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20+ Fun Field Trips and Things To Do for Groups

The best field trips do more than give students a day away from school. They let children touch, taste, climb, create, perform, experiment, explore, and experience what they're learning in entirely new ways. And when transportation isn't practical, assemblies and traveling programs can bring many of those same experiences right to your door.

Whether you're planning a preschool's first class trip, a curriculum-connected museum visit, a STEM adventure, an end-of-year celebration, or an unforgettable outdoor challenge, there is an experience waiting for your group.

Start planning early, reserve your dates, and get ready to GO! 

🌲 Take Learning Outside at Camp Mason Outdoor Center

Swap desks and screens for forests, fresh air, and experiential learning at Camp Mason Outdoor Center. Surrounded by nature, students can participate in outdoor education and group experiences designed to develop teamwork, leadership, confidence, communication, and an appreciation for the natural world. Programs make Camp Mason a strong choice for schools looking to connect science and environmental learning with real-world exploration, while team-building activities give students opportunities to work together in completely new ways. School groups, scouts, and youth organizations can step outside their everyday routines, challenge themselves, and strengthen relationships—all while discovering why some of the most memorable lessons happen far beyond classroom walls. 

🎨 Watch Creativity Come to Life at WheatonArts

See molten glass transformed into art right before your students' eyes at WheatonArts in Millville. This South Jersey cultural destination combines art, history, craftsmanship, and hands-on discovery for school, scout, and homeschool groups. Explore the Museum of American Glass, home to one of the country's largest American glass collections and the world's largest glass bottle. Students can watch working artists in the Glass, Pottery, and Flameworking Studios, explore the Down Jersey Folklife Center, and add optional hands-on activities. A one-mile Nature Trail and scenic picnic areas make it easy to turn your visit into a full educational day. 

🎨 Fire Up Their Creativity at Fire Me Up! Studio

Let students roll up their sleeves and create something of their own at Fire Me Up! Studio in Westfield. This creative arts destination offers a fun change of pace for school groups, scouts, camps, and youth organizations looking for a hands-on experience. Kids can tap into their imaginations while creating art, learning new techniques, and expressing their individual style in a welcoming studio environment. It's an especially appealing trip for groups looking to incorporate art, creativity, and social interaction into their outing. Plus, students get the satisfaction of creating something uniquely theirs—turning a fun day out into a memorable experience they can enjoy long after the trip.

🧗 Climb to New Heights at NJ Rock Gym

Challenge students physically and mentally at NJ Rock Gym in Fairfield, where climbing turns an active outing into an opportunity to build confidence, determination, and problem-solving skills. Indoor rock climbing encourages kids to set goals, try new challenges, and discover just how much they can accomplish with a little perseverance. It's also a natural team-building experience as classmates encourage one another along the way. Perfect for schools, camps, scouts, recreation departments, and youth groups, NJ Rock Gym offers an exciting indoor alternative to the traditional field trip—and because it's indoors, groups can climb, move, and adventure regardless of what the weather is doing outside.

🏰 Step Inside a Storybook at Fairy Tale Forest

Turn reading into a real-life adventure at Fairy Tale Forest in Oak Ridge. Especially suited to preschool, kindergarten, and early elementary students, this classic New Jersey attraction invites children to wander through a wooded wonderland filled with scenes inspired by favorite fairy tales and nursery rhymes. Children can encounter stories such as Cinderella, Rapunzel, Snow White, Hansel and Gretel, and The Three Little Pigs while exploring, imagining, and learning. Interactive activities and storytelling add to the experience, making Fairy Tale Forest a delightful way to reinforce early literacy and language arts while giving younger students a magical first field trip.

🧪 Create, Play & Discover at Imagine That!!!

Let little imaginations take the lead at Imagine That!!! Children's Museum in Florham Park. Designed especially for young children, this indoor destination transforms play into hands-on learning through interactive exhibits involving STEM, building, art, dramatic play, sensory exploration, and creativity. Students can experiment, construct, pretend, problem-solve, and collaborate while developing important cognitive and social skills. It's an especially strong choice for preschool and early elementary groups because children can learn at their own pace through purposeful play. Year-round indoor programming also makes Imagine That!!! an excellent option when unpredictable weather could otherwise derail your field trip plans.

🌱 Grow Healthy Habits at HealthBarn USA

Get kids excited about eating well, gardening, and taking care of the planet with HealthBarn USA. Field trips for PreK–8 combine hands-on organic gardening and composting with seasonal food exploration, nutrition games, seed planting, and healthy food preparation—including the popular Rainbow Swirly Smoothie. Fall groups can experience HarvestFest with garden taste-testing, a Harvest Scavenger Hunt, pumpkin smoothies, and seasonal activities. HealthBarn USA can also bring interactive healthy-lifestyle assemblies to schools, introducing students to USDA MyPlate, movement activities, the five food groups, and nutritious taste-testing. It's wellness education that children can actually taste, touch, and take home.

