History Center Field Trips
Every visit to the museum is unique! The History Center provides enriching learning experiences for students of all ages. Our multi-disciplinary museum field trips are more than just a visit to the History Center – they are opportunities to bring history and classroom learning to life! Don’t miss the opportunity for your students to explore history in a dynamic and engaging way, plan your visit today.
Request a Field Trip
Simply click one of the registration links below, fill out the form, and our Group Tours team will be in touch to confirm your date and provide additional details to ensure a successful museum visit.
Choose one of our field trip options and contact us to arrange your visit!
Museum-Guided Field Trips
Our guided field trips are interactive gallery experiences facilitated by museum educators who offer learner-centered activities and open-ended discussion. Inspired by the primary sources on view in the History Center’s collection and exhibits, guided field trips are designed to enrich, extend, and support classroom learning. Strongly aligned with state and national learning standards, each gallery experience showcases the region’s history in a way that supports 21st-century learning, empathy-building, and critical thinking skills.
Guided field trips can be scheduled Tuesday through Friday year-round. We have limited daily school group times available on a first-come, first-served basis. Each guided field trip lasts 75 minutes but can be adjusted to accommodate your group’s schedule. A private lunch space can be reserved on a first come, first served basis for an additional fee.
Beyond Adversity
The Beyond Adversity field trip offers the opportunity for students to connect with local history, gain a deeper understanding of the human capacity to overcome adversity, and leave with valuable insights that can be applied to their own lives. Students explore the struggles and successes of African Americans in Western Pennsylvania throughout 250 years of history and learn about the African American experience through Pittsburgh’s role in the abolition movement, the Underground Railroad, Pittsburgh’s groundbreaking jazz scene, and sports teams, including the Homestead Grays and Pittsburgh Crawfords.
Exhibits explored include From Slavery to Freedom, Pittsburgh: A Tradition of Innovation, Special Collections, and the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum.
Learning Objectives:
• To inspire students by showcasing stories of African American resilience and perseverance from local history.
• To foster an appreciation for the importance of adaptability and innovation in overcoming challenges.
• To encourage critical thinking and reflection on the lessons of history and their relevance to contemporary issues.
• To provide an interactive learning experience that complements classroom education.
Grades: Adaptable for grades 3 – 12
Tour length: 75 minutes
Maximum number of students: 60 (separated into smaller groups)
Legacies of Innovation
The Legacies of Innovation field trip offers students the opportunity to connect with Pittsburgh’s history of innovation, gain insights into the innovators who shaped our world, and leave with a greater appreciation for the power of creativity and invention. Pittsburgh has been home to many innovators and change agents who have influenced fields like science, journalism, and civil rights, and students will explore the stories of Pittsburghers and their innovations, such as George Westinghouse and the air brake, Rachel Carson and environmentalism, Heinz and pure foods, and more.
Exhibits explored may include Pittsburgh: A Tradition of Innovation, Glass: Shattering Notions, From Slavery to Freedom, and Heinz.
Learning Objectives:
• To inspire students by showcasing the legacies of innovation and the impact of inventors and entrepreneurs.
• To foster an appreciation for the importance of creativity, problem-solving, and STEM fields in driving innovation.
• To encourage critical thinking and reflection on the role of innovation in shaping society and the future.
• To offer an engaging learning experience that supplements traditional classroom instruction with regional examples.
Grades: Adaptable for grades 3 – 12
Tour length: 75 minutes
Maximum number of students: 60 (separated into smaller groups)
Many Faces, One City
The Many Faces, One City field trip provides a comprehensive look at the history of Pittsburgh, with a focus on its diverse population and the impact of immigration on the city’s growth and identity. Showcasing the contributions of various ethnic and cultural groups past and present, students will be asked to reflect on the objects they see and consider the broader implications of our region’s history and contributions in the context of American history and society.
Exhibits explored include From Slavery to Freedom, Special Collections, the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum, Pittsburgh: A Tradition of Innovation, and Clash of Empires.
Learning Objectives:
• To provide students with a comprehensive understanding of Pittsburgh’s historical development, from its geographical significance and becoming a frontier fort, through its transformation into an industrial powerhouse, leading to its current status as a modern city.
• To encourage cultural awareness and appreciation by highlighting the contributions of various ethnic and cultural groups to Western Pennsylvania’s history.
• To foster empathy by encouraging students to consider the triumphs and challenges of individuals and communities throughout Pittsburgh’s history.
• To inspire historical inquiry and connect historical events and themes to contemporary issues, allowing students to examine the relevance of history in today’s world.
