Self-guided visit request
Thanks for your interest in a field trip to the Seattle Aquarium!
The request form linked below is for school groups requesting self-guided visits only. Please refer to the group visit request page for all corporate, public and other non-school groups. Homeschools and colleges/universities DO qualify for the self-guided visit rate.
A self-guided visit provides admission to explore the Aquarium at your own pace without any additional scheduled programming. We encourage you to refer to our daily activities schedule to add educational components to your visit.
Registration is currently open for self-guided visits and on-site classes through the end of calendar year 2025. We are not yet booking field trip requests for 2026. Outreach and distance learning programs are on hiatus for this school year and unavailable for booking.
Self-guided visit requests must be made at least two weeks before your desired date. Please click the link below to see our live calendar of availability and registration request form!
Jump to...
Before you book…
We understand that educators undertake a lot of preparation when planning field trips. Here is our suggested checklist of information to have ready BEFORE you view our calendar and submit your visit request:
At least two preferred dates and entry times for your group (in case your first choice isn’t available).
The highest possible student attendance your group may reach (we can adjust your actual attendance later; this helps us plan staffing needs for high-traffic dates).
We require a ratio of one adult for every five students (1:5) for preschool through 8th grade, and one chaperone per 10 students (1:10) for grades 9–12. Groups without sufficient adult supervision may not be admitted, so please plan to confirm a minimum number of chaperones equal to our ratio requirement.
Does your group have any students with special needs or additional accessibility considerations? (The Seattle Aquarium may be able to provide some support; let us know in the “accommodations” section of the form).
Are you the day-of-visit teacher or contact who will be attending this field trip to the Seattle Aquarium? If you’re booking on behalf of someone else, or don’t know for sure whether you’ll be joining, please prepare a secondary contact who WILL be attending the field trip so we can make sure they also receive important details like parking and lunch areas.
- We are NOT able to change self-guided visits to on-site class programs after a self-guided visit has been booked. If you want your students to attend an educational program during their field trip, please fill out the class request form instead.
If you’re interested in applying for our free admission and bus reimbursement scholarships, please read our pricing and scholarship information for details about qualifying criteria.
Preview our Field Trip Code of Conduct and School Group FAQ so you’re aware of details like where buses can unload, where to eat lunch, and behavioral expectations for both students and chaperones.

2025–26 school year availability
Requests for field trips for the remainder of calendar year 2025 are open. For fall field trips, bookings are available Wednesday, Thursday or Friday between 9:30am and 1:30pm. We are not yet booking field trip requests for 2026. If you want to request a field trip after January 1, 2026, please check back later for more information.
Please don’t contact our registration team to ask about your specific field trip date; we receive a high volume of inquiries and don’t have the capacity to respond to individual visit requests. Instead, we request that you refer to our convenient live calendar of availability for when future dates become available.
Pricing & scholarships
Please note: as of January 2025, our self-guided visit rate has increased from $10 per person to $15 per person. This rate is for both students and teachers/chaperones (except for children age 3 and under, who always receive free Aquarium admission). College/university groups and homeschool families also qualify for the school group rate. Scout troops and other non-school groups do not qualify.
Washington state schools with 40% or more free/reduced lunch participants, ESL/ELL students, special education classes and/or ECEAPs can apply for our field trip scholarships. Approved scholarship groups receive paid Aquarium admission, and may also receive a reimbursement (as available) of up to $500 per bus rented to bring your students on their field trip.
Our admission scholarship application and bus reimbursement form will be emailed to the address you provide. A school/office administrator’s signature will also be required to confirm eligibility. This form will arrive via a separate email through DocuSign, a third-party service. It should automatically be sent to your office administrator after you complete and sign your sections.
As available, we will reimburse up to $500 per bus with no cap on the number of buses used (within reason). This form will arrive via a separate email through DocuSign after your visit.

Resources for planning your visit
After booking your program, you will receive more information to help your students prepare for their visit to the Aquarium. Please read all correspondence from registration@seattleaquarium.org carefully, as we try to cover what you need to know about what to expect from your field trip.
Please also review our school group FAQ, which includes information such as location of loading zones, lunch areas and more. On the preparing for your field trip page, we’ve 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.
Additional resources to be used both at the Aquarium and in your own classroom or at home can be found on our teacher resources webpage.
Questions about already scheduled visits can be directed to our Registration office at registration@seattleaquarium.org or (206) 693-6196. Please note that while we continue to experience a high volume of incoming inquiries, it may take at least five business days for you to receive a response to any emails/voicemails. Our office hours are 8am to 5pm Pacific time, Monday–Friday.
Thank you!