School group FAQ
Registration is now open for fall self-guided visits and on-site classes! Self-guided visits can be booked for Wednesdays through Fridays, September 24–December 30, 2025. On-site classes can be booked for Tuesdays through Thursdays, November 4–December 11, 2025.
Outreach and distance learning programs are on hiatus for this school year. We appreciate your understanding!
Jump to an FAQ section
Before your visit
These are questions that are applicable for all field trips to Seattle Aquarium, whether you are participating in an additional educational program or attending a self-guided tour.
How many chaperones do I need?
Chaperones are an important part of every successful Aquarium visit. The Aquarium requires a minimum of one adult for every five students (1:5) for preschool through eighth grade, and one chaperone per 10 students (1:10) for grades 9–12.
Please be mindful of the Aquarium’s capacity constraints by limiting your chaperone attendees to no more than one for every two students (1:2). If your group includes students with 1:1 paraeducators/aides, they will not count toward this maximum.
Please fill out our chaperone sheet and send it to chaperones prior to your visit.
Do I have to purchase entry to the new Ocean Pavilion separately?
Nope! Entry to the Ocean Pavilion is included with all Aquarium admission at no additional cost. You can learn more about what to expect from our expanded campus on our Ocean Pavilion webpage.
IMPORTANT: Regardless of group size or which building you plan to enter first, all school groups MUST check in at the Pier 59 Guest Services desk! The Ocean Pavilion Guest Services team cannot process check-ins for school groups. If your group plans to enter Ocean Pavilion first, PLEASE have a lead contact check your group in at Pier 59 before entering the Ocean Pavilion.
What happens after we submit our registration request?
You will receive an email copy of the information you submitted to Registration. This message is not a confirmation of your reservation and does not guarantee your entry time. We will respond at our earliest opportunity.
If we have no additional questions, you will receive a notice that your request has been accepted and (in a separate message) your order confirmation. Please save this order confirmation (subject line “Order summary for Seattle Aquarium”) as you will need it to check in on the day of your group’s visit.
If your request is not available or we have additional questions, Registration may contact you via the email or phone number you submitted. There is still the possibility that your visit request may be rejected if your original date/time aren’t available. If this happens, you will need to submit a new request form for a different day/time.
How long should we plan to be at the Seattle Aquarium for our field trip?
The amount of time it takes to see our entire campus can vary based on factors including age of your students, if you eat lunch while you’re here and whether you attend any daily activities. To see all habitats (without stopping to eat) is an estimated minimum of 1.5–2 hours.
Remember that once you enter, you’re welcome to stay as long as you can! We do not impose a time limit on how long groups spend at the Aquarium.
What can I do to prepare my students?
Please review our Field Trip Code of Conduct with your students a week or two before your Aquarium visit so they understand behavior expectations during the field trip. On the Preparing for Your Field Trip page, we have included a video and social story that will help teachers prepare students for a visit to the Aquarium. This may be especially helpful for students with sensory needs.
What can I do to prepare my chaperones?
We have created a helpful chaperone information sheet for you to fill out and provide to parents/guardians joining as chaperones. Because chaperones are responsible for modeling good field trip behavior to the students in their care, it includes the same Field Trip Code of Conduct. It also provides a place to write down important information such as what time groups should eat lunch, what time the group will depart the Aquarium and the names of the kids in their group.
What kind of payments are accepted?
For self-guided visits, payment is due on or before the date of your visit. Your numbers will be adjusted so you will only pay for the students and chaperones present. You can pay with check, cash, credit card or a purchase order from your school/facility.
On-site classes have a different payment policy. Please see the On-site classes section below for more information.
Some of the attendees on our field trip have Aquarium memberships. Can they use this for their admission instead of paying the school group rate?
No. Passes, discounted tickets or coupons, and Seattle Aquarium memberships are not valid for school group admission fees. To receive the group rate, you must make one payment for the entire group; multiple payments are not accepted when receiving the group rate.
