By Isabel Prontes
If you are a student between the ages of ten and fifteen in
New York, there are a lot of different day field options for you. Albany is the capital of New York state, and it has a lot of interesting educational attractions, including historical sites, museums, art galleries and cultural centers. The city is home to twelve different museums and cultural centers alone, making it a city very rich in the arts. Though Albany is significantly smaller than the largest city in its state (New York City), it offers a lot of attractive field trip choices for teachers looking to organize educational tours for students.
Irish American Heritage Museum
The Irish American Heritage Museum focuses on promoting the awareness--and maintaining the tradition and culture--of the Irish as well as Irish Americans. It concentrates particularly on the Irish residing in America. The museum's permanent collection includes exhibits like "Corporate Irish" (the Irish in the corporate world), "Great Hunger" (detailing the Irish Potato Famine) and "Dublin '63 Images." There are also many traveling exhibits at the museum.
Irish American Heritage Museum
2267 Route 145
East Durham, NY 12423
Tel: (518) 634-7497
Historic Cherry Hill
The Historic Cherry Hill in Albany is an excellent day field trip options for children and young teenagers. Cherry Hill is steeped in history. Five generations of the Van Rensselaer/Rankin family resided there between the years of 1787 and 1963. The historic site has a massive collection--including 30,000 manuscripts, 3,000 pictures and 20,000 relics and artifacts.
Historic Cherry Hill
523 1/2 South Pearl St.
Albany, NY 12202
Tel: 518-434-4791
Albany Institute of History and Art
The Albany Institute of History and Art has been in existence since 1791, and it is a moderately sized museum that concentrates on promoting interest and awareness in the Upper Hudson Valley and Albany regions. The museum houses an extremely diverse array of over 20,000 artworks that are relevant to the locale. Some of the museum's notable exhibits include the Abraham Lincoln collection and a Hudson River panorama display.
Albany Institute of History and Art
125 Washington Ave
Albany, NY 12210
Tel: (518) 463-4478
USS Slater DE-766
The USS Slater DE-766 (Destroyer Escort Historical Museum) is a genuine naval ship from World War II that has been dutifully restored and renovated. Comparable to being a time capsule back to the 1940s, there are guided tours of the USS Slater DE-766 that get into detail regarding the living conditions, technologies and hardships that sailors of that era had to endure.
USS Slater DE-766
141 Broadway
Albany, NY 12202
Tel: (518) 431-1943
Albany Heritage Area Visitors Center
The Albany Heritage Area Visitors Center is another good day field trip site. This visitors center is ideal for informing tourists about the Albany area and its traditions and heritage. There is a historic gallery, detailed information center and planetarium within the Albany Heritage Area Visitors Center. There are both permanent and temporary exhibits going as well. There are guided group tour options available (ideal for field trips).
Albany Heritage Area Visitors Center
25 Quackenbush Square
Albany, NY 12207
Tel: (518) 434-0405
About the Author:
Isabel Prontes is a freelance writer and traveler residing in Manhattan, NY. She has traveled to five continents and counting. Her work has appeared on a number of websites, such as Travels, eHow.com and "Happy Living Magazine." Prontes has a professional background in public relations; she received a bachelor's degree in communication studies from Pace University.
