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Some lessons are just too big for the classroom. That’s when it’s time to hit the road and take your high schoolers with you! Whether you’re teaching the basics of theater, the principles of astronomy, or the cultural impact of Hispanic heritage, you’ll find real-world (and virtual!) fun field trip ideas for high school students, along with ways to bring those experiences back into the classroom.
1. Take in a show at a local theater
Ideal for theater students, ELA classes, or any other high schoolers interested in stage productions, a field trip to the community theater can be an unforgettable experience.
Local options may include:
- Plays by a community ensemble
- Dance recitals or shows
- Symphony concerts
- Community college productions
- Shows at other high schools in town
See if you can enhance the experience with a backstage tour or a Q&A with the performers after the show. Students can then write reviews for the show after they return to school.
Combine history and literature with virtual theater field trips
For history and ELA classes without time for a field trip, a virtual theater field trip can be a great solution. Find a resource that matches your classroom needs and provides just as much stimulation as an in-person trip.
Virtual Field Trip: Shakespeare’s London {A PreReading Simulation for 7-12}
By Mud and Ink Teaching
Grades: 7th-12th
Subjects: English Language Arts, Informational Text, Literature
Want to experience Shakespeare’s London without taking a trip to England (or building a time machine)? Take your high schoolers on a virtual field trip with a pre-reading simulation activity. This resource includes everything you need for an exciting virtual field trip, including opportunities to “book” flights and accommodations, videos that feature The Globe theater, virtual explorations of Stratford Upon Avon, and printable passports and student activities.
2. Review ecology at the zoo or aquarium
If your town has a zoo or an aquarium, you’ve got a ready-made field trip that’s not just for little kids! This fun field trip idea for high school students lets them apply biology and ecology facts they’ve learned in science class or geography class in a real-world application.
Create question packets or research assignments for students to fill out before, during, and after their trip, and let reliable high schoolers break into groups to explore the area at their own pace.
Take a virtual field trip to different places across the world
How does a region’s climate and geography affect its ecosystem and wildlife? Have students explore these questions and more with virtual field trip resources that include everything you need for a rich global exploration.
Australia & Oceania Geography Unit Bundle | No-Prep Virtual Field Trip | TEKS
By Discovering Our World
Grades 6th-9th
Subjects: Australian History, Geography
Standards: CCSS RH.6-8.1, 6-8.2
This CCSS-aligned unit covers the physical geography, climate zones, population, cultural characteristics, and Indigenous groups of Australia, Oceania, and New Zealand. Paced over three weeks and designed to complement a virtual field trip activity, this resource is an excellent addition to a geography unit on this unique part of the world.
3. Explore global influences at multicultural marketplaces
Whether it’s a Mexican mercado, a Korean sijang, or a Greek agora, street markets are valuable field trip ideas for high school students to learn more about a specific culture. They can sample food, listen to local music, and talk to community members in languages they’re learning in school. For extra credit, have them prepare dishes at home based on what they’ve learned at the marketplace and bring them to class to share!
Enhance LOTE lessons with virtual field trips
Students studying languages other than English (LOTE) can take a step outside their regular curriculum without ever stepping out of the classroom! Use virtual field trip resources to broaden their understanding with cultural insights and new perspectives.
Spain Virtual Field Trip to España in English digital and printable
By Manzana para la maestra
Grades: 6th-9th
Subjects: Social Studies, Spanish, World Languages
Take a viaje virtual (virtual field trip) to España without ever leaving Spanish class! This resource includes Google Slides focused on cultural landmarks throughout Spain, such as the Royal Palace in Madrid and La Rambla and Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, as well as student instructions and a grading rubric.
PARIS Virtual Field Trip-7/10 days End of Year French Voyage Fin d’Année Project
By Dynamic Language Class
Grades: 9th-12th
Subjects: French, World Languages
If your French students dream of seeing Paris by the end of the year, make their dreams come (virtually) true with a week-long project focused on French culture. Students use an interactive map to watch videos and view images, then fill out graphic organizers to reflect what they’ve learned about destinations, food, weather, and lodging in France.
4. Step into the past at historical museums and landmarks
Every town has its own historical landmarks ready to explore. For history group activities they’ll always remember, take students to a historical part of town or to a historical museum.
From notable battlefields to historic architecture and museums focused on the local past, high schoolers can walk in the steps of figures they’ve studied in class. Have them take pictures while they’re there, and then create a slideshow or pamphlet promoting the experience to other visitors.
Connect your cultural heritage instruction to virtual field trips
For research projects in history or language classes, virtual field trips can provide important context and insight. Use virtual field trip resources focused on cultural heritage to get students thinking about famous figures and moments in history, and see if they can connect those to local history.
Día de la Mujer Famous Women in History Hispanic Women Virtual Field Trip
By Srta Spanish
Grades: 9th-12th
Subject: Spanish
Available in both Spanish and English, this virtual field trip teaches high schoolers all about mujeres famosas (famous women) in Spanish-speaking countries. High school students use two interactive maps, short videos, graphic organizers, and comprehension questions to learn more about historical and modern-day figures in Hispanic heritage.
5. Focus on career readiness with company tours
Get high schoolers thinking about the future long before it arrives! Company tours at big corporations, small businesses, and everything in between can teach high schoolers a lot about their desired career paths during a unit on career readiness. Pair this fun field trip idea for high school students with a longer career project that incorporates job shadowing or more research on potential opportunities in their goal fields.