Arriving at the Aquarium (directions/parking)
Where is the bus parking?
As of March 27, 2025, there is a new loading zone in front of the Seattle Aquarium on Alaskan Way! It’s located on the southbound side of Elliott Way/Alaskan Way, just after Elliott Way turns into Alaskan Way, and a bit south of the Pike Street traffic light.
After unloading, send the lead teacher/contact to the main doors of Pier 59 to check in with a Guest Services representative. Please be prepared to provide current head counts when you arrive.
The new loading zone is NOT for parking. Parking here will block access for other school buses as well as our accessible drop-off. We recommend the following options for parking a school bus:
- After dropping off your group, head back north on Alaskan Way to the cruise ship tour bus parking at the Pier 66/Bell Street Marina.
- Limited four-hour metered parking is available on Alaskan Way; visit the City of Seattle’s paid parking rates page for current pricing.
- If these options don’t work, try heading south on Alaskan Way toward the stadiums.
If you need directions, please visit our directions and parking page or call (206) 386-4300.
What if our chaperones are meeting us at the Aquarium in their own vehicle?
If arriving in smaller passenger vehicles, you may park at the Pike Place Market Parking Garage (entrances: 1531 Western Ave. or 1901 Western Ave., Seattle, WA 98101). You can also use an interactive Seattle parking map from SDOT. If you have questions, please visit the directions and parking page to learn more.
What if my group is traveling to the Aquarium in separate vehicles?
Due to limited space inside our lobbies, groups arriving for a field trip under the same organization for a single date and time must either wait outside for their entire group to arrive before entering the Aquarium or be willing to enter as they arrive in smaller subgroups. We do not have the space to allow some members of an organization to gather inside the front doors while they wait for the rest of their party to join. If you are wondering if this applies to you, this is most often the case with homeschool collectives/resource groups, preschools, daycares and some private or online schools.
We understand that inclement weather can make it difficult to wait outside for your entire group. In this case, please consider allowing your group to enter in smaller subgroups as they gather. If you choose to do this, a lead teacher/contact from your school/organization will still need to provide final attendance and payment (if applicable) to our Guest Services desk in Pier 59. If you would prefer to tour the Aquarium as one large group, you can plan to meet somewhere else along the waterfront or in Pike Place Market before walking to the Aquarium together.
Please look for a post-visit survey in your email after your field trip as an opportunity to provide feedback on this new policy. Thanks for your patience and understanding during this exciting transitional year for the Seattle Aquarium!
Where do we enter the Aquarium?
Upon arrival, school groups will be met by Aquarium staff in the plaza between Pier 59 and the Ocean Pavilion. Please be on the lookout for staff wearing a blue Seattle Aquarium uniform and meet by the “School Group Waiting Area” A-frame sign. If your total group is larger than 50 people, please be prepared to split into smaller sub-groups to be admitted through separate entrances.
On-site classes arriving less than an hour before their program start time MUST enter Pier 59 first to ensure a timely start. Schools on self-guided visits or attending a later class will be guided by staff toward whichever part of the Aquarium currently has the greater capacity for groups. Our campus has limited space in each building, so we are unable to assign entrances in advance. We appreciate your patience and flexibility!
What does the teacher need to bring on the day of the visit?
- Please bring the confirmation letter emailed to you by registration@seattleaquarium.org (subject line “Order summary for Seattle Aquarium”). Printed or electronic are both acceptable. You will need to present the nine-digit order number in that message to Guest Services to check in.
- If the contact who booked the field trip will NOT be attending the visit along with their group, please include a secondary contact in your registration form so we can make sure they receive the same information.
- If you have not already made payment prior to your group’s arrival at the Aquarium, this is required before entry can be permitted. Please see above for details about acceptable methods of payment. Scholarship groups are not required to present a copy of their application form at check-in; we keep these records updated internally.
During your visit
What are our lunch options?
Consumption of outside food is permitted in two locations on the Aquarium campus: outside on the back deck of Pier 59 or inside Pier 59 along the mural wall of our Life on the Edge tide pool habitat. We request that groups sitting on the floor please keep as close to the wall as possible so other guests can safely move about.
