You can plan custom-made field trips and group activities with us at the Lewis & Clark Exploratory Center! This page gives information for schools and for tourist, family, corporate, and community groups. In addition to hosting our own programs, we provide space and activities for nonprofit and community events, as well as corporate retreats.
Schools
Public, private, and homeschools can contact us at lcecvirginia@gmail.com for more information on booking a field trip! See below under “Field Trips” for activity options. We can also work with you on your specific focus. We offer an array of exploratory workshops–history tours, photography and science walks, journaling, and more! The Lewis & Clark journals are central to our educational process, encouraging observation, writing skills, spatial awareness, and a student’s ability in the arts. For public schools, we have a list of SOLs that our basic program fulfills.
Please contact us at lcecvirginia@gmail.com for pricing and availability.
Tourist, Family, Corporate, and Community groups
You can contact us at lcecvirginia@gmail.com to find out more about what’s available. We do “skills of exploration” activities, history tours, and custom-made group events, such as building a shelter in the woods, slide presentations on the Expedition trail, and art and photography tours and workshops. We offer premium art activities for small groups, which are not available for large field trips, such as as watercolor workshops on fine paper, calendar art, painting with acrylics, beading with premium beads, woodworking projects, and sculpture. Our actiivites relate to exploration and American history.
You can contact us for more information on your areas of interest. In addition, we post special events and sell tickets on https://lewisandclarkexploratorycenter.eventbrite.com/ You can read what’s on offer and, if those times aren’t suitable, you can contact us to make a reservation for another time.
Activity Information
See below for descriptions of a selection of our programs, which are available to all groups. For more photographs of our activities, please visit our Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/lewisandclarkvirginia
Note: Some activities are dependent on weather and teacher availability. We ask that you choose back-up activities when you put your list of interests together.
Field Trips
We offer field trips throughout the year! We’re here to answer questions, and teachers are welcome to drop in during public hours or to make an appointment for a walk-through.
Each year, we welcome school groups from all over Virginia and from neighboring states! We teach the history of the Lewis and Clark Expedition through the experience of being aboard life-size replicas of the Expedition boats; hands-on activities; hikes; exhibitions; and through art projects inspired by the mapmaking, art and journals of Lewis and Clark.
(Lunch info: There are picnic tables available after the tour and activities for groups that want to bring their own lunches. There is also a kitchen and refrigerator to keep things cool.)
When visitors come to Lewis & Clark Exploratory Center, they encounter full-size replicas of all the different types of boat that Lewis and Clark travelled on in the Expedition: the 55-ft. long Keelboat, the 42-ft. long Red Pirogue, the 39-ft. White Pirogue, as well as a Native American bull boat (made of buffalo hide and willow branches). Led by knowledgeable guides, each group has a time to ask questions and to learn more about the Lewis & Clark journey. A hike along the Rivanna River teaches the group about Jefferson’s interest in rivers, and the history of the Rivanna. The Lewis & Clark Exploratory Center has been built on land owned by William Clark’s family, and his parents farmed a homestead over the nearby hill.
We set up two to three stations per area (four areas inside, and more outside) and rotate, usually at 20 minute intervals. Here is our list of core activities:
Lewis & Clark Exploratory Center History Tour The signature tour of our four full-sized replica boats (the Keelboat; the Red Pirogue; the White Pirogue; and the Bull Boat); historical items, both original artifacts and replicas; and our maps and artwork. We highlight the local roots of the Expedition as we tell the story of the Corps of Discovery. The tour can vary in length depending on the age of the visitors. Allow for an average of 30 minutes.
The Rivanna River Tour Groups hike on our river trails led by a guide. The history of the Rivanna River and the Lewis and Clark families is discussed, as well as the geology of the area and the Southwest Mountains. The tour is approximately 20 minutes.
Activities that are Museum-Wide:
Lewis and Clark A to Z Breaking into teams, groups find objects inside and outside for each letter of the alphabet. 15-20 minutes.
Bits and Pieces Visitors are given photos of small details of certain objects in our collections. The scavenger hunt begins! 15 minutes.
For larger groups, the following activities are usually arranged in clusters of two and three in various locations both inside and outside. Each cluster of activities is given 20 to 30 minutes.
Activities Organized by Station:
Measuring the Keelboat Groups head for the boats with measuring tape and a list of measurements to take. A math challenge! At the end the methods of measuring and the results are discussed. The results are rarely the same, and the groups discuss why.
Overboard! Staged in one of our smaller wooden boats, “Overboard” is a values-based history game, where the group must decide which eight items out of more than twenty get thrown overboard. Items include “coffee,” “oar,” “journal,” and more.
