Bring your students onboard for a hands-on experience that connects the past to today through Louisville and Southern Indiana’s defining feature: the Ohio River.
Did you know that Louisville is home to the world’s oldest Mississippi-River style steamboat? There is nowhere else in America where you can see real, working 19th-century steamboat engines that power a boat that dates back to the Steamboat Age. Your students will be exploring everything from engineering, natural resources, and local and national history to transportation and how the environment around us affects everyday life.
Designed with academic curriculum standards in mind and created with the input of local teachers, our new Field Trip program creates the perfect balance of active, deeper learning and classic riverboat fun.
Each Field Trip Date consists of the following:
- An in-depth, student-led dockside investigation of the National Historic Landmark, the Belle of Louisville.
- Opportunities to speak to real experts on the boat’s history and technology.
- A one-hour cruise on the Mary M. Miller, with an optional investigation of our small exhibit on riverboat history and women’s history on the Ohio River.
- No riverboat field trip is complete without a dance party! Students will end their day on a celebratory note with age-appropriate music.
field trip dates 2026
All field trip dates will last from 11:00 AM EST to 1:15 PM EST.
2026 Dates – Spring
Elementary School: April 14, 16, 21, 22, 24
Middle School: April 15 and 23
May 5, 6, 7 (all ages)
2026 Dates – Fall
October 13, 14, 15, 16 (all ages)
2027 Dates – Spring
Elementary School: April 6, 8, 9, 13, 14, 15, 20, 21, 23
Middle School: April 7 and 22
Summer Field Trips
Attention, all summer camps!
Contact us to plan your field trip on our Summer Kids’ Cruises! We will match your organization’s per-student budget.
Investigation Guides and Adventure Passports are available to help students navigate their riverboat experience!
Available on public cruises, Adventure Passports are best suited for Grades K-6 and include games, a coloring page, history and a map of landmarks along the river. These are available for individuals and groups of 15 or fewer.
Investigation guides are available for any group of 40 students or fewer booking a self-guided field trip on our Public Cruises.
Kentucky Educational Television (KET) offers an electronic Belle of Louisville field trip that features a “deep dive” into this historic vessel, in addition to plenty of resources and activities. To access the KET Electronic Field Trip, click the button below.
Click here to reference specific Kentucky and Indiana State Academic Standards that informed the development of our programming.
learn more about the belle!
Frequently Asked Questions
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We have designed our programs for students in grades K-12. However, if you have students outside that age range, contact us and we will be happy to accommodate you!
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We are now offering an Investigation Guide option on any daytime cruise for the field trip rate for groups of 40 students or fewer. Contact us to book your school now!
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Here is a sample schedule for our new field trip programs.
10:30-11:00: Arrival and orientation, receive Investigation guides, board Belle of Louisville for dockside investigation
11:00-11:45: Explore Belle of Louisville (DOCKSIDE)
11:45 – 12:15 Lunch (if scheduled) or board Mary M. Miller for gift shop, concessions and exploration
12:15 – 1:15 Cruise on Mary M. Miller
1:15 Depart
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You are welcome to have lunch on your bus or on the Belvedere. We just ask that you return promptly on time to board the Mary M. Miller. As the Belle of Louisville exploration is dockside, you can explore any time between the 10:30 – 12:00 window, so you can choose to spend some of that time having lunch elsewhere. You can choose to add on a lunch space reservation onboard the Belle for $1.00 per person. Please note that lunch space reservations are final – you cannot add or drop a lunch space reservation after you make your booking.
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Drop off and bus parking is at 401 W. River Road, accessed at the intersection of 4th Street and River Road. Please note that this area is for buses only, no cars will be permitted to park here.
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Like many downtown attractions, visitors must utilize public parking for Belle of Louisville Riverboats. The closest public lot is PARC’s Wharf Lot at 131 W. River Road. The entrance is shared with Joe’s Crab Shack. You will enter the lot, turn left, and drive toward the boats. This is a paid lot. You can find the link to pre-pay online at PARC’s website here.
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Our dates are limited and will sell out. We will remove listed dates from our website as they sell out. We recommend booking as soon as possible, but at least 30 days ahead of time is highly recommended.
Did you have a question we didn’t answer here? Email us here to get connected with our Field Trips Team.