Group snacks/lunches in any other habitats are strictly forbidden. This includes, but is not limited to: Window on Washington Waters, Crashing Waves, Harbor Seals or anywhere in the Ocean Pavilion. Groups may only eat inside the Aquarium café if they purchase food from there.
The newly renovated Waterfront Park has many locations groups can walk to for lunches if desired. These include Pier 58 (next pier south of the Aquarium), Pier 62 (next pier north of the Aquarium) and the Overlook Walk (on the roof of our new Ocean Pavilion expansion). Please note these are all outside locations and may not be accessible seasonally.
Where can we store our lunches?
We have limited space to store group lunches. Please make sure your lunches are collected together in a box, tote, wagon or other container labeled with your school’s name, so they don’t get mixed up with other schools’ belongings.
To access the lunch storage area, please ask a staff member during arrival and they can show you/members of your group where to go.
We want more of an educational experience than a self-guided tour but can’t register for a class. Do you offer any additional experiences?
Our wonderful Visitor Engagement team offers presentations in different habitats throughout the day and always include time for guests to ask questions. All visitors are welcome to attend these talks and feedings. The schedule is available on our website’s Daily Activities page.
Can school groups participate in the Pier 59 virtual reality experience?
Individual chaperone groups may buy tickets for the VR experience at their discretion, but teacher approval and direct supervision are required for school groups to participate. Tickets are available for purchase on-site day-of for $9 each. VR can accommodate eight riders (ages 6 and up) every 15 minutes. More information about what videos are currently available can be found on our Daily Activities page.
Are school groups allowed in the gift shops?
This is at the discretion of your school/lead contact. We ask that all youth groups have adult supervision while shopping in the gift shops and only visit if they are planning to make a purchase.
Are school groups allowed in the Caring Cove play area in Pier 59?
Groups are not allowed in Caring Cove. This play area is for general admission families with our youngest guests under the age of 5. You are welcome to visit Caring Cove at a later date when not visiting with a school or youth group.
Accessibility and scholarships
Who can we contact if we have questions about accessibility?
We want to provide all visitors to the Seattle Aquarium with the best experience possible. Please visit our accessibility page for general Aquarium access information. We may be able to provide some additional accommodations upon request. Contact our Registration team at (206) 693-6196 or email registration@seattleaquarium.org (Monday–Friday, 8am–5pm Pacific) to learn more. Please allow at least a week for our response.
What kind of additional accommodations are you able to provide?
Examples of accommodations we have supported in the past include private/quiet spaces, multilingual support, sensory considerations, etc. There is a place in the field trip registration request forms to note any accessibility requests you may have. If you have additional questions, contact Registration at (206) 693-6196 or email registration@seattleaquarium.org (Monday–Friday, 8am–5pm Pacific).
We will make all efforts to meet your group’s needs based on the information provided but may not have the resources for every request. Our Registration team will be in touch if you ask for something we are unable to provide.
Do you offer scholarship opportunities?
Yes! Washington state schools with 40% or more free/reduced lunch participants, ESL/ELL students, special-needs classes and/or ECEAPs may apply for scholarships. If you’re not sure whether your group qualifies or not, apply anyway! The Registration team will contact you if we have questions about your qualifications.
Our two scholarships are: free admission for your entire group (including parent/guardian chaperones) and bus reimbursement up to $500 per bus rented to bring your group to the Aquarium. Please be aware that transportation reimbursement is a separate scholarship award from free admission, distributed on a more limited basis and not guaranteed.
How does the transportation stipend/bus reimbursement scholarship work?
The Seattle Aquarium cannot pay for field trip transportation up front; your school or district must arrange transportation for your group’s visit on your own. However, after the field trip is over, we may be able to provide a limited amount of funding for qualifying schools to reimburse their original source of transportation funding. The award is up to $500 per bus rented, with no limit on the number of buses (within reason, based on the number of field trip attendees).
