Thinking about turning an adventure into an educational vacation? The Kidding Around team loves to learn on the road and has compiled a list of ideas for educational trips for families. From our nation’s capital to national parks, there is so much to see, memories to make, and things to learn. Here are some places we’ve traveled to where your family can learn something new!
This article includes:
Educational Vacations
Educational Day Trips from Upstate, SC
Looking for learning opportunities that are close to home? Here’s a list of educational things to do near Greenville, SC.
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Educational Vacations: Trips for Families
There’s an opportunity to learn anywhere you travel. Between kid-friendly vacation spots with guided tours, interactive exhibits, self-guided strolls, and living history museums, learning experiences abound for families traveling the United States and abroad. In this section, you’ll find some travel tips, plus places our Kidding Around Team members have traveled with their families where they discovered some really fabulous learning opportunities.
If you’re thinking about a road trip, start with these 30+ tips for educational trips with kids from a mom who has traveled by car with 4 kids on several weeks-long adventures.
If you’re headed anywhere near a National Park, don’t forget about the free National Park Pass for 4th Graders. Every 4th grader and their family can get into National Parks for free. We’ve used this pass to visit the Grand Canyon, Arches National Park, Rocky Mountain National Park, Grand Teton National Park, Yellowstone National Park, and more!
Don’t miss the junior ranger programs while you’re at the national parks. Kids will learn a lot about each park or site and earn a special badge or patch when they complete the booklet.
- Grand Canyon, Arizona
- Great Smoky Mountain National Park, Tennessee
- Congaree National Park, South Carolina
Traveling Homeschoolers – If you’re a homeschool family who likes to travel, check out the opportunities at Traveling Homeschoolers. Here’s a review of a trip we took with them to the Rocky Mountains.
Educational Vacations for Families in South Carolina
Educational Places to Visit in Charleston, SC
Here’s an entire trip to Charleston, SC loaded with learning opportunities for the family: Educational Trip to Charleston, SC
Plus, here are some individual educational sites and venues in Charleston:
- Black History Sites, Charleston
- South Carolina Aquarium, Charleston
- Charlestown Landing, Charleston
- Sandlapper Boat Tours Eco-Tour, Charleston
- North Charleston Fire Museum, North Charleston
- Patriots Point, Mount Pleasant
- Fort Moultrie, Sullivan’s Island
If you are planning a whole trip to Charleston, don’t miss our complete Guide to Charleston, SC.
How about a unique place to stay in Charleston? You can sleep on this yacht right in Historic Charleston.
Educational Trips for Families Near Hilton Head-Port Royal- Beaufort
You can find some excellent tips for educational vacations with some of these Unique Ideas for Family Fun in the Port Royal-Hilton Head-Beaufort Area of the Lowcountry including:
- Port Royal Sound Maritime Aquarium, SC
- Old Sheldon Church Ruins, SC
- Island Explorer Dolphin Tour, Hilton Head
- Kayak Hilton Head, Hilton Head
- Mermaid of Hilton Head Boat Tour, Hilton Head
Need a place to stay in Hilton Head? Check out this affordable Hilton Head villa by the ocean.
Educational Vacations: Myrtle Beach, SC
Spending time in Myrtle Beach? Myrtle Beach, SC is an excellent educational trip for families since there are tons of ocean-related adventures, an aquarium, historic sites, and more!
Brookgreen Gardens, Myrtle Beach
Huntington Beach State Park
Ripleys Aquarium, Myrtle Beach
Spending time in Myrtle Beach?
KA’s Travel Guide to Myrtle Beach.
North Carolina Educational Vacations: Trips for Families
Outer Banks, NC is full of history, beach critters to explore, and tons of educational opportunities including:
- North Carolina Aquarium at Roanoke Island
- Wright Brothers National Memorial
- Fort Raleigh, site of the lost colony of Roanoke
- Roanoke Island Festival Park, interactive indoor and outdoor exhibits celebrating the first English colony in America
Looking for a place to stay in North Carolina’s Outerbanks? Check out this beach house in Kill Devil Hills. It’s near the beach and has its own pool!
Experience the Outer Banks of
North Carolina! Check out our KA review before your next adventure.
Educational Trips for Families to Tennessee
Titanic Museum, Pigeon Forge, TN
PINK Jeep Tour, Pigeon Forge, TN
Dollywood, Pigeon Forge, TN
Ripley’s Aquarium, Gatlinburg, TN
The Lost Sea, Sweetwater, TN
Chattanooga Zoo, Chattanooga, TN
For more adventure, don’t miss our Chattanooga, TN Guide.
Want to stay in the middle of it all? Here’s a gorgeous townhouse in Downtown Chattanooga.
