ECHO welcomes preschool groups year-round!
Come to ECHO for an unforgettable field trip focused on science play. Preschools will find fun opportunities for their young learners to play and grow together that support the healthy development of the whole child while creating lasting memories and a foundation for lifelong learning.
Questions? Email us at groups@echovermont.org
Booking Your Field Trip | Resources | Champ Lane Early Learning Exhibit | Preparing for Your Visit | FAQs
Booking Your ECHO Field Trip
All field trips include a self-guided tour, which gives your group access to more than 100 hands-on exhibits, live animals, engineering challenges, pre- and post-visit resources, and a personalized welcome by ECHO staff. You decide when and how long you’d like to visit.
Ready to register?
Reserve your trip through our brand new online registration form and get immediate confirmation!
Questions? To check availability or ask questions about school groups or programs, or for information about reduced pricing, please email groups@echovermont.org
Group Admission Pricing
| Pre-K through 12th grade student admission to ECHO | $4* |
| One adult admission to ECHO for every five youths, teachers included | Free |
| Each additional adult admission to ECHO | $4* |
*Reduced pricing while grant funds are available.
Resources
ECHO can be overwhelming to young children and their adults that are charged with navigating them through the exhibits. Generating a list of questions and deciding on a couple of things to see based on the interests of the group before your field trip can be helpful for focusing attention and feeling accomplished at the end of the day. Below are resources to help you plan and organize your ECHO adventure.
- Museum Map – Get ready to explore ECHO’s exhibits and animals.
- Special Exhibit – Check out the current exhibit in our Northfield Savings Bank Special Exhibit Gallery. Exhibits in the Special Exhibit Gallery change every 3-4 months.
- Teacher Resources – ECHO’s main academic resource page.
- Accommodations at ECHO – Full information on all of ECHO’s accessibility initiatives.
- ECHO Sensory Map – Check out the map for areas that may have varied lighting experiences, sound experiences, and tactile opportunities to plan your route.
- ECHO Social Stories – Designed by ECHO Educators to help students know what to expect when visiting.
Miss Elizabeth’s Champ Lane
Be sure to plan for plenty of time for play in Miss Elizabeth’s Champ Lane, ECHO’s Early Learning Exhibit!
Climbing
A tree house, bridge, and slide to provide a feeling of risk-taking in a safe environment.
Streetscape
A café, market, puppet theater, boats, and more offer the chance for social interaction and practice of emerging skills.
Animal Care Kids Lab
An introduction to animal husbandry through role playing and scientific inquiry.
Book Nook
This “quiet space” offers tabletop activities, books, and other calmer activities.
Preparing for Your Visit
Please read through the following information to ensure a smooth and successful trip.
Be sure to share important information with chaperones and students and don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions you might have.
Before Your Visit
- Decide on several possible dates for your visit. You will be able to choose from available dates during the registration process.
- Reserve your trip through our brand new online registration form and get immediate confirmation!
- Chaperones play an important role in your group’s visit. In return for their help, ECHO provides complimentary admission for one chaperone for every five students. Teachers count towards your chaperone ratio.
- Print out the Chaperone Information Sheet, fill it out, and make a copy for each chaperone.
- Print out copies of the Bus & Chaperone Parking Map and share with bus drivers and any parents who will be driving to ECHO.
- Make sure the chaperones are aware of their responsibilities, the schedule, and your expectations for student behavior while at ECHO.
- Please review your expectations for behavior while at ECHO with your students.
- Name tags with first names and the name of your school are helpful for our staff.
- Groups must be paid for in ONE payment (students and chaperones together). Individuals paying separately will be charged our regular admission rate and will not be counted as part of your group.
- Payment can be made upon arrival or invoiced after. If you have an outstanding balance following your visit, we will email a final copy of your invoice to your trip leader or another contact if that information is provided.
- ECHO accepts all major credit/debit cards, cash, and checks made out to “ECHO”.
- The admission desk will ask for a final head count at the time of your visit.
- Sorry, no other discounts apply for individuals counted as part of your group admission.
- Please note we do not have a dedicated lunch space.
- Weather permitting, most groups bring their own lunch and picnic on ECHO’s Dealer.com Terrace or in Waterfront Park. We will provide a place for you to store your lunches.
- When the weather is inclement, ECHO may be able to arrange indoor space for lunch. We will do our best to accommodate your group depending on our daily event schedule.
Please email us for hours and pricing.
- If your group is interested in visiting Champ’s Legendary Creemee stand, please visit us in groups of 10 people or fewer.
- We can accept payment after all orders have been taken and distributed. Group payments must be made at the time of visiting the creemee stand. We cannot invoice you for your ice cream.
- Our flavors are vanilla, chocolate, maple, and one changing flavor. Dairy free options are available but vary.
- Students must be accompanied by an adult chaperone while in the museum gift shop.
- Please do not wait until the end of your visit to have your group visit the store all at once. Instead, have small chaperoned groups of students rotate through the store throughout your visit.
