Booking Your School or Group Visit at the

Mitchell Museum of the American Indian

Thousands of people who visit the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian annually participate in our docent-led tours.   We offer a rich, hands-on experience to groups of all ages. Mitchell Museum docents go through a rigorous training process to provide your group with an accurate, in-depth interpretation of the museum's artifacts as well as Native American history and cultures. All tours must be booked in advance.

Docent-Led Tours

A standard program includes a docent-led tour highlighting the Mitchell's permanent collection including the popular "touching tables," followed by an age appropriate craft activity and a visit to the upstairs teaching lodge.  Group tours are tailored to the group's interest, length of visit, and age.  For example, in lieu of the craft activity and lodge visit, a group may request a tour of one of the museum's temporary exhibits.

Group Size

A minimum of 10 people is required to book a docent-led tour.  Groups with over 30 individuals will be divided into smaller groups and led by separate docents to optimize your experience.  Group size is limited to 100 people in the building at one time.

We request that non-family groups of 10 or more individuals contact the museum prior to visiting so we can ensure the best possible museum experience for all our visitors.

Chaperone Policy

All visitors under the age of 17 must be properly supervised while visiting the museum.  We require one chaperone (18 or older) for every 5 students under the age of 12.  If your group consists of one or more special needs individuals, please plan to provide the appropriate number of aides to ensure visitor safety and enjoyment.  The Mitchell Museum is a cultural institution and all individuals are expected to observe respectful decorum while visiting. 

Fees

Fees are based upon the type of group visiting the museum:

School Tours

There is a $3.00 fee for each individual in the school group.  This fee is applicable to all students, teachers, and chaperones from a state recognized academic or home school program, grades Pre-K through the university level.  This is not a non-profit or camp rate.  Field trip lessons plans and worksheets can be downloaded from our website and cover Kindergarten - 12th grade levels.

Group Tours

Individuals in the group are charged as follows:

Adults (18 - 64 years in age):      $6.00/person

Seniors (65 +):                           $4.00/person

Youth (17 years or younger):       $4.00/person

Fees include all visitors and chaperones.  There is a $40 minimum for all non-school groups for a docent-led tour. Please note that the Youth fee applies to all day care, before/after school programs, summer camps and other youth programs outside of standard, state-recognized academic institutions.

Payment

The museum accepts payment in the form of cash, check (make payable to the Mitchell Museum of the American Indian), and VISA  or MasterCard.  Payment is required before the start of the tour.  Invoices must be requested at least 1 week before the date of the tour.

Selecting a Visit Date

All tours must be booked in advance.  Please list three possible dates in case your first choice is unavailable.  October through December is out busiest season and tour slots fill up weeks in advance.

School tours may be scheduled Tuesday through Friday and are typically scheduled in the morning from 10:00 - 11:30 AM or in the afternoon form 1:00 - 2:30 PM.  Group tours may be scheduled Tuesday through Saturday, between 10:00 AM and 3:00 PM, and on Sunday, Noon - 2:30 PM.  Tours cannot begin earlier than 10:00 AM. The museum is closed on Mondays.

Length of Visit

Standard programs for groups of 60 people or less require about 90 minutes (45 minute tour, 30 minute craft activity, 15 minute visit to the upstairs teaching lodge or tour of temporary exhibit).  For groups of more than 60 people, please allow 2 hours to visit the museum.  Please notify Visitor Services at the time of booking if we need to restructure the tour to fit within a certain time frame.

When you receive confirmation of your tour, Visitor Services staff will let you know if your group is to be divided into smaller groups.  Please have your group divided into groups before arriving at the museum to maximize the time for your group to experience the museum.

Lunch

Lunchroom facilities are not available at the Mitchell Museum.  Visitor Services staff can recommend nearby eating establishments or recreational parks (weather permitting).

Parking

The museum offers free parking for cars and vans in the lot behind the building.  Busses are required to park on Central Street (south side of the museum) or Central Park Avenue (east side of the museum).  Busses cannot park in the parking lot behind the museum.

Cancellation

We currently have no cancellation penalty but respectfully ask that you contact the museum as soon as possible so that your tour slot can be given to another group and we can notify our docents. 

Contact: Visitor Services by email or 847-475-1030 to request a tour from our Visitor Services staff.  You may also download a tour request form here. 

HOURS & ADMISSION
Tuesday – Saturday:
10am – 5pm
Thursday: 10am – 8pm
Sunday: 12pm – 4pm

Adults: $5.00
Children, students,          seniors: $3.00 
Mitchell Members: FREE
Tribal Members: FREE

CONNECT WITH THE
MITCHELL MUSEUM
 

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