KA’s Guide to Chattanooga Tennesee, with fun, food, and places to explore!
Washington, DC
A visit to the nation’s capital is one of the top educational vacations you can go on with your family. With monuments, museums, and rich history on every corner, this trip is one for the memory bank.
Mount Vernon
Washington, DC Guide
Florida
The mild weather all year round make Florida a wonderful place to go on an educational trip with your family! If you are interested in space, nature, or marine life, Florida is THE place to go where you can learn and have fun.
St. Augustine Alligator Farm, St. Augustine, FL
Kennedy Space Center, Cape Canaveral, FL
Myakka River State Park, Sarasota, FL
Blue Springs State Park, Orange City, FL
Rockets, space, and more!
Check out our KA review of the Kennedy Space Center
Turn your trip to the Kennedy Space Center into a fabulous beach vacation with a stay at this oceanfront condo that is just a short drive to the space center.
Sea Turtles
Have a budding marine biologist on your hands? Plan a visit to Jekyll Island for a visit to the Georgia Sea Turtle Center. You’ll learn all about sea turtle health and what threatens them in the wild. You’ll even be able to observe the sea turtle hospital.
Or, if the Outerbanks of North Carolina are more to your liking, you can visit the North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island, where you’ll also get to learn about sea turtles and observe a sea turtle rescue hospital, called the STAR Center. The aquarium is also home to many other sea creatures and reptiles.
National Museum of the US Air Force
Totally free, and loads of history to experience and learn.
Discover everything you need to know about the National Museum of the US Air Force plus more things to do in Dayton, Ohio.
Michigan
The Reptarium
Check out this highly interactive reptile zoo in Michigan!
Educational Day Trips from Upstate, SC
There are so many educational adventures that are accessible to those living in the Upstate as day trips. There are some fabulous opportunities in South Carolina, North Carolina, and Georgia. If you’re thinking a day trip might not be enough of an escape, just string a few of these options together and grab a hotel or VRBO for a little vacation not too far from home.
Day Trips to See Dinosaurs! Plan a day trip to one of these fabulous places to see dinos in North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia.
North Carolina Educational Trips for Families: Day Trips
See Elk at the Oconaluftee Visitor Center, Cherokee, NC
Carl Sandburg Home, Flat Rock, NC
Blue Ghost Firefly Tour, Pisgah Forest, NC
Biltmore Estate, Asheville, NC
WNC Nature Center, Asheville, NC
North Carolina Arboretum, Asheville, NC
Holmes Educational State Forest, Hendersonville, NC
Cradle of Forestry, Pisgah Forest, NC
Team ECCO Aquarium and Shark Lab, Hendersonville, NC
KidSenses, Rutherfordton, NC
Winchester Creek Farm, Waynesville, NC
Carolina Raptor Center, Charlotte, NC
Schiele Museum, Gastonia, NC
Ellaberry Llama Farm, Hendersonville, NC
South Carolina Educational Trips for Families: Day Trips
Fish Hatchery in Walhalla, SC
Stumphouse Tunnel, Walhalla, SC
Kings Mountain Battlefield, Kings Mountain, SC
Split Creek Farm, Anderson, SC
Duke World of Energy, Seneca, SC
Anne Springs Close Greenway, Fort Mill, SC
Eden Farms, Marietta, SC
Strawberry Hill, Chesnee, SC
SC Botanical Garden, Clemson, SC
Revolutionary War sites, Camden, SC
Bob Campbell Geology Museum, Clemson, SC
Denver Downs Farm
Pickens, SC Educational Day Trip Ideas, including:
- Soapstone Slave Cemetery, Pickens
- Table Rock Tea Company, Pickens
- Hagood Mill & Petroglyph Center, Pickens
Riverbanks Zoo, Columbia
EdVenture, Columbia
South Carolina State Museum, Columbia
Georgia Educational Trips for Families: Day Trips
Black History Sites, Atlanta, GA
Georgia Aquarium, Atlanta, GA
The Delta Flight Museum, Atlanta, GA
The Atlanta Zoo, Atlanta, GA
Dunwoody Park and Nature Center, Dunwoody, GA
State Botanical Gardens, Athens, GA
Visit Blairsville, GA, learning opportunities include:
- Trackrock Petroglyphs
- Meeks Park and the Appalachian Sculpture Project
What fabulous educational adventures have you discovered while traveling? Let us know in the comments!
Kidding Around’s Guide to Travel:
100+ reviews of the
top destinations for families
Happy Cow is not located in Anderson
Split Creek Farm listed above is, We have Happy Cow correctly listed in Pelzer.