Create a Journal Page After examining some of Lewis and Clark’s journal pages, visitors make their own using watercolors and other media. Here is one of our newsletters showing what to expect from a journaling workshop!
Design a Peace Medal Each student designs their own peace medal and learns about the Jefferson peace medal given away on the Expedition.
Wishes on Waves For this calligraphy and writing project, each student expresses what they most want to explore in life.
Honoring York Students examine artwork in the memory of York, the slave of William Clark, and then design their own memorial, in writing, in drawing, or both.
Make a Geometric Animal and Copy a Whale After examining the Native American baskets in our collection, visitors make artworks out of geometric supplies.
Beading Patterns Students learn about the historic use of beads as money, and then they practice threading a bracelet with patterns of their choice.
Make a Map After a hike, students make a map of the area they explored. We make paper maps and also digital ones. To see one of our digital maps, made as a group project, click here.
Mini-Museum Become a curator! Groups collect small items outside and then place them on display within the Center. They write down a catalogue of the items and draw or paint them.
Unlock History Unlock History is a team game that is a reverse “escape room,” asking students to solve a Jefferson’s decoder puzzle, a map math challenge, and a language/compass challenge. With the correct numbers, gifts are unlocked. The full game is available for groups of 25 and under. A scaled down version is available as a station for larger groups.
Color Matching and Rainbow Scavenger Hunt The field trip goes on a hike and scavenger hunt that teaches about color and tone. These activities can also be done as a photography lesson
Fishes of the West This is a natural history matching game that teaches about the fish that Lewis and Clark encountered in the West.
Fish of the Chesapeake Bay Watershed This matching game teaches about Virginia fish.
Follow the River! Our Chesapeake Bay map puzzle is an unusually shaped puzzle that challenges students to think about rivers, and then to answer questions about geography.
Botanical Art Students learn how to identify plants based on Newcomb’s Plant Guide and go on a hike. They paint plants from life and also learn how to make plant pressings.
Sign Language and the Languages of Lewis and Clark These two stations teach language recognition and communication.
Seeds that Feed Seeds that Feed is our popular display and game about the way seeds have traveled all over the world. Students match the seed to what they produce, with clues on the table.
Watershed Photography and Video Students are taught underwater and above water photography on the trails and by the river.
Watershed Words Students must find the places shown in photographs as they learn new watershed words
River Viewers Students make their own river viewers out of PVC Pipe, tape, and plastic, and then use them in the river. We teach about macroinvertebrates and other critters!
Animal Masks Students make masks based on the animals discovered by Lewis and Clark. They learn about the animals that the Expedition saw for the first time: the big-horned sheep, the condor, and others.
Bird Art Visitors see an exhibition about Lewis and Clark’s bird art, followed by the chance to birdwatch on the trails, and then do their own art
Megafauna! is an exhibition (with art activity) about the giant ground sloth and mammoths that fascinated Thomas Jefferson.
Migration Station is an exhibition (with art activity) about migrating animals.
Carpentry Stations Visitors learn how to use basic hand tools (hammer, chisel, saw, drill).
Outdoor Scavenger Hunt The group searches for outdoor landmarks with students taking turns as leaders.
For Groups of 30 and Under
Botanical Scavenger Hunt Students must find leaves of different shapes and sizes and configurations (based on Newcomb’s plant guide) to receive decoder clues that lead to treasure!
Mandan and Hidatsa Gardening A Slide Show on the seeds and farming methods of the Hidatsa and Mandan
Make-Your-Own Tent Competition: Given the same materials, rules, and goals, groups break into teams to build the best tent.
Mystery of the Keelboat: Children are given a series of questions to answer aboard the Keelboat, based on clues left in the cabin and elsewhere.
Premium Activities
Prices listed are in addition to the field trip or group fee.
Model Boat Building Students make their own wooden model boats (premium activity, additional charge of $8 per student).
Wooden Boat Building Students build a full-sized wooden boat. Availability and price varies according to staffing, boat model, and season. Cost: $500-$1500 for the group
Kayaking Groups can experience beginning level kayaking, depending on season, weather, and lifeguard staffing. Cost: Dependent on group size and time spent on the river. ($15 to $50 additional per person).
Beading Visitors can make bracelets and necklaces to take home. They learn basic wire techniques. Additional cost: $5 per bracelet and $10 per necklace.
Carpentry Projects Additional projects include nail art pieces ($5 per piece) and birdhouses ($20).
