Lancaster Area Homeschool Field Trips and Classes Guide

1. Local Field Trip Ideas

Over the years, our family has visited many local places and taken a variety of unique family field trips. Here are some of our favorites:

• Science (Museums, etc)
  • That Fish Place, That Pet Place (Centerville)
  • DaVinci Science Center (Allentown)
  • Cabela’s – Aquariums & Taxidermy (Hamburg)
  • Lancaster Science Factory (Lancaster)
• Science (Nature)
  • Garden of 5 Senses (Lancaster)
  • Fossil Hunting (Centralia, PA)
  • Ricketts Glen Waterfalls (Benton, PA)
  • Sharks Teeth Hunting (Colts Creek, NJ)
  • Ice Mine (Coudersport, PA)
  • White Cliffs of Conoy
  • Old Sycamore Tree (Centerville)
• Hiking / Biking / Walking
  • Landis Woods Trails (Neffsville)
  • Riding the Ephrata Rail Trail (Ephrata)
  • Speedwell Forge (Lititz/Ephrata)
  • 3 Trails Our Family Loves at Middle Creek (Lititz/Ephrata)
  • Union Canal Trail (Wyomissing)
  • Kilgore Falls (Maryland border)
• History
  • Cornwall Iron Furnace (Lebanon)
  • National Watch & Clock Museum (Columbia)
  • National Toy Train Museum (Strasburg)
  • Julius Sturgis Pretzel Tour (Lititz)
  • The Amish Farm & House (Lancaster)
  • Heritage Press Museum (Lancaster City)
  • Railroad Museum of PA (Strasburg)
  • Old Sycamore Tree (Centerville) – over 300 years old!!!
  • 1719 Hans Herr House (Willow Street)
• Fun Field Trips
  • Choo Choo Barn (Strasburg)
  • Tiny Town (Lancaster City)
  • Go N Bananas (Lancaster) – FREE $10 on your birthday!
  • Crayola Factory (Easton, PA)
• Seasonal
  • PA Farm Show (January)
  • Maple-Sugaring (January/February)
  • Snow Geese at MiddleCreek Wildlife (February)
  • Try Hockey FREE Day (November/February)
  • Oregon Dairy Farm Days (June)
  • Oregon Dairy Corn Maze (September-October)
• Out of State
  • ArkEncounter (KY)
  • Panama Rocks (NY)
  • Sharks Teeth (Colts Creek, NJ)

Currently, we have these places on our wish list that we are excited to visit and share with you soon. If you’ve already visited, I would love to hear from you about what you loved and what we should be sure not to miss!

• Coal Mines (Lansford, PA)

Did you know that your local library offers FREE passes to some local museums? Please remember that if you are looking to visit a local museum, be sure to check to see if your local library has a FREE Museum pass to reserve.

2. Ongoing Homeschool Classes & Events

I’ve sorted this list of ongoing homeschool opportunities in Lancaster County (and surrounding areas) by category including gym classes, science classes, history programs and arts/music lessons and classes.

Gym Classes

• Lancaster Ice Rink – Daytime Learn To Skate offers age levels starting as young as preschool through adult. We have done this as a family and loved learning together!!
• SpookyNook MANHEIM: Homeschool Run, Jump, Play is an exciting fitness program for kids ages 6-12.
• Laserdome – Exclusive Homeschool Workout Unlimited Play gets your kids moving with their most popular attractions from 10am-1pm on Tuesdays/Thursdays.
• Skyzone – Homeschool Jump is on Wednesdays from 12-4pm, and costs only $5 for a 30 minute ticket.
• Bounce Kraze Home-school Bounce is good for the younger kids. Be sure to use your FREE pass that your students earned from the library reading program. 🙂
• Lancaster Bible College offers a class on Fridays. They have a waiting list, but you can email to inquire about availability.
• The Circus School of Lancaster offers aerial skill classes for ages 6-15 on every third Saturday.
• Mt. Lou San’s Homeschool Physical Education Classes is for children in grades 3-12.
• Lancaster Archery Academy offers classes for students to learn the skill of archery. They used to offer FREE open range times on Friday mornings, but that has not opened back up yet since COVID.
• Ephrata Martial Arts offers homeschool classes on Tuesday and Thursday mornings for ages 5-13.

