Field Trips at Hudson Gardens
Hudson Gardens is an exciting place to explore and learn! Schedule a self-guided guided field trip at Hudson Gardens for an opportunity to connect with nature.
Explore the Gardens with your group at your own pace. Facilitators are welcome to bring their own activities and lessons to aid in the field trip experience.
Field Trip Availability
Monday through Friday, year-round, 9am – 3pm.
All field trips and group visits require a reservation to ensure adequate parking and a high-quality experience for all guests.
Duration: Varies; Visits typically last 1–2 hours but addition of activities will dictate your visit duration.
Pricing: Admission to Hudson Gardens is free
Group Size: Daily group visits are limited to one-hundred fifty (150) visitors per day. This number includes chaperones, and is set to allow for other visitors and private events occurring in the Gardens to enjoy the grounds as well.
Facilitators’ Guide
A well-planned field trip is a valuable extension of classroom learning and will help you gain the most value out of your time at Hudson Gardens. This guide is designed to help you arrive, plan a meaningful learning experience, and ensure a smooth visit.
Arrival and Departure
Prior to unloading visitors, all buses and vans should first go to the loading zone located directly in front of our Welcome Center.
- When you arrive, please have an assigned group representative check in with a Hudson Garden’s representative in the Welcome Center prior to unloading students.
- Field trip groups should enter and exit the Gardens using the roll gate located just south of the Welcome Center front lawn.
- As your group unloads, we ask that chaperones and visitors gather on the gravel path located just inside the gate until everyone is accounted for.
- We ask that all groups please utilize this same process for loading for departure.
Parking for Buses and Chaperones
After all visitors have been off-loaded from buses or other vehicles, we ask that you please follow the following guidelines for parking.
- Vans and small buses may use the main parking lots but will be asked to park in designated spaces to help us manage the unloading/loading process while maintaining the safety of the students.
- Buses are asked to use the large, gravel south parking lot.
- Parents and chaperones may park anywhere in the main parking lots.
Things to Know Before Your Visit
Groups are recommended to have at least one chaperone per ten students. Additional chaperones are strongly recommended.
Assign chaperones to groups prior to arriving at Hudson Gardens.
You are welcome to bring snacks/lunches with you on your visit. Secure lunch storage or indoor lunch facilities are not provided.
Please bring your own bins or wagons for transporting lunches from your bus and clearly label your bins/lunches with your school and class names.
Outdoor picnic tables and seating areas are available for group use.
Become familiar with Hudson Gardens’ map and garden features and share this information with chaperones.
Please review and share the Facilitators’ Guide with all chaperones prior to your visit.
Familiarize yourself with and review the following Field Trip Expectations with your students:
- Learn something new! Explore, discover, investigate, observe, and ask questions while visiting Hudson Gardens.
- Be respectful of all living things! Please do not touch, chase, catch, or disturb wildlife such as geese, frogs, and other animals. Feeding birds and other wildlife can be harmful to the animal’s health.
- Please leave the flowers and plants for the bees, butterflies, and other animals that rely on them for food. Please do not pick flowers and other plant material or walk in flower beds.
Be safe! Make sure to stay with your group and keep away from dangerous situations and activities.
Stay dry! Irrigation, pond, and fountain water is all non-potable and unsafe for hands and drinking. Please avoid active sprinklers, hoses, or entering the streams and ponds throughout Hudson Gardens.
Enjoy the outdoors! Explore and enjoy Hudson Gardens but please refrain from entering the rental areas such as the canopies and buildings.
Field Trip Policies & Procedures
Reservations
All field trip and group visits require reservations.
To book your date, please schedule a field trip reservation request online.
You will receive an email confirmation once your reservation request has been processed. Please review your confirmation to ensure that the date and time is correct.
Your confirmation email will also include the Facilitators’ Guide, which contains detailed information including parking directions, instructions for visitor drop-off, day of field trip logistics, and garden maps. Please take time prior to your field trip to review and share this information with your students, staff and parents to ensure an excellent visit to Hudson Gardens.
Preparing for your Field Trip
Groups are recommended to have at least one chaperone per ten students. Additional chaperones are strongly recommended.
You are welcome to bring snacks/lunches with you on your visit. Secure lunch storage and indoor lunch facilities are not provided.
- We recommend that all students and chaperones carry a backpacks with their personal items, including lunches.
- If you would prefer, you are welcome to bring your own bins or wagons for transporting lunches from your bus and clearly label your bins/lunches with your school and class name.
- Outdoor picnic tables and seating areas are available for group use.
Ample bus parking is available. Please review the Facilitators’ Guide for detailed instructions on parking locations, checking in upon arrival and field trip expectations.
Become familiar with Hudson Gardens’ map before visiting. Share this information with chaperones.