Our bus reimbursement scholarship is a separate application form from the free admission application but uses the same qualifying criteria. There is a section of the registration request form where you can indicate that you’d like to apply for bus reimbursement. The bus reimbursement application will be sent to you via email after you have submitted the registration request form.
For the 2025–26 school year, bus reimbursement funding is limited. Reimbursements for the rest of 2025 will be granted on a first-come, first-served basis. This may mean that schools who were awarded bus reimbursement in past years won’t receive it again this year, or even that different groups from the same school may not all receive this award. We will share more details about the 2026 availability of this scholarship soon.
Even if you aren’t approved for bus reimbursement, you should still apply for free admission. There is no limit on free-admission scholarships. All qualifying schools who request free admission to their Aquarium field trip will receive it.
How do we apply for scholarships?
Scholarship applications are requested as part of the field trip registration form. As such, there is no way to pre-apply or pre-qualify. Even if one grade from your school has already been approved for a scholarship this year, other groups from the same school who visit on a different date will still have to complete their own application form. There is a section in the registration request form for any type of field trip where you can indicate that you’d like to apply.
Our applications are sent via the third-party service DocuSign and require two separate signers with two separate email addresses. As such, we will request the name and email address of an administrator from your school/district who can be your cosigner. This can be a principal, secretary, treasurer or other office administrator—whoever can best verify your qualifications and potentially provide cost-supporting documentation for your transportation.
Please reach out to Registration (registration@seattleaquarium.org or (206) 693-6196) if you have not received a DocuSign email about your free admission scholarship within 24 hours of getting your confirmation email. The admission scholarship form should be completed and returned at least one week prior to your visit.
Our group includes students who are supported by 1:1 aides/paraeducators. Do the aides still have to buy a ticket?
No. Aides required and accompanied by persons with disabilities can enter the Aquarium free of charge even if the rest of the group doesn’t qualify for a scholarship. Please let the Registration team know in your registration request form how many 1:1 aides you are requesting comp tickets for.
Can homeschool groups apply for field trip scholarships?
No. Individual homeschool families do not qualify for scholarships, but they may benefit from other discounts. See our Hours, Discounts and Groups page for information about discounts for foster/kinship families and recipients of EBT/WIC and ProviderOne services.
On-site classes
If you are attending an on-site class as part of your Aquarium field trip, please review the Before/Arrival/During your visit sections in addition to the information about on-site classes.
If you are only attending a self-guided visit, you can disregard this section. The information here is only relevant to groups who are participating in additional programming during their visit.
How do I schedule a school group program?
This fall, classes will be available 10am to 12:30pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, from November 5 to December 12, 2025. We do not yet have any information about program registration for the 2026 calendar year; please keep an eye on our website for more information.
Classes are approximately 60 minutes (except for preschool classes, which are 30 minutes). All available class times are listed in Pacific Time. Please read our classroom program descriptions prior to submitting a request through our on-site class registration form.
When completing your on-site class registration request, please note that program start times are separate from entry times. You should plan to arrive at the Aquarium no later than 15 minutes before your program start time.
What is the capacity per class?
We require a minimum of 10 students per class and have space for a maximum of 32. If your group has more than 10 chaperones, the remainder will be asked to wait outside as there is limited space within the classrooms.
If you want to schedule more than one class program on a given day, you will need to request each program separately by filling out a day/time request for each timeslot. For fall 2025 classes, we can only teach one program at a time with a maximum of two programs total per day (meaning potentially up to 64 students total can attend classes on one day, with only 32 per timeslot).
Can I book an on-site class for my homeschool group?
No: On-site classes are not available for homeschool groups. Homeschools are still welcome to book self-guided visits and will receive the school group rate of $15 per person. (Visitors under 4 years old enter the Aquarium for free.) We also offer programming specially tailored for homeschool groups on our annual Homeschool Days.
