Field Trips & Outreach Programs

Field Trips

In order to provide the best field trip experience, the Education team works with individual educators to align with current curricula and highlight areas of particular interest. Field trips are available Tuesdays – Fridays and take place entirely outdoors, providing students with many opportunities for hands-on learning!

Lotus Pond

Aquatic environments feature a unique variety of plant, animal and insect species and highlight their complex relationships. Groups will find lots of specimens to identify and may get a front row seat to many fascinating plant and animal interactions.

Garden of the Five Senses

This sensory-based garden invites guests to explore nature through the lens of each sense. Focus on the scents, sounds, sights and feelings of nature and find examples of both edible and ornamental plants.

The Woodlands

Pittsburgh Botanic Garden has roughly 53 acres of woodlands open to the public featuring many native woody and herbaceous plants. Learn about the trees of the Garden, as well as the plants and animals that live among them.

Margaret Lawrence Simon Dogwood Meadow

The meadow is a habitat for lots of insect and bird species, making this one of the most vibrant ecosystems at the Garden in terms of plant and animal inhabitants. This area also features an active apiary with several examples of honey-producing beehives.

Hillside Pollinator Garden

Take a closer look at native plants that provide food and shelter for the pollinators found in the Allegheny Plateau. Hillside Pollinator Garden has several excellent opportunities for up-close encounters with plants and pollinators.

Schedule a Field Trip

To begin the scheduling process, please fill out the contact form linked below. Once you have submitted this form, the Education team will review your request and reach out to you to arrange your trip to accommodate your students’ needs.

Field trips are available Tuesdays – Fridays and take place entirely outdoors.

Pricing

Guided field trips are $13 per person, and self-guided field trips are $10 per person. Pricing includes all students, teachers and chaperones. Grants are available for eligible schools. Please fill out a Field Trip Request Form to see if you qualify for the grant.

Contact the Garden

Please complete the form below to provide the Education team with details about your group and their needs.

Meet the Education Team

Gina Walter

Education Manager

Sarah Levinthal

Youth Educator

Colleen Mutschler

Education Coordinator

Heather Forsythe

Seasonal Educator

Outreach Programs

Bring the Garden to you! Pittsburgh Botanic Garden educators will bring the outdoors inside to teach some of nature’s most valuable lessons. To request an outreach program, please submit an Outreach Program Form below. The Garden’s Education team will review your request and reach out to arrange the program.

Request an Outreach Program

Please complete the form below to provide the Education team with details about your school or class. Someone from the Garden will reach out shortly to arrange the Outreach Program.

Scout Programs

Pittsburgh Botanic Garden offers several programs for Scout groups that may be tailored to your particular group’s interests and needs. Please fill out the Field Trip Request Form and indicate that this is a Scout group in the group notes.