Take a Field Trip to The Tech Interactive

Bringing your students to The Tech Interactive guarantees them a day of imaginative, immersive, standards-based scientific learning. And thanks to our generous members and donors, The Tech Interactive has funding to offer California Title I K-12 students fee-waived general admission and science labs, plus transportation reimbursement for a limited number of schools.

Whether you educate students in a school or after-school setting, we can help tailor your field trip with the following options:

Exhibits where students learn about and explore modern-day scientific subjects using their senses — especially their sense of fun.
Science Labs and Innovation Labs where children become true Silicon Valley innovators as they develop 21st-century skills while conducting experiments and analyzing results.
IMAX movies for thrilling adventures in new worlds, from the microscopic to the cosmic.
For information on Sensory Friendly Field Trips, click here.

Submit your field trip request

How to Book Your Field Trip

Step 1: Read through the descriptions of our Science Labs, Innovation Labs and IMAX Educational Films to create a customized learning experience for your students.

Step 2: Check field trip availability on this calendar, then book using our Request a Field Trip form (we no longer accept field trip requests by phone). Reservations are required at least two (2) weeks in advance for museum admission, and three (3) weeks in advance for Science Labs and IMAX Educational Films. After you submit your request, a Group Reservations specialist will follow up by phone within four (4) days to confirm details and accept payment, which is due three (3) weeks after booking.

Step 3: To learn about procedures, policies and tips for a successful field trip after you have booked, download and read our Making the Most of Your Field Trip guide (prices listed in the guide will go in effect Aug. 1, 2019). To help explain to parents what they can expect their children to see in Body Worlds Decoded, which includes real human bodies, download this fact sheet.

Step 4: A week before you arrive, try out our "Tech Investigators" KWL activity to get your students excited about what they'll experience at The Interactive!

Reservation Policies

Field trip requests must be submitted via our online application. A Group Reservations specialist will follow up within four (4) days to reserve, confirm details and accept payment. The Tech Interactive no longer takes field trip requests by phone.

Lab reservations and IMAX educational films required at least three (3) weeks advance notice; all other options require two (2) weeks notice.

Deposits
A $50 deposit per lab is required for Title I schools receiving a Science Lab scholarship. The deposit will be refunded at the time of your field trip check-in. If you cancel your lab less than three (3) weeks before the scheduled date, your deposit will not be refunded. Funding is limited — book early!

Payment
Payment in full is required three (3) weeks after your reservation is confirmed, or immediately if you have booked less than three (3) weeks before your field trip date. The Tech Interactive accepts cash, checks and all major credit cards.

To pay by credit card, call 1-408-294-8324, option 3.

Checks should be made out to The Tech Interactive and sent with your invoice to:
The Tech Interactive
Attn: Group Reservations
201 S. Market St.
San Jose, CA 95113

Changes and Cancellations*
If you need to change the date of your field trip, please call Group Reservations (1-408-294-8324, option 3) as soon as possible to reschedule. Keep in mind that the lab or IMAX film scheduled for your original date may not be available on your new date. If reservations need to be canceled, please let us know as soon as possible via phone (1-408-294-8324, option 3) or email (groupreservations@thetech.org).
*If your trip is canceled within three (3) weeks of the reservation date, payment will not be refunded.

Refunds
Please ensure that your student counts are accurate. No refunds will be issued for unused general admission and IMAX tickets.

Title I Policies

If your school is designated as Title I (meaning 40 percent or more of students receive free or reduced-price lunch) admission is free and subsidies are available to help with other costs. See below for options, or call Group Reservations at 1-408-294-8324, option 3.

General Admission
All designated Title I schools will receive subsidized entry for students and chaperones. Admission includes all gallery experiences and floor programs.

Science Labs
Title I schools may qualify for a scholarship for a Science Lab, which covers the entire cost of the lab experience. To qualify for a Title I lab scholarship, teachers must implement the provided pre-visit and post-visit activities with their class and respond to a follow-up survey from The Tech Interactive. Download pre-visit and post-visit activities at thetech.org/sciencelabs.

A $50 deposit per lab is required for Title I schools. The deposit will be refunded at the time of field trip day check-in. If you cancel your lab less than three (3) weeks from the scheduled lab date, your deposit will not be refunded. Funding is limited — book early!

Innovation Labs
Innovation Labs are available at no cost to all school and after-school groups regardless of Title I status. Reservations are required. If your school group has booked a Science Lab, you are not eligible to reserve an Innovation Lab.

IMAX
Title I schools are eligible for reduced pricing of $6 per student and $6 per chaperone for educational films in the IMAX Dome Theater.

Transportation
Funding may be available for bus transportation to The Tech Interactive for Title I schools. Such funding is very limited and may only be available for certain counties; please inquire at time of reservation.

Field Trip Pricing

School field trips available through June 5, 2020.

	Admission	IMAX educational film	Admission + IMAX combo	Science Lab (90 minutes; click here for details)	Innovation Lab (45 minutes; click here for details)**
Title I Schools and After-School Groups*	Fee waived	$6 per student $6 per chaperone $4 IMAX Snack Pack	N/A	Scholarship provided; pre- and post-visit activity completion required	No additional charge for school groups; pre-registration required
Non-Title I Schools	$6 per student	$6 per student $6 per chaperone $4 IMAX Snack Pack	$10 per student $6 per chaperone $4 IMAX Snack Pack	$275 per class of 32	No additional charge for school groups; pre-registration required
Non-Title I After-School Groups (arriving after 3 p.m.)	$3 per student	$6 per student $6 per chaperone $4 IMAX Snack Pack	$6 per student $6 per chaperone $4 IMAX Snack Pack	$125 per class of 32	No additional charge for after-school groups; pre-registration required
Youth Group***	$6 per child	$6 per child $6 per chaperone $4 IMAX Snack Pack	$10 per child $6 per chaperone $4 IMAX Snack Pack	N/A	N/A

* If 40% or more of the students in your program qualify for free or reduced lunch, you are eligible for this discount.
** Innovation Labs take place in select exhibits and have limited capacity. Please see www.thetech.org/innovationlabs for schedule and capacity details.
*** Additional chaperones will be charged at $18 per person

Important Details

Payment is due three (3) weeks after reservation is confirmed.
Please ensure that your student counts are accurate. No refunds will be issued for unused general admission and IMAX tickets.
IMAX Snack Pack must be ordered in advance. Includes popcorn, juice and a treat.
Free admission for one chaperone per eight students. Additional chaperones that are not accounted for on the teacher invoice will be charged $18 per person, even if they are members of The Tech Interactive.
The Exploration Gallery on the Lower Level, which includes the Earthquake Platform and Jetpack Chair, will be closed for renovations beginning in January 2020.