City of Shawnee Town

Schools buses can park and check-in at the Visitor Center:
11501 W 57th Street
Shawnee KS 66203
Phone: (913) 248-2360

FIELD TRIP RATES:
$5 per student; $5 per accompanying adult; free for teachers and paraprofessionals

Payment is expected upon arrival. For your convenience, we accept cash, money order, credit card (Visa or Master Card), or check made payable to the City of Shawnee. Payment can also be accepted ahead of your visit by mail or over the phone. Chaperones can pay individually.

GROUP SIZES:
Field trip programs require a 35 student minimum to book. If your group is larger than 75 students, staff can offer a 5-station program design (program length 120 minutes instead of 90 minutes) or schedule your group across multiple dates. Please contact the staff to discuss the options.

SCHEDULE:
Field Trip programs are available Tuesdays through Fridays from March to Mid-May and September to October. Groups are also able to schedule a standard guided tour during our general operating hours March-October Tuesday through Saturday 10:00am - 4:30pm. Group reservation to guarantee tour guides.

MUSEUM MANNERS:
Please prepare your students AND parents to practice good museum manners! Students MUST BE SUPERVISED by chaperones and teachers while self-guiding the museum. We all know post-COVID, kids are bouncing off the walls, and we find many students have no awareness of behavior in public spaces. You can help us teach them! We are a small staff and do not have the ability to supervise all 18 exhibit buildings.

The museum staff will go over the rules at the beginning of your field trip and help remind groups, however teachers that feel they cannot keep control of the students with the chaperones they have are advised to skip this opportunity. Schools are responsible for any damage to the exhibits.

LUNCH:
There are outdoor picnic tables, benches, and a bandstand where your students may have lunch. We do not have an indoor facility. Teachers can store lunches in the Bandstand during the program. A water fountain with bottle filling is available by the lunch area. There are no snacks available for purchase. Groups must clean up all their trash, and food must remain outside. Students must be supervised at all times.

WEATHER:
Shawnee Town 1929 is an outdoor museum with minimal provisions for inclement weather. We encourage students, teachers and parents to dress accordingly. Field trips are held Rain-or-Shine, barring dangerous weather conditions. Otherwise, it is the School’s decision to cancel. Rescheduling is offered when available, but the spring schedule is usually full.

ACCESIBILITY:
All field trip areas are ADA accessible. If you have specific student concerns, please discuss with the staff ahead of your field trip to ensure accommodations.

All Title I schools are eligible to receive a $150 per bus subsidy for your trip to Shawnee Town 1929. All non-Title I schools are eligible to receive a $75 subsidy per bus. All subsidies will be available subject to funding availability. Teachers will need to submit their subsidy form after receiving their field trip confirmation packet, and Title 1 teachers will need to provide a confirmation letter of status. Sponsored by the Friends of Shawnee Town.

Full bus subsidies are also available through the Freedom's Frontier National Heritage Area! As a partner museum site, any field trip to Shawnee Town 1929 by an accredited Pre or K-12 public, private, or charter school is eligible for up to $250 from the NHA. These are submitted directly to the NHA and not Shawnee Town. Please visit freedomsfrontier.org/bus-on-us for details.

To apply for the bus subsidy, please let staff know when making your field trip reservation. On the day of your trip, the teacher will fill out a simple form letting the museum know who the check should be made out to and the address where we should send it. Title I schools will need to provide proof of Title I status at least two weeks prior to the museum visit. Checks will be mailed within 10 working days after your visit. Funding is limited and will be awarded on a first-come first-serve basis. Museum admission fees still apply. For more information on the bus subsidy, phone (913) 248-2360.