The Walters Art Museum offers different types of FREE in-person field trips for grades PreK-12. Registration for all field trips is required.
Schools planning a visit can request an interactive guided tour, a discovery visit, or a self-guided visit during public hours on Wednesdays and Friday. Please complete this form and a staff member will follow up within 5 business days to help plan your field trip.
Discovery Visits for Schools
Make your own discoveries at the museum! During a Discovery Visit, you can explore the galleries at your own pace, interact with activities at Discovery Carts throughout the museum, and drop by an art-making station. Unlike a traditional museum tour, you decide where you want to go, which museum facilitator you’d like to learn from, and how long you want to stay in each location based on students’ interests and what they are learning in class.
At our Discovery Carts, students can:
- Interact with touch materials and complete a scavenger hunt to make connections between their lives and the lives of people who lived long ago.
- Create their own art inspired by artworks in the Walters collection.
- Write and decorate a postcard related to a portrait or landscape.
- Make STEAM connections and learn about the science of caring for artworks by completing a conservation puzzle and scavenger hunt.
What to know before your Discovery Visit:
- Discovery Visits are offered on Wednesdays and Fridays at 10 a.m., 10:30 a.m., 11 a.m., and 11:30 a.m.
- Your group can explore the museum in approximately 75 minutes, depending on how long you stay in each area of the museum.
- For groups larger than 100, please contact [email protected] directly.
- At least one chaperone is required per every 15 students.
- For more information, including chaperone guidelines, FAQ and a letter of support to share with your school administrator, please refer to our Before You Go guide.
If you prefer to guide your school group through the museum, you are welcome to do so.
Registration for all field trips is required.
Self-Guided Tours for Schools
If you prefer a quieter visitor experience, we offer tour slots in the afternoon when Discovery Stations are closed and there are fewer students in the museum.
Guided Tours for Schools
Explore the galleries with Walters educators and visit our Sculpture Court to make art inspired by the Walters collection!
What to know about your Guided Tour:
- Guided tours are offered on Wednesdays and Fridays and start between 10:15 a.m. and 11:45 a.m.
- Tours require a minimum of 15 students and can accommodate a maximum of 75 students. At least one chaperone is required per every 15 students.
- Tours for students Pre-K–2nd grade are 45 minutes long. Tours for 3rd–12th grades are one hour.
- Artmaking is available to add on to your touring experience.
- Depending on size, school groups may be divided into two smaller groups that take turns exploring the galleries and making art.
- For more information, including chaperone guidelines, FAQ, and a letter of support to share with your school administrator, please refer to our Before You Go guide.
Fall 2026 Guided Tour offerings:
- Art Explorers (recommended for grades PreK–5): Students will exercise their visual literacy skills to interpret themes, understand creative processes, and explore materials in works of art.
- Ancient Cultures (recommended for grades 2–12): Students examine artifacts that reflect the art, mythologies, culture, and daily life from around the world.
- Living History (recommended for grades 6–12): Explore the ways we tell stories of the past, uncover hidden histories and mysteries in the collection, and unpack narratives about colonization and power.
- Creative Careers (recommended for grades 6–12): Explore different careers at the Walters and how museum professionals create meaningful connections between people and art.
Sign up for our teacher newsletter to stay up to date on our tour offerings, and to be alerted when tour registration opens in early August 2026.
Bus Reimbursements for Title I Schools
The Walters is pleased to offer a limited number of bus reimbursements to Title I schools throughout the state of Maryland. If you are interested in a bus reimbursement for your Title I school, please check the appropriate box on the registration form. This does not guarantee your reimbursement. If we are able to provide a bus reimbursement, you will receive information in a written confirmation letter via email.
- Your school will be reimbursed after your visit. Schools are responsible for the scheduling and up front cost of the bus.
- If you are scheduled to receive a bus reimbursement, all necessary paperwork must be received by the museum within 30 days of the field trip date. If we do not receive the paperwork within 30 days we will not be able to reimburse your school.
- You must have a minimum number of 25 students in your group to receive a bus reimbursement.
- Bus reimbursements are only available for Maryland schools.
- We realize that some schools receive free or reduced meal plans yet are not categorized as Title I. If this describes your school, please email [email protected]g to discuss your specific situation.
- If we have arranged a bus reimbursement for your school and you cancel your tour with less than 48 hours’ notice, your school will be responsible for the cost of the bus.
Cost
Tours at the Walters are free thanks to the generosity of our supporters. Please consider a donation of $12 per person for your tour group.
Accessibility
Accessibility resources and accommodations are available for tours by emailing [email protected]. Please note, we ask for two weeks advance notice for ASL Interpretation requests. Visit our accessibility webpage for more information on accessibility across the museum.
For Spanish language interpretation requests, we require three weeks advance notice.
Prepare for your visit by reviewing our Visitor Guidelines and familiarizing yourself with the Visitor Promise.
School programs at the Walters Art Museum are made possible in part thanks to the combined generosity of The Ruth Carol Fund, The Delaplaine Foundation, The Goldsmith Family Foundation, Ro & Marius P. Johnson Charitable Legacy, Inc., Maryland State Department of Education-State Aided Institutions, Cynthia R. Mead Education Trust, Joseph and Harvey Meyerhoff Family Charitable Funds, PayCom, The Ludwig and Nancy Sternberger Foundation, The Thomas Wilson Foundation, Venable Foundation, The Walters Women’s Committee Legacy Endowment, and the Gladys Winter Fund for Teacher Programs.