Portland Area Field Trips

Field Trips in the Portland Area

If you are looking for a place in the Portland area to take your homeschool group for a field trip, or would like to hire a presenter for a workshop,  here are some suggestions.  Tips  on space rentals are at the bottom of this page.    Many small businesses will give you a tour if you ask, so don't be shy!  There are some smaller museums on this list that would be fun to combine with a group walking tour of the neighborhood or playtime at a local park, since it wouldn't take long to see everything. As I complied this list, I kept running into revisions and additions so I doubt this list will ever be complete!

Environmental Education

Audubon Society of Portland:  http://audubonportland.org/

Cader Olive: http://www.learnnatureskills.com/about-us

The City of Gresham: http://greshamoregon.gov/frogs/  Tadpole Surveys and amphibian lessons for school groups.
The City of Portland Environmental Services: https://www.portlandoregon.gov/bes/article/267517

Columbia Slough Watershed Council: http://www.columbiaslough.org/

Columbia Springs: http://www.columbiasprings.org/programs/environmental-education/schedule-a-field-trip/ Fish hatchery and nature education center.

Jackson Bottom Wetlands Preserve: http://www.jacksonbottom.org/

Lower Columbia Estuary Partnership: http://www.estuarypartnership.org/our-work/education-programs

Luscher Farm: http://www.ci.oswego.or.us/luscher/field-trips-and-tours

Metro Parks and Natural Areas:  http://www.oregonmetro.gov/parks/field-trips-metro-parks

Metro Portland's Field Trip Guide to Recycling Facilities and Gardening Organizations: 

http://www.oregonmetro.gov/sites/default/files/2014_15%20field%20trip%20and%20resource%20guide.pdf

Northwest Expeditions: https://home.comcast.net/%7Enorthwestexpeditions/nwexeducation.html

Portland Parks and Recreation: https://www.portlandoregon.gov/parks/62975

Rewild Portland: http://www.rewildportland.com/

Ridgefield National Wildlife Refuge: http://ridgefieldfriends.org/plankhouse/school-groups/

Tillamook Forest Center: http://www.tillamookforestcenter.org/events_01.html

Trackers Earth: http://trackerspdx.com/youth/outdoor-school.php#.U0J4NShVekR

Tryon Creek State Park: http://www.tryonfriends.org/

Tualatin Hills Park and Recreation District: http://www.thprd.org/activities/nature/school-programs

Tualatin River National Wildlife Refuge: http://www.fws.gov/tualatinriver/education.html

Tualatin Riverkeepers: http://tualatinriverkeepers.org/environmental-education/field-trips/

Water Resources Education Center: http://www.cityofvancouver.us/publicworks/page/school-visits

Wolf College:  http://www.wolfcollege.com/

Wy'East Expeditions: http://wyeastexpeditions.com/groups/school-field-trips/ Canoe trips.

Zenger Farm: http://www.zengerfarm.org/

Many of these agencies depend on volunteers and/or interns who are different at each event, and you will find that some are both highly knowledgeable and great with kids, while others may not be.

See It Made

Bob's Red Mill: http://www.bobsredmill.com/Tour-Our-World-Headquarters.html
Boeing (near Seattle): http://www.futureofflight.org/boeing-tour-seattle

Bullseye Glass: http://www.bullseyeglass.com/company-faq.html#faq_12

Cool Moon Creamery: http://coolmoonicecream.com/

Franz Bakery:  http://franzbakery.com/about-franz/bakery-tours/

Leatherman Factory: http://www.leatherman.com/tour.html

Pacific Hazelnut Candy Factory: http://www.pacifichazelnut.com/Factory-Tours_ep_40-1.html

Pendleton Woolen Mill Washougal: https://www.pendleton-usa.com/custserv/custserv.jsp?pageName=WashougalMill&parentName=AboutUs

Pizzicato Pizzeria: http://www.pizzicatopizza.com/

Rodgers Instruments: http://www.rodgersinstruments.com/FAQ

SCI 3.2: http://sci32.com/ They make the floats for the Rose Festival Grand Floral Parade.
Subzero Ice Cream West Linn: https://www.subzeroicecream.com/

Uboboros Glass: http://www.uroboros.com/faqs.php#a1

Yamasa Soy Sauce Salem: http://www.yamasausa.com/

Behind the Scenes Tours

Clean Water Services wastewater treatment plants of Tigard and Hillsboro: http://www.cleanwaterservices.org/Tour/Request
Metro East Community Media: http://www.metroeast.org/content/scouts-earn-badges-metroeast

