Plan your Visit
K-12 Free Field Trips to The Tech Museum
The free field trip program is available to all school groups (public, private, and home school) grades K-12 who make an advance reservation to visit the museum galleries. The Tech Museum offers a number of different activities for K-12 school groups to participate in during a field trip visit. Your group can interact with the hundreds of hands-on exhibits in our galleries, enjoy a larger-than-life learning adventure in our IMAX® Dome Theater, take part in one of our science labs, or participate in floor programs. One free chaperone ticket is provided per every 8 students. This is also the required chaperone to student ratio.
Getting Started
You will need to know the number of students, teachers, and adult chaperones attending as well as the date and expected arrival time. Please ask about our
Lab and IMAX experiences that will enhance your student's visit to The Tech Museum.
Title One Schools are eligible for fee-waived educational experiences at The Tech Museum, please ask about this opportunity when making your reservations.
After-school programs may be eligible to take advantage of The Tech Museum's free field trip program too. To be eligible, your program must be located on a
district school campus and working to provide after-school programs directly within a public school district. Your program must also be free for participating
students and their families. If you have any questions regarding eligibility please call the booking number listed below.
For Booking please call: (408) 294-TECH (8324) option 3 or sign up for a Field Trip online.
Field Trip Policies
To help us provide you with a positive and efficient process for booking your trip to The Tech Museum, please read and become familiar with the following reservation policies.
Trip Booking Tips for Teachers
- You have the option of submitting your trip request through our online reservation system. Please note that Labs and IMAX films must be booked over the phone.
- To apply for a trip through our online system, you must have a valid email address, as this is where we will be sending your confirmation information.
- Submit one application per visit. To book multiple trips on different days, please submit separate requests.
- March, April and May are peak months for school field trips. For best selection of activities, try requesting trips in September-October or January-February.
- We strongly encourage you to bring as many chaperones as possible. The Tech Museum requires an 8 to 1 Student to Chaperone ratio.
- Allow enough time to complete the activities during your. We suggest at least 2 hours to visit the museum galleries, 1 hour for an IMAX film, and 90-minutes for a lab session. Don't forget to allow AT LEAST 30 minutes for your group to have lunch, if you are staying for the entire day.
- Be sure to make arrangements for transportation as soon as you book your trip with The Tech Museum, as the activities you want may not be available if you need to change your trip date.
- We invite you to visit The Tech Museum prior to your field trip to become familiar with our galleries and floor programs. Sign up for our Free Educator Membership and visit The Tech Museum today.
- The Tech Museum is open Monday-Sunday 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. year round. From late September through mid-June, The Tech Musuem opens an hour early (9 a.m.) for field trips.
- Full payment for your trip must be made either two weeks prior to your visit, or paid in full on the day of your visit. Please make sure your attendance is accurately reflected on your confirmation invoice to ensure correct payment is made. Purchase orders are not accepted as payment.
Chaperone/Group Leader Policy
In addition to teachers, The Tech Museum REQUIRES a minimum of 1 adult chaperone per 8 students to ensure a safe and rewarding experience. For K-12 grade trips, chaperones must be over 18 years old and not currently attending the school. Chaperones accompanying students are responsible for supervising them at all times. This includes while your group:
- Visits the museum's galleries
- Participates in a lab
- Is on-board escalators or elevators
- Is inside the IMAX theater
- Shops in The Tech Store
- Visits Café Primavera
Please prepare chaperones/group leaders and students before your visit by reviewing The Tech Museum's policies, rules, and your trip itinerary.
Lab Capacity
- Each lab can hold a maximum of 32 students. Groups larger than 32 must be split and booked into two lab sessions.
- Be advised that lab space is limited so book early.
- Title One Schools eligible for fee-waived labs, please ask about this opportunity when making your reservations.
IMAX
- Based on availability, films from our IMAX library are available by special request for groups of 50 or more at 10 a.m. and 11 a.m, Monday-Friday.
- The IMAX Theater holds 290 guests and seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
- Title One Schools eligible for fee-waived labs, please ask about this opportunity when making your reservations.
Lunch Policy and Facilities
The Tech Museum requires that student lunches be stored in our multi-use room or in lockers during your visit. Before leaving your school site, please collect all lunches in boxes or plastic bags so that they are easy to transport when you arrive.
To secure items of value, a small number of lockers are available for 50 cents near the elevator on the Ground Level and on the Lower Level.
For groups desiring to purchase food, Café Primavera @ The Tech Museum offers a range of lunch and snack items. For advance ordering information, please call (408) 795-6285.
We also offer movie concessions at our IMAX® Dome Theater.
Groups may eat lunch in Cesar Chavez Park (located across the street), or in The Tech Museum's large multi-use room, New Venture Hall. This room accommodates up to 300 students and is available on a first come, first served basis.
