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All on-site school programs involve a guided exploration of the plantation house, kitchen yard, schoolhouse, gardens, hands-on museum, and Visitors' Center. A variety of tours is offered, depending on grade level and interests.
Tour Fees
Students - $4.00
Students in January & February - $3.00
Chaperones - $6.00
Teachers & Bus Drivers - Complimentary admission
Up to two home school parents per group are admitted free of charge; others must pay the chaperone rate. The group must have 12 or more students.
Scholarships of up to $60 available for Title I schools, available on a first/come served basis.
Accessibility
Gunston Hall is committed to providing services to individuals with disabilities. In advance of the visit, teachers will have the opportunity to describe the special needs of students on a Class Profile Sheet. Please feel free to call the Education Department to discuss accommodations (703-550-9220, ext. 237).
Plan Ahead
Reservations are required for all programs. Schedule your tour well in advance by calling for reservations: 703-550-9220 Monday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. or email grouptours@gunstonhall.org .
Large Group? Special Focus? We're Flexible!
Gunston Hall's Education Department is able to work with teachers to accommodate a large number of students. We also can customize your tour or outreach experience to fulfill a particular curriculum interest. Some programs may require an extra fee.
We're Coordinated!
All school tours and classroom programs satisfy specific Virginia Standards for Learning. To receive a complete list of standards covered by each school offering, contact the Education Department at 703-550-9220, ext. 237.
2008 – 2009 On-Site Opportunities for Students
The past offers exciting adventures in learning & hands-on inquiry.
Explore ...
Consider ...
Try It!
New for ALL Grades!
Extraordinary History Tours
Offered Year-Long on a Limited Basis
Select any one of Gunston Hall’s school tours and make it extraordinary with characters from the past, hands-on activities, and a take-home made by the students themselves. This deluxe tour experience, available for all grade levels, is fit for a king, or for Colonel Mason himself!
Program: Up to 2 1/4 hours.
Supplementary Materials: Discover George Mason or George Mason, Planter & Patriot curriculum guide available free of charge. George Mason and the Bill of Rights DVD or video provided on loan.
Recommended Group Size: 60 to 125 students. One chaperone required per 15 students.
Cost: $5/student and $6/chaperone. Home school parents bringing 12 or more students are comped.
Pre-K and K
My First Look at Gunston Hall
What was it like to live at a farm in Virginia long ago? Who was George Mason and what did he do that was important? Young students will engage actively with their surroundings, using the senses of touch, hear, see, and smell. The tour will feature the mansion, kitchen yard, and schoolhouse.
Program: 1 1/4 hours.
Supplementary Materials: My First Look at Gunston Hall lesson available free of charge.
As background for teachers, George Mason and the Bill of Rights DVD or video provided on loan.
Recommended Group Size: Up to 48 students. One chaperone required per 10 to 12 students.
Grades K - 2:
Growing Up At Gunston Hall
Explore Gunston Hall through the eyes of an 18th-century child and compare this world to the present. Find out about everyday life over 225 years ago through a tour of the mansion, schoolhouse, and kitchen yard. Learn why George Mason is an important person from long ago. A related craft activity in the hands-on Textile Museum will add to your students' visit.
Program: 1 1/4 hours.
Supplementary Materials: Growing Up A Gunston Hall curriculum packet available free of charge. George Mason and the Bill of Rights DVD or video (11-minute version recommended) provided on loan.
Group Size: Up to 48 students, with one chaperone required per 10 to 12 students.
Grades 1 - 6:
Season of Grand Celebrations
Special Offering for November and December
Discover the good times and hard work that marked the holiday season in the 1700s. At the same time, learn that Christmas traditions in 18th-century Virginia were very different from how many people celebrate today. There were no holiday trees or wreaths, no favorite carols. The exchange of gifts, if done at all, honored the New Year! The interactive tour of the mansion and outbuildings will consider seasonal celebrations from the viewpoint of gentry, servants, and slaves, in addition to providing an overview of plantation life. Weather considerations will be taken into account when planning the tour route.
