Image
Putting green

Visit

There's something new in every season
Buy Tickets
  1. Home
  2. Visit
  3. Plan Your Visit
  4. Group Tours
  5. School Groups

School Groups

We welcome students to engage with Hillwood through a variety of virtual and in-person offerings!

  • Schedule a live, interactive virtual field trip for your class.
  • Plan a guided or self-guided in-person group visit to Hillwood.
  • Explore Hillwood from home with coloring pages, art projects, games, and a variety of digital resources.
  • Check our calendar for information about upcoming programs.

Complete the School Field Trip Request Form to schedule a virtual or in-person field trip for your class. Please submit field trip requests at least 4 weeks in advance.

For more information email info@hillwoodmuseum.org or call 202.686.5807.

Virtual Field Trips

  • $75 per program
  • Free for DCPS, D.C. public charter schools, and Title 1 schools
  • Group size: minimum 10; recommended maximum 25 students per classroom (max. 4 classroom connections per program)
  • Dates and times: Mon-Fri, 9 a.m.-4 p.m., subject to availability
  • Program length: 45 minutes (unless otherwise noted)
  • Technical details: presented live, via Zoom or Teams
  • To request a virtual field trip, please complete the School Field Trip Request Form

 

Virtual Dance Workshop: Artful Animals in Action (preschool-1st grade)

Soar like an eagle, swim like a dolphin, and leap like a frog! This live, virtual dance class gets students up and moving, led by professional dancer and teaching artist Krystal Collins. Together, we'll virtually explore animal statues in Hillwood's gardens, discovering the diverse variety of living creatures. Students will observe some special features and characteristics of different animals and how they move through their environment, while developing skills such as rhythm and sequencing.

Animal Art Safari (K-2nd grade)

Lions and dragons and birds—oh my! In this virtual program, students search for animals, real and imaginary, as they explore Hillwood's art through playful looking activities, led by a museum educator via live video chat. Students will create their own drawings inspired by the art and will cultivate their observational and perceptual skills as they practice detecting and identifying animals depicted on art from different countries and time periods.

Garden Journeys (1st-5th grade)

Through active participation in visual games, sketching, and open-ended discussion, students explore the enchanting Japanese-style garden and French parterre in this virtual field trip. Students will compare and contrast the style of these two very different landscaped gardens, while also considering what garden designers need to make sure the plants in their gardens have in order to grow and thrive. Students will then draw a design for their own dream garden.

In-Person Guided Programs

  • Pricing:
    • $3 Student (guided tour)
    • $4 Student (guided tour + art project)
    • Free for teachers and chaperones
    • Free for DCPS, DC public charter schools, and Title 1 schools
  • Group size: minimum 10, maximum 25
  • Dates and time: Tues-Fri at 10 am, subject to availability
  • Please see our safety guidelines for information about how we are following the latest local and national guidance related to COVID-19.
  • Note that we  have limited availability for in-person guided programs at this time. We also welcome school groups for self-guided visits (see below for more information).
  • To request an in-person guided school program, please complete the School Field Trip Request Form
     

Royal Adventure (preschool; 30 min mansion tour + 30 min art project)

Enter the glamorous world of royalty and hunt for hidden gems, gold, and magnificent treasures that glitter and sparkle, then make your own sparkling treasure box to take home.

Colors in the Garden (preschool; 30 min garden tour + 30 min art project)

Discover the vibrant and beautiful colors blooming in Hillwood's gardens. Listen to a story, play a color matching game, and explore the gardens with your senses as you go on a 'color walk' to discover the sights, sounds, and scents in the gardens. Afterwards, create a colorful flower picture to take home.

Treasures of the Tsars (K-12th grade; 60 min mansion tour + optional 30 min art project)

Explore the collection of Russian imperial art in the mansion. Study a magnificent portrait of Catherine the Great, the lavish painting A Boyar Wedding Feast, and see objects that belonged to the tsars and tsarinas of Russia, including the intricate creations of imperial Russia's legendary jeweler, Peter Carl Fabergé. Optional art project: decorate your own Fabergé-inspired "jeweled" box.

Passport to France (K-12th grade; 60 min mansion tour + optional 30 min art project)

Travel to France without leaving DC! Examine the detail and artistry in the fine porcelain dishes and furniture from 1700s France in the mansion. Optional art project: create your own decorative plastic dish, inspired by 1700s French style and designs.

Garden Journeys (K-12th grade; 60 min garden tour + optional 30 min art project)

Explore the enchanting Japanese-style garden and French parterre, and compare and contrast the style of these two very different landscaped gardens. Optional art project: decorate a garden-inspired paper lantern.

Hillwood Highlights (K-12th grade; 60 min mansion tour + optional 30 min art project)

Explore the magnificent home and art collection of Marjorie Merriweather Post and learn about her life as a discerning art collector, pioneering business executive, and engaged citizen. Optional art project: decorate a "jeweled" box, inspired by Hillwood's art collection.

World History: Travel to 1700s France and 1800s Russia (9th-12th grade; 60 min mansion tour)

Analyze art from 1700s France and 1800s Russia, thinking critically about how messages of wealth and power are communicated by these objects.

Self-Guided In-Person Visits

  • $2 Student (suggested donation); Free for teachers and chaperones
  • Group size: minimum 10, maximum 55
  • Dates and times: Tues-Sun, 10 am-5 pm
  • Please see our safety guidelines for information about how we are following the latest local and national guidance related to COVID-19.
  • To schedule an in-person self-guided visit for your school group please complete the School Field Trip Request Form

There are a variety of ways for your student group to enjoy Hillwood at your own pace.

  • Explore the mansion and gardens with the following Treasure Hunts:
  • Download Hillwood's dynamic mobile app, which provides a fully illustrated and narrated guide through Hillwood. We ask that you please bring headphones as playing the tour aloud in the mansion is discouraged.
  • Our twenty-five page printed tour guide provides an overview of each mansion room and highlights significant art objects. The printed tour is appropriate for high school students and is available in English, Russian, French, and Spanish.

Plan Your Visit