Plan Your Visit

Free Field Trips to The Tech Museum for California Schools K-12

Thanks to our generous donors, The Tech Museum has funding for scholarships to provide free admission to the regular museum galleries. To qualify for free school group admission, your group must be a California K-12 school (public, private, charter or home), school district, or county office of education.

Free field trip admission applies to museum galleries, gallery programs, and Hands-on Science Workshops only. Educational IMAX® films, The Tech Science Labs, and special exhibitions are an additional fee. There are limited funds available to provide scholarships to Title 1 Schools to waive fees for labs and IMAX®.

Funding is limited, so book your field trip today. To book your field trip, call Group Reservations at (408) 294-8324 (option 3) or book online. Reservations are required 2 weeks in advance.

Support for Title 1 Schools

We provide fee-waived experiences for Title 1 students that include fee-waived IMAX® films, fee-waived labs, and limited transportation reimbursement. To participate in our fee-waived programs, you must reserve your space prior to your visit.

To qualify for fee-waived programs, your school must be officially designated Title 1 by the Department of Education.

For transportation reimbursement funds of up to $300/bus, submit the Transportation Reimbursement form within 45 days of your visit.

Field Trip Policies

To help us provide you with a positive and efficient process for booking and planning your trip to The Tech Museum, please read and become familiar with the following reservation policies. Download the Pre-Museum Visit Teacher Guide.

Getting Started

When you are ready, contact our Group Sales office at (408) 294-8324 (option 3) to book your field trip. You may also book online.
You will need to know the number of students, teachers, and adult chaperons attending, the planned date, a few alternate dates, and the expected arrival time.
Ask about The Tech Science Labs and Educational IMAX® films that will enhance your students’ visit to The Tech Museum.
Please note that The Tech Science Labs and Educational IMAX® films must be booked over the phone rather than online.
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.

Trip Booking Tips for Teachers

The Tech Museum is open Monday – Sunday 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. year-round. From late September through mid-June, The Tech Museum opens an hour early (9:00 a.m.) for field trips.
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 suggest at least 2 hours to visit The Tech Museum galleries, 1 hour for an Educational IMAX® film, and 90 minutes for The Tech Science Labs 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 gallery programs. Sign up for our Free Teacher Membership and visit The Tech Museum today.
Upon arrival, on the day of your field trip, each student will be issued a TechTag. Use your TechTag at many of the exhibits and take your museum experience back to the classroom.

The Tech Science Labs

The Tech Science Labs align with California Content Standards.
Lab sessions are available Monday through Friday throughout the school year. Science Labs begin at 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m., and last 90 minutes. Labs have a maximum of 32 students per session. Each lab session costs $225.
Title 1 schools eligible for fee-waived Science Labs. Please ask about this opportunity when making your reservations. Funding is limited so book your trip today
For descriptions of The Tech Science Labs offered, with lesson plans and California Content Standards for each lab, please visit The Tech Science Labs.
Lab space is limited, so book today.

The Hackworth IMAX® Dome Theater

The Hackworth IMAX® Dome Theater holds 280 guests, plus limited wheelchair spaces. Seating is available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Plan to line up for your film 15 minutes prior to your show time. This will allow the Hackworth IMAX® Dome usher to scan your ticket and for your groups will be seated together and must enter as a group before the film starts.
Please refer to our calendar for regular showing Hackworth IMAX® Dome films. Most films have downloadable Educator's Resource Guides.
If you are a group of 50 or more, the 10:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. time slots can be reserved with a film from our library of your choosing. These time slots book quickly so book your trip today.
Title 1 schools are eligible for fee-waived Hackworth IMAX® Dome films. Please ask about this opportunity when making your reservations. Funding is limited so book your trip today.

After-school Programs

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. For more information on After-school program field trips or to make reservations please contact our group sales office at (408) 294-8324 (option 3).

Chaperon Policy

The Tech Museum requires a minimum of 1 adult chaperon per 8 students to ensure a safe and rewarding experience. Chaperons must be over 18 years old and not currently attending the school. Chaperons accompanying students are responsible for supervising them at all times. This includes while your group:

Visits the museum's galleries
Participates in The Tech Science Labs
Is on-board escalators or elevators
Enjoys a film in The Hackworth IMAX® Dome Theater
Shops in The Tech Store
Visits Café Primavera

Please download and distribute the chaperon map, before arriving to The Tech Museum. Prepare your chaperons by reviewing The Tech Museum policies, rules and your trip itinerary.

Group Name Tags

The Tech Museum requires all school groups to wear group nametags or have some other identifying item (logo T-shirts, badges, etc.) as a way of recognizing specific groups. For the safety of the students, nametags should indicate the group name only, not individual names.

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 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) 885-1094.
We also offer movie concessions at The Hackworth IMAX® Dome Theater.
Groups may eat lunch in Cesar Chavez Park (located across the street), or based on availability 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.

Confirmation

Once you have reserved your field trip, you will receive a confirmation email. Attached to this email will be your confirmation letter containing all the activities you have reserved, the cost for each activity, and The Tech Museum payment policies. To accelerate your check-in please bring your confirmation letter with you on the day of your visit. If you do not receive your confirmation within 3 business days, please contact us at groupreservations@thetech.org.

Payment

Payment in full is required at the time of check-in. We accept cash, AMEX, Visa, MasterCard, Discover and school-issued checks.
Groups that choose to pre-pay may call (408) 294-8324 (option 3) to make payment by credit card.
Pre-payments by check, sent via mail, must be received by The Tech Museum before the date of your visit.

Payments should be made out to The Tech Museum and mailed with your invoice to the attention of Accounts Payable at:

The Tech Museum
201 South Market Street
San Jose, CA 95113

After you have made your reservation you will receive your confirmation information and any additional information requested via email. Please review this information in detail and notify us immediately of any errors. Please make any changes to your attendance on your invoice to avoid overpayment.

Title 1 schools are eligible for fee-waived Science Labs and IMAX® films. Funding is limited so book your trip today.

Cancellations / Late Arrivals

Groups must arrive at least 20 minutes prior to their first scheduled activity to allow time for unloading and check in.
We realize that groups may arrive late due to situations beyond their control. If our schedule allows, we will try to accommodate those groups who arrive late so that they still enjoy a full experience. As our labs and IMAX® films must start on time, this is not always possible.
If your group will be significantly late arriving on the date of your trip, please call the Group Sales Office at (408) 294-8324 (option 3).
For all cancellations, we require an email at least two weeks in advance of your scheduled field trip.
If you must cancel or reschedule, please email groupreservations@thetech.org, or call the Group Sales Office at (408) 294-8324 (option 3).

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