6. Stimulate understanding at science museums or planetariums
For high schoolers who learn best with hands-on experiences, there’s no beating a trip to a science museum. It’s the perfect addition to a unit on electricity, physics, ecology, or any other branch of science covered in both your science curriculum and a museum exhibit.
If you’ve got a planetarium in town, consider taking astronomy students to visit, or even planning a “Study the Stars” evening in a clear part of town. Even setting up a portable learning dome, like Starlab, can feel like a field trip.
7. Explore government responsibilities at civic buildings
High schoolers are just about to enter the voting population, which is the perfect time to bring them up close to the civic process. Take your high school government or social studies class to local courthouses or city hall, or drive a little further to the state capital if it’s nearby.
Have them take tours with government representatives or sit in on public sessions, and encourage them to write a paper on how in-person communication is still important in 21st-century government and politics.
8. Bring high schoolers on local college tours
It’s never too soon to think about the future! Freshmen and sophomores can get a jump on their college plans with this field trip idea for high school students.
You can also think outside the box when it comes to destinations, which can include:
- Local universities
- State colleges
- Community colleges
- Trade schools
- Occupational training programs
- Satellite campuses
Make it an especially impactful trip by having students come up with questions to ask the tour guides in advance. They can then incorporate what they learn into a college and career unit, or in an application essay they’re getting ready to write in class.
9. Take a walk through natural parks and preserves
Unless your high schoolers are avid campers or hikers, they may not be familiar with the natural wonders available right in their backyard. Take them to local nature spots where they can see native wildlife and identify elements of ecosystems they’ve studied in school.
If you live near a state park, natural forest, or protected preserve, organize a day trip for students to take pictures and record their observations. For smaller classes or very trustworthy students, consider organizing an overnight camping trip with parent chaperones or at a local summer camp for an especially fun field trip idea for high school students.
10. Research anatomy and physiology at the local hospital
Future doctors and nurses may pay special attention to this high school field trip idea, especially if you can time it during an anatomy and physiology unit in science class. Students can explore different departments, talk to medical professionals, and learn more about volunteer opportunities on a trip to a hospital or clinic in their area. As a follow-up assignment, have them write a compare and contrast essay about the actual hospital setting and what they expected to see based on television shows or movies.
11. Spend a day at a TV station or newsroom
If the only camera your high schoolers know about is on their phone, a field trip to the local TV station may be in order! While this field trip idea is tailor-made for media arts students, it would benefit any high school students in need of media literacy and eager to talk to professionals working in television, whether they’re on camera or behind the scenes.
See if the TV station would allow your class to design their own newscast, or if their field trip could be featured on a community-minded segment of the local news. You could make a similar request of your local newspaper.
12. Take a ride at a nearby horse stable
Your high schoolers don’t need to be champion equestrians to enjoy a day of horseback riding. In fact, beginning riders may even benefit more from their first time on a horse! Find a local stable where a small group of high schoolers can spend the day riding, caring, and learning about horses.
This field trip is an especially good idea when focusing on social-emotional learning in the classroom, as studies show that adolescents can build resilience through equine-assisted psychotherapy (EAP). Consider stables that also offer EAP services, and make these options available to parents with teens who find strong connections with horses and horseback riding.
13. Be a tourist for the day
How much do your students know about their own city? Book a tour around town or a nearby big city, and invite students to pretend like they’re newcomers to the area. Which sights have they never seen before, and which destinations would they like to visit again?
For older high schoolers, consider folding executive functioning and real-life skills into the trip. Have them take public transit, design a tour map, and even book the tour and plan the day themselves. They may learn more about the place where they live than they ever thought!
14. Take a lesson at a dance studio
If high schoolers in your classes are self-conscious about their dance skills, or even if they’ve never danced at all, an afternoon at a local dance studio could be a day well spent. Find a studio that will teach teenagers how to ballroom dance, swing dance, or even master a few hip-hop moves they can bring to their next school event.
Students on the dance team or those with more extensive dance experience can partner up with those who need a little more guidance on the dance floor. After the field trip, have high schoolers learn more about the type of dance they learned and present a historical report on the evolution of dance through various periods of time.
Tips for Running a Successful High School Field Trip
Once you’ve chosen your high school field trip idea, it’s time to get the wheels moving — literally, if you’re taking a school bus. Consider these tips as you plan, implement, and reflect on a field trip that students will remember forever.
- Plan early. Many field trip venues book up quickly, so try to schedule a trip as far in advance as possible (even before the school year begins). You’ll probably also need time to get the field trip approved by your district.
- Look for funding sources. If the district is reluctant to pay for a field trip, see if they’ll approve one funded by another source, such as school boosters or a parent group.
- Ask for volunteers. Parents of teenagers don’t get many chances to help out at their kids’ schools anymore, so they may jump at the opportunity to chaperone a field trip!
- Make your expectations clear. Hand out behavior contracts before field trips so students and parents both know the consequences for misbehaving outside school.
- Use the buddy system. It’s not just for kindergartners! Teens should stay together in every setting.
- Use their tech. Have every high schooler’s phone number, and use a school app to reach out to them often.
Take learning outside the classroom with TPT
When students can see the concepts you’ve taught out in the world, they make connections between what they learn in school and their individual experiences. For high schoolers, that’s the ultimate goal, and when you fold high school virtual field trip resources into your curriculum, you’re setting them up for success!
You can also experience fun field trip ideas for high school students without ever calling for a school bus. Explore virtual field trips for all subjects, available for whole-class activities, paired projects, or independent learning.
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