A field trip like no other!
The Mystic Seaport Museum Ship to Shore Overnight Program offers your school group the opportunity to immerse itself in American history. By exploring the Museum’s seaport village and sleeping aboard the 1882 full-rigged ship Joseph Conrad, students will experience history in a way that simply can’t be done in the classroom.
The past is made tangible at Mystic Seaport Museum—from feeling the weight of a harpoon to seeing the view from the rigging of a historic ship. These immersive experiences augment and reinforce learning that goes on in the classroom, fostering an unparalleled sense of what the past was like and how it shaped who we are today.
Find Your Adventure
We understand that every student learns differently. Some will learn best from speaking with our experienced interpreters and Museum teachers, while others will respond best to the feel of the shipsmith’s hammer in their hand as they help shape a piece of hot iron. Our goal during the Ship to Shore Overnight Program is to help students gain a tactile understanding of the nation’s past. From setting type on a 19th-century printing press to cooking over an open flame in a historical kitchen, students will respond, engage, and most importantly, remember.
Inherently Multidisciplinary
There’s a lot to discover at Mystic Seaport Museum, whether you’re interested in American history, the whaling industry, or the science and technology of navigating at sea. We work hard to tailor our agenda to fit the needs of your curriculum. From analyzing artifacts and primary sources in Primary Source Workshops to an examination of the role of music at sea with one of our chanteymen, Ship to Shore can work across subject divisions to provide a holistic educational experience.
Here are a few of our most popular themes, but we’re happy to let you mix and match.
Life in a Seaport Town: Learn about living and working in a coastal New England town. Hands-on explorations of specific professions (shipsmith, printer, etc.).
All in the Same Boat: An overview of the New England whaling industry in the 19th century. Tour includes a harpoon throw and an option to row whaleboats.
Haul Together; A Team-building Program Through the Eyes of a Sailor: Visitors Grade 4 and above discover the basic skills of mariners, discussing why these skills were important historically, and how/if they developed through history to the modern day.
Mighty Mariners: In the classroom and on the water, students Grade 4 and up spend their day learning to sail with Mystic Seaport Museum’s Sailing Instructors, and in the evening learn the fundamentals of navigation.
Sample Agenda
The Ship to Shore Overnight Program is offered in either a 2-day, 1-night format or a 3-day, 2-night format. The longer program allows you to select two themes for the trip, such as All in the Same Boat and Life in a Seaport Town. Below is a sample schedule for a 3-day, 2-night program:
Day 1:
Noon: Arrival and Orientation
2:00-4:00: Afternoon Hands-On Workshops (activities depend on theme but may include harpoon throw, making rope, or metalworking with the shipsmith)
4:15: Planetarium Program
5:00: Dogwatch (break time for students)
5:30: Dinner at the Galley Restaurant
7:00: Evening Activity (such as Roleplayer, craft, or chantey show)
9:00: Lights Out
Day 2:
7:00: Reveille
8:15: Breakfast at the Galley Restaurant
9:00: Introduction to today’s theme
10:00: Morning Workshops (activities depend on theme, but may include lanyard-making or knot-tying)
12:00: Lunch at the Galley Restaurant
1:00: Dogwatch (break time for students)
1:45: Intro to Afternoon Workshops and Tours
2:00-4:00: Afternoon Workshops and Tours (including time on historic vessels and inside our village)
3:45: Wrap-Up and Snack
4:00: Dogwatch
5:00: Evening Activity or Show (chantey show or similar)
5:45: Dinner at the Galley Restaurant
6:15: 19th-century games on the Village Green
7:00: Seaport Jeopardy
9:00: Lights out
Day 3:
7:00: Reveille/Pack Gear
7:30: Deck Chores/Clean the Conrad
8:15: Breakfast at the Galley Restaurant
9:00: Rigging Climb aboard the Conrad (weather permitting)
10:00: Free Choice Touring and Shopping with Chaperones
11:00: Boxed lunches at the Galley Restaurant
12:00: Loading and Departure
To Register
Call 860.572.0711, ext. 5119 or email overnight@mysticseaport.org/.
Ship to Shore Details
- Grades 3-12
- Offered: Weekdays, September-November and March-early June
- Length: Either two-day, one-night program, three-day, two-night, or four-day, three-night
- Group Size: 50 students maximum
- Chaperones: One adult per 10 students; one teacher/chaperone is admitted free for every 10 students
- Pricing:
Two-Day, One-Night Program – $220/student
Three-Day, Two-Night Program – $300/student
Four-Day, Three-Night Program – $380/student
Five-Day, Four-Night Program–$460/student
