Student Walking Tour Field Trips
Student walking tours are now free of charge for all student groups and a limited number of transportation scholarships are available for eligible schools.
L.A. Conservancy walking tour field trips make the city’s great architecture and cultural heritage accessible for students. Students experience the places that have forged L.A.’s identity, connecting to its past and present as they move throughout its streets and neighborhoods.
Student walking tours are led by Conservancy educators and trained tour guides, and support California’s Common Core State Standards in History and Social Studies. Student walking tours are designed for grades 3-12.
Please email us at education@laconservancy.org to learn more about Student Field Trips.
Limited transportation scholarships are available for student walking tours! Click here to learn how to apply for funds to offset bus costs for your field trip. →
Student Field Trip Options
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Historic Downtown
Student Walking Tour
Request a tourExplore the history, architecture, and stories that shaped Downtown Los Angeles! Students will discover iconic landmarks, including the Los Angeles Central Library, Grand Central Market, the Bradbury Building, and Biddy Mason Memorial Park, while learning about the people and communities that have shaped the city. The tour also includes a ride on the historic Angels Flight funicular.
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NEW: Downtown L.A.’s Chinatown – A Historic Neighborhood
Student Walking Tour
Request a tourStep into the story of one of L.A.’s most resilient communities. This new student walking tour begins at the beautiful and bustling Union Station, where you’ll learn how L.A.’s original Chinatown was displaced to make way for the station’s construction. Then we’ll hop on the Metro for a quick ride to Chinatown Central Plaza, where we’ll explore the neighborhood that emerged in its place — a vibrant mix of history, architecture, public art, and cultural pride. Along the way, we’ll talk about legacy businesses, activism, and how this neighborhood continues to evolve while honoring its past.
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NEW: The Heart of Historic K-Town
Student Walking Tour
Request a tourLos Angeles’s Koreatown is a bustling neighborhood, home to some of the city’s most elegant architecture, layered histories, and current cultural touchstones. This tour will explore the story of Central Wilshire’s development and the creation of Koreatown as both a place and a community. Students will visit historic hotels, shopping plazas, and places of worship, as well as the sites of lost icons like the Ambassador Hotel. Along the way they’ll learn about early Korean immigration to Los Angeles, the 1992 civil unrest, or “Sa-I-Gu” (사이구), and the ways that pop culture is continuing to transform this neighborhood.
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Union Station
Student Walking Tour
Request a tourStep aboard and explore one of Los Angeles’s most iconic landmarks! Students will discover the history, architecture, and stories of Union Station, America’s last great train station built during the golden age of rail travel. With its beautiful waiting rooms, colorful tilework, and fascinating history, this is a true L.A. marvel. This shorter tour is confined to one building, making it a good option for younger students.
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Building Community: Pioneering Black Architects in L.A.
Student Virtual Tour
Request a tourAn interactive exploration of historic places designed by pioneering Black Architects. Through the stories of Norma Merrick Sklarek, Paul R. Williams, Robert Kennard, and many others, students will understand how Black architects shaped Los Angeles and influenced communities through advocacy and design. Available as a virtual tour only.
About Student Field Trips
- Student walking and virtual tours take place on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.
- Tours can be scheduled at 9:00 am, 10:00 am, 11:00 am, or 12 p.m.
- Each tour is 90 minutes to two hours long.
- Tours are designed for students in grades 3-12.
- Tours can accommodate up to 45 students, with the exception of Downtown L.A.’s Chinatown – A Historic Neighborhood and The Heart of Historic K-Town, which can accommodate only 30 students. For larger groups, please contact Chantal Odalys Santoyo, Student and Family Program Coordinator.
- An adult chaperone for every 10 students must accompany each group.
- Please allow four weeks’ notice when registering for a program.
- Student tours are free of charge. To help the Conservancy support its education programs, all schools or groups will receive an invoice with a $10.00 per-student suggested donation prior to or following the tour. Any donation your group is able to contribute helps ensure equitable learning opportunities for all.
Transportation Scholarships
The L.A. Conservancy offers a limited number of scholarships to assist schools with transportation costs for student field trips.
Schools and educators are eligible to apply for up to $1,200.00 in award funds, to be used for bus transportation or public transit. Schools interested in transportation scholarships can apply for them at the same time they register for a student tour, using the Student Walking Tour Request Form. Title 1 schools and schools or groups serving underserved populations will be given priority.
Awards for the 2026/2027 school year will be given on a first-come, first-serve basis. Schools are eligible for up to two awards per school year. Award money is finite; receiving a transportation scholarship is dependent upon available funds.
Schools must request assistance with transportation at least four weeks ahead of their desired field trip and submit an estimate of their transportation costs. They will be notified if they have received an award within one week of their request. If the request is successful, the Conservancy will mail a check to the scholarship recipient to be applied to transportation costs.
Scholarship recipients who cancel their field trip once they have received a transportation scholarship will have up to three months to reschedule their trip. Failure to do so will result in the school owing the Conservancy the amount of their award.
Following the field trip, teachers will be asked to submit informational surveys and photo release waivers from all participating students and accompanying adults, and at least five photos from the field trip.
To submit a request for a Student Walking Tour and/or a transportation scholarship, please fill out this form. If you have additional questions, please contact Student and Family Program Coordinator Chantal Odalys Santoyo.
Interested in bringing the L.A. Conservancy to your school? Depending on your needs, we may be able to provide field sessions for your students in their own backyards. Past examples include:
- East Los Angeles Renaissance Academy — East Los Angeles: A multi-session program exploring cultural heritage, preservation, and community storytelling in East L.A.
- Abraham Lincoln High School — Lincoln Heights: A workshop centered on the history and significance of the school’s historic campus and the neighborhood around it.
- Adventures in Architecture – Westlake/MacArthur Park: A multi-session program introducing middle school students at Heart of Los Angeles (HOLA) to architecturally and culturally significant sites in the historic neighborhood of Westlake/MacArthur Park.
- Discover L.A.’s Broadway – Broadway Historic Theatre District: A program designed for K-12 students attending schools in downtown L.A. Includes an in-class workshop and a field trip to L.A.’s Broadway Historic Theatre and Commercial District.
Contact Us
Please email us at education@laconservancy.org to learn more about Student Walking Tour field trips, transportation scholarships, or residency programs.
Major funding for the Los Angeles Conservancy’s educational programs is provided by the LaFetra Foundation and the Kenneth T. and Eileen L. Norris Foundation.
