School Field Trips

Discover the wonder of the Walters! During a Discovery Visit, teachers and chaperones support students’ exploration of the museum at their own pace, including visiting interactive stations and participating in an art-making activity. Unlike a traditional museum tour, you decide where to explore based on students’ interests and what they are learning in class.

On a Discovery Visit, students can…

• Interact with touch materials to make connections between their lives and the lives of people who lived long ago in Ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome, and the Near East.
• Create their own art inspired by artworks in the Walters collection.
• Interact with touch materials and a scavenger hunt to make STEAM connections and learn about the science of caring for Asian and Islamic artworks in Across Asia: Arts of Asia and the Islamic World.

What to know about your Discovery Visit:

• Discovery Visits are best suited for grades 2–12, but open to all grade levels. Students in grades Pre-K–1 may need additional assistance from teachers and chaperones.
• Discovery Visits are offered on Wednesdays and Fridays and start between 10:15 and 11:45 a.m.
• Your group should plan to spend approximately 90–120 minutes at the museum, depending on how long your group spends on each activity.
• At least one chaperone is required for every 15 students.

Registration for all field trips is required.

Led by Walters educators, students of all abilities engage in thematic activities and discussions about art on our guided tours. Educators encourage students to practice close looking and questioning as they examine art from across time and culture.

What to know about your Guided Tour:

• Guided Tours are participant-driven conversations surrounding select works of art and are suitable for all grade levels.
• Guided Tours are offered on Wednesdays and Fridays, and start between 10 and 11:30 a.m.
• Tours require a minimum of 15 students and can accommodate a maximum of 90 students. At least one chaperone is required for every 15 students.
• Tours for students in Pre-K–2nd grade are 45-minutes long. Tours for students in 3rd–12th grades are one hour.
• Self-paced art making is available before or after your tour.
• Larger groups may be divided into smaller groups that take turns exploring the galleries with educators and making art with chaperones.

Fall 2026 Guided Tour offerings:

• Art Explorers (recommended for grades Pre-K–2): Students exercise their visual literacy skills to interpret themes, understand creative processes, and explore materials in works of art across the museum.
• Ancient Cultures (recommended for grades 2–12): Students examine artifacts that reflect the art, mythologies, cultures, and daily lives of people in the ancient Mediterranean and Americas.
• Living History (recommended for grades 6–12): Students uncover hidden histories and explore how art tells stories of the past to unpack narratives about colonization and power.
• Creative Careers (recommended for grades 6–12): Students explore different careers at the Walters and learn how museum professionals create connections between people and art.

Registration for all field trips is required.

If you prefer a quieter visitor experience or would like to build your own field trip, we offer field trip booking in the afternoon when Discovery Visits and Guided Tours are not taking place and there are fewer students in the museum.

Please register so we are best prepared to welcome you.

The Walters is pleased to offer a limited number of bus reimbursements to Title I schools in  Maryland. If you would like to be considered for a bus reimbursement for your school, please check the appropriate box on the tour request form. If we can provide a bus reimbursement, you will receive a confirmation letter via email. We realize that some schools are in need of assistance yet are not categorized as Title I. If this describes your school, we will still consider your school for reimbursement.

Schools are responsible for booking and paying for their buses initially. Your school will be reimbursed after your field trip to the museum and once all necessary paperwork has been received by the museum.

All groups are welcome to have lunch outdoors at the Mount Vernon Place Park outside the museum.

We have limited indoor lunch space in the Museum Cafe. Please indicate your interest in using our cafe for lunch on the field trip request form. Your field trip confirmation email will indicate if we can accommodate your request.

Admission to the Walters Art Museum is always free; tickets are not required for entry. All field trips are free thanks to the generosity of our partners. Please consider a donation of $12 per person for your field trip.

Requests for accessibility resources and accommodations can be made by emailing [email protected]. Please note, we ask for two weeks advance notice for ASL interpretation requests and three weeks advance notice for Spanish language interpretation requests.

Prepare for your visit by reviewing the Visitor Guidelines and familiarizing yourself with our Visitor Promise.

Please share the museum’s Bus Parking Directions with your bus driver.

Build excitement for your field trip or extend the learning experience after your field trip by using classroom resources from the Walters.

During your visit, your group may share gallery space with other tour groups and museum visitors. If you would prefer to schedule a visit outside public hours or arrange for a museum educator to visit your school, please contact [email protected].