Due to space constraints, we are currently scheduling field trips occurring through Feb. 28, 2025.
In January 2025 we will begin scheduling and confirming field trips to occur March through May 2025.
Updates and Must-Reads:
Recently the Museum and Memorial updated the "Into the Trenches" exhibit in the Main Gallery.
Part of this update includes interpretative changes and additions such as a film that contains uncensored primary source footage and images of casualties and corpses.
This section of the Trenches exhibit is not included on educational school tours.
However, we want you to be aware of this change.
Onsite Field Trips
A visit to the National WWI Museum and Memorial is an exciting way to make the Great War meaningful and relevant to learners of all ages!
Tour the Museum, either with a Museum guide or on a self-guided tour.
- $5 per student without Liberty Memorial Tower
- $7 per student with Liberty Memorial Tower
- These discounted rates apply only for groups of 7 students or more.
- Grant funding assistance may be available for your group.
Due to a high volume of tours, time at the Museum is generally limited to 2 hours.
- We are currently scheduling field trips occurring through Feb. 28, 2025.
- In January 2025 we will begin scheduling and confirming field trips to occur March through May 2025.
Scout troops, universities and adult groups do not qualify for field trips and should inquire about a Group Tour.
You must review the FAQ and the Field Trip Code of Conduct before your visit. Reservations at least two weeks in advance are required on all field trips.
Frequently Asked Questions
Teachers and chaperones, you are responsible for reading this FAQ fully before scheduling your field trip to the Museum and Memorial. Most common questions about planning your trip, arranging grant funding and expected student behavior are answered below.
If you have additional questions, please contact us at education@theworldwar.org.
General Information
To sign up for a field trip, provide your preferred dates and times in the online form. Scout troops, universities, and adult groups should instead fill out the Group Tours form.
- Advance reservations are required. Please contact the Education department at least two weeks prior to your preferred visit date.
- Guided tours are available Tuesdays-Fridays on a first-come, first-serve basis. Guided tours are not available on Saturdays and Sundays, but school groups are more than welcome to schedule a self-guided visit on these days.
- For discounted rates, school groups must consist of at least seven students.
- School visits are limited to 200 students. Larger groups may schedule multi-day visits.
- Visits may not be booked on a school’s final week in session.
- Due to a high volume of tours, time at the Museum and Memorial is limited. Groups of 150 and fewer will typically have a two-hour experience. Verify your arrival and departure times with our staff before your visit.
Museum Only: Access to the Main Gallery, Featured Exhibition(s) and the Lower Level. Tours can be self-guided or with a Museum guide (subject to availability.)
Museum and Tower Combo: Full Access to the Main Gallery, Featured Exhibitions(s), the Lower Level and Liberty Memorial Tower. Tours can be self-guided or with a Museum guide (subject to availability.) Limited to groups of 75 or fewer.
See the online sign-up form for current pricing.
Planning your Visit
Provide your preferred date and time in our online form.
School groups planning to visit the Museum and Memorial must have a confirmed appointment. Confirmation from a Museum and Memorial Education staff member, not the submission of a reservation form, guarantees a tour time.
Museum and Memorial school visits book quickly; be sure to schedule early for your first choice of time and date.
The Museum and Memorial will make an effort to accommodate requests for guided visits, but because the Museum and Memorial relies on volunteers, it is not always possible. Teachers are encouraged to be prepared to lead students through the Museum and Memorial. Guided visits are available Tuesdays-Fridays.
Volunteers provide their time and expertise to help facilitate a visit that meets your group’s needs. The more information you have on the day of your visit, the better.
- What time do you need to leave?
- Would you prefer the Museum and Memorial provide more time for independent exploration or more facilitator highlights?
- Where are your students in the course of their study? Must they complete an assignment by the end of their visit?
Yes. We welcome school groups doing self-guided tours of the Museum and Memorial, but in order to receive the student group discount rate, at least one week prior notification of the visit is needed. Fill out our online form or contact us at education@theworldwar.org.
All guests should follow Museum and Memorial procedures and all groups should be mindful of other guests and tours. If a group has more than 30 members, you should divide into separate groups starting in various locations in order to prevent congestion in any one section of the Museum and Memorial.
The typical school visit last two hours. This time frame requires an efficient pace in order to see all areas of the Museum and Memorial. If you would like a longer visit, please ask.
The Museum and Memorial can accommodate groups up to approximately 200 students at one time. Inquire with us about accommodations for larger groups. We ask that any student group contain at least seven members in order to qualify for the student group discount. Though we would like to provide facilitators for all guests, please understand the priority will go to the larger groups.
Yes, all galleries of the National WWI Museum and Memorial are accessible to people with mobility limitations. Please note the Liberty Memorial Tower, a historic landmark, is not wheelchair accessible. Special activities and guides are available for visually and hearing impaired guests with advance notice. If your school group has guests with special needs, please let us know ahead of time.
Lunch at the Museum and Memorial
Sack lunches are available from the Museum-operated Over There Café for student groups at $7 each and usually include a sandwich, chips, a cookie, and a bottle of water. Due to limited seating, sack lunches cannot be eaten in the Café. Lunches must be eaten either outside on the grounds or on your school bus.
