School & Group Visits
The Hudson River Museum provides onsite and virtual planetarium shows and museum tours for school, homeschool, Scout, college, adult, senior, and other groups.
Participants engage with art, science, and history in an informal learning environment, while developing skills in visual literacy, critical thinking, English language arts, creative problem solving, communication, and collaboration.
Thank you for your interest in visiting the HRM! We look forward to welcoming you and your group to the Museum. Please select the type of group visit you would like from the portals linked below.
Our onsite and virtual group visits are interactive, interdisciplinary, and inquiry-based, supporting NYS Next Generation Learning Standards, as well as STEM and STEAM concepts, aligned with your current classroom curriculum. Please note, we are a NYC DOE Vendor. For information about summer camp groups, please visit our Camp Visits page.
School group visit
Scout group visit
Adult & senior group visit
![visit-school-group-visits-2024](https://www.hrm.org/wp-content/uploads/page/group-visits/visit-school-group-visits-2024-1200x910.jpg")
Onsite Group Visits
Planetarium Shows & Workshops
1-hour planetarium shows are available for your group Tuesday through Friday between 10am and 2pm, and Saturday and Sunday between 10am and 12pm. We also offer 2-hour experiences on weekdays that combine an hour-long planetarium show with an hour-long, hands-on workshop. See below for a list of current shows and workshop combinations. Please note, assistive listening devices and lighting for a sign-language interpreter are available in the Planetarium, and all shows include live Q&A.
Guided Museum Tours & Workshops
1-hour museum tours are available for your group Tuesday through Friday between 10am and 2pm. We also offer 2-hour experiences on weekdays that combine an hour-long museum tour with an hour-long, hands-on workshop. Inquiry-based thematic tours are facilitated by trained docents, include access to special exhibitions and collections galleries, and engage visitors in conversation based on guided discovery. See below for a list of current tours and workshop combinations. Please note, Hudson Riverama is not open at this time.
Chaperones
For students Pre-K through Grade 1 (ages 3–7), 1 chaperone is required for every 5 students. For students Grades 2 and up (ages 8+), 1 chaperone is required for every 10 students. Teachers and chaperones are responsible for their students at all times.
Pricing
A 1-hour experience of either a planetarium show or a guided museum tour costs $200 for up to 20 attendees, PLUS $7 per additional attendee. The required number of chaperones is free of charge. Additional chaperones are $5 each. The maximum capacity per planetarium show is 120 participants.
A 2-hour experience combining a planetarium show, guided museum tour, and/or hands-on workshop costs $300 for up to 20 attendees, PLUS $10.50 per additional attendee. The required number of chaperones is free of charge. Additional chaperones are $5 each.
A 3-hour experience combining your choice of guided tour(s), planetarium show(s), and/or workshop(s) costs $350 for up to 20 attendees, PLUS $14.50 per additional attendee. The required number of chaperones is free of charge. Additional chaperones are $5 each. The maximum capacity for a 2-hour experience is 60 participants.
Please note, Title 1 schools may qualify for reduced rates.
Lunch Space
If you are interested in reserving a space for lunch, classrooms may be reserved at an additional cost: $50/hour for 1–60 people; $100/hour for 61–90 people.
Reservations
Advance reservations are required. To lock in a program date, a 50% deposit must be placed and confirmed by the Museum no less than four weeks prior to the onsite visit. Due to high demand, we recommend booking at least six weeks in advance. The remaining balance is due the day of the visit.
School group visit
Scout group visit
Adult & senior group visit
Cancellations
Any requests to reschedule or cancel must be made in writing via email to mbyrnes@hrm.org at least two weeks prior to your confirmed onsite visit date in order to set a new date that is mutually acceptable, or to receive a refund or credit. Any group that fails to follow these requirements will forfeit the deposit.
Onsite Program Descriptions
1-Hour Planetarium Shows
One World, One Sky: Big Bird’s Adventure →
Magic Tree House: Space Mission →
Hazelnuts: In Search of the Perfect Planet (opens Spring 2025)
Birth of Planet Earth →
Four Tales of the Sky →
The Great Solar System Adventure →
Habitat Earth →
Legends of the Night Sky: Perseus and Andromeda →
Moonbase: The Next Step →
Myths, Legends, and Travelers’ Tales (LIVE!) →
Our Solar System (LIVE!) →
The Sky Tonight (LIVE!) →
We Are Aliens →
We Are Astronomers →
We Are Stars →
1-Hour Guided Museum Tours (Art & History)
Enjoy a varied selection of works of art on view throughout the Museum’s galleries, drawing from both our permanent collection and special exhibitions.
We offer guided tours of current exhibitions. See a full list here.
Learn about the art of portraiture and discover what it can reveal about the subject, as well as the time and community in which they lived.
