Experience the joy of learning outside of the classroom! Thanksgiving Point offers a wide range of field trip options for all students. Our field trips are designed with the Utah State Core Curriculum in mind and focus on inquiry-based science exploration.
Curiosity Farms
Learning Grows at Curiosity Farms!
Agriculture meets innovation at the newly renovated Curiosity Farms, where animal science, plant life, food systems, and environmental impact are on display! This hands-on field trip lets learners explore genetics in the Livestock Learning Lab, test the latest ag-tech at Innovation Station, and discover the power of hydroponic gardening in the Grow Tech Gardens. Perfect for all grade levels and supports a wide range of Utah science standards. Exclusively at Curiosity Farms: Covered outdoor lunch pavilion available for field trips scheduled at select times.
Daily Cow Milking
Milk a cow and discover what it’s like to be a farmer during our daily cow milking program every day at 10 am – plus, learn all about cow biology, their care, and so much more!
Livestock Learning Lab
Explore Curiosity Farm’s brand-new farm-tastic adventure zone. Climb and crawl like a curious critter in our indoor Alfalfa Climber, breed chickens in an interactive digital game, and more.
Mountain america museum of ancient life
Dig Into Discovery at the Mountain America Museum of Ancient Life!
Step into prehistory at the Museum of Ancient Life, where students will explore the past through real fossils, hands-on exhibits, and immersive environments. Dig like a paleontologist, witness live fossil prep in the Paleo Lab, and inspire curiosity and scientific discovery. Perfect for all grade levels. Jurassic Jungle admission not included in Field Trip experiences.
Erosion Table
Carve canyons, build dams, and watch erosion in action at our hands-on experience with flowing water and shifting landscapes.
Paleo Lab
Watch real fossils be uncovered by real scientists and see what it’s like to work with ancient discoveries during Lab Live, every day at 11 am.
Butterfly Biosphere
Curiosity Takes Flight at the Butterfly Biosphere!
Explore ecosystems up close at the Butterfly Biosphere, where life cycles, adaptations, and biodiversity are on display in our living classroom. Wander through our conservatory housing over a thousand free-flying butterflies, see habitats with live insects from around the world, and immerse yourself in the natural world through hands-on experiences with friendly bugs. Perfect for kindergarten through third grade.
Beverly Taylor Sorenson Butterfly Conservatory
Step into a tropical world filled with blooming plants and hundreds of butterflies from around the world! At the Conservatory, kids can wander through a lush ecosystem and come face-to-face with fluttering wings in every direction.
Bug Handling
Field trips at this venue come with a dedicated facilitator who guides your class through unforgettable museum experiences, including the rare chance to meet and gently handle one of our adorable critters up close!
Ashton Gardens
Discovery Takes Root at Ashton Gardens!
Explore 50 acres of outdoor themed gardens, walking trails, and natural habitats at the Ashton Gardens! Connect with nature by observing plant life cycles, pollination, ecosystems, and seasonal changes. Perfect for all grade levels.
Waterwise Garden
Explore sustainable landscaping at the Waterwise Garden, where plants survive and thrive with less water. Observe drought-tolerant plants and learn how thoughtful designs help conserve water while keeping gardens vibrant and beautiful.
Monet Lake
Monet Lake offers a serene setting where students can observe aquatic life up close, a pond ecosystem, and reflect on the balance between plants, animals, and their environment.
Museum of Natural Curiosity
Play Meets Possibility at the Museum of Natural Curiosity!
Students become scientists, explorers, and problem solvers at the Museum of Natural Curiosity, where engaging, hands-on exhibits are designed to spark imagination and critical thinking. Themed interactive exhibits like Water Works, Kidopolis, and the Rainforest connects to STEM learning through play, exploration, and inquiry. Only available for Grade 3 and below.
Water Works
Learn about weather and become a meteorologist as you generate electricity at the Lightning Charge station, feel the force of moving air in the Wind Tunnel, and trace the journey of a raindrop through the Water Cycle exhibit.
Rainforest
Be transported into a jungle at the Rainforest, where kids can climb through the layers of a rainforest ecosystem and put their bravery to the test in the Chamber of Courage.
Although the venues at Thanksgiving Point offer a wide variety of activities, we encourage all teachers to come on a field trip with a purpose for their students to learn something new. Please view the following resources to help prepare for your field trip:
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- Field Trip policy available HERE
Download the following maps for driving directions to our five venues:
If you are coming BY BUS
Please stay on the bus. A Thanksgiving Point Team Member will come on board and provide instructions for the students.
- A Team member will talk with the lead teacher to complete the check-in process and ask if the school has a credit-card on file so that Education Receptionists can process the final payment. Meanwhile, everyone else will stay on the bus and receive the rules and wristbands from a team member.
If you are coming in INDIVIDUAL CARS
- Please have your group gather outside the main entrance of the venue.
- A Team member will talk with the main teacher to complete the check-in process and ask if the school has a credit-card on file so that Education Receptions can process the final payment. Meanwhile, everyone else will receive the rules and wristbands from a team member.
