick off the school year with a trip to OMSI! Explore the Turbine Hall, Natural Sciences Hall, and our Fall featured exhibition: Exquisite Creatures Revealed on display from October 5, 2024 to February 17, 2025. The Museum is a great place for learners of all ages!

Time to get out of the classroom and into OMSI for learning and fun! A museum field trip includes four exhibit halls and an optional featured exhibit hall. You may also combine your admission with a reserved lab experience, film, planetarium show, or submarine tour for an additional attraction fee.

Reserved lab experiences are back! Available for groups of 6-16 students per session.

OMSI for All

OMSI is committed to making science-fueled fun available for all in our community. Please inquire about our financial assistance programs for school and community programs.

Two students running chemistry experiments.

Need Help Planning?

We know what it takes to coordinate groups of students—we’ve been doing it for years! Contact us to find answers and resources for painless planning.

Girl with magnifying glass.

Field Trip Highlights

Our registration team will work with you to create an experience tailored to your students’ interests and your teaching goals.

Natural Sciences Hall

Watch a 6-foot sphere come to life with images of the sun, moon, and mars with OMSI’s Science on a Sphere. Explore our Life lab, Paleontology lab, and Earth labs. 

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Turbine Hall

Tackle design challenges at OMSI Innovation Stations, Go hands-on to design your own solutions to real world problems with Designing Our World,  and Explore the Physics lab and Chemistry lab.
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Featured Exhibit Hall

Exquisite Creatures Revealed is Christopher Marley’s largest and most inspiring exhibit yet with over 10,000 specimens, many never before seen by audiences worldwide.

Science Playground

The perfect place for young scientists to build, explore, create, and play. Infant and toddler spaces, water area, and the climber are featured areas in our newly renovated Pre-K and younger area.

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Reserved Lab Experiences

Reserved labs range in topic from Chemistry, Physics, Life Science, and Earth Science! Labs must be arranged and coordinated in advance – and fill quickly! These 1-hour reserved experiences can accommodate about 16 students per session.
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Turbine Lunchroom

Reserve a 25-minute time in the Turbine Lunchroom at the time you book a trip. Bring your sack lunches in bins and drop them off at arrival until your reserved time.

Open Now

Playing With Light

What can you do at OMSI’s new exhibit, Playing with Light? Freeze your shadow, dodge lasers, paint with virtual brushes, explore a walk-in kaleidoscope, and more—all while learning about the science behind color, light, technology, and optics. This full-body interactive exhibit will immerse you in the wonders of light!

Kids interacting with stations in Playing with light exhibit

Group Advanced Ticket Reservations

5 Days in Advance with 15+ People

Bringing a large group of 15 or more people to OMSI? Contact us at least 5-business days in advance of your planned arrival for discounted rates! Memberships cannot be combined with this group rate discount.

Adult: $14, Youth: $10, Senior: $12

 

Youth interacting with the

Booking + Planning

Step 1: Plan your Field Trip Experience

Work with our registration team to plan a customized field trip schedule. The best way to start with by completing our online request form. Field trips must be booked at least 2-weeks in advance.

Step 2: Contract and Invoice

The group leader will receive an email to an online confirmation within 2-3 business days after finalizing schedule with the registration team. Invoices can be paid online or by mailing a check. A final headcount is due 2-weeks before your visit.

Step 3: Finalize logistics

Before you arrive, group leaders should provide all field trip participants with a name tag with the school name (Not the individuals name). Provide all chaperones with a copy of your agenda and OMSI map.

Step 4: While at OMSI

All visitors, including group field trips, must follow our health and safety guidelines. If any individuals in your group are in violation of our visitation agreement the entire group may be asked to leave with no refund.

Looking for more information?

Explore quick details and access additional program resources below.

Group Minimums

Pre-registered group rates require at least 12 paid admissions per event and 2-week advance reservation. We are unable to accommodate requests to add additional events or sack lunch space at the time of check-in. No other discounts, passes or coupons (including OMSI memberships) can be utilized with group reservations. Any OMSI members in your group should be included in your attendance count and pay the group rates.

Scheduling Requirements

Programs must be scheduled with at least two weeks’ advance notice. If you have questions, please contact us at 503.797.4661 or register@omsi.edu.

Attendance

It is important that you finalize your attendance count at least 14 days prior to your program. If you have fewer participants on the day of your program, OMSI will not offer any refunds. With advance notice, additional participants may be accommodated subject to availability. Please be prepared to confirm your attendance count upon arrival.

Chaperones

Please plan for an adult-to-student ratio of 1:5 for grades PreK-8 OR 1:10 for grades 9-12. Prepare your chaperones ahead of time with a map, agenda, and information about the day. Students should remain with chaperones at all times.

Payments

We require a deposit of 50% of the program cost for all programs. The deposit is due 14 days after booking. The remaining balance will be due 14 days before your field trip. If booking a field trip at the 14 day mark a deposit and final payment is due within 24 hours of receiving your invoice link.

Group Nametags

Each student and adult must arrive at OMSI wearing a nametag with the group’s name only, not individual names. We use nametags, not printed tickets, to admit preregistered groups to speed up the admission process.

Lunches & Storage

Reserve a 25-minute time slot in our sack lunch when you request a program. Please bring your sack lunches in bins labeled with your group name and lunch time. We are unable to store backpacks, coats and other personal belongings with lunches.

Does OMSI cater school lunch?

Please schedule your group’s meal  a week in advance before your  arrival. This can be done with our  catering department. Please reach out to: Justin Brierton  justin@epicurean-group.com  (415) 583-6109
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How much will parking cost?

School bus drivers can drop off students in front of the museum. After unloading students buses may park in the bus cut-outs in front of the North or South lot or in the South lot bus parking area. Please see the map available in your field trip packet if you have questions.

Standard parking will cost $5 (+ fees)for 2 hours or or $8 (+ fees) for all day.
“All day” is valid from 5:00am to 11:00pm

The $5 for 2 hours is extendable for $3 to go all day via the Parking Kitty app, but not the parking kiosks in the parking lots.

OMSI Science Store

The Science Store offers a variety of educational toys, games, books and gadgets, with many under $5. Teachers with school identification receive a 10% discount, some exclusions apply.

OMSI Preview

Educators may visit OMSI’s exhibit halls and labs free of charge when planning curriculum in conjunction with a visit to OMSI. Simply present a current form of school identification at the membership window.

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