Grades: Adaptable for grades 3 – 12
Tour length: 75 minutes
Maximum number of students: 60 (separated into smaller groups)
Pittsburgh's Pastimes
The Pittsburgh’s Pastimes field trip offers a holistic perspective of how sports and leisure activities play an important role in shaping Pittsburgh’s history, culture, and sense of community. Students will learn how Pittsburgh athletes broke barriers and paved the way for greater equality in sports and safety equipment, as well as how local entertainers contributed to making Pittsburgh a leading jazz city. Through artifacts and stories, students will explore how sports and leisure activities in Western Pennsylvania mirrored and influenced broader societal changes, including issues related to race, gender, and social justice.
Exhibits explored include the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum, Pittsburgh: A Tradition of Innovation, and Special Collections.
Learning Objectives:
• To explore the cultural significance of sports and leisure activities in Pittsburgh, including how they shaped the city’s identity and fostered a sense of community among residents.
• To provide students with the historical context about how sports and leisure activates evolved in Pittsburgh over time.
• To highlight the stories and contributions of famous Pittsburgh athletes, entertainers, performers and musicians.
• To encourage critical thinking and analysis by asking participants to consider the economic, social, and political factors that have influenced the development of Pittsburgh’s sports and cultural scenes.
Grades: Adaptable for grades 3 – 12
Tour length: 75 minutes
Maximum number of students: 60 (separated into smaller groups)
History Highlights of the Heinz History Center
A History Highlights field trip offers students a condensed overview of Western Pennsylvania’s and Pittsburgh’s history as told by artifacts, stories, and prominent personalities represented in the History Center’s collection and exhibits. This tour introduces the History Center and touches on Pittsburgh’s and Western Pennsylvania’s history, its significant events and industries, the waves of immigration that shaped the city, the innovations that originated in the region, along with its cultural highlights and sports legacy. This tour is a great introduction to the “people” museum and offers a broad understanding of the city’s and region’s history.
Exhibits explored include the Western Pennsylvania Sports Museum, Pittsburgh: A Tradition of Innovation, From Slavery to Freedom, Special Collections, and Clash of Empires.
Learning Objectives:
• To introduce Pittsburgh’s early history, including its founding as a frontier fort and its role in the French and Indian War.
• To discuss Western Pennsylvania’s role in the Industrial Revolution, highlighting its industries like glass, coal, steel, and tech.
• To explore artifacts representing the experiences of different immigrant groups and their contributions to the city
• To discuss inventors and innovators from the region and their contributions to medicine, education, sports, music and the arts.
Grades: Adaptable for grades 3 – 12
Tour length: 75 minutes
Maximum number of students: 60 (separated into smaller groups)
Choose one of the programs above and then contact us to arrange your guided visit!
Self-Guided Field Trips
Self-guided Field Trips are an option for educators who would like to facilitate their own museum experience and direct student learning to fit their specific lesson plans. The self-guided experience invites students to ask questions about what they see, interpret primary and secondary sources, and make connections to their classroom learning. This opportunity allows students to explore at their own pace and engage in discussion with their peers, fostering independent critical thinking and curiosity.
Self-guided field trips require one adult chaperone (age 18 years or older) to accompany every ten students throughout the duration of the visit to the History Center. Students with chaperones are actively engaged in the learning process as they navigate the museum, read labels, and interact with artifacts. Teachers are asked to consider the age and maturity of their students when selecting a self-guided field trip.
If a teacher would like to visit the museum or meet with a museum educator in advance of their field trip to prepare, free admission will be provided. Please mention that you would like to visit the museum to prepare for your visit when requesting your self-guided field trip. Self-guided field trip groups are welcomed by a museum educator and given an overview of the museum. Self-guided resources can be requested by emailing Learn@heinzhistorycenter.org and digital scavenger hunts are available on the GuidiGO platform. WiFi is free but groups must provide their own devices.
Grades: All
Time: 1 – 2 hours
Maximum: 75 students (separated into groups of 10 students and 1 adult chaperone)
Cost: $7 per student, Free for Pittsburgh Public Schools and Title I Schools
Custom Experiences
Customize student learning to utilize the History Center, its people and primary sources. Partner with museum educators to create a specific learning experience for your students. Through one or more visits, students build museum literacy and strengthen essential 21st century skills – creativity, critical thinking, and communication. Participating students gain a deeper appreciation of Western Pennsylvania’s and Pittsburgh’s history and its importance to American History.
For more information and to discuss your ideas with a museum educator, please email Learn@heinzhistorycenter.org
Parking and Bus Directions
If arriving by car or van, please visit our parking page for more information on parking.
If arriving by bus or motor coach, please use the bus pull-off location on Smallman Street if available or pull in front of the History Center’s main entrance to unload. Free bus parking is available offsite, and History Center Staff will provide a map and parking instructions to the bus driver. The parking lot is about one mile away from the History Center.
Accessibility
The History Center is fully accessible. One personal aide is admitted free-of-charge for each visitor in need of assistance during a History Center visit. Please indicate the number of aides attending with your group when you reserve your tour. Aides will be included in the 10-person limit for guided and self-guided visits. Sign language interpreters are available for tours and programs with one-week notice to ensure availability.