Field Trips

Request Your Field Trip by emailing Morgan.bengel@ct.gov
Noting your group name, ideal visit dates, and group size is a great way to start booking your visit.

 

Field trips to Old New-Gate Prison & Copper Mine are a great way to engage with authentic history and natural history, in a one of a kind location. Students will join a museum guide to explore the historic prison ruins (1773) and abandoned copper mine (1707), using critical thinking and varying perspectives to dig deeper into history.

 

Logistics

The Museum will be open for visits starting in May. 

Please email curator Morgan Bengel to inquire/book your visit (morgan.bengel@ct.gov). 

 

Thursdays are reserved for group visits and are therefore the easiest day to book large groups. We can also consider groups Fridays - Mondays. Visits ideally begin at 10:00am or 12:30.

 

Cost: $7 per student, chaperone, and homeschool adult. Paid teachers and school staff are free. Siblings under 3 are free.

 

There is plenty of parking for buses and chaperones. Groups can have a picnic lunch outside in our designated picnic area outside of the museum walls. We cannot accommodate indoor lunch, and groups must talk with staff prior to their visit if they need a place to store their lunch.

 

Thank you for considering Old New-Gate for your field trip.

 

Programs

 

The content of our education programs most closely aligns with the Connecticut Social Studies Standards for grades 5th and 8th. However, we will happily host student groups from any grade, location, or type of schooling. All of our programs offer an inquiry based approach and highlight specifics from New-Gate's history while encouraging critical thought. 

 

Traditional field trips consist of a Mine Tour, Activity, and Self-Guided Exploration with a Scavenger Hunt. We cannot accommodate this traditional field trip experience during our "Light into the Dungeon: Jack O' Lantern Experience" in October, but please reach out if you are still interested in bringing a group. 

 

Sensing History | Mine Tour | 30 min

This guided tour of the copper mine focuses on the experiences the early miners, as well as those who were incarcerated at New-Gate. Through guided questions students will engage with their own five senses to gain a better understanding of the past. 

 

What Little Is Known | Activity | 20 min 
This activity takes place in our newest exhibit space located in the historic guardhouse. Students will have the opportunity to learn more about New-Gate's history through the lens of those who were once incarcerated here.

 

Counting on History | Scavenger Hunt

This activity focuses on the physical landscape and historic context of the site. Through this interactive scavenger hunt, students will be asked to explore their surroundings, utilizing observation and critical analysis to self-guide around the site.

 

Private Tours | High School + | 30 min to 1 hour

If you are interested in bringing your older students to visit Old New-Gate, we are happy to accommodate your group with a specialized private tour. This tour will take students below ground into the copper mine, as well as above into the prison yard. Our trained museum team will be happy to consider requests for specialized topics of interest. We can also offer a 30-minute guided tour of the mine, and allow time above ground to be self-guided.