Field Trips
Fall 2025 and Spring 2026 Field Trip Registration is Open
Fall Field Trip Dates: September 10th – December 11th
Field Trips are NOT available on September 16th, 18th, 23rd, or 30th; October 14th, November 11th, or 25th – 27th, or December 9th
Spring Field Trip Dates: January 7th – May 21st
Field Trips are NOT available on January 27th, February 10th or 19th, March 10th, April 7th – 14th, or 23rd, or May 12th
Program Times: Tuesdays – Thursdays | 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Group Size Limit:Â Groups are limited to 120* participants maximum. Students will be in smaller learning groups of 20 students maximum with a teacher, a parent chaperone(s), and 1-2 Arboretum Staff Members.
- Groups of 15 – 60 can schedule two guided programs in one day.
- Groups of 61-120 can only schedule one guided program in one day. The group will be split; part of the group will attend the guided program while the other is self-guided. They will switch after lunch.
- Due to amount of materials, a maximum of 80 participants can be scheduled for Geocaching and Team Building per day. With 80 participants, 2 groups will be guided in the morning and 2 in the afternoon.
Due to weather, Fresh Water Ecology and Wet and Wild Field Trips will only be offered September through October in the fall and March through May in the spring
Program Times: 9:30 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m. (Tuesday – Thursday)
Please review our Safety Guidelines
Under certain circumstances, we may be able to visit your school for an outreach program. If your school is interested, please email youtheducation@ncarboretum.org
Programs at the Arboretum
| Program Title | Grade Level | ||||||||
| K | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | |
| Amazing Arthropods | X | X | X | X | |||||
| Down and Dirty with Soil | X | X | |||||||
| Freshwater Ecology * | X | ||||||||
| Geocaching and Team Building | X | X | X | ||||||
| Trolls: A Field Study** | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X | X |
| Wet and Wild | X | ||||||||
| Wildlife Adventures | X | X | X | ||||||
| Wonders of Weather | X | ||||||||
* 8th grade classes at Buncombe County Title I schools are eligible to attend the Freshwater Ecology program for free. Teachers can apply by completing this form. Free programs are available on a first-come, first-served bases, while availability lasts. We encourage applying ASAP to secure a spot for your students.
** The Trolls: A Field Study program is only available from November 15th to February 17th.
Cost
| Students | Visit Fee | Lunch Location Fee | Program Fee | Total Cost | Total Cost/ Person |
| 10-20 | $65.00 | $20.00 | $105.00 | $190.00 | $19.00 – $9.50 |
| 21-40 | $65.00 | $20.00 | $210.00 | $295.00 | $14.05- $7.38 |
| 41-60 | $95.00 | $20.00 | $315.00 | $430.00 | $10.49- $7.17 |
| 61-80 | $95.00 | $20.00 | $420.00 | $535.00 | $8.77- $6.69 |
| 81-100 | $150.00 | $20.00 | $525.00 | $695.00 | $8.58- $6.95 |
| 101-120 | $150.00 | $20.00 | $630.00 | $800.00 | $7.92- $6.67 |
**We recommend approximately 2 chaperones per group of 20 students. Any chaperone over 5 per group of 20 will be charged an extra $10 each. We’ve found that when groups of 20 have over 5 chaperones, this detracts from the learning experience of the students.Â
Health and Safety Protocols:Â
The Arboretum is committed to ensuring the safety of all participants by following the current health guidelines from the Center of Disease Control, the North Carolina Department of Health & Human services, the Buncombe County Department of Health, and the City of Asheville. We may update our policies on health screenings, face coverings, social distancing, and other safety measures as needed. Participants are required to adhere to all safety protocols currently in place, failure to comply could result in dismissal from programming.
Please email youtheducation@ncarboretum.org with any questions. You can also call Rich Preyer at 828-412-8558 for questions about programming, or Ben Bafaloukos at 828-567-3165 for help with registration.
Self-Guided Trips to the Arboretum
Schools and other youth groups are also invited to visit the Arboretum for self-guided exploration of its expansive grounds and rotating exhibit. For our group rates, please see the table below.
| Group Size | Group Rate | Picnicking Fee* | Total Cost |
| 10 – 50 | $75 | $20 | $95 |
| 51 – 100 | $150 | $20 | $170 |
| 101 – 150 | $220 | $20 | $240 |
| 151 – 200** | $280 | $20 | $300 |
* If your group will not be picnicking on the Arboretum’s property, this fee will not be included.
** If your group consists of 201 or more visitors, larger group rates can be provided upon request.
In order to receive the group rate, self-guided visits must be scheduled at least two weeks in advance. To schedule a self-guided visit, please contact us at youtheducation@ncarboretum.org!