Guided Programs Frequently Asked Questions
Booking Programs
To book a guided program, please read the information found on this page and fill out the booking form. Someone will reach out as soon as possible to get your program on our schedule! Guided Tours and Museum Quests must be booked 4 weeks in advance of the visit, and Learner-Led Explorations must be booked 2 weeks in advance.
If you are no longer able to make your scheduled program date, please let us know as soon as possible! You can email GroupVisits@carnegiemuseums.org and CMNHTours@carnegiemnh.org or call Group Visits at 412.622.3289. Please contact us no later than 9:30 a.m. for day-of-visit cancellations.
If you plan on bringing packed lunches to eat inside at the museum, you must reserve a 30-minute time slot in one of our group lunchrooms. If you indicate you need a lunchroom on the booking form, a lunchtime will be scheduled for you based on availability (the time and location will be listed on your confirmation letter). If you don’t see a lunchtime listed but would like to reserve space, please contact Group Visits as soon as possible. Please note, the lunchrooms are not available during the months of June, July, and August.
Payment is due no later than one week prior to your visit, and is submitted along with your signed confirmation letter. Payment can be accepted by check made out to Carnegie Institute or by credit card. Please let Group Visits staff know if these payment options are a barrier for your school or group.
Yes! We have scholarships available for schools and groups booking guided programs who demonstrate financial need. Funding decisions are based on free and reduced lunch eligibility or other comparable factors. More information is on the field trip booking request page.
Program Descriptions
Natural History Interpreters lead one-hour guided tours through exhibitions that can be customized to meet your experiential goals and grade level. Topics include:
Animals, Plants, and Ecosystems
Explore habitats in the museum’s historic dioramas and wildlife halls. Examine the relationships between animals, plants, climate, and weather as you compare and contrast how organisms adapt in grassland, arctic, forest, and desert environments.
Anthropology
Analyze artifacts and specimens from cultures of Indigenous peoples of North America. Discover how cultures and traditions are uniquely shaped by resources, environments, and geographic locations.
World of Dinosaurs
Travel through the Mesozoic Era in the core exhibition Kamin Hall of Dinosaurs,featuring real fossils and scientifically accurate reconstructions of ancient habitats. Learn how animals, climate, and ecosystems change over time, and what fossils reveal about dinosaurs, plants, and other prehistoric creatures.
Rocks, Minerals, and Gems
Discover how rocks and minerals reveal the history of Earth while exploring the museum’s artfully displayed collections. Learn about geologic processes like fossilization and the rock cycle, and discuss the formation of natural resources from fossil fuels to building stones to decorative gems.
Pennsylvania Natural History
Learn about Pennsylvania geology, wildlife, and native cultures in Benedum Hall of Geology, the Hall of North American Wildlife, and Alcoa Foundation Hall of American Indians. Investigate the geological history of Pennsylvania, and examine the intricate detail of Pennsylvania’s plants and animals in the museum’s classic dioramas. Explore the coexistence between native cultures and nature, and learn about current scientific research and conservation efforts that are impacting our local ecosystems.
Evolution of Life
Utilize the museum’s collection to investigate how animals, climates, and ecosystems change over time. Discuss geologic time, adaptation, and natural selection as you examine fossils and explore the museum’s dioramas.
Biomes and Climate
Study the biomes that make up North America and Africa in the museum’s historic wildlife halls, and compare them to environments across the globe. Examine the links between animals, plants, and weather, and discover the vital role that climate plays in these relationships. Use evidence to infer how organisms respond to environmental change.
Museum Quests are self-paced, scavenger hunt-styled learning activities that guide learners through exhibits to practice critical thinking skills. Chaperones receive answer packets to support the group’s exploration. Museum Quests can be booked as a stand-alone program or added on to a Guided Tour for an additional cost per person. Topics include:
Animals, Plants, and Ecosystems
Explore the museum’s wildlife dioramas in-depth, and discover the relationships between animals and plants across varied biomes. Put your observational skills to the test and examine adaptations for hunting, defense, and reproduction across species using interactive museum materials. Ideal for grades K-8.
Rocks, Minerals, and Gems
Use colors and shapes as clues to guide an investigation throughout our world-renowned rocks and minerals collection in Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems. Learn about the properties of these brightly colored specimens along the way. Ideal for grades K-8.
