A group of children and adults observe and discuss artifacts on display in an art museum gallery with paintings on the walls.

Field Trips & School Tours

Bring your students to The James Museum to experience the stories of the American West through art.

Request a School Tour

Where 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 [email protected].

Kindergarten – 5th Grade Tours

A group of children and an adult examine a large map together during a field trip in an art museum, surrounded by paintings with Native American themes.
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.

A museum guide leads children on educational field trips, showing cowboy gear like boots and gloves in front of a Western-themed painting and statue.
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.

Four boys stand in a museum, looking at a Native American regalia display behind glass during one of their field trips.
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

A woman demonstrates wool carding to children at a museum, with framed artwork displayed on the walls in the background.
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.

Two women stand closely together, observing a framed painting and a sculpture displayed on a wall during one of the gallery’s engaging field trips.
6TH – 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.

A young girl sits at a table making a craft project with colorful paper, in front of a blue geometric-patterned wall.

Schedule a Tour Today

Engage students in critical thinking while fostering an appreciation for art through inquiry-based experiences at The James Museum.

Request a Tour

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.