Prepare for Your Historic Forestville Field Trip

Before your visit

• Consider your group's accessibility needs and communicate these to our team at fieldtrips@mnhs.org.
• Discuss museum manners with your students. 
• Share visit schedules with the staff and chaperones.
• Assign students to specific chaperones. A ratio of one chaperone for every ten students is required.
• Ensure everyone has weather appropriate footwear and clothing. Students can expect to spend at least half of their field trip outside.
• Review confirmation materials for details on your visit, including schedule of events. 

When you arrive at Historic Forestville

• Gather at the picnic shelter across the river from Historic Forestville. A staff member will greet your group here and bring you to the site. 
• Please plan to arrive 15 minutes before your program start time to allow for check in and bathroom breaks. 
• Be prepared to give an accurate count of the number of students, school staff, and chaperones. 
• During check-in you will receive your final rotation schedule, use the bathrooms in the picnic shelter, and break into your groups here before following staff across the bridge to begin your experience in Historic Forestville. 

Historic Forestville welcomes all visitors and strives to make everyone’s visit a positive experience.  Please let us know if your group has anyone with special accommodation needs. Email fieldtrips@mnhs.org to discuss your group’s access needs.

• Public restrooms in the Visitor Center include accessible stalls.
• American Sign Language interpreters are available with two weeks’ notice.
• Wheelchairs are available on-site for use during your visit. First come, first serve.

Review the Historic Forestville Field Trip Social Narrative to prepare your group.

Learn more about accessibility at the Historic Forestville.

Historic Forestville museum manners

• Walk and stay with your group to ensure everyone stays safe.
• Use indoor voices so everyone can hear and learn. 
• Only plain water is allowed in sealed bottles in the historic buildings (no food).
• Be respectful of staff, each other, your chaperones and other visitors.
• Protect historic objects by only touching when a staff member says it's okay.
• Turn cell-phones to vibrate or silent during the field trip.

Lunch

Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park is fairly isolated with the closest off-site lunches 30 minutes away. On-site gift shops have limited food and beverage options. Please bring a sack lunch with you to the site. 

Lunch will be eaten at the picnic shelter in the main park of Forestville/Mystery Cave State Park (across the river from Historic Forestville). The picnic shelter can accommodate indoor/outdoor seating for 75. 

Reach out to fieldtrips@mnhs.org if you’d like to add lunch to your visit schedule. 

Field trip preview

Explore the site from your classroom with the virtual tour.