STUDENT TRAVEL FLORIDA
Florida
Educational Tours
& School Trips
Few states pack as many student-trip possibilities as Florida: NASA-grade STEM at Kennedy Space Center, marine biology in the Keys, Spanish colonial history in St. Augustine, and theme parks and world-class performance venues across Orlando. We help teachers, college faculty, music directors, and theatre or dance instructors design custom Florida student tours that fit your group’s curriculum, schedule, and budget.
Florida Educational Tours Made Easy
A school trip to Florida can involve a lot of moving pieces: booking flights, theme park and venue reservations, performance scheduling, ground transportation between attractions, lodging for large groups, and chaperone logistics. Our team handles all of it, drawing on more than 30 years of experience planning student trips, so educators can step on the bus knowing every detail is already taken care of.
Popular Florida Student Travel Destinations
Florida’s top student-trip destinations span the state’s biggest themes: Theme park performances and STEM in Central Florida, cultural and ecological diversity in the south, and Spanish colonial history along the Atlantic coast.
Orlando
Theme Parks, Space Exploration & STEM Learning
Few cities offer as much range for student groups as Orlando: physics and animation workshops at Disney, film and engineering programs at Universal Studios, astronaut training at Kennedy Space Center, and world-class performance stages for school music and dance groups.
Miami
Cultural Heritage, Marine Ecology & Modern Art
Walk through Little Havana, study coral reefs and mangrove ecosystems at Biscayne National Park, tour Vizcaya’s Italian-style estate and gardens, and experience contemporary art at PAMM and Wynwood Walls in a city where Latin American culture, ecology, and the arts intersect.
St. Augustine
Colonial History, Spanish Forts & Early America
Tour Castillo de San Marcos, walk the country’s oldest streets, and trace early American and Spanish colonial history in the nation’s first continuously occupied European-established city. Founded in 1565, St. Augustine predates the Pilgrims’ arrival at Plymouth by more than fifty years.
Orlando & Disney Magic
Walt Disney World© Educational Trips & Performance Tours
Walt Disney World© Resort works for almost any kind of student group: classroom-focused educational visits, large-scale performance tours, or just a fun and adventurous trip together. All three rank among the most popular student travel experiences in the country.
- Disney Class Trips
Through Disney’s Youth Education Series, classroom subjects come to life inside the parks: physics through roller coaster mechanics, animation at Hollywood Studios, animal behavior at Animal Kingdom, and leadership programs built for school groups. A Disney World educational trip ties core curriculum to exciting experiences students remember.
- Disney Performance Tours
Performing at Walt Disney World© Resort is a milestone for many performing arts students. A Disney performing arts program puts bands, choirs, orchestras, and dancers on iconic park stages, with workshops and masterclasses led by Disney cast and working music professionals.
Planning something less formal? We also build custom Disney trips for senior class trips, reward trips, or student groups looking for a memorable travel experience.
Universal Studios Movie Magic
Universal Studios Student Trips & Performance Trips
Universal Studios works for almost any kind of student group: STEAM and film-focused educational programs, live performance tours, or just an exciting and adventurous class trip. All three rank among the most popular student travel experiences for groups visiting Orlando.
- Universal Studios School Trips
Universal’s hands-on workshops bring students inside the world of film, special effects, and STEAM: screenwriting, animation, set design, and engineering concepts pulled directly from the parks’ rides and shows. Universal Studios education programs connect classroom subjects to the studios behind some of the most recognized films in the world.
- Universal Studios Performance Tours
Performing at Universal Studios is a once-in-a-lifetime moment for performing arts students . A Universal Stars performance program puts bands, choirs, orchestras, and dance ensembles on iconic park stages, with workshops and masterclasses led by Universal entertainers and working music professionals.
Some Universal trips are pure adventure, no workshops or stage rehearsals required. We plan those too, for senior class trips, reward groups, and student travelers who just want a memorable few days at the parks.
For the Love of Space
Kennedy Space Center
& NASA School Trips
Florida’s Space Coast is home to NASA’s Kennedy Space Center, one of the most active spaceports in the world and a destination that turns physics, astronomy, and engineering into something students can see, touch, and experience firsthand.
- Hands-On Space Programs at Kennedy Space Center
Student groups can train alongside astronauts, watch live rocket launches, walk beneath the Saturn V, and step inside Space Shuttle Atlantis. A NASA school trip connects classroom STEM directly to the place where America’s space program took flight.
For many students, watching a real rocket launch in person is the moment they remember years after the trip ends. We plan visits around publicly scheduled launches when possible.
FLORIDA & FIELD SCIENCE
Florida STEM
Travel Programs
Beyond Kennedy Space Center, Florida is one of the country’s strongest field-science destinations for student groups. The state’s barrier reefs, mangrove forests, freshwater wetlands, and marine research labs turn classroom chapters on ecology, biology, and conservation into something students can wade through, snorkel over, and document firsthand.