Oregon State Capitol Tours: http://www.oregonlink.com/capitol_services/capitol_services.html

Portland Aerial Tram: http://www.gobytram.com/tours/ 

Portland'5: http://www.portland5.com/about/tours 

Powell's City of Books: http://www.powells.com/tours.html 

Providence Park: http://providenceparkpdx.com/about/tour

Rose Quarter: http://www.rosequarter.com/about-us/group-tours  

For Animal Lovers

Chrysalis Farm: http://www.chrysalisfarms.org/index2.html It's a nice farm, and the dozens of peacocks that roam the place are really memorable!

Guide Dogs for the Blind: http://www.guidedogs.com/site/PageServer

Oregon Humane Society: http://www.oregonhumane.org

Oregon Zoo: http://www.oregonzoo.org/discover/field-trips-and-school-programs The Oregon Zoo is one place that does have terrific field trips, but they are not oriented towards homeschoolers. Be sure to ask for specifics on chaperone tickets and which animals will be presented in each class you book. They have several that present the same animals to different grade levels in much the same way, but the classes are described as if they are totally different.

Plumper Pumpkin: http://plumperpumpkins.com/spring_field_trips_home.php There are lots of farm animals here.  They have great spring field trips where kids can plant a row of pumpkin seeds together and come back in the fall to find their pumpkins.

Portland Mounted Patrol Unit: https://www.portlandoregon.gov/police/article/250328

Rosse Posse Acres Elk Ranch: http://www.rosseposseacres.com/tpz.htm

Wolf Haven: http://wolfhaven.org

Animal Presenters 

The Bug Chicks: http://thebugchicks.com/ A duo of lady entomologists.  Their presentation is 1 hour, but we like to have them in the summer at a nature park, and follow it with a half hour bug hunt so the kids can get their finds identified. They are supremely terrific!

Mr. Lizard: http://www.misterlizard.com/  Brett is a sweetheart and his "pixie frog" is a super hit!

Oregon Bird Man: http://www.oregonbirdman.com/2201.html

The Reptile Man: http://www.oregonreptileman.com/

History

Belmont Fire House: http://www.jeffmorrisfoundation.org/fire-museum/howschedule.php

Champoeg: http://www.champoeg.org/champoeg-promise/champoeg-promise.html

Clackamas County Historical Society: http://clackamashistory.org/

Clark County Historical Museum: http://www.cchmuseum.org/education/field-trips/

Classic Aircraft Aviation Museum: http://www.classicaircraft.org/

Columbia Hills State Park: http://www.parks.wa.gov/489/Columbia-Hills Tours of the historic petroglyphs and pictographs.

End of the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center: http://www.historicoregoncity.org

Ft. Vancouver: http://www.nps.gov/fova/index.htm

Friends of Lone Fir Cemetery: http://www.friendsoflonefircemetery.org/tours

Gresham Historical Society: http://www.greshamhistoricalsociety.org/

Kidd's Toy Museum: http://www.kiddstoymuseum.com/

Lelooska Foundation: http://lelooska.org/

Lone Fir Cemetery: http://www.friendsoflonefircemetery.org/tours Monthly public tours and at other times by arrangement.

McLoughlin House: http://mcloughlinhouse.org/

Mike's Movie Memorabilia Collection: http://moviemadnessvideo.com/museum/

Museum of Metal Typography: http://www.metaltype.org/
Old Aurora Colony: http://www.auroracolony.org/old/aurora/colony/teachers_students/category/schools_at_the_aurora_colony_museum

Oregon Historical Society:  http://www.ohs.org/  Multnomah County residents always get in free, and so do prearranged school groups, whether there for a visit or tour. See the penny that was tossed to decide Portland's name!