🔭 Explore New Jersey—and the Universe—at the New Jersey State Museum

Give students several field trips in one at the New Jersey State Museum in Trenton. Its collections and educational experiences connect students with natural history, archaeology, cultural history, fine art, and science, allowing teachers to incorporate multiple curriculum areas into one visit. Students can encounter fossils and specimens, discover New Jersey's past, explore art and cultural collections, and expand the experience with an immersive Planetarium program. With so many subjects represented under one roof, the museum works for a wide range of ages and educational goals. It's an especially valuable choice for educators looking for an enriching, curriculum-connected and budget-friendly trip. 

🎻 Sit Inside the Music with New Jersey Symphony

Don't just teach students about a symphony—let them sit inside one at the New Jersey Symphony. Their 1:30 pm Thursday matinees at NJPAC introduce student groups to masterworks by composers such as Mozart, Beethoven, and Rachmaninoff in a state-of-the-art acoustic hall. Led by Music Director Xian Zhang, the orchestra gives young audiences the chance to experience world-class musicianship firsthand. At select concerts, educators can request a complimentary 30-minute Classical Conversations talk or Meet a Musician experience for an insider's look at the music and profession. Groups of 10 or more receive 20% savings over individual tickets.

🚀 Blast Off Into Space at the RVCC Planetarium

Take students on a journey from Earth to the stars at the RVCC Planetarium at Raritan Valley Community College in Branchburg. This 100-seat digital theater offers educational astronomy shows for ages 3 through adult, with school groups able to schedule private programs tailored to different grade levels. Explore the Sun, Moon, planets, constellations, space science, and the Universe—or add some excitement with a colorful laser concert featuring music and animated laser graphics across the dome. Groups can also explore hands-on exhibits, and sensory-friendly programming is available. Private shows accommodate up to 100 guests and typically run 45–60 minutes.

🎭 Take Your Seats for RVCCArts School-Time Performances

Let the stage become the classroom with RVCCArts School-Time performances at Raritan Valley Community College. Created especially for school groups and homeschoolers, this performing arts series introduces young audiences to the excitement of live theatre, dance, music, circus arts, storytelling, science-themed performances, and more. Productions are selected for different grade levels, making it easy for educators to connect a performance with classroom learning while giving students the experience of seeing professional artists perform live. The 2026–27 School-Time season includes productions for audiences ranging from Pre-K through middle school, with tickets currently priced at just $8 per person.

🐯 Go Wild with the Wildlife Conservation Society

Bring lessons about animals, habitats, biodiversity, and conservation to life at the Wildlife Conservation Society's five New York City parks. For New Jersey groups, the Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, and New York Aquarium are especially exciting field trip choices. Explore wildlife from around the world at the Bronx Zoo, enjoy an approachable animal adventure in the heart of Manhattan at Central Park Zoo, or dive into marine science and ocean conservation at the New York Aquarium. WCS also operates the Queens Zoo and Prospect Park Zoo. Together, the five destinations provide extraordinary opportunities to transform life science and environmental studies into real-world discovery. 

⛷️ Turn Winter Into an Adventure at Shawnee Mountain

Trade an ordinary winter day for skiing, snowboarding, and snow-filled fun at Shawnee Mountain. Located just off Route 80, this independently owned Pocono ski area is the closest Pennsylvania ski mountain to New Jersey and has welcomed families for more than 50 seasons. Beginners can learn on dedicated terrain, while more experienced skiers and riders can explore 23 trails, up to seven lifts, and two terrain parks. Children's Programs serve ages 3–15, with instruction also available for teens and adults. Not ready to ski? Add snowtubing or Mini Monster Mountain and make winter itself the field trip.

🤸 Get Kids Moving at Centercourt EXPLORE

Built for energetic little learners, Centercourt EXPLORE in Chatham turns movement into an early-childhood adventure. Created primarily for ages 3–5, EXPLORE combines active play, obstacle challenges, games, teamwork, imaginative experiences, and indoor Ninja fun to help children develop confidence, coordination, and social skills. Preschools, daycares, homeschool groups, and early childhood centers can visit Centercourt for a customized field trip—or have the adventure come to them with EXPLORE on the Road. Themes include Ninja EXPLORE, Sports Sampler, Superhero Training, Animal Adventure, Music & Movement, and more. Additional custom field trip options are available for children up to age 12.

⛸️ Pack More Fun Into One Trip at Woodbridge Community Center

Why choose just one activity? Woodbridge Community Center gives schools, camps, recreation departments, and youth groups multiple ways to play under one roof. Groups can build outings around activities such as ice skating, roller skating, miniature golf, arcade fun, sports, and recreation, making it easy to create a trip that appeals to different interests. The indoor setting makes it particularly useful for year-round outings, rainy-day trips, end-of-year celebrations, and summer camps. It's less about sitting and watching and more about getting students moving, interacting, and having fun together—perfect when your group deserves a high-energy reward day.

