Field Trips

Thank you for your interest in bringing your school group to Castillo de San Marcos National Monument. The park is in a phased reopening with some services unavailable due to COVID-19. School group reservations, formal programs, and historic weapons remain suspended until further notice. We are open Wednesday-Sunday, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. A maximum capacity of 100 visitors in the historic fort at any time will be in effect. If you choose to visit, you will have to wait in line with the visiting public for entrance into the fort. Our website will continue to be updated with the latest information. Please check back with us at a later date.

If you are looking for a virtual classroom experience, we have a virtual field trip, live distance learning, and other digital resources available. Please visit our Education page.

Our partners are offering external perimeter tours around the fort. Their information can be found below. Thank you.

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The National Park Service does not offer ranger-led school tours of the Castillo. There are two options for visiting the Castillo with an educational group.

Option 1: Hire One of Our Partners

Many local guide services have agreements in place with the National Park Service to offer guided experiences at the Castillo that are curriculum based! Take the stress out of your trip by hiring a tour company to make reservations and coordinate your trip. Call a service from the list below for group rates and packages.

Ancient City Tours 904-827-0807	DMC Ventures 904-347-1164
Educational Tours 352-344-3589	Go West Tours 415-837-0154
See America Tours 407-342-1569	Sonshine Educational 954-346-0900
Spyglass Travel 904-342-2464	St Augustine Historical Tours (Old Town Trolley) 904-829-3800
Tour Saint Augustine 904-825-0087

Option 2: Be Your Own Tour Guide

Visiting teacher-led means your students will tour the fort under your direction, instead of exploring with a licensed tour guide. There is little interaction with park staff and volunteers, so it is your responsibility to prepare accompanying chaperones for the visit, see Teacher-led School Group for more. To visit teacher-led, please contact our Reservation Specialist. When you send your email, please include your requested dates and times.

Additional Important Information

• Limited Reservations
  As a busy historic site, a limited number of reservation slots are available. Reservations will be taken on a first-come, first-served process. Reservations can be made up to 1 year in advance of the planned visit date.

• Group Size
  Each time slot only permits a maximum of 38 people due to the small areas within the Castillo. Larger groups will need to be split into smaller groups and reserve additional time slots.

• Time Limits
  All reservation slots are designed for one hour: 30 minutes exploring the outside and 30 minutes exploring the inside of the fort. This allows the greatest number of students to experience Castillo de San Marcos.

• Fees
  Entrance fees apply to groups visiting the Castillo. Call a commercial guide service for rates and packages. Teacher-led groups may be eligible for an Academic Fee Waiver. To learn if your group qualifies: Apply for an Academic Fee Waiver.