- If you do not want your students visiting the Museum Store, be sure to make this clear to the students and the chaperones before your visit.
- If you have questions or need to make changes to your reservation please contact us at groups@echovermont.org or call (802) 864-1848 ext. 145. If you have questions or need to change visit details within 48 hours of your scheduled arrival, please contact ECHO’s front desk at (802) 864-1848 ext. 100.
- Trips may be canceled and rescheduled due to weather conditions without penalty. If you are concerned about weather, please call the day before your trip. For non-weather related cancellations, schools must contact us at least 24 hours in advance of their scheduled arrival time to re-schedule, or pay a $100 no-show fee.
We have resources to enhance your field trip experience! Visit our Teacher Resources Page for ECHO Treks, Social Stories, sensory resources, and more.
These resources can be used before, during, and after field trips.
During Your Visit
- Busses CANNOT drive into the circle in front of ECHO. The City of Burlington restricts traffic in the circle to city buses only. Your buses will instead unload in front of the Waterfront Information Booth in the city parking lot near ECHO. A map will be sent with your field trip confirmation.
- Please review the Bus & Chaperone Parking Map with your bus driver.
- Buses can park for free on Pearl Street and Leddy Park. Paid parking is available at Perkins Pier.
- If no parking is available at the locations marked on the Bus & Chaperone Parking Map, buses may park at 266 College Street.
- Chaperones coming in private cars or schools traveling by private car pay $5.00 per car to park. To park in our lot, head toward the Lake on College Street, cross the railroad track, take a left onto our driveway, and park in our lot behind ECHO. Pay the $5 fee at ECHO’s front desk.
- If you arrive by bus, an ECHO Educator or Guest Services Representative will meet you at the Waterfront Information Booth. If you arrive by car, you will be met at the front doors. If you arrive early, one teacher can go to ECHO’s admission desk to inform us of your arrival. Students should remain on the bus (or outside) until an ECHO staff member comes to greet them.
- After your group’s greeting, one teacher should go to the admission desk, where ECHO staff will ask for a final head count and can accept ONE payment for all students and chaperones in your group. Your organization can also be invoiced later if that is preferred. ECHO accepts all major credit/debit cards, cash, and checks made out to “ECHO.”
- An ECHO Educator or Guest Services Representative will greet your group on arrival. If you arrive by bus, please keep students on the bus until ECHO staff arrive.
- You will receive an ECHO orientation before you are sent out to explore the museum.
- Have fun and ask questions!
- Treat the exhibits and the other visitors with respect.
- Walk in and around building.
- Please no food in the exhibit spaces.
- You are visiting the home of over 70 different kinds of live animals. Be respectful by using indoor voices and not tapping on the glass of their enclosures.
- Education Staff, museum volunteers, and interns will be on hand during your visit. They will be facilitating activities, presenting scheduled programs, and will be available to talk to your students. Please encourage your students to ask questions.
ECHO staff may take photos of your group interacting with exhibits or participating in a program. These pictures are sometimes used for our website, social media, or other promotional materials. If you do not want your group to be photographed, please inform a member of our staff.
School Group FAQs
Typically groups will stay for about 2 and 1/2 hours. During this time they can explore ECHO’s exhibits and attend activities and demonstrations taking place throughout the day.
We recommend one adult chaperone for every five children.
We require ONE payment for all students and adults and will only charge for the number of people who are present on the day of your visit. Therefore, we prefer payment upon arrival, or invoiced after, to avoid the need to issue refunds. We accept all major credit/debit cards, cash, and checks made out to “ECHO”. If your organization requires a purchase order or prepayment, please email us.
No, groups are not part of general admission to ECHO and require more resources from our Staff. Memberships may not be combined with group admission and are not considered part of any group reservation.
If you plan to eat lunch during your visit, you must let us know ahead of time, as ECHO does not have a dedicated lunch space. This can be done easily when you register online for your trip, but you can also email or call to update us if plans change.
Weather permitting, groups often picnic on ECHO’s Dealer.com Terrace or in Waterfront Park. A place will be provided for you to store your lunches, but we ask that you leave all other personal items behind (no backpacks, please). When the weather is inclement we will do our best to accommodate your group indoors, depending on our daily event schedule, so we do need advance notice. Indoor lunches will also be picnic-style; please let us know if any students or adults need tables and chairs as an accommodation.
Free bus parking is located on Pearl Street and at Leddy Park. Paid parking is available at Perkins Pier (see map).
If no parking is available at the locations marked on the map, buses may also park at 266 College Street.
Chaperones may park in ECHO’s lot (behind the building) for $5 per car per day. Pay this fee at ECHO’s front desk.
Groups must cancel at least 24 hours in advance of their scheduled arrival time. If you do not call us to cancel and receive confirmation of cancellation from ECHO we will charge a $100 no-show fee.
Yes. Animal Care demonstrations are offered at 11 am and 2 pm daily unless otherwise noted.
For questions about school groups or programs, to check availability, or for information about reduced pricing, please email groups@echovermont.org