Immersive Education

Stark Caverns is a natural fit to bring science and history to life to enrich your school-based or home-based curriculum.

Focus on Core Education Needs

We have developed custom Field Trip Tours to meet the needs of Missouri educators. Our specialized Field Trip tours draw from Missouri’s Learning Standards in areas such as settler times, Missouri archeology, Bio-Adaptation, and Geology. The content varies based on the school grade of our participants. You and your students will have an immersive educational experience like none other at Stark Caverns. Spring is a busy time for field trips. We recommend you book early to secure your desired time slot.

Field Trip Tour

Suitable for school groups ranging from 15 participants to 125, this program allows participants to see the cave with the objective of learning about the cave’s unique history, geology and wildlife. This private tour option must be booked in advance.

Field Trip Tour Pricing

  • $8 per student (if not bundled with souvenir rock bag)

  • $10 per student – tour and souvenir rock bag

  • Complementary admission for 1 teacher or chaperone for every 10 students

  • Complementary admission for up to 2 bus drivers

  • $18 parents/additional adults

Field Trip Tour Additional Information

  • The tour is approximately 1 hour long

  • Students will be taken into the cave in groups no larger than 25 (including adults).

  • Groups will be led into the cave every 15 minutes (so for a group of 125 people, the last group will go into the cave an hour after the first group goes in).

  • Groups larger than 125 will need to schedule an additional time block

  • Picnic areas are available for sack lunches

  • Stark Caverns Gift Shop has a great variety of low-cost items for students and their parents

  • We send an invoice at the time of reservation and request a 50% deposit. Final payment will be collected upon your arrival. We accept checks, cash or credit cards for the final payment.

Field Trip Request Form

Thank you for your interest in booking a field trip at Stark Caverns. We are excited to make your Field Trip a fun and educational experience. Please fill out this form and click submit. We will review your request and contact you to confirm dates and preferredreservation details.

In order to provide a safe, fun, entertaining experience, Stark Caverns has put together the following guidelines for groups. Please read the items below carefully before submitting your request form.

 
Reservation Guidelines

  • We require a Minimum of 15 Students (so not including adults) to book an Field Trip Tour experience.

  • School groups will be split into groups of 15-25 participants (students and parents combined). Tours will run every 15-30 minutes to accommodate your group size. Additional activities (hiking trails, outdoor games, sluice mining, geode cracking, and educational classroom) are available for an additional fee. 

  • Requests for bookings with less than 15 students will not be eligible for a reservation as a school group. Regular admission rates will apply.

  • Reservations are required a minimum of 7 days before the requested field trip date. 

  • All students must be accompanied by a teacher, chaperone, adult or parent at all times while on Stark Caverns property. 

  • Cancellation must be made within 48 hours of your reserved field trip date. Failure to cancel within 48 hours will result in a $100 cancellation fee invoiced & due within 7 days. 

  • The person making the reservation is responsible for adherence to the guidelines and paying any cancellation fees.


Field Trip Guidelines 

  • Stark Caverns is a real, natural & living cave. Food & drink are not allowed inside the cave. Picnic areas are available and included in the field trip group rate for schools/organizations to use while visiting us. 

  • Plan to arrive 30 minutes before their first scheduled tour. 

  • Each group of students entering the cavern will be required to have 1-2 teachers/chaperones to help the guide keep the students engaged and following instructions.

  • Students must remain under control, listen, and follow all directions of the tour guide. Unruly students will be asked to leave the tour without a refund. 

  • The school/organization is responsible for providing tax exemption letters to receive tax-exempt pricing. 

  • All students/staff should wear appropriate clothing and shoes to explore our cavern. We recommend closed-toe and slip-resistant shoes, and a light jacket.