The 50% deposit must be paid by a date determined by the Education Department. A receipt is sent via email with the field trip confirmation and the contract.
- Deposit Payment may be made by credit card or school check (not recommended). No personal checks are accepted.
- Early final payments are not accepted.
- The remaining payment is due the day of the field trip; the card used for the deposit will be applied to the balance later that day and a final receipt will be emailed within 3 business days.
- Checks are not accepted for final payment at the venue.
- Everyone planning to attend the field trip must arrive together and be paid for in one final transaction with the school’s credit card on file; an alternate form of final payment may be used upon request before the day of the field trip to allow time for us to add it to our system. We will only allow a maximum of 10 extra adults beyond the 1:5 ratio that can be paid for by the school.
- Extra adults not being covered by the school’s final payment must wait in the general-public line and check in separately from the field trip at the regular full admission price.
Refunds:
- For all refunds, the $30 nonrefundable processing fee applies.
- If the refund is under $30, no refund is given.
- Refunds will be returned to the card on file that was used to pay for the field trip.
- Refunds should be requested the day of the field trip
- Ratio Requirements are as follows for all field trips:
- PK-6 Grade: 1:5 ratio
- 7-8 Grade: 1:10 ratio
- 9-12 Grade: 1:10 ratio
- Students with Special Needs: up to a 1:1 ratio if needed with prior notice (included on request form or call 801-768-4971)
- Groups that arrive without the required ratio will jeopardize their admission to the venue.
- Extra chaperones beyond the ratio requirement for Explorer and Explorer Plus Field Trips will be charged $6 per person (must be paid in a single transaction by the school). A maximum of 10 extra adults can be paid for by the school. All others must check-in the venue at full price as a regular guest and are not considered part of the field trip.
- Younger children and siblings are not allowed on the Explorer and Explorer Plus Field trips.
- Chaperones are expected to supervise and engage with the students at all times during the field trip.
- You may select the Explorer field trip rate under High School
- $4 per preschool student and high school student
- One free adult per class
- All other policies apply
We can allow up to a 1:1 ratio for adults (free) to students with special needs with prior notice (including in the Notes request form or call 801-768-4971).
Field Trip Scholarships
Thanks to generous donors and funds received from the Utah State Office of Educators Informal Science Education Enhancement (iSEE), Thanksgiving Point can extend scholarships to public schools and public charter schools to visit one Thanksgiving Point venue (once per school year, per grade) while scholarship funding is available.
Scholarship Policies:
- Scholarships applications are available as of July 1st.
- Scholarship funding is not available for private or non-Utah schools, or for buses.
- Scholarship funding is only available Sept-March for the Butterfly Biosphere, Mountain America Museum of Ancient Life, and Museum of Natural Curiosity; not available April-August.
- Scholarship funding is only available Sept-May for Curiosity Farms and Ashton Gardens; not available June-August.
- Scholarship funding does not apply to field trip add-ons (e.g., fish feed, animal feed, pony rides, etc.).
- Scholarship funding covers admission costs for students and adults within the ratio requirement. Additional adults will be charged $6 each, up to 10 beyond the 1:5 required ratio, and must be paid for in one transaction on the day of the field trip by the school.
- A Scholarship Request Form must be submitted with a Field Trip Request Form; scholarship funding cannot be reserved without a scheduled field trip.
Scholarship Categories:
To be eligible for a scholarship, you must adhere to the scholarship policies and qualify for and select one of the following categories in the Scholarship Request Form.
- Title 1 Scholarship
- Available to Title 1 Public and Charter schools in Utah for grades K-8. Limited funding; first-come, first-serve.
- iSEE Scholarship
- Available to all Public and Charter schools in Utah for grades K-8. Limited funding; first-come, first-serve.
- Utah County Scholarship
- Available to all Utah County Public and Charter schools for grades K-8. Limited funding; first-come, first-serve.
- Available for field trips to the Museum of Natural Curiosity or the Butterfly Biosphere only.
Thanksgiving Point does not have any official designated areas for large groups to eat lunch.
- Schools are not allowed to eat lunches within any of the venues*. There will be no exceptions due to weather, so please plan accordingly.
- The cafes, creamery, and restaurants will not accommodate field trip groups.
- Public parks near Thanksgiving Point are a good alternative to eating on property. These areas have tables, pavilions, and playgrounds. Here are some local parks you may consider:
- Olympic Park – 2650 W Parkside Dr, Lehi
- Greens Park – 1850 W 1600 N St, Lehi
- Bandwagon Park – 900 N 200 W, Lehi
- Bluffdale Lions Park – 1760 W 14400 S, Bluffdale
*As an exception to this policy, Curiosity Farms is currently permitting field trips scheduled at 9am, 9:45am, 10:30am, 11:15am to use their covered outdoor pavilion – the Curiosity Plaza – for lunches at the end of their scheduled field trip time. This policy may be changed at any time.
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