Oregon Jewish Museum and Holocaust Resource Center: http://www.ojmche.org

Oregon Maritime Museum: http://www.oregonmaritimemuseum.org/visit.html

Oregon National Guard History Outreach Program: http://www.mil.state.or.us/lc/index.htm

Oregon Nikkei Legacy Center: http://www.oregonnikkei.org/

Oregon Rail Heritage Museum: http://www.orhf.org/oregon-rail-heritage-center/

Philip Foster Farm: http://philipfosterfarm.com/

Pittock Mansion: http://pittockmansion.org/visit-the-mansion/for-students/

Portland Police Museum: http://www.portlandpolicemuseum.com/

Washington County Museum:  http://www.washingtoncountymuseum.org

Wells Fargo History Museum: http://www.wellsfargohistory.com/museums/portland/

Willamette Heritage Center at the Mill: http://www.willametteheritage.org/

Walking Tours

Know Your City: http://knowyourcity.org/programs/tours/

Northwest Ghost Tours: http://www.nwghosttours.com/

Peter's Walking Tours: https://sites.google.com/site/walkportland/Home/school-tours

Portland Walking Tours: http://www.portlandwalkingtours.com/groups/school-field-trips/

Salem Tunnel Tour: http://www.salemtunneltour.com/

Secrets of Portlandia: http://secretsofportlandia.com/

Urban Tour Group: http://urbantourgroup.org/?doing_wp_cron=1358771086.8257091045379638671875

Walk Oregon City: http://www.walkoregoncity.com/

Culture

Japan-American Society of Oregon: http://jaso.org/japan-on-the-road-page-2/ Presentation about the lives of Japanese school children.

Hellenic-American Cultural Center and Museum: http://www.hellenicamericancc.org/

Lan Su Chinese Garden: http://www.lansugarden.org/

Portland Japanese Garden: http://japanesegarden.com/

Science

Bonneville Power Authority Vancouver WA Laboratory: http://www.bpa.gov/PublicInvolvement/CommunityEducation/Pages/Tours.aspx
Clark Public Utilities: http://www.clarkpublicutilities.com/index.cfm/community-involvement/school-programs/

Craigmore Creations: http://www.craigmorecreations.com This local publishing company gives presentations on natural history and workshops on  drawing comics and graphic novels and writing.

Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum: http://evergreenmuseum.org/education/school-visits/

Lower River Road Materials Recovery Center: http://www.clark.wa.gov/recycle/school/field.html

Mad Science: http://portland.madscience.org/

Metro Portland's Field Trip Guide to Recycling Facilities and Gardening Organizations:  http://www.oregonmetro.gov/sites/default/files/2014_15%20field%20trip%20and%20resource%20guide.pdf  You just gotta read this! A really comprehensive list. There are some really neat places listed in here, from all over the region.

Metro Portland's Educational Programs on Recycling:  http://www.oregonmetro.gov/tools-living/garbage-and-recycling/recycling-education-resources-schools

Microsoft Store: http://content.microsoftstore.com/en-us/events Game coding and game designing have been offered.

NOAA Portland Weather Bureau: http://www.wrh.noaa.gov/pqr/requestatour.php

OMSI: http://www.omsi.edu/ They offer a vast selection of wonderful and very inexpensive classes.  They also offer group rates to visit special exhibits, planetarium shows and IMAX shows.

Oregon Dept. of Agriculture Insect Museum: http://www.oregon.gov/ODA/programs/IPPM/InsectsSpiders/Pages/ODAInsectCollection.aspx

Oregon State Capitol Tours: http://www.oregonlink.com/capitol_services/capitol_services.html

Pearson Field Education Center: http://fortvan.org/Education/upcoming-programs.html

Portland Water Bureau: http://www.portlandoregon.gov/water/article/384640 Tours of the Bull Run Watershed.

Reed Nuclear Research Reactor http://reactor.reed.edu/index.html Yes, there is a nuclear reactor in Portland, and yes, they give free tours and labs.

Rice NW Museum of Rocks and Minerals: http://www.ricenorthwestmuseum.org/ This is a wonderful local treasure. They have over 50 meteorites, an awesome display of fluorescent minerals, impressive fossils, petrified wood, minerals from the Pacific NW, gems and crystals.

Water Resources Education Center: http://www.cityofvancouver.us/publicworks/page/school-visits
World of Speed race car museum: http://www.worldofspeed.org/education/

The Arts

Daniela M.: http://www.danielam.com/  Ukrainian Egg Decorating, Czech and Slovak culture classes.

Folk Dance Fun: http://www.folkdancefun.com/#!dances Folk dance lessons from around the world.

Kurumi Conley: http://www.kurumiconley.com/ Fused glass workshops.

Live Laugh Love Glass: http://www.livelaughloveglass.com/field-trips/schools/  

Museum of Contemporary Craft: http://www.museumofcontemporarycraft.org/visit/c/tour

Oregon Ballet Theater: http://www.obt.org/outreach_field_trips.html  Learn about a dance career and what it takes to put on a ballet.

