Group Visits to the Children’s Museum

We love our teachers, educators and childcare providers! If you’re planning a school fieldtrip for your pre-K, kindergarten, elementary class or other group visit, consider the Children’s Museum of Sonoma County. The Children’s Museum is the perfect place for students to learn hands-on about nature, science and art in a fun, engaging environment. 

Group visits are a self-guided exploration of the Museum. Museum staff will greet you, review a few rules and logistics, and then your group is free to explore the various Museum exhibits at your own pace until the end of your visit. We even created a handy teacher’s guide to get the most out of your group visit to the Children’s Museum, as well as a writing prompt for afterwards.

Group visits are for children in 2^nd grade and younger, although the Museum may make an exception for mixed-age groups with children up to 10 years old.

To receive the discounted pricing, groups must be affiliated with a school (public, charter, state, private, home), preschool, school district, County Office of Education, childcare facility, camp program, or a non-profit children’s organization. If you do not meet these criteria, but plan to visit the Children’s Museum with a group of 8 or more, please contact us ahead of time.

Thanks to the generous contributions of our donors, we are able to offer a limited number of scholarships to schools who need assistance accessing our programs. Schools demonstrating a 40% or higher socio-economically disadvantaged population are eligible for consideration. If your school wishes to be considered, please indicate accordingly during your group visit registration.

Please note that the Children’s Museum is open to the public every day, except Tuesdays when the Museum is closed. Please be prepared to share the space. 

Group Visit dates for September – December 2023 are now available for booking. January – May 2024 will be available at the end of 2023. Please check back for availability or email schoolprograms@cmosc.org for more information.

Register your group visit!

Group Visit Policies

Please familiarize yourself with Museum policies and guidelines before arriving. These rules apply to all guests who visit the Children’s Museum. We will strictly enforce these rules for the safety of our guests and our staff. 

General Policies 

• We limit access in and out of the museum to the front entrance only. 
• The Children’s Museum features hands-on, immersive, outdoor experiences where students are encouraged to explore our garden and play in our water-feature area.  Please be prepared that students may get a little bit dirty or a little bit wet and have them dress appropriately.
• A picnic area is available if you wish to bring food and/or drinks. Food and drinks must remain in the picnic area only. The Children’s Museum does not have food service or indoor eating areas available. Guests are responsible for providing their own food and beverages. 
• Unless previously approved by Museum staff, do not bring drinks in glass bottles, or foods containing nuts onto the premises.
• We count all guests at the front desk upon arrival. We will charge for any additional guests. 
• We require a planned time of arrival when booking a group visit. We allow group visits a maximum of 3 hours. If you arrive late, we cannot guarantee an extension to your visit.
• Buses must drop-off and pick-up in the Children’s Museum’s parking lot near the front entrance. Due to limited parking, we ask that buses park offsite. Please be prepared to park at the Coddingtown Mall or an alternate location.

Payment Policies 

• For group visits, payment-in-full is due upon the day of the scheduled visit. 

Cancellations and Refund Policies 

• For group visits, please give us at least 2 weeks’ notice of any plans to cancel or reschedule your visit. 
• In the event that the Children’s Museum should have to cancel a reservation for unforeseen circumstances, we will issue you a full refund or may choose to reschedule on an alternative available date. 
• Cancellations due to forecasted rain are subject to the policies listed above. Covered eating areas are not available in the event of rain so please plan your party or event accordingly.