PLAN A FIELD TRIP:

A visit to The National WWII Museum is an exciting, educational experience for students and teachers alike. We offer several ways to experience the Museum and look forward to helping you plan your visit. Please read through the following information carefully and then contact our Sales Office with any questions, or when you are ready to schedule your field trip.

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To book a field trip please call 504-528-1944 x 222 or email group.sales@nationalww2museum.org.

Tours:

The Museum includes 40,000 square feet of exhibits covering America’s entry into the war, the Home Front, the European Theater of Operations including D-Day, the Pacific Theater of Operations, and the Louisiana Pavilion, featuring WWII airplanes, boats, vehicles, and weapons.

The Docent-Guided Tour
Trained volunteers will foster your students’ interactive exploration of the Museum’s exhibits. The students will discover Museum resources (artifacts, posters, oral histories, etc.) that illuminate the history and lessons of WWII. Students are issued WWII “ration books” in which to record interesting facts and jot down important vocabulary. There are a limited number of docent-led tours available each day. The maximum number of individuals (both students and chaperones) on any one docent led tour is 60 - to allow smooth, timely movement though our Exhibits. Please inquire about availability at the time of scheduling your field trip. You may select either the European tour or the Pacific tour. Both tours include a tour of the Home Front exhibits.

The Self-Guided Tour
If your group is larger than 60 or if you do not wish for a guided tour, students may explore the exhibits on their own (along with adult chaperones). Class sizes may be limited even for self-guided tours. To help your students explore the Museum in a thoughtful, thorough way, download a self-guided tour and answer key.

NEW FOR SPRING 2012! STEM Field Trip for Science & Math Students

Students tour the Museum using problem solving, collaboration, critical thinking, and some basic math to find innovative solutions to complex problems America faced during WWII. Armed with data sheets, calculators, and their own creativity, students improve WWII vehicles, calculate firing trajectories, crack a secret code, determine the rate of bacterial growth in an infected battlefield wound, and even figure out how much wool is needed to clothe an army of 16 million soldiers.

In the second part of the field trip, students enter a design competition where their skills in creativity, teamwork, and data evaluation, will be put to the test. Responding to an RFP, students compete for a contract to create a simple vehicle that can perform specified tasks. Winning designs will be “awarded” the contract. Perfect for introducing students in any science class to the design process!

Available for grades 7-12
Size limit—30 students
Length—2.5 hours
Real-world science & math just a bus ride away!

View photos and get more details on the itinerary!

Download a STEM Field Trip informational flyer!

NEW FOR SPRING 2012! Victory Garden Field Trip for Elementary Students

Young students begin their field trip in our Student Resource Center where they learn about the importance of teamwork during the war by piecing together and interpreting colorful propaganda poster puzzles. To introduce the subject of gardening, students race through the classroom to recreate the often misunderstood path of food from farm to family table. Before leaving the classroom, students watch the classic 1943 Barney the Bear’s Victory Garden film, which encouraged children to help the war effort by planting their own gardens. After a brief visit to the Museum’s Home Front exhibit, students trek out to our on-site Victory Garden where they learn all about seed crop and seed selection, composting, watering, weeding, and harvesting. As a special treat, each students gets to plant a seed in our special Student Garden and gets to fill their own Victory Garden seed packets to take home for planting. Combining history, civics, biology, and earth science, it’s a great hands-on field trip and a great introduction to the Museum.

Available for grades 2-5
Size limit—30 students
Length—90 minutes
Monday and Tuesday only

View photos and get more details on the itinerary!

Download a Victory Garden Field Trip informational flyer!

Preparing for Your Field Trip

Teachers: Whether you requested a docent-led tour; or if you choose a self-guided tour, pre- and post-visit activities will help your students gain the most from a field trip to The National WWII Museum.

We encourage self-guided tours (only) to use our scavenger hunt, which should not be given out to students taking docent-led tours.

Orientation Film
We highly recommend you show (on classroom computers or a whiteboard) the eight-minute film The Road to War before your visit. It provides the historical context of the years immediately prior to World War II. Self-guided tours (only) can see this film at the Museum. Docent-led tours will not have time.

View The Road to War.

Group Size:

Student groups must have a minimum of 15 people. While group size may fluctuate during the planning phase, the group must still consist of at least 15 people upon arrival to receive a student group discount. School group rates apply for Elementary, Middle, High School, and College student groups. JROTC and ROTC groups will be charged as student groups. Complimentary admission is provided to bus drivers for all groups.

