Field Trips & School Tours
Bring your students to The James Museum to experience the stories of the American West through art.
Request a School TourWhere Art Comes to Life
At The James Museum, students explore and discover works of art that bring to life the rich history and exciting tales of the American West and wildlife art. Choose from one of the grade-appropriate tours below or plan your own with the help of our museum educators. Our knowledgeable docents are trained to lead school tours.
Planning materials, including pre-visit activities, bus parking instructions, and gallery protocols, will be sent once your tour is confirmed.
For more information, please call (727) 892-4200 ext. 1011 or email education@thejamesmuseum.org.
Kindergarten – 5th Grade Tours
KINDERGARTEN & 1ST GRADE
Bigger Than a Big Book!
In this hourlong tour, children are invited to build a connection between the artwork they see in a museum and their everyday lives. Students look at paintings and sculptures (bigger than their biggest book) and compare them to experiences that are familiar to them. Stories and in-gallery art manipulatives complete the connection.
2ND GRADE
Native American Life, Then & Now (revised 2025)
This 90-minute tour focuses on the cultural traditions of six Native American communities – Diné (Navajo), Apache, Lakota (Sioux), Hopi, Santa Clara Pueblo, and Apsáalooka (Crow) — who lived west of the Mississippi, and the impacts on them as settlers arrived in the West. Through close looking, in-gallery manipulatives, and stories, students learn how artists communicate ideas about the varied and rich cultures found in the American West.
3RD, 4TH & 5TH GRADE
Go West, Young Artist
What drew artists to the American West? How did artists interpret what they saw? How do they honor individuals and other cultures in their work? In this 90-minute tour, students will critically think about how artists compose and share their interpretations of the American West.
Middle School & High School
5TH & 6TH GRADE
Headed West in 1845! What Could Possibly Go Wrong?
On this 90-minute tour, the works of Native and non-Native artists expose students to the Western territory during the years of Westward Expansion. Students will study modern and contemporary painting and sculpture to analyze and interpret depictions of this era.
6–12TH GRADE
The Western Experience & the Artist Perspective
The James collection documents many significant events related to American Westward expansion. This 90-minute tour combines a careful look at how artists have interpreted these events with conversations about their significance in American culture.
Schedule a Tour Today
Engage students in critical thinking while fostering an appreciation for art through inquiry-based experiences at The James Museum.
Things to Know
School tours are offered for K through 12th grade students. All tours are led by knowledgeable docents who are trained to work with students. Homeschool and other youth groups may take advantage of the tour selections offered, or work with the museum staff to modify an existing tour to meet the group’s needs.
K–1st grade visits: 60 minutes in the galleries
2nd–12th grade visits: 90 minutes in the galleries
Please allow extra time for arrival, check-in, and lunch.
Field trip admission is due in full on the day of your visit. You may pay by credit card or check.
GENERAL:
- Students: $7
- Teachers and chaperones (1 adult per 10 students): free
- Additional adults: $10
PINELLAS COUNTY SCHOOLS 2nd GRADE TOURS:
- Students: $10
- All teachers and chaperones: free
We can accommodate groups of 10 to 60 students at a time. One adult chaperone per 10 students is required. Classes must be split into small groups of 10 children with one adult chaperone each. A docent will guide each small group.
Your school tour is confirmed when you receive an email confirmation from The James Museum Education Department. If you need to cancel or reschedule, please do so via email.
Walk to a nearby green space to enjoy your lunch. You may bring bagged lunches and allow an extra 30 minutes for lunch.
Buses may pull up to the museum’s front entrance at 150 Central Ave. to allow students to disembark. We will provide directions to an offsite parking lot with your pre-tour materials. Museum parking for personal vehicles is available on Levels 3 & 4 of the automated South Core Parking Garage located at 101 1st Ave S, St. Petersburg, FL 33701.
The garage rate is $2/hour during regular operation. Please note: special event rates vary and may apply. You can reach the parking garage at (727) 896-2256 with any questions.
2026 Summer Youth Organization Tours + Artmaking
RISING K–2nd GRADE
Wild About Art
Go on a wildlife adventure in search of animals in the galleries. Learn about animal habitats and what we can do to protect them and the environment. Artmaking add-on: Create our own animal sculpture using recycled materials.
RISING 3rd–5th GRADE
Art in the Round
Discover art from all angles with this sculpture and 3D focused tour. Learn about various art mediums and how artists use form to share a message or moment in time. Artmaking add-on: Sculpt your own clay masterpiece inspired by what you find
RISING MIDDLE & HIGHSCHOOL
Faces & Places
What is a portrait and what can it say? Observe different faces and places of the West and the stories they tell. Artmaking add-on: Create a “selfie” using a variety of mixed media materials.
Schedule a Summer Tour Today
Explore and discover works of art this summer that bring to life the rich history and exciting tales of the American West and wildlife art. Then take home a piece of your own!
Things to Know
Youth: $5
Chaperones (1 adult per 10 youth): free
Additional Adults: $10
Tour + Artmaking
Youth: $10
Chaperones (1 adult per 10 youth): free
Additional Adults: $10
Tours are 45 minutes in length. If you select a tour + artmaking you will have a 45-minute tour and 45 minutes of artmaking in our studio (total of 90 minutes).
Summer 2026 availability for Tour + Artmaking is limited to Monday, Wednesday & Thursday the weeks of: June 29, July 13, July 27, August 3.