All kinds! School groups, youth groups, homeschool groups, scout troops, and many more are welcome to book field trips to San Diego Botanic Garden!

Please visit our online form to request a field trip and connect with our Education Department. Within 7-10 business days, you’ll receive a follow-up email from our Education Coordinator with more information about your requested date(s) and next steps to secure your booking.

Connect with us via email education@sdbgarden.org or phone (760) 436-3036, ext. 209. We appreciate your patience, as we shift our working hours during the week to accommodate events and programming. To schedule an informational phone call with our Education Coordinator, please make an appointment here.

We offer both Self-Guided Explorations or Facilitated Tours. Self-Guided Explorations are available year-round, every weekday except for Tuesday. Facilitated Tours are available February-July, Wednesday-Friday. Please note that the Garden is closed to the public on Tuesdays.

For both Self-Guided Explorations and Facilitated Tours, arrival times are 9:30 and 10:00am. Facilitated Tours will take place from 9:45am to 10:45am, and 11am to 12pm.

Afternoon tours and alternate time slots available upon request. Once the Education team has determined your group’s tour date, we will work with you to determine the tour schedule.

Self-Guided Explorations allow groups to explore the Garden with their teacher/leader and other adult chaperones. Students/youth are welcome to join any open activities taking place at the time of their tour, such as SAPLinGS and Botanic Exploration Stations (Wednesday-Friday). SDGB also offers Self-Guided Exploration resources as a part of your visit!

Facilitated tours are led by the Garden’s staff educators and helpful volunteers. We are passionate about sharing our knowledge and engaging learners of all ages with the plant world!

Please note that Facilitated Tours must be scheduled and confirmed a minimum of 30 days in advance. Self-Guided Explorations must be scheduled and confirmed a minimum of 15 days in advance.

Yes! Our pricing for pre-scheduled groups is listed below. Please note that groups must have a minimum of 12 students. The Garden can host a maximum of 200 students for Self-Guided Exploration and 60 students per day for Facilitated Tours. If you have a smaller/larger group, please feel free to reach out as we may be able to accommodate your request, capacity permitting.

Discounted Admission:

Youth: $9

Teachers/Group Leaders/1:1 aides: Admitted free

Adult chaperones: $9 (Limit of one per four students at discounted rate)

Additional adult: $17

Seniors: $11 through December 31, 2024; $14 starting January 1, 2025 

Additional program fees:

Self-Guided Exploration: No additional fee; discounted admission only.

Facilitated Tour, with SDBG Educators: Additional flat fee for each Tour. 12-30 youths: $40; 31-60 youths: $35

Within 7-10 business days, you will receive an email from education@sdbgarden.org with the status of your request. If your desired date is available, you will be prompted to officially confirm. If your desired date is not available, you will receive an additional follow-up to determine the best available date for your visit, before continuing with confirmation. Once your date is officially confirmed, our Education Coordinator will initiate the payment process.

Payment is due two calendar weeks prior to your tour date. Groups are welcome to complete payment at any time between the issue of your invoice and the due date. After officially confirming your field trip date, instructions to complete payment will be provided via email and you will be prompted to choose your preferred payment method:

• Credit card payments can be made to the Education Department by phone at (760) 436-3036, Ext. 209 from Tuesday through Saturday. Credit card payments generate an immediate receipt that we can provide via email during our phone call. Your instructional email will provide you to schedule your payment appointment here.
• Checks can be made payable to San Diego Botanic Garden and sent via the PO box that will be printed on the invoice (see below). Please be sure to list your invoice number and “SDBG Field Trip” in the check memo. You will be prompted to notify the Education Dept. of the submission of your check via email.  San Diego Botanic Garden P.O. Box 230005 Encinitas, CA 92023-0005

If you need to cancel at any time before your tour date, please contact a member of the Education team at education@sdbgarden.org. We are always happy to adjust your invoice or reschedule your visit if possible! Please note that while we do offer refunds, a cancellation or request to reschedule within one week or less of your visit date will result in a processing fee. Please cancel or request to reschedule more than one week prior to your visit to receive a full refund and/or avoid additional fees.

In the case of rain and/or inclement weather, we are committed to working with you to alter your tour itinerary, reschedule a tour, or provide the best possible accommodation should cancellation become necessary. We do our best to heed nature’s calls, and we encourage you to reach out with any weather concerns as soon as possible.

While we do not reserve spaces, there are many outdoor seating areas available to visitors throughout the Garden! Groups are welcome to gather and eat in the Amphitheatre space just behind the Conservatory, and other areas such as the picnic tables by our Seeds of Wonder Garden, and a seating area behind the Cork Oak Café. You can also find many shaded benches in and around each of our beautiful gardens. Please remember to pick up after yourselves, use the trash cans that are provided around the Garden, and kindly do not feed any of the resident animals.

Please reach out to education@sdbgarden.org for more information about what resources and accommodations we are able to offer at this time. We are committed to learning and growing with each of our students, and we may be able to adapt tour activities to your needs with advanced notice.

We are able to adapt our tours somewhat to meet different needs! If you're interested in a tour outside of your grade level, we advise selecting a lower grade level rather than one above. If you are a group with multiple ages/grade-levels and/or are unsure about which tour might be best for you, we highly recommend our General Garden Exploration (available for all ages and grade levels).