Field Trip Destinations

For homeschoolers, field trips are one of the best ways to explore and get some hands-on learning in, but finding educational field trip destinations can be challenging. These NE Ohio locations offer everything from homeschooling-specific events to summer camps that will help make field trip planning and learning a little easier year-round.

• BAYarts: Located in Bay Village. Offers summer camps, classes, exhibits, and even scholarships for students - and adults - interested in the arts. See website for more details on current offerings.
• Cleveland Metroparks: Various parks located throughout the Cleveland area. Perfect for outdoor exploration! With golf courses, hiking trails, and programs aplenty for kids, Cleveland Metroparks is sure to aid in homeschoolers enjoying the outdoors. Also offers Homeschool Adventures programs designed specifically for homeschool kids.
• Cleveland History Center: Offers exhibits, events/programs, and specifically for homeschoolers, monthly Homeschool Field Trip Day during the school year. See website for more information.
• Cleveland Metroparks Zoo: Always a family fave, the zoo is a great way to get some hands-on learning for all the animal lovers out there. Also offers summer camps + educational programming throughout the year.
• Hale Farm & Village: Located in Akron. A peek into life in the 19th century, Hale Farm & Village is a perfect hands-on history experience. Offers craft & trade demonstrations, a look at historic structures, farm animals and gardens... Much more.
• Greater Cleveland Aquarium: Doing a lesson on ocean life? Have a kiddo who adores all things sea creatures? The aquarium is the perfect field trip destination with Homeschool Family Days, Homeschool Co-op Classes, middle & high school career days, and daily events (e.g., questions with a marine biologist while they feed the sharks).
• Great Lake Science Center: Hands-on science anyone? Yes, please!! Check out Cleveland's Great Lakes Science Center for hands-on learning that makes science fun. Offers summer camps, varying events & programs (e.g., Construction Day 2026), and an ever-changing series of exhibits. See website for more details. Note: Website for the Great Lakes Science Center can be a bit finicky.
• Greater Cleveland YMCA: Various locations across the Cleveland area. Visit website to find your local Y. Offers everything from a gym to programs & events for the kids and for the entire family (e.g., NinjaZone, Healthy Kids Day, dance classes, & camps for kids; cardio, cycling & aquatic fitness for adults). Check with your local Y to find out what events are happening near you.
• Lorain County Metroparks: With various park locations across Lorain County, the metroparks is always a great resource for getting outdoors and doing some hands-on exploration in nature. Lorain County Metroparks offers everything from hiking to hunting and geocaching, as well as summer camps and their own homeschool programming, Homeschool Explorers. Visit their website to find your local metropark and connect with/register for events.
• Children's Museum of Cleveland: Located in Cleveland, the Children's Museum offers kids the chance to play, climb, and explore with everything from water to a pretend market with play food and cash registers. With spaces designed for young children and babies as well as quiet areas for kids who just want to read or maybe need a little more space, the Children's Museum is a great field trip destination for a day of hands-on learning through play. Open on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9 AM-1:30 PM. Memberships available.
• Northern Ohio Railway Museum: Located in Seville, OH, the railway museum brings the legacy of Ohio's electric railway to life for its visitors with everything from toddler story-times to adult media and even the option of scheduling a homeschool group visit. Explore the museum or take a guided tour of historic streetcars and railway equipment from 1895-1970. A hub for all things railroad, the Northern Ohio Railway Museum is the perfect field trip destination for train lovers and history buff across NE Ohio.
• Historic Roscoe Village: Located in Coshocton, OH, Historic Roscoe Village is a restored Ohio-Erie Canal village that gives its visitors a peek into 19th century life with a blacksmith shop, weaving looms, a canal boat that offers rides, and so much more. Founded by James Calder in 1816, Roscoe Village, originally known as Caldersburgh, offers guests a peek into what life was like in a canal village in the 19th century.
• Holden Forests & Gardens: With everything from tram tours to hikes and plant sales, Holden Forests & Gardens offers guests the chance to engage with nature & plant-life in a hands-on way. Guests can learn about birds, butterflies, and of course, a wide variety of northeast Ohio flowers and plants. Holden Forests & Gardens even offers summer camps for kids.
• Mapleside Farms: Located in Brunswick, OH, Mapleside Farms offers seasonal activities such as apple picking and their pumpkin village in the fall as well as concerts in both the summer - outside on Fridays - and winter - inside the barn. Mapleside is also a beautiful location for your next event (e.g., wedding, corporate retreats, etc.). Check out their website - linked above - for more information and to plan your visit.
• Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens: Located in Akron, OH, Stan Hywet is a historic estate offering gardens, a greenhouse, a carriage house, and the main mansion which is one of the largest houses in the U.S.. Guests can tour the estate on guided tours or explore on their own, engaging in various activities such as an estate wide scavenger hunt, butterfly exploration, various quests, and woof walks, designed for you and your pup. Check out their website for more information and to plan your visit.
• McKinley Presidential Library & Museum: Located in Canton, OH, this library and museum offers a one-of-a-kind experience to its guests. Incorporating a history museum, interactive science center, planetarium, and research library, this field trip destination covers a wide array of subjects and question topics. Explore the life of President William McKinley and the history of our country; learn about outer space at the planetarium; or engage in some hands-on science through their summer camps... All in one place! Check out the linked website to learn more and plan your visit.
• Historic Schoenbrunn Village: Located in New Philadelphia, OH, this historic village and museum gives guests a peek into life in 1772 when the state of Ohio was considered the "western frontier." The site of many Ohio firsts, - e.g., first settlement, first schoolhouse, first code of laws - Schoenbrunn Village was founded as a Moravian mission among the Delaware Indians, and today serves as a peek into the past for its visitors. With 16 reconstructed log structures as well as a church, gardens, and visitor center, Historic Schoenbrunn Village is the perfect place for a hands-on history lesson.
• The Farm at Walnut Creek: Located in Sugarcreek, OH. Have an animal enthusiast in your midst? Take a drive to Sugarcreek and visit The Farm at Walnut Creek where your little animal lover will have the chance to see & feed over 500 animals, take a wagon ride, and explore a real, working Amish farm. Open April through October, The Farm at Walnut Creek is the perfect excursion for a science and history lesson all in one. Learn about the different types of animals on the farm and explore what Amish life is like. Check out the linked website for admission rates, hours of operation, etc..
• Ohio Bird Sanctuary: Located in Mansfield, OH, the Ohio Bird Sanctuary is a non-profit organization that strives to help injured and/or orphaned birds re-acclimate to life in the wild while also educating the public about the various species of birds here in Ohio. What started as a 3-enclosure operation has now expanded to include walking trails and a treehouse classroom. Check out the linked website for more information.
• International Women's Air & Space Museum: Located in Cleveland, OH. Offers guests the chance to explore the history of women in aviation with exhibits featuring information on impactful women in aviation (e.g., Amelia Earhart, Ruth Nichols, Bessie Coleman, etc.). Guests can take guided tours or explore the museum on their own, seeing everything from artifacts and photographs to upcoming virtual exhibits that will help guests dive into the history of women in aviation.