Program: Up to 1 3/4 hours.
Supplementary Materials: George Mason, Planter & Patriot curriculum guide available free of charge. George Mason and the Bill of Rights DVD or video provided on loan.
Recommended Group Size: Up to 90 students, with one chaperone required per 12 to 15 students.
Grades 1 - 6:
Winter On the Plantation
Special Offering for January and February
Brrrr .... Experience a winter day at Gunston Hall in the 1700s. Explore the effect of the season on aspects of daily life. Clothing, food, work, travel, and play are among the topics discussed during this interactive tour of the mansion, schoolhouse, kitchen yard, and hands-on museum. Along the way, students will receive a firm grounding in the 18th-century plantation world. Weather is a consideration when planning the tour route.
Program: Up to 1 3/4 hours.
Supplementary Materials: Discover George Mason curriculum guide available free of charge.
George Mason and the Bill of Rights DVD or video provided on loan.
Group Size: Up to 90 students, with one chaperone required per 12 to 15 students.
Grades 3 - 6:
Plantation World
Discover what life was like for George Mason and his family, enslaved workers, and indentured servants at Gunston Hall in the 1700s. Through an interactive tour of the mansion, schoolhouse, kitchen yard, gardens, and Visitors' Center, students will explore such subjects as the tobacco economy, slavery, recreation, education, and day-to-day life. A visit to the Touch Museum provides an opportunity to closely examine objects from the past.
Program: Up to 1 3/4 hours.
Supplementary Materials: Discover George Mason curriculum guide available free of charge.
George Mason and the Bill of Rights DVD or video provided on loan.
Group Size: Up to 90 students, with one chaperone required per 12 to 15 students.
Grades 3 - 6:
George Mason, Patriot & Planter
Find out about the varied roles of George Mason — father and husband, planter, slave owner, and American patriot. Learn how his Virginia Declaration of Rights, and his work on the U.S. Constitution, contributed to the story of American freedom. Students will encounter hands-on objects and primary documents during a guided visit to the plantation house, gardens, schoolhouse, kitchen yard and Touch Museum. The program will include a stop at the exhibit, George Mason's Legacy of Liberty.
Program: Up to 1 3/4 hours.
Supplementary Materials: Discover George Mason curriculum guide available free of charge.
George Mason and the Bill of Rights DVD or video provided on loan.
Group Size: Up to 90 students, with one chaperone required per 12 to 15 students.
Grades 7 - 12:
Land and Labor
European travelers of the 1700s sometimes described a colonial plantation as a small village. Through an active tour of inquiry and discussion, your students will have the opportunity to discover why. Daily life, the plantation economy, education, and recreation will be considered from the perspectives of the planter family, enslaved workers, and indentured servants at Gunston Hall. Your class will explore the entire historic area, including the plantation house, gardens, schoolhouse, and kitchen yard.
Program: Up to 1 3/4 hours.
Supplementary Materials: George Mason, Planter & Patriot curriculum guide available free of charge. George Mason and the Bill of Rights DVD or video provided on loan.
Group Size: Up to 90 students, with one chaperone required per 10 to 12 students.
Grades 7 - 12:
George Mason’s Legacy of Liberty
As author of the Virginia Declaration of Rights, George Mason defined some of our most basic American liberties. A framer of the United States Constitution, he contributed in significant ways to the founding of our nation. Hands-on objects and primary documents will elucidate the public and private side of this important patriot, setting him within the context of his time. Students will visit the mansion, gardens, and outbuildings as well as tour the exhibit, Legacy of Liberty.
Program: Up to 1 3/4 hours.
Supplementary Materials: George Mason, Planter & Patriot curriculum guide available free of charge. George Mason and the Bill of Rights DVD or video provided on loan.
Group Size: Up to 90 students, with one chaperone required per 12 to 15 students.
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