Ping Pong's Pint Size Puppet Museum: http://www.puppetmuseum.com/PingPongsPSPM.html

Portland Art Museum: http://www.portlandartmuseum.org/

SCRAP: http://scrappdx.org/programs/education-programs/

Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators: http://www.scbwi.org/ An extensive list of authors and illustrators that make classroom and homeschool group visits,  searchable by location.  

Young Audiences:  http://www.ya-or.org/ There are hundreds of artists on their roster, and many are available to do one day workshops at very reasonable prices.
Youth Music Project: https://www.youthmusicproject.org/field-trips/ Hands-on sampling of group music lessons!  So cool!

Drop-in Art Making

The Craft Factory: http://craftfactorypdx.com/

My Masterpiece:  http://www.mymasterpieceartstudio.com/

Portland Child Art: http://portlandchildart.org/index.html

Sparks Art Center: http://www.sparkartscenter.com

Uplife: http://www.uplifepdx.org

Matinees for School Groups

Imago Theater: http://www.imagotheatre.com/

Northwest Children's Theater: http://nwcts.org/

Oregon Ballet Theater: http://www.obt.org/outreach_sps.html

Oregon Children's Theater: http://www.octc.org/

Oregon Symphony: https://www.orsymphony.org/edu/youthconcerts.aspx

Portland Opera and Broadway Across America: http://www.portlandopera.org/broadway/broadwaygroupsales/

Tears of Joy: http://www.tojt.org/

Ten Grands for Kids: http://www.snowmanfoundation.org/index.php/programs/ten-grands-for-kids/

Miscellaneous

A.C. Gilbert Museum: http://acgilbert.org/field-trips/  A. C. Gilbert offers a little of everything; some art, some science, and some history workshops at very affordable prices.

Amtrak:  http://www.amtrakcascades.com/SchoolsOnTrains.htm  Schools on Trains day trips to Seattle and back.

Clark Public Utilities: http://www.clarkpublicutilities.com/index.cfm/community-involvement/school-programs/student-tours/

Craigmore Creations: http://www.craigmorecreations.com/ Local publisher of children's natural history books and graphic novels. Drawing and writing workshops and natural history presentations.

Interactive Museum of Gaming and Puzzlery: http://www.imogap.org/home.cfm?CFID=1898205&CFTOKEN=34918656

Medical Teams International Real Life Exhibit:  http://www.medicalteams.org/home/real-life-exhibit/real-life-portland-exhibit

Molalla Train Park: http://www.pnls.org/index.html
Port of Portland: https://www2.portofportland.com/Inside/PortUniversity

Trimet: http://trimet.org/fares/fieldtrips.htm If you want public transit for your field trip group (if you're hiking the 4T Trail together, or your homeschoolers simply want to take a bus together like school kids!) Trimet can give you group discounts.

Trudy Ludwig: http://www.trudyludwig.com/present.html Anti-Bullying Workshops. Trudy is amazing!  You will love her and her advice is very practical.

Spaces for Rental

When your homeschool group is looking for a great place to meet or host a presentation, try community rooms at libraries, community centers, churches and other houses of faith.

At their locations in NE Portland and Beaverton, the Oregon Food Bank has meeting rooms that can be reserved for a requested donation.

On the east side, my current pick is definitely Taborspace, which also has a cafe with a toddler play area where parents are welcome to bring younger siblings while activities are taking place. There is also a playground and labyrinth on the grounds. Trackers and The Treehouse Boutique also offer community rooms. In NE, there is a community room within the Kennedy School that was donated to the Concordia Neighborhood Association which can be rented at quite reasonable rates.  The Community Music Center was our choice when we needed a good sized room and had a speaker who needed a screen and projector.

On the west side, community rooms are available for free for nonprofits at a Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue stations, but room capacity is very limited. The City of Beaverton also has free community rooms available at several locations, but there are many restrictions on usage. Currently my favorite west side spot for a low-cost room rental is Garden Home Recreation Center. Other community rooms available for rental include those at Multnomah Arts Center and Sunset Presbyterian Church in Bethany (Sunset is a good place to contact if you need to rent a/v equipment). Note: I called Bethel Congregational Church after many people told me it would be a great place to request a room rental. Bethel told me that they consider rental requests only from parishioners and Village Home.