The Greatest Lesson IS YOUR DESTINATION


When Busch Stadium opened in 2006, manager of stadium tours Brian Finch took a look across the nation at the most recent wave of ballpark openings. “Brand new ballparks of course had a really high spike of visitation in their


first year, but then most trickled off afterwards,” said Finch. “But what was really compelling were ballparks that did anything in the way of educational offerings had a 30% higher attendance retention rate over those that did nothing in year two.” Finch then launched the Cardinals Academic Program (CAP), a 90-minute tour program that covers three pre-selected school subjects for visiting classes, including language arts, science, history, and more. Many of these subjects are taught virtually through pre-recorded interviews with the Cardinals Nation, from announcers, to trainers, to athletes. “Every destination has celebrities it can leverage,” says Finch. Te program is currently being evaluated to incorporate the newly-opened Cardinals Hall of Fame and Museum.


Fort Ticonderoga serves as the majestic centerpiece of a region full of epic stories that have defined North America. With the country’s victory in WWII, national pride swelled and the Atomic Family hit the road to


visit America’s historic icons. Ticonderoga’s educational programming hasn’t stopped ramping up to meet groups’ evolving expectations since. Although it’s based in the scenic setting of the rural Adirondacks, Fort Ticonderoga’s school group visitation has increased 25% over 2013, pulling mostly from upstate New York and Vermont, in large part due to new, innovative programming. One of its most immersive programs, “To Act as One Body,” enlists field trips as new recruits in 1775, putting them through a whole day of military exercises including forming up in a mess, solider training, fatigue duties, drilling, and a noon-day meal. In 2013, Ticonderoga piloted a highly successful overnight Destination Education experience, where school groups travel from out of state to spend the night in the barracks to learn about life inside Fort Ticonderoga and the conflicts outside its walls.


Te Missouri Botanical Garden is one of the oldest, largest and most prestigious centers for plant research in the United States. Te Garden promotes a number


of themes in its workshops for students: ecology, local biodiversity, and the relationships between plants and animals. At the core of their programming is a three- session visit. An educator first starts by visiting a classroom and delivers a hands-on workshop about the particular unit. Shortly thereafter, students visit the Garden to engage in a guided photography tour, locating particular plants and components of the lesson. After their visit, the educator returns to the classroom with a slideshow of the children’s photos that best exemplify the unit, and also guides students through their own potted planting. Tis three-pronged approach helps cement the unit’s lessons in the students’ memories by engaging a number of different learning styles around one subject over time.


How many plant species on earth are edible?


10,000 35,000 70,000


Photo courtesy of Missouri Botanical Garden

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