Our Picks of the 25 Most Fun Virtual Field Trips for Kids and Field Trips in Dallas to visit in person, to learn, explore and for DFW Homeschool Field Trips, online and from home.
Virtual Camps, Classes & Field Trips you need to know about
You don’t need to go further than your dining table, or in-person travel for a Field Trip within 90 minutes of your home if you are wanting to educate your Kids, either in a Homeschool or Virtual School environment.
If you’d like assistance with helping your Child, either at home or locally while they school virtually, you can also look up these 18 Places that offer Virtual E-Learning Support.
Free and Cheap Resources
Plano Library provides access to digital resources, online programs for all ages, Live Videos and Museum tours! For Homeschool families and those who want to add extra educational experiences into their Kids’ Days, they have some excellent options
All you need is your Library Card, which is free for Plano residents and surrounding cities (need proof of address).
Get to know your Plano Libraries!
Outdoor Learning
Heritage Farmstead Museum is steeped in history, go tour the Ammie Wilson Home and see their exhibit inside the Young House. Families are invited to come out and experience what life was like on the Blackland Prairie with farm animals, artifacts, and a replica one-room schoolhouse. This is one of our favorite Field Trips in DFW.
Address: 1900 W 15th St, Plano, TX 75075
Hours: Open Wed-Friday 10am to 2:00pm
You can purchase a self-guided tour packet for $5 or book a Friday Tour ($10/person) with reservations in advance
Students are flocking to the farm to enjoy their outdoor learning classroom. These students found an EGGSellent opportunity to get by with a little help from our hens!
You can call 972-881-0147 today to reserve your space. They have WiFi, restrooms and sanitizing stations, not to mention loveable livestock, historic buildings and a path down to the creek for some fun exploration with nature!
Take some time to visit the Arbor Hills Nature Preserve – a 200-acre park in Plano, TX. It has several amenities including: 3 miles of paved hiking trail, 3 miles of unpaved hiking trail, a 2.8 mile off-road bike trail, restrooms, a covered pavilion, and a playground. There is so much to learn with this Field Trip in North Texas.
Address: 6701 W. Parker Rd, Plano, TX 75093
Hours: 5am to 11pm, Weds: 2pm – 11pm
Oak Point Park & Nature Preserve, Plano’s largest park, is 800 acres. The park boasts nearly 8 miles of concrete trails and 5 miles of soft surface trails located along Rowlett Creek. Nature trails are open from sunrise to sunset daily. Spend a few hours with our Scavenger Hunt that we put together for local families to enjoy!
Address: 6701 W. Parker Rd, Plano, TX 75093
Hours: 5am to 11pm, Weds: 2pm – 11pm
Lewisville Lake Environmental Learning Area (LLELA) is a 2,600 acre classroom, Scenic nature preserve offering a visitor center, walking trails, fishing, camping, kayaking & more.
Address: 201 E Jones St, Lewisville, TX 75057
Hours: 7am – 7pm
You could see 2,000 acres of prairies, bottom-land hardwood forests, wetlands, and cross timbers forests perfect for camping, hiking and birding.
Mammals such as bobcats, white-tailed deer, and mink, along with over 270 recorded species of birds, such as wild turkeys, painted buntings, and dozens of waterfowl species, can be seen from many of the nature trails.
In addition, numerous sloughs, wetlands, creeks and dry channels, provide homes for wood ducks, and other waterfowl, as well as many turtles, wading birds and amphibians.
The Elm Fork River, which originally developed these areas during flooding events, is an ideal fishing location.
Check out the Indoor and Outdoor Heard Museum
Address: 1 Nature Pl, McKinney, TX 75069
Hours: Tuesday – Saturday, 9am – 5pm, Sunday 1pm – 5pm
The goal of Heard Natural Science Museum & Wildlife Sanctuary is to connect kids with nature – with the hope to inspire within them, as well as their parents, families and teachers, a deeper appreciation for the environment.
The Heard’s education department offers innovative programs designed for all age groups, interest and abilities.
Programs include guided nature trails, live animal presentations, a preschool program, homeschool science classes, summer camps, adult and teacher workshops.
The Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden welcomes families and young learners of all varieties to come and enjoy our beautiful and educational gardens. The Rory Meyers Children’s Adventure Garden offers a ton of great educational features for younger kids to enjoy and learn
Address: 8525 Garland Rd, Dallas, TX 75218
Hours: Daily 9am – 5pm
Zoos and Animals
If you want to go visit in person, we have 16 Places you can go and visit with Animals locally.