Science / STEM Classes

• Snapology of Lancaster – Daytime Homeschool STEM Club are for ages 5+ and located right near Hobby Lobby shopping center (perfect opportunity for some alone shopping time for mom).
• Heritage Creek Farm Camp in Mount Joy offer a variety of seasonal programs, camp days and farm-based learning opportunities throughout the year.
• Woodcrest Retreat School of Wonder offers students and parents an opportunity to discover the wonder of God through all that He has made. All classes are taught from a biblical worldview and include pond studies, PA forestry and nature exploration.
• Lancaster Science Factory Homeschool Science Classes are for kids in 2nd to 8th grade and are $15 per student for a 90 minute session.
• Lancaster County Park naturalists can custom tailor a program to meet the needs of any group or classroom. They are currently coordinating hikes and outdoor classes for groups.
• Wetland Institute – Homeschool Program: Where the Waters Flow offered on the third Thursday of every month. During the lessons students ages 5-13+ and parents are taught together emphasizing multi-age learning and peer assistantship.
• Reading Public Museum – Homeschool Classes are designed for elementary school age students (younger and older siblings are welcome to participate). Join educators from The Museum for an exciting morning filled with special tours and hands-on projects that the whole family can enjoy!
• Elmwood Park Zoo Day Camp is for children ages 6-13, who will explore habits and the daily lives of some of the zoo’s wild residents. Each day camp includes hands on educational workshops, animal observations, animal meet and greets, crafts, and more! Cost is $50 per student from 9am-4pm.
• Penn Musuem Virtual Camps allows families to discover more about how archaeologists and anthropologists learn about the world, past and present, through studying artifacts. Each program will focus on a different theme and include a LIVE lesson with one of our educators, hands-on activities available digitally for different grade/age levels, and a chance to ask an expert your questions.
• Camden Adventure Aquarium is offering new family field trips. Each week they will provide new aquarium activities for you and your child to do during your visit! There are three different adventures each week by grade level: Pre-K/Kindergarten, Grades 1-3 and Grades 4-5.

History Classes & Programs

• Hershey Museum is offering a special program, created just for homeschool and virtual learning families, every Wednesday in September and October.
• National Park FREE Entry Days are offered throughout the year.
• Colonial Williamsburg (weekend idea) is offering some neat opportunities for homeschoolers as well as special admission rates.
• Washington Crossing Historical Park offers some excellent field trips and online videos for additional learning.

Art / Music / Miscellaneous Classes

• Hands On House Clubhouse Art Studio will be offering studio classes where children ages 4-10 will learn a range of art skills and techniques and have the chance to explore a multitude of media including painting, ceramics, printmaking, screen printing and more.
• Guitar4Worship offers virtual guitar lessons for students ages 8+, specifically geared to those who want to play worship music. Frugal Lancaster readers can get their first lesson FREE.
• Musical Theatre Company (Strasburg) offers an 8 week theatre experience for ages 7-10 on Tuesday evenings.
• Lancaster Public Library offers events including cooking classes, gardening classes, story time, Minecraft courses and more.
• Lancaster Creative Factory offers pottery and glass blowing classes and camps.
• Lancaster Symphony Orchestra is airing LSO Musicians at Home series on their musicians via their Facebook page.
• West Shore Symphony Orchestra (central Pennsylvania) has some unique videos on their Facebook page.

3. Annual Homeschool Days & Events to Remember

• Charter Day (March) – FREE admission to several local museums!!!
• Cherry Crest Adventure Farm Homeschool Days (September) – Homeschooling families can purchase discounted admission tickets on certain dates.
• National Park FREE Entry Days (throughout the year)
• Refreshing Mountain Homeschool Days (September/October and May) – Home School Days provide a variety of outdoor adventures and activities designed to provide fun and educational experiences.
• Smithsonian Museum Day (used to be in September, but I think they are changing it to March and it might not be happening in 2021 due to COVID, I’m not certain about that though)
• Woodcrest Retreat Winter Blast (December) – a day camp offered over Christmas break for kids ages 6-10.

4. Google Doc of Homeschool Field Trips & Classes

This very comprehensive list is a compilation of homeschool field trips, events, classes and activities for children of all ages. Most classes and events are located in Lancaster County but we do include some things that are close to or within the surrounding Central PA region.

Listings are organized in six different categories including history, science, literature, art, music and other.

To make accessing the events and information easier, we have made a Google Spreadsheet that you can access and view. Bookmark this page and check back for newly added events.

Additional homeschool resources:

• Philadelphia Homeschool
• TheHomeSchoolMom’s Local Homeschool Directory
• Christian Homeschool Association of Pennsylvania