Are you looking for fun and educational field trips in Central Texas to support your Texas History curriculum? Check out this post with field trip ideas for the central Texas region!
Often our social studies curriculum gets put on the back burner throughout the year in favor of spending more time on tested subjects. With only so much time available in the classroom, it can be tricky to fit it all in. When it comes to field trips though, this can be social studies, and particularly Texas History’s, time to shine!
Over my years as a 4th grade teacher in Texas we took many social studies based field trips. Some I loved, and others I found to more boring. I wanted to share my thoughts on a few.
In central Texas, we are fortunate to be surrounded by so many historical locations within about an hour’s drive. These are a few of my favorites to travel to with or without students.
The Texas Capitol
In the heart of downtown Austin this field trip may be my favorite of all!
The capitol building itself is fascinating and the docents are full of facts and information to share with students. In addition to the capitol building there are also the grounds with historical sculptures and monuments as well as the visitors’ center. The visitors’ center could be the whole trip honestly. They have many activities to lead students through that involve the history and geography of Texas.
One of the best things about this field trip is that it is free! This means no fundraising and the only cost of attending is transportation. The grounds also provide a lovely place to eat lunch.
Check out more information about field trips to the Texas Capitol in Austin here.
Reservations for the capitol fill up quickly. It is a good idea to book at the very beginning of the year or even the year before.
The Missions of San Antonio
This field trip comes with a caveat.
My first year teaching fourth grade we took a field trip to the Alamo. We went to River Center Mall and watched the movie and then walked over to the Alamo. We were one of about seventy thousand people in the area including many other schools on field trips and I have to tell you, this is the stuff my nightmares are made of.
As a baby first-year teacher I had not fully embraced the idea of volunteers on field trips, and thought I had to do it all myself. First-year teachers, this is for you, you do NOT need to do it all. Embrace family volunteers and assign them groups. I repeat you do not need to do it all.
In the end, the students LOVED the field trip, but I swear it took a week to settle all my nerves and stop counting in my sleep.
The Alamo is cool, but what I would recommend is a visit to one, or more, of the other mission in San Antonio. The Mission Reach of the Riverwalk is gorgeous and dotted with parks to eat lunch and get extra energy out in. The missions are run by the National Park Service and they have a very organized way of getting the most out of your trip.
You can request a reservation or more information from the National Park Service here.
The Meadows Center for Water and the Environment
This location was formerly known as Aquarena Springs at Texas State University.
This field trip offers so much about both Texas History and science!
As a Texas State Alumni, I have a special place in my heart for Aquarena Springs. This place is so full of history and fun!
This trip is more focused on science but can tie in Texas geography nicely. There are several landforms in the area and the guides are very knowledgable about the ecological and human history of the region.
For more information on field trips to The Meadows Center click here.
One of my favorite things about a field trip to The Meadows center is that there are so many areas with activities that even though you whole grade level is there you only see them in passing.
Want More Quick Teaching Tips?
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our latest blog posts by email.