Cathy’s Critters will be open midday hours from Tuesday through Friday every week with special activities in addition to their normal Open Farm Day offerings. Weekends will feature trail rides, animal care talks from our experts, and pony cart rides.
For some fun Virtual Tours with some great Animal Cams, we love Dallas Zoo, San Diego Zoo and Houston Zoo. If you are heading to the San Antonio area, you can also drive through the San Antonio Zoo, Fridays and Saturdays from 5pm – 8pm.
Sports and Fitness
Outschool : Their ‘Wellness’ category includes live virtual classes for martial arts, basketball skills, yoga (Pretzel Kids), kids boot camps, and other fitness activities that can be done from home. There are options for all ages.
STE(A)M
Virtual: Spark Dallas has a selection of “Creative at Home” videos
The Perot Museum is coming to you at home! Amaze Your Brain at Home and watch your favorite concepts from the Museum come to life. Explore nature and science at home and in your backyard – all while using the most common household objects and supplies.
Address: 2201 N Field St Dallas, TX 75201
Hours: Thursday, Friday, Saturday – Sunday. Hours vary.
The Museum is open for visits Thursday, Friday and the Weekend, for pre-purchased tickets and members selecting an entry time, so they can ensure safety protocols.
Aviation and Transportation
Cavanaugh Flight Museum, Addison – is a non-profit 501(c)(3) educational organization devoted to promoting aviation studies and to perpetuating America’s aviation heritage; the museum fulfills its mission by restoring, operating, maintaining and displaying historically-significant, vintage aircraft, and by collecting materials related to the history of aviation.
Address: 4572 Claire Chennault St, Addison, TX
Hours: Self guided tours 10 am – 4 pm, Thursday, Friday & Saturday.
Museum of the American Railroad
Address: Inside the Frisco Discovery Center, 8004 N. Dallas Pkwy., Frisco, TX 75034
Hours: Self guided tours 10 am – 4 pm, Thursday, Friday & Saturday.
Their signature exhibit of Model Trains, TrainTopia will open with reduced hours three days a week, (Friday – Sunday). To ensure a contactless purchase experience, tickets are available online only.
It is adjacent to the Museum of the American Railroad’s 15-acre outdoor collection of trains which you can prebook with a tour.
TrainTopia is a gift of Steve Sanders & his family, presented by Amanda and Brint Ryan, and made possible by the City of Frisco Community Development Corporation.
While you are there, you can also visit the Sci-Tech Discovery Center, which is open, with Safety Protocols in place.
To maintain social distancing and occupancy guidelines, they’re offering tickets online to help maintain a crowd reduced capacity. Select a date and time that works for you! Just be sure to bring your e-mail confirmation (or membership card, if applicable) with you.
Prices: $10 for children and adults, $8.50 for seniors (65+), teachers, and military, with ID verification. Members general admission is free and so are children under 2.
Also look at a Virtual Experience with Thinkery in Austin – you can browse a collection of activities, videos, and resources to bring STEAM learning and connectivity into your home!
Virtual (in Texas)
Sci-Tech Discovery Center: Our Virtual Outreach programs combine Mindstretching fun with your school or program’s goals.
There are some Landmark Places in Texas that we love that have gone virtual too, like NASA’s Johnson Space Center in Houston and The Alamo, in San Antonio.
The LBJ Presidential Library Online Exhibits – a few collections exhibited at the LBJ Presidential Library have been digitized. Photos, telephone conversations, oral histories, and more can be found in the collections.
Houston Audubon Bird Cams – if your Kid(s) love Birds, this is a must! Experience the joy of birds from your own home with Houston Audubon Bird Cams. Also download activities and look for live broadcasts on their Facebook page.
Music and the Arts
Head over to the Plano Arts Facebook page to join Amy and her Noon Online Art Class with Facebook Live
Connect with the Dallas Museum of Art from wherever you are for a selection of all new special exhibition and collection gallery tours and many other interactive art adventures on the web.
Address: 1717 North Harwood, Dallas, TX 75201
Hours: Open Thursday – Sunday, Hours vary.
And, you can always visit the DMA’s entire art collection online.
The Blanton Museum of Art Online Collection is one of the foremost university art museums in the country and holds the largest public collection in Central Texas
Music Together Dallas have a Virtual program for the youngest kids to age 8, called Backyard Family Dance Party
These are 25 of our favorite ideas, but we would love to hear from you! What other places do you like?