Announcements of future Homeschool Day events will be posted to this webpage as soon as we have them. If there is nothing shared here, then no events are currently scheduled. Please do not contact Registration to inquire when there will be future events. The volume of incoming messages is too high to respond to individual event requests.
How long should we plan to be at the Seattle Aquarium for our class and field trip?
Classes are approximately one hour long (except Pre-K classes, which are 30 minutes). We ask that you arrive at the Aquarium at least 15 minutes prior to your class start time. Admission is included with your class, so your group is welcome to explore the habitats before and/or afterward, as long as the time falls within our operating hours.
What is the teacher’s role during the on-site class program?
The Aquarium instructors will provide the content and facilitate all activities, but behavior management is the responsibility of the teacher. Please note: At least one teacher from your school/group must be present for the duration of each classroom program.They will count toward the 10-adult per room maximum.
When is payment due for class programs?
Please note that the payment policy is different for on-site classes than self-guided visits. Payment for your class must be made no later than two weeks (14 days) before the scheduled field trip date. Failure to make a payment within this timeframe may result in the cancellation of your program, as we need two weeks to ensure both staff availability and program materials.
You can pay with check, credit card or a purchase order from your school/facility. Contact Registration at registration@seattleaquarium.org or 206-693-6196 (Monday–Friday, 8am–5pm Pacific) to make your payment arrangements (credit card information can only be accepted over the phone).
What is your late arrival policy for on-site classes?
The schedule is designed to ensure everyone’s experience is as pleasant as possible and minimize overcrowding. Classes are expected to arrive at their designated entry time. Late arrivals may not be accommodated due to the tight scheduling of groups. Teachers are expected to account for travel when selecting their entry time and are responsible for relaying exact arrival details to their bus drivers. Therefore, please try to arrive at the Aquarium at least 15 minutes before your scheduled class time so that you can check in and receive instructions for your visit. Contact us at (206) 693-6196 if you foresee arriving late and we will do our best to accommodate you.
What should we expect during an on-site class?
Your Aquarium instructor will meet your group 5 minutes before your scheduled on-site class at the green staircase next to the elevator inside the Group Entrance of Pier 59. Please have your group use the restrooms before class so they will not miss any of the experience. Once your group is ready, your Aquarium instructor will go over expectations and guide your group to the classrooms upstairs.
During the class, students will have the opportunity to ask questions in addition to learning through guided activities and lessons. If your class includes meeting live animals, your students will be shown how to respectfully interact with them. Once your on-site class is done, your group will be guided back to the Aquarium floor where you can explore more habitats, eat your lunch or prepare for your departure.
We have more than 10 chaperones in our group. Where should they wait during the program?
Our Pier 59 Aquarium Café is at the opposite end of the hall from our classroom and administration area and can be a good place for chaperones to take a break while their students are in class. They are also welcome to visit the Gift Shop or do a little exploring on their own as long as they’re wearing the Aquarium chaperone sticker we gave them at check-in.
Miscellaneous/other
Should we keep shoes on to play on the projection floor in One Ocean Hall (Ocean Pavilion)?
Yes, we ask even small children to please keep shoes on at all times while on the Seattle Aquarium campus.
Who owns/operates the new playground next to (south of) the Seattle Aquarium?
Pier 58 does not belong to the Seattle Aquarium and is not part of our campus. It is owned by the City of Seattle and is maintained by Seattle Center. Programming at Pier 58 is coordinated by Friends of Waterfront Park Seattle, sometimes in partnership with the Seattle Aquarium.
We are not able to visit the Seattle Aquarium for a field trip but would still like to participate in your educational programming. Can we request a distance learning or outreach class instead?
No, we are not offering distance learning or outreach programming for the 2025–26 school year. We apologize for any inconvenience.
Our website is full of information you can use in your own classroom or at home, much of which can be found on our Teacher Resources page. You can learn more about field programming by visiting our Public Programs page, or check out our YouTube channel for hours of marine science and conservation content!
Other general questions about the Seattle Aquarium are addressed on our main FAQ page.
