Educational Field Trips
School booking reservations for the 2026-2027 school year begin Wednesday August 12 at 10am. Please call the dedicated registration line 248-524-3598. Hours are Monday-Friday, 9:30am-3:30pm.
Troy Historic Village offers a variety of exciting field trip options to bring history to life for your students. Field trips at the Village are structured lessons led by experienced education staff. Each activity is carefully designed to appeal to students’ interests as well as Michigan curriculum standards. All programs are designed to keep students with their classrooms for a consistent experience for the whole class.
These programs are developed and priced for public/private schools, if you are looking for homeschool offerings, please refer to our Scouts and Homeschools page.
Types of Field Trip
90-minute Programs: 1.5 hours | 18-27 students | $8.00/person:
Choose one 90-minute program. The 90-minute run time does not include a lunch period; if you would like to eat here, additional time will need to be added.
- Children’s Chores: Visit an authentic 19th century log cabin and learn about what life was like for a child on the frontier. Following the discussion, students rotate through several stations and get to experience chores firsthand. Chores may include making butter*, hauling wood, carding wool, gathering eggs, shouldering a yoke, and other seasonal activities. At least five chaperones are recommended to facilitate the stations- more are welcome. Appropriate for 1st-5th grade. Only available from the third week of March through the first week of December.
- One-Room School: Immersive one-room school experience. Students will be provided instruction before taking on the names, roles, and expectations of 1880 students while they learn historical lessons and experience (as a volunteer) 19th century discipline. Lessons include Reading, Writing, Arithmetic, and Elocution, as well as a break for historical recess. Appropriate for 2nd-5th grade. Available year-round.
Field Day Two: 2 hours | 30-55 students | $8.50/person:
Classes rotate between two one-hour activities. Choose any two activities from the Grades 1-5 list below. The two-hour run time does not include a lunch period; if you would like to eat here, additional time will need to be added. Content and presentation are catered to the age group. Appropriate for 1st-5th grade. Available year-round.
Field Day Three: 3 hours (includes lunch period) | 45-90 students | $9.50/person:
Classes rotate between three 45-minute activities with a break for lunch. Choose any three activities from the lists below. Content and presentation are catered to the age group. Appropriate for 1st-5th grade. Available year-round.
Field Day Four: 4 hours (includes lunch period) | 50-120 students | $10.00/person:
Classes rotate between four 45-minute activities with a break for lunch. Choose four activities from the lists below. Content and presentation are catered to the age group. Appropriate for 2nd-5th grade. Available year-round.
Field Day Activities
The following are activities to be selected for Field Day programs.
Grades 1-5
- Pioneer Life (Cabin): Explore the log cabin and learn about Michigan pioneers in the 1800s. Topics may include building a cabin, food, chores, making butter*, sleeping, chores, transportation, and the environment.
- School 1880: Immersive one-room school experience. Students will take on the names and roles of 1880 students while they learn historical lessons and experience (as a volunteer) 19th century discipline.
- Old Time Toys: Compare and contrast modern toys with historical ones and discuss the role of toys in the 19th century. Learn about what kinds of toys were available, and how kids might make their own toys. Make a ball and cup toy to take home. Students may play with our historical toys as time allows.
- Tin Punch: Learn about tinsmiths and the role they played in the 19th century and make a tin punch craft to take home. Older elementary students learn about other smithing occupations.
- Candle Making: Consider light before electricity and where wax comes from. Learn about candle making in early pioneer days and dip a beeswax candle to take home.
Grades 3-5
- Communication: Learn about communication in the Print Shop. Explore how people shared information in the past, ranging from spoken word, to books, printing, telegraphs, telephone, and more. Students get hands-on with a variety of historic communication methods and hand-print a flyer to take home.
- Primary Sources: Learn differences between historical source types and understand how museums preserve collections. Get hands-on with historical sources and see what you can learn from them.
- Shopping Back in Time: Students compare current prices and wages with those of 100 years ago and learn about items for sale in our 20th Century General Store. Experience shopping in the early 1900s with a guided shopping activity.
*Want to make butter with your class? Butter making experiences are available with all Cabin programs at no extra cost. Selecting this option requires each class to bring a small quantity of heavy whipping cream, crackers (etc.), napkins, and a wide mouth glass canning jar. Click here for more information on what supplies to bring for butter making.
Booking a Field Trip
To book a field trip, please call the dedicated registration line 248-524-3598. Hours are Monday-Friday, 9:30am-4:00pm.
- Bookings for 2026 - 2027 school year begin August 12 at 10am.
- Village is open for field trips Monday - Friday 9:30-3:00pm.
- Chaperones: 3-5 chaperones per class is recommended, but there is no upper limit. For safety reasons there must be at least one adult other than the teacher with each classroom.
- School-aged children only (no toddlers or infants).
- Souvenirs are available for an additional $1 for each student. Please let us know if you would like souvenirs when you book your program. They include a THV magnet, pencil, and stick of hard candy.
Please be ready with:
- Preferred date(s) and likely arrival time
- Program choice
- Number of students and grade level
- School name, ZIP code
- Phone numbers for school and teacher
- Email(s) for teacher(s) and billing (if different)
Accessibility
We do our best to make the Village a safe and accessible experience for all of our visitors. There are some spaces and programs that may pose a challenge for students and chaperones who have sensory or mobility difficulties. Click here to view our Field Trip Accessibility information.
Payment Information
- Pre-visit information & invoice comes 6 weeks before your visit.
- Chaperones are charged the same rate as students. One teacher per classroom is admitted free of charge; additional teachers are charged as chaperones.
- Paraprofessionals, aides, or other school staff that are required to be with a student are admitted free of charge.
- Pay with School Credit Card, Cash, or Check.
- School Credit Card: Make sure you have the PIN if applicable. Cards called in over the phone will have a $10 convenience fee added.
- Cash: Please consolidate payment between separate classes prior to arrival. Convert small bills and coins to large bills, please.
- Checks: Need to be made out to the Troy Historical Society. We cannot offer refunds on small variances between what the check is made out for and the actual cost of the trip.