Anthropology
Compare and contrast food, clothing, and shelter between your everyday experience and the Indigenous cultures represented in Alcoa Foundation Hall of American Indians. Analyze artifacts and museum dioramas to discover how cultures are shaped by unique natural resources in different geographic locations. Ideal for grades 3-8.
For groups looking to explore the museum on their own with a flexible schedule, the Learner-Led Exploration includes a printed guide for chaperones to support learners on their exploration. Learners can build observation skills and make connections at their own pace throughout three floors of exhibits.
We have moved away from unguided visits to a similar program called Learner Led Explorations. This program still includes admission to both museums and flexible timing, with additional resources to support your museum visit. See the above question for more details.
Planning for Your Visit
Backpacks are not permitted to be worn on your back in the museum. We recommend leaving backpacks and large bags in the provided green carts when you arrive. If it is necessary to bring backpacks into the galleries, they must be carried at your side like a briefcase or worn on your front.
Food and drinks are not permitted in the museum. All food and drinks must be consumed and stored in the lunchrooms or outside.
The museum requires a minimum of 1 adult for every 10 learners. Chaperones and teachers are admitted free for field trips at a ratio of up to 1 adult for every 5 learners, and additional chaperones can be included at a reduced admission rate of $15 per adult.
About one week before your scheduled program, we will be in touch by email with information on how you should divide your group. For tours, each group will be assigned a Natural History Interpreter to guide the tour. Groups are usually about 10 learners (or 5-7 for our youngest learners). We suggest having assigned groups before you arrive.
If you need a specific number of groups or have any questions about this, please contact CMNHTours@carnegiemnh.org at least two weeks in advance.
Day of Program
The Carnegie Museums of Art and Natural History are located in Oakland at 4400 Forbes Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213.
For guests arriving in cars or vans, there is parking available onsite at the museum. The parking lot entrance is located at the corner of Forbes Avenue and South Craig Street. Please take a parking ticket from the kiosk upon arrival; regular daily parking rates apply. Please note that the parking kiosks do not accept cash. Additional free and metered street parking is available in Oakland near the museum on a first come, first served basis.
Bus parking is not available onsite at the museum. Please refer to the map in your confirmation packet for bus parking suggestions.
K – 12 Guided Program Groups check in at the Portal Entrance located in the rear of the museum. Buses should enter the museum parking lot at the corner of Forbes Avenue and South Craig Street to unload at the back of the museum at the Portal Entrance. Security and Visitor & Museum Services staff greet buses when they arrive and direct learners and chaperones into the building. The group leader should check in with museum staff in the small office located in the back right of the Portal area.
Afternoon and weekend guided tour groups may be directed to check in at the front desk. Please keep an eye on your email in the week leading up to the tour for information about where to check in and meet for your tour.
During a guided tour, trained Natural History Interpreters lead their groups through one or several exhibitions, making many stops to observe, ask and answer questions, and explore hands-on materials when possible. Every tour is a little different – Interpreters customize each experience based on the needs and interests of each group. We encourage talking on the bus ride home and sharing some of the favorite things that each group learned!
If you have time to spend on your own before or after your program, we suggest exploring the museum! Museum staff can provide maps and suggest exhibitions that your group might enjoy exploring.
Here’s a look at the museum’s exhibitions by floor.
First Floor
Benedum Hall of Geology
Hillman Hall of Minerals and Gems
Wertz Gallery of Gems and Jewelry
PaleoLab
Kamin Hall of Dinosaurs
Cretaceous Seaway
The Age of Mammals: Cenozoic Era
Bone Hunters’ Quarry
Discovery Basecamp
Art of the Diorama
Second Floor
Hall of North American Wildlife
Hall of African Wildlife
Hall of Botany
Amphibians and Reptiles
Third Floor
Bird Hall
Polar World: Wyckoff Hall of Arctic Life
Alcoa Foundation Hall of American Indians
Bug Hall
R.P. Simmons Family Gallery – rotating and temporary exhibitions
If you are running late, please call 412.622.3289 or 412.622.3288 to give us a heads-up. Unfortunately, we are not able to adjust program times for late arrivals, but we will do what we can to make sure everyone still has a great visit!
Yes! Please call 412.622.3289 or 412.622.3288 as early as possible, preferably before 9:30am, if you are not able to make your scheduled visit due to the weather. We can work with you to find another visit date. We will contact you as soon as possible if the museum is closed due to the weather.