Hours of Operation:

Seven days a week, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. Closed Mardi Gras Day, Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Day.

Solomon Victory Theater:

The new Solomon Victory Theater offers daily screenings of Beyond All Boundaries, the Museum’s signature cinematic experience, on the hour from 10:00 am to 4:00 pm. Presented on a 120-foot immersive screen, this 35-minute multi-sensory film tells the tale of the Greatest Generation’s journey from Pearl Harbor to America’s final victory in the War That Changed the World. It is appropriate for children ages 10 and older. Due to schedule times of the film, your group must arrive 30 minutes before the start of the show to ensure entry. Once the film begins, groups will not be allowed entry. Your group sale does not guarantee a private show. Early arrival will allow you to enjoy a short audio-visual presentation in the adjacent Stage Door Canteen.

Combination:

Includes a screening of Beyond All Boundaries and a tour (docent-guided or self-guided) of the exhibits. The length and scope of your tour may vary based on your arrival and departure times. Average field trip time: 3 hours. Pre-visit educational material is provided along with your field trip confirmation letter to help prepare and orient students to WWII history and museum etiquette.

Student Group Prices:

	Students	Chaperones
Museum Tour Only	$8.00 each	Free*
Victory Theater Only	$8.00 each	Free*
Museum/Victory Theater	$11.00 each	Free*
Additional Chaperones
Museum Only	--	$10.00 each
Theater Only	--	$10.00 each
Museum/Theater	--	$12.00 each

*See information on how many students per chaperone are allowed below

Chaperones:

In the case of elementary, middle, and high school student groups, one chaperone per ten students is required regardless of grade. These required chaperones are admitted free. Additional chaperones will be charged per the chart above. Chaperones must accompany students at all times, including throughout the exhibits, in the Solomon Victory Theater, Stage Door Canteen, coffee/soda shop, and Museum Store.

Payment:

Advance payment is preferred. Payment is also accepted on the day of the visit. Payment can be in the form of organizational check, cash, or credit card. Checks should be made out to The National WWII Museum. There should be one person with responsibility for processing payment with Museum personnel at the ticket counter. The Museum does not provide direct billing or receive purchase orders for payment. Deposits are not necessary for school groups.

Scheduling Your Group:

We will need to know the date and time you prefer and the size and grade level of your class. Tours and film screenings are subject to availability and it is necessary to schedule a group in advance to receive the group discount. A minimum of two weeks is requested. Group admissions are staggered throughout the day so please be prepared to provide several options. Peak months for school groups are March, April, and May. Please contact us as soon as possible to determine if the desired day and time is available. Groups can be scheduled by calling 504-528-1944 x 222 or emailing group.sales@nationalww2museum.org.

Cancellation Policy:

Please notify at least 72 hours prior to arrival to cancel or change an existing reservation. This will allow another group the opportunity to enjoy the Museum. Should the group not show up, the client is responsible for the cost of all tickets.

Parking:

The Museum provides an unloading/loading zone for busses alongside our building on Magazine St. Drivers should be prepared to move their vehicles from this position once students are unloaded and arrange a time to meet the group for pick up. Busses are not allowed to unload/load on Higgins St. Bus parking is available two blocks away (under the overpass). Cars and vans may park at nearby meters and area public parking lots.

Eating Lunch:

The American Sector restaurant at the Museum offers box lunches starting at $10 each that must be pre-ordered from Group Sales and pre-paid at the time of your field trip scheduling. A limited a la carte menu is also available for groups. Students will eat these lunches as a group either in the Stage Door Canteen, on the Museum’s Parade Grounds, or in other Museum locations depending on weather and availability. A coffee/soda shop is located on site, but is not ideal for student groups to dine together. Brown bag lunches can be eaten on the Parade Grounds if weather permits, or on your bus, but not inside the Museum.

Accessibility:

The Museum is fully accessible to people with disabilities. Please contact the Museum if you have students or adults with special needs.

Additional Information:

Backpacks must be left on buses. Videotaping is strictly prohibited. Photographs are allowed in the Louisiana Memorial Pavilion and in the exhibits without a flash. There are no headsets. Students are allowed in the Museum Store with adult supervision. Early admission to the exhibits can be arranged.