School Tours

The museum can be a valuable educational resource for your students. Last school year over 200 K - 12 anhomeschooled groups visited the museum. In the summer months, daycare and summer camp groups visited as well. Thank you for your support. We are happy to be part of the upstate educational community and to serve local schools and teachers.

 

Group Size and Makeup:

To enchance the value of the museum experience for the students, we would like to offer some guidelines and suggestions. Just as for general group tours, we request a maximum of 25 children in a self-guiding group. Guided tours (maximum 20 students) of the museum are available upon request, for a fee of $1.50 per person. A ratio of at least 1 chaperone or teacher per 7 students will also aid the learning process.

 

Pre / Post Trip Resources:

Preparing the students in advance of the trip so they know a little about what they might expect to see and how they are expected to behave is recommended. Teachers in Anderson, Oconee and Pickens Counties may wish to be trained and can borrow Science-to-go kits from the AOP Hub: Rocks and Minerals (3rd grade) or Land and Water (4th grade). Call 864-656-1863 for more information. Teachers are also welcome to come preview the museum. Let us know in advance what you are studying so we can adjust the tour to your classroom needs. Guided tours ususally last 45 minutes, and include interpretation of popular exhibits and a scavenger hunt in the museum. The students are allowed some time to look around the gallery on their own and to purchase gifts in the Gift Shop.

 

During Your Visit:

Please observe and assist your students during their museum field trip. We request that students WALK while they are in the museum and generally follow GOOD Behavior as they would in their classroom. There are tables of samples that the students may touch: we hope that the samples will provide educational fun for many groups yet to come. There is a lobby and a porch where teachers can pull aside a misbehaving student. Any groups that are excessivley disruptive will be asked to leave.

 

Tour Days and Times:

School Tours are available Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday mornings from 9:00am to 3:00pm. (The last tour begins at 2:00pm). There are no tours in January and August.

 

Visitor Services:

Parking is free and plentiful. Those with disabilities can park adjacent to the museum; go through the lot and up the back driveway. Restrooms are located in the Betsy Campbell Carriage House, which is just behind the museum along the same driveway.

 

Contact Information:

If for some reason you must cancel the tour or will be late, please rememeber to cal us at 864-656-4602 or 864-656-7697. Our address is 103 Garden Trail, Clemson, SC 29634-0130.

We will continue to develop these guidelines and educational materials. Your comments and suggestions about what is most effective and helpful in achieving the learning goals for your class are appreciated.

To schedule a tour please call Tracy O'Kelley at 864-656-7697 or you may email her by clicking Schedule a Museum Tour