Group orders must be placed at least seven business days prior your visit. As Museum and Memorial ticketing and the Over There Café are separate, payment for café lunches will be paid for separately. If paying by check, café orders require a separate check made out to American Dining Creations. If you must cancel, please notify us two days prior to your scheduled lunch or you will be required to pay for the order.
Students should not individually purchase food or drinks from the Café. Students are not permitted to visit the Café without an adult chaperone.
Lunches must be eaten either outside on the grounds or on your school bus.
Ticket Payment
To receive a group discount, tickets must be purchased for all students, chaperones and additional adults in one transaction.
Updated payment procedures:
Beginning in the 2024 Fall semester, teachers cannot bring any physical credit cards to pay for the trip.
Schools can pay
- using a check they send in advance or bring the day of their trip
or
- by filling out the credit card authorization form and sending it in before their trip.
Nothing will be processed until the students are here and a final count is given.
Yes, grant funding is available thanks to the generous donations of our funders. Qualifying schools receive free admission, sack lunches, and a stipend to assist with student transportation or substitute teacher costs.
Pre-Visit Information
Special trunks of WWI era artifacts may be borrowed from the Museum and Memorial for six-week periods of time. A $150 refundable deposit is required. Contact the Education Department for more information.
Yes! Check out our Classroom Materials page to learn more about our educational resources, including primary sources, information, articles and lesson plans.
Day of the Visit
Buses should unload and load students/chaperones at the north end of the U-shaped drive on the Memorial Mall and may park along the south end of the Mall or on Kessler Road. Please do not block the north entrance; other guests are unable to pass buses.
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Please plan to arrive as close to your tour time as possible. Guide availability is contingent upon a daily assigned schedule and it is not always possible to accommodate early or late groups.
Upon arrival, students will be directed to congregate with a Museum Facilitator in an area appropriate for their numbers. Only the group leader should go to the Ticketing Counter with the accurate number of students and adults in the group.
If paying upon arrival, wristbands will be received at that time. If pre-paid, the group leader will need to give the attendant the confirmation ticket and all unused wristbands. If necessary, a refund check will be issued and mailed to your school.
In many cases of inclement weather, there is a possibility the Tower may close. Far less frequently, the Museum and Memorial itself may close or have a late opening. If there is concern of winter weather closing, please check our website or call 816.888.8100. If your district cancels due to inclement weather, please contact us at education@theworldwar.org.
Code of Conduct
Technology
- Please silence all phones before entering the Museum and Memorial. Students should use smartphones only for notes or as a camera. Gaming, etc. is not allowed.
- Photography is generally allowed in all areas of the Museum and Memorial except for the films or where otherwise noted. Tripods and selfie sticks are not allowed.
Writing
- Written assignments or jotting notes are welcome in the Museum and Memorial. However the walls, glass cases, or exhibit boards may not be used as hard surfaces upon which to write.
- Please use pencils only in the Museum and Memorial, no pens.
Wristbands
- Wristbands must be worn on student wrists at all times while at the Museum and Memorial, as it serves as both tickets into the Museum and Memorial and as group identifiers. This assists our volunteers, staff and security officers.
Food and belongings
- No food, drink or large backpacks are allowed into the Museum and Memorial. An area may be made available for bags, but it is preferable they are left on the bus, at school or at home.
- Student groups are specifically asked to refrain from gum and candy. Schools may be charged for cleaning if this rule is violated.
Respectful conduct
- Touching artifacts is permitted only under special conditions. Please make students aware of this ahead of time.
- Students must walk at all times, not run. Save General Pershing’s Jumping Jacks until you are outside.
- We encourage students to discuss what they see with their classmates and guides, but please be mindful of other visitors and do not yell.
- The National WWI Museum and Memorial is dedicated to honoring those who served in the Great War. Please ensure your students are respectful.
Chaperoning
- One chaperone for every 10 students is REQUIRED.
- Chaperones include all teachers, paras, administrators, parents and other adults who will be attending the Museum and Memorial field trip. Students, regardless of age, cannot be chaperones.
- Chaperones within the required ratio are admitted FREE of charge to manage student behavior and engage in the learning process. (Additional chaperones will be charged a discounted admission fee.) If students are unable to abide by Museum and Memorial rules, a chaperone will be asked to stay with them in a separate area of the Museum and Memorial while the rest of the group completes their tour.
- It is very important that chaperones remain with students at all times, including visits to the restroom, the Over There Café, the Museum Store and the Liberty Memorial Tower. If your visit includes the Tower, an adult chaperone must be present with any students, whether they are waiting at the base of the Tower, on the elevator or at the observation area at the top of the Tower. No students should be left unaccompanied in any area of the National WWI Museum and Memorial.
- Only 10 students are permitted in the Museum Store at one time.
Grant Assistance
The Museum and Memorial is able to offer grant-funded field trips to area schools thanks to the generous donations of the Estelle S. and Robert A. Long Ellis Foundation, the Arvin Gottlieb Charitable Foundation, R.A. Long Foundation, Royals Charities, Sherman Family Foundation and the U.S. Bank Foundation.
Qualifying schools receive:
- Free admission
- Free sack lunches from the Museum's Over There Cafe
- A $250 stipend to assist with student transportation or substitute teacher costs
To be eligible, the school must have at least a 51% free/reduced lunch ratio.
Please contact the Education Department to determine if your school qualifies.