School, Homeschool, and Youth Group Museum Visits
Register now for in-person tours and programming! To book a tour or educational program:
You will receive an email confirmation when your tour/program has been booked. Requested dates and times are subject to availability. A credit card is required to reserve a date and will be charged a $50 registration fee. Your remaining balance will not be charged until after the day of your visit.
If you are a CPS or a school that cannot pay with a credit card, please email oi-education@uchicago.edu. A staff member will be more than happy to create a reservation for you and your class with whatever payment method is the most convenient.
Self-Guided Visit
Groups are welcome to lead themselves through the museum. Registration is only required for groups of 10 or more. You can prepare yourself and your group for a visit to the OI Museum with our Educator Guides & Resources. You can also download the OI Mobile App, free for iOS devices and Android.
Cost: $10 per adult, $5 per student (free for teachers and chaperones). There is a 24-hour cancellation period.
Guided Visit
Take a one-hour tour of the OI Museum guided by a docent, that focuses on highlights of the collection, which showcase the history, art, and archaeology of the ancient Near East.
Recommended for 4th grade and up.
10 to 60 participants; one chaperone is recommended for every group of 10 participants under the age of 18.
Cost: $7 per student and $12 per adult (free for teachers and chaperones). There is a 48-hour cancellation period.
The Guided Tour is one hour total and available Tuesdays through Fridays at 10 am or 1 pm.
Guided Tour and Film
OI docents lead your group on a one-hour tour, focusing on highlights of the collection, which showcase the history, art, and archaeology of the Ancient Near East. After the tour, your group will watch a one-hour film.
Film option:
- Breaking Ground: Recommended for high school. The founding of the Oriental Institute and its archaeological discoveries. (57 minutes)
Recommended for 4th grade and up.
Cost: $7 per student and $12 per adult (free for teachers and chaperones). There is a 48-hour cancellation period.
The Guided Tour & Film program is two hours total.
A Brand New Program! Making Sense of Artifacts & Tour
Try out a new program, running through March 2023 in conjunction with our special exhibit, Making Sense of Marbles: Roman Sculpture at the OI. Work together as a team to engage with backwards archaeology! Students will examine artifacts to grasp the concept of archaeological context and its importance. Together, we will work to understand how archaeologists use context in their analysis and what happens when that information is missing. This program also includes a one-hour tour of the OI Museum that focuses on our collection highlights as well as the exhibit, Making Sense of Marbles.
Recommended for 5th–12th grade.
Cost: $10 per student and $10 per adult (free for teachers and chaperones). There is a 48-hour cancellation period.
The Making Sense of Artifacts & Tour Program is two hours total.
Ancient Innovators & Tour
Explore the concept of innovation through replicas of artifacts. In this one-hour object-based program, students work in teams to investigate how people in ancient Mesopotamian and Egypt solved problems in everyday life. This activity is followed by a one-hour docent-led tour of the museum, that focuses on the highlights of collection to further their cross-disciplinary inquiry.
Ancient Innovators program aligns with STEAM, Common Core, and NGSS.
Recommended for 5th–12th grade.
Cost: $10 per student and $10 per adult (free for teachers and chaperones). There is a 48-hour cancellation period.
The Ancient Innovators & Tour Program is two hours total.
Artifact Analysis & Tour
Students engage their deductive reasoning skills in a one-hour workshop, examining artifacts to draw conclusions about the people who created and used them while gaining insight into the science and philosophy behind archaeology. This program also includes a one-hour tour of the OI Museum that focuses on highlights of the collection, which showcase the history, art, and archaeology of the ancient Near East.
Recommended for 5th–12th grades.
Cost: $10 per student and $10 per adult (free for teachers and chaperones). There is a 48-hour cancellation period.
Artifact Analysis & Tour Program is two hours total.
Time Travelers & Tour
Children enjoy an hour of learning about the ancient world through crafts, storytelling, and dressing up in costumes, crafts, and storytelling combined with an hour-long guided tour of the museum.
Recommended for K–3rd grade.
Cost: $10 per student and $10 per adult (free for teachers and chaperones). There is a 48-hour cancellation period.
The Time Travelers & Tour Program is two hours total.
Questions? Email oi-education@uchicago.edu
If you are interested in applying for a scholarship to waive the group-tour rates and/or cover the cost of a bus, email oi-education@uchicago.edu.
