Seymour Center reopens to the public Oct. 15
Plan your visit
 We plan to offer in-person field trips in 2022! Sign up for our Educator Mailing List to be notified when in-person field trips become available.   In the meantime, please use our distance learning resources:

Discovery Lab & Tour

The ultimate field trip! Immerse your students in hands-on lab activities and experiments using live animals and realia. Lab activities support the Next Generation Science Standards. The Discovery Lab is followed by a guided tour to sites at Long Marine Laboratory.

Field Trip Descriptions by Grade Level
Dates & Availability
We are not currently accepting applications. Please check back in January 2022.
Fees
Flat $150 fee for the all-inclusive Discovery Lab + Tour experience
Duration
Approximately 100 minutes for lab and tour. Plan extra time for exploring the aquarium, exhibits, and Ocean Discovery Shop after your lab and tour.
How to Apply
  1. Download and fill out a Discovery Lab Application.
  2. With each application, enclose payment information, in the form of a check, purchase order (PO), or credit card. Your payment will be processed once your program has been scheduled and confirmed. Make checks and POs payable to “Seymour Center/UC Regents.”
  3. Mail completed applications to 100 McAllister Way, Santa Cruz, CA, 95060
  4. Applications for Discovery Lab & Tours are taken by mail or in-person only. We do NOT accept applications by fax, phone, or e-mail.
Refunds & Cancellations
If we are unable to schedule a Discovery Lab & Tour on any of the dates you submitted for your class, you will not be charged/invoiced. However, any cancellation made by a group leader after the Discovery Lab has been scheduled and confirmed is non-refundable, unless another group fills the space.
Group Size & Chaperones
32 students maximum per Discovery Lab & Tour—no exceptions. Please do not bring any additional students or unscheduled groups. Siblings are not permitted in the classroom during the Discovery Lab but are welcome on the guided tour. Please bring only the number of adult chaperones necessary to transport your students. Only five adults total—the teacher and four chaperones—are permitted inside the classroom during the Discovery Lab. Remaining drivers, chaperones, and siblings may explore the exhibit hall on their own during that time. They are welcome to rejoin students for the guided tour. All adults are expected to assist with supervision and appropriate student behavior.

Reserved School Tour

Schedule a skillful guide to take your students through the sights and sounds of a working marine lab. While on tour, students discover how scientists learn from incredible marine mammals to help conserve their cousins in the wild. Marvel at the enormous “Ms. Blue,” one of the world’s largest whale skeletons. Discover how whales are suited for life in the sea and how scientists study the largest animals on the planet.

Dates & Availability
We are not currently accepting applications. Please check back in January 2022.
Fees
$8 per student, $11 per adult + Reserved Tour fees ($30 per tour). (Title 1 schools receive a 20% discount off total fees.)
Duration
Tour lasts 30 minutes. Plan extra time in the exhibit hall and aquarium before or after your tour, at no additional cost.
Reservations
  1. Reservations must be made at least three weeks in advance year round, and far in advance for spring.
  2. Available slots are filled on a first come, first served basis.
  3. If you are interested in a Reserved School Tour, please review the information on our Field Trips page, then call (831) 459-3800 to make a reservation.
Refunds & Cancellations
Any cancellation made after the Tour has been scheduled and confirmed is non-refundable, unless another group fills the space.
Group Size & Chaperones
20 participants maximum per tour; two tours maximum per time slot. Participant numbers INCLUDE adults. Groups larger than 40 can schedule two consecutive time slots.

Minimum ratios for (adult:student):

  • K-2 (1:5);
  • grades 3-5 (1:6);
  • grades 6-8 (1:8);
  • grades 9-12 (1:10)

Self-Guided Exhibit Exploration

Design your own experience or use our pre-designed activities. Live animals inspire your students to make their own observations and develop questions as scientists do. Knowledgeable docents illuminate how researchers work in the lab and in the field. Students will learn how marine scientists think and work to understand life in the ocean and the ocean itself.

Dates & Availability
We are not currently accepting applications. Please check back in January 2022.
Fees
$8 per student, $11 per adult. (Title 1 schools receive a 20% discount off total fees.)
Duration
No time limit. Most groups stay 1-2 hours.
Reservations
Call (831) 459-3800 to confirm availability and make reservations. Reservations are recommended at least two weeks in advance year-round, and far in advance for spring.
Group Size & Chaperones
120 students maximum

Minimum ratios for (adult:student):

  • K-2 (1:5);
  • grades 3-5 (1:6);
  • grades 6-8 (1:8);
  • grades 9-12 (1:10)