Take a closer look at works by Hudson River School artists in our permanent collection to learn about the elements of landscape painting and the relationship of figures to their surroundings.
Explore the motifs and patterns of Glenview’s architecture and interior decor, and discover principles of art and design found throughout the HRM’s campus and permanent collection.
Travel back in time to 1877! Discover Glenview’s restored rooms, paintings, and furnishings, and learn how the Trevor family spent their time more than 140 years ago.
Find the figures and images on view in Glenview and in the galleries that tell timeless tales of gods and heroes.
2-Hour Experiences (Astronomy & Environmental Science)
Planetarium show: The Sky Tonight (LIVE!)
Workshop: Mix colors and collage to make day and night skyscapes.
Planetarium show: Our Solar System (LIVE!) OR Tycho Goes to Mars
Workshop: Make three-dimensional soft-sculpture models of planets, real and imaginary.
Planetarium show: Earth, Moon, and Sun
Workshop for Grades 1 & 2: Discover the Earth-Moon-Sun relationship through movement, then create a three-dimensional moon phase model.
Workshop for Grades 3–5: Discover the Earth-Moon-Sun relationship through movement and complete a lunar-inspired design challenge.
Planetarium show: Myths, Legends, and Travelers’ Tales (LIVE!) or Four Tales of the Sky
Workshop: Create glow-in-the-dark constellations and a story to match.
Planetarium show: Our Solar System (LIVE!) or The Great Solar System Adventure
Workshop: Examine properties of the worlds of our solar system that orbit around the sun, uncover clues in our new Orbits discovery boxes, and reveal the hidden planet.
Planetarium show: Habitat Earth
Workshop: Students are given hands-on access to the Museum’s teaching “touch collection.” Thinking like a scientist, students draw and record their observations of the locally gathered natural materials. They closely study their characteristics, hypothesize, and learn about different habitats along the Hudson River.
Planetarium show: A customized live tour of the Solar System, from the Sun to the farthest comet, including the planets, a few of their moons, and the orbits in three dimensions.
Workshop: Students are given information about various Solar System objects and then tasked with putting them into categories of their own devising. They then model the work of astronomers as they come up with a rationale for their classification scheme.
Planetarium show: A customized live show that covers various earth science “physical setting” topics, including the cause of the seasons, the path of the Sun in different months and from different latitudes, and the climate of Earth compared to those of other planets.
Workshop: Students are given raw data about a hypothetical solar system and must then deduce the sizes and periods of the system’s planets, as well as whether or not the system’s planets have rings and moons.
2-Hour Experiences (Art & History)
Museum tour: Dreamy Landscapes
Workshop: Design your own landscape based on compositional elements observed in works of art, using watercolor paint.
Museum tour: Portraiture: People and Places in Time
Workshop: Learn about the elements that go into creating a portrait, then sketch a self-portrait using a mirror and fine art materials.
Museum tour (October–January): No Bodies: Clothing as Disruptor
Workshop (October–January): A hands-on experience inspired by the special exhibition. Details upon request.
Museum tour: Shapes and Patterns
Workshop: Create your own patterns inspired by our current exhibitions and decorations in our historic home, Glenview.
Museum tour: Myth Making
Workshop: Invent and illustrate your own myth inspired by works in the Museum’s collection and your imagination.
Museum tour: The Gilded Age Upon the Hudson
Workshop: Discover how people lived, worked, and played in Victorian times, and explore the beginnings of motion pictures by making your own zoetrope animation.
Virtual Group Visits
Virtual Experiences
Interactive, 45-minute virtual museum experiences can be scheduled for your group Tuesday through Friday between 10am and 2pm, subject to availability. Each live virtual visit includes an accompanying lesson plan that provides educators with access to guiding questions, an open-ended activity, and supporting pre- and post-visit materials. Please contact Megan Byrnes at mbyrnes@hrm.org for information.
Virtual Planetarium Shows
Our live, virtual planetarium shows use simulator software and are led by a science educator.
Virtual Museum Tours
Our live, virtual museum tours explore selected artworks and exhibitions at the Museum, as well as our historic home, Glenview, supported by inquiry-based conversation with a museum educator or docent.
Pricing
Virtual planetarium shows and museum tours cost $100 for a group of up to 30 participants. For groups larger than 30, we require multiple sessions be scheduled at this rate.
Reservations
Advance reservations are required. To lock in a program date, payment must be made in full, and must be confirmed by the Museum, at least three weeks prior to the virtual visit. Any requests to reschedule or cancel must be made in writing via email to Megan Byrnes at mbyrnes@hrm.org at least two weeks prior to your confirmed virtual visit date in order to set a new date that is mutually acceptable or to receive a refund or credit. Any group that fails to follow these requirements will forfeit the entire program fee.
School group visit
Scout group visit
Adult & senior group visit