🎨 Make Something Amazing at Kids FunTime

Give younger students a field trip where creativity gets wonderfully messy at Kids FunTime in Totowa. Groups can enjoy hands-on projects and activities such as slime making, tie-dye, canvas painting, sand art, and imaginative play. Experiences can be customized around the group's ages and interests, making Kids FunTime especially appealing to preschools, elementary schools, camps, scouts, homeschoolers, and recreation programs. Along the way, children practice creativity, fine motor skills, social interaction, and self-expression without feeling like they're doing schoolwork. Best of all, many activities give children something they've created themselves to proudly bring home after their adventure.

🤝 Build a Stronger Team with Team Makers STEM Field Trips

Put collaboration and problem-solving at the center of the experience with Team Makers STEM Field Trips. Designed around hands-on participation, these programs challenge students to communicate, create, experiment, and work together while exploring STEM concepts in an active environment. Rather than simply listening to a lesson, students become part of the challenge, using critical thinking and teamwork to reach a common goal. The combination of science, technology, engineering, math, and cooperative activities makes Team Makers a natural fit for elementary and middle school groups, camps, and enrichment programs looking to strengthen both academic and interpersonal skills through a field trip that's fun from start to finish.

🦖 Bring Prehistoric Adventure to School with Dinosaurs Rock

Skip the bus and bring the field trip right to your students with Dinosaurs Rock. These interactive educational assemblies turn science into a memorable experience with fossils, dinosaur replicas, minerals, gemstones, and other fascinating specimens that help bring paleontology, geology, archaeology, and natural history to life. Programs are designed to engage students while reinforcing classroom learning through real objects, enthusiastic presentations, and opportunities for discovery. Topics can extend beyond dinosaurs to gems and minerals, sharks, insects, archaeology, space, and more. It's an exciting option for schools, libraries, camps, and community organizations looking for STEM enrichment that comes directly to them.

🚴 Pump Up the Energy with Dialed Action Sports Team

Grab students' attention with high-flying BMX action—and use that excitement to deliver a positive message. Dialed Action Sports Team Assemblies combine professional stunt performances with themes such as character education, leadership, perseverance, teamwork, healthy living, anti-bullying, and positive decision-making. Their Get Out & Play Tour also encourages children to step away from screens and rediscover physical activity and outdoor play. Because the program comes to the school, it's an appealing alternative when transportation isn't practical. From wellness initiatives and character education to school celebrations and special events, Dialed Action transforms an ordinary assembly into a high-energy experience students are likely to remember.

🚣 Turn Pennsylvania Into Your Outdoor Playground with the PA Outdoor Adventure Pass

Give kids a reason to put down their screens and discover a new adventure with the PA Outdoor Adventure Pass. Created for 4th and 5th graders, the $69 pass opens the door to outdoor recreation experiences across Pennsylvania, including kayaking, zip lining, rock climbing, skiing, disc golf, fishing, and more. Instead of one destination, families can explore a variety of activities and discover new ways to enjoy the outdoors throughout the year. There's a fundraising bonus, too: PTOs, sports teams, schools, and youth organizations can receive a unique code and earn $10 for every pass sold, combining outdoor adventure with a fresh alternative to traditional fundraising. 

🏛️ Discover, Invent & Explore at the Morris Museum 

Turn your students into inventors, paleontologists, historians, and curious explorers at the Morris Museum. Educational Group Visits for PreK–12 combine educator-led tours with hands-on learning in art, natural sciences, history, and technology. Younger students can investigate dinosaurs—including New Jersey's state dinosaur—while older groups explore Native American objects and cultures. The fascinating Guinness Collection brings historic mechanical musical instruments and automata to life through demonstrations. A standout is Spark!Lab, the Smithsonian's hands-on invention workspace for ages 5–12, where students create, collaborate, experiment, and discover that everyone has the potential to become an inventor..

🚌 Start Your Adventure with Belair Transport

A great field trip starts before students ever reach the destination. Belair Transport helps schools, camps, scouts, recreation departments, athletic teams, and youth organizations get groups where they need to go with professional charter transportation. Whether the itinerary involves a local museum, outdoor adventure, New York City attraction, sporting event, or longer educational excursion, transportation is one of the most important details to arrange early. Coordinating the route, group size, schedule, and destination in advance can make the entire day run more smoothly. For busy spring field trip and summer camp seasons, booking transportation early is one planning decision teachers will appreciate later.

Start Planning Now!

The best field trips don't simply entertain—they inspire. They encourage students to ask questions, solve problems, appreciate the world around them, and create lasting memories with classmates and teachers.

Whether you're organizing a preschool adventure, elementary enrichment program, middle school STEM experience, high school leadership outing, scout excursion, homeschool gathering, or summer camp trip, the destinations featured in the NJ KIDS Field Trips & Assemblies Guide offer countless opportunities to make learning unforgettable.

As schools continue to plan earlier each year, now is the perfect time to begin exploring these incredible destinations and reserve your next educational adventure. Happy field-tripping!