Payment
- Q. Does The Tech Museum accept Purchase Orders (PO's)?
- A. No, full payment must be made either two weeks prior to your visit or on the day of your visit with one of the following forms of payment.
- Q. What methods of payment does The Tech Museum accept?
- A. Field trips may be paid by the following methods:
- Check (school or school district)
- Credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover)
- Q. Can we get a refund if we cancel our field trip?
- A. Please contact our Group Reservations staff at (408) 294-TECH (8324) option 3 to discuss group refund policies.
Confirmation
Your confirmation packet will include your confirmation/invoice, and a general information sheet with chaperone, lunch, and payment policies. Once you have received this confirmation packet, you must communicate this important information to your students AND chaperones.
Online: If you request your trip through our online system, an automated trip request acknowledgement will be sent to the email address that you provide at the time of submission. If you have not received this trip request acknowledgement within 3 business days from the time of your submission, please contact us by email at groupreservations@thetech.org.
A trip request does not reflect an official booking until you have received confirmation from Group Reservations in the form of a phone call/message, email, or letter.
Phone or Fax: If you submit your trip request by phone or fax, please provide a valid email and/or mailing address where we can send your trip confirmation. You can reach Group Reservations at at (408) 294-TECH (8324 (option 3) to book a new trip or to make adjustments to an existing trip. You can fax Group Reservations at (408) 279-7167.
Parking and Directions
The Tech Museum of Innovation201 South Market Street
San Jose, CA 95113
(408) 294-TECH
Getting to The Tech Museum is easy. The museum is located in downtown San Jose at the corner of Park Avenue and Market Street, near Interstate 280 and Highway 87. Our mango and azure building is hard to miss!
Frequently Asked Questions
- Q. What activities are available for my students on a field trip to The Tech Museum?
- A. The museum offers many learning opportunities. Some examples of activities for K-12 school groups visiting The Tech Museum are:
- A self-guided visit to the museum galleries exhibits.
- An entertaining and educational IMAX film.
- A hands-on, 90-minute design challenge OR life science lab taught for your group. (Maximum 32 students per session)
- Q. How much time does it take to complete these activities on a visit to The Tech Museum?
- A. We suggest at least 2 hours to visit the museum galleries, 1 hour for an IMAX film, and 90-minutes for a lab session. Don't forget to allow AT LEAST 30 minutes for your group to have lunch, if you are staying for the day.
- Q. Can we bring lunches?
- A. Yes. The teacher or chaperones must collect lunches prior to arrival. We REQUIRE lunches be placed together in either large plastic bags or in boxes, allowing chaperones to easily place them in our multi-use room or rental lockers. Please be advised that lunches MUST be put away before your group is allowed entrance to the museum. Also, do not leave lunches on your bus, as you will not be able to retrieve them during your visit.
- Q. Where can we eat lunch?
- A. Groups are welcome to have lunch in our multi-use room, New Venture Hall. New Venture Hall is available on most days and has plenty of space that can be shared by multiple groups. When weather permits, please feel free to eat outside in the park across the street, Plaza de Caesar Chavez. This also allows the students to burn off some extra energy before coming back inside.
Requesting a Trip
- Q. Can I request a trip online?
- A. Yes. We strongly encourage you to request your trip through our website.
- Q. What if I don't want to book my trip online?
- A. You are welcome to contact us by phone to set up your trip at (408) 294-TECH (8324) option 3.
- Q. Can we change our activities after we have booked a trip?
- A. All changes to your trip itinerary are subject to availability and must be approved by Group Reservations. To request a change in either your planned activities or to update the number of people in your group, please contact us by email at groupreservations@thetech.org or call (408) 294-TECH (8324) option 3. Due to high traffic during the early Fall booking period, we suggest that you use the online system if possible.
Teacher and Chaperone Requirements
- Q. As a teacher, do I need to report changes in numbers?
- A. Yes. Reporting changes in visitor numbers at the time of payment, 2 weeks prior to the trip date, will help avoid overpayment. Also reporting a final number at the time of arrival will aid The Tech Museum in having accurate attendance numbers for your group.
- Q. How many chaperones are required for my group?
- A. The Tech Museum REQUIRES one (1) chaperone for every eight (8) K-12 students. We suggest bringing enough chaperones so that teachers may "float" throughout the museum to oversee the trip.
- Q. Do I have to bring chaperones if I am bringing high school students?
- A. Yes. Students in K-12th grade need to be with their chaperones at all times while visiting The Tech Museum. The same 1:8 chaperones to student ratio is required. SCHOOL GROUP CHAPERONES MUST BE OVER 18 AND NOT ATTENDING A K-12 SCHOOL.
- Q. Do students have to stay with their chaperones inside the museum?
- A. Yes. Students in K-12th grade need to be with their chaperones at all times while visiting The Tech Museum.