- Marine Biology & Reef Science
Student travel groups can snorkel the only living coral barrier reef in the continental US at John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park, study sea turtles and sharks at the Florida Aquarium in Tampa, and work alongside researchers at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota. Each program connects classroom ecology to real world environments. - Environmental Science in the Everglades
Few places on earth offer a more dramatic ecosystem study than the Everglades. Students take ranger-led airboat tours, walk boardwalks above alligator habitats, and collect water-quality data alongside National Park Service educators. Biscayne National Park adds a coastal counterpoint, with mangroves, seagrass beds, and Florida Bay’s saltwater ecosystem. - STEM programs at the Orlando Science Center
Closer to downtown, the Orlando Science Center anchors STEM trips with four floors of interactive exhibits, live science demonstrations, and observatory programs covering physics, engineering, environmental science, and technology. It pairs naturally with a Kennedy Space Center visit, offering another notable STEM learning opportunity.
Whether students are snorkeling a living reef, sampling water in the Everglades, or testing engineering principles at the Orlando Science Center, our school STEM trips bring science to life across Florida
Sample Florida Student Trip Itineraries
These are Florida student trip itineraries we’ve built for past school groups. Pick one as-is, customize it to fit your curriculum and calendar, or use them as a starting point for a fully custom Florida tour designed around your group.
School Trips to Florida FAQ
When is the best time of year to take a student trip to Florida?
Most school groups travel to Florida in spring (March–May) and fall (September–November), when weather is comfortable and major attractions are less crowded than peak summer. We avoid scheduling trips during the height of hurricane season (mid-August through late October). Custom itineraries can be built around any school calendar.
How long should a Florida educational tour be?
Most Florida student trips run 3–7 days. A 3-day trip typically focuses on a single region, like Orlando-area STEM and theme parks, or South Florida ecology. A 5- to 7-day trip can combine multiple regions, such as Orlando, Kennedy Space Center, and St. Augustine, or Miami, the Everglades, and the Florida Keys. We build itineraries around school calendars and budget.
What grade levels are Florida student trips designed for?
We plan Florida educational tours for middle school, high school, and university student groups. Activities and content depth are customized to grade level. A middle school marine biology trip looks different from a college-level field research program at the same destination. We also accommodate mixed-age groups when needed.
How much does a Florida school trip cost per student?
Florida student trip costs vary based on trip length, group size, lodging level, transportation, and included activities. We don’t publish fixed pricing because every trip is fully custom, but we provide a detailed quote before any booking decisions are made.
What’s included in a Florida educational tour with Educational Travel Adventures?
A standard ETA Florida educational tour includes flights or motorcoach transportation, lodging for students and chaperones, ground transportation between attractions, meals as scheduled in the itinerary, admission to all included activities, and on-site support throughout the trip. We handle theme park reservations, performance bookings, NASA tickets, and any required paperwork.
Is it safe to take students to Florida during hurricane season?
Atlantic hurricane season runs June 1 through November 30, with peak activity from mid-August through late October. We tend to avoid booking major group trips during peak hurricane weeks. Off-peak months (June, early September, and November) are generally safe and affordable, and our team monitors NOAA forecasts continuously, with itinerary adjustments built in if weather threats develop.
What educational subjects does a Florida student trip cover?
Florida supports an unusually broad range of curriculum tie-ins: STEM and engineering at Kennedy Space Center, marine biology and ecology in the Keys and Everglades, U.S. history and Spanish colonial history in St. Augustine, civics and government in Tallahassee, performing arts at Disney and Universal, and earth science across the state’s national parks. Most groups combine two or three subjects in a single trip.
How far in advance should I book a Florida student trip?
We recommend booking Florida student trips 9–12 months in advance, especially for spring travel windows (March–May) when theme park performance slots and hotel block availability fill quickly. Custom planning typically takes 4–6 weeks once we begin, so reaching out 12 or more months ahead of your travel date gives the most flexibility on dates, venues, and pricing. Longer time to trip also makes it easier for families to afford payment installments for the trip and often increases participation rate of students.
What’s the difference between a Florida educational trip and a performance tour?
Educational trips center on curriculum tie-ins like STEM at Kennedy Space Center, ecology in the Everglades, or history in St. Augustine, and are designed for general academic groups. Performance tours are built around live performance opportunities or workshops for school music, choir, dance, and theatre groups, including stages at Disney, Universal, and other Orlando-area venues. Many groups combine elements of both in a single custom itinerary.
Do you plan educational tours to destinations outside of Florida?
Yes. ETA plans educational tours across the United States, educational trips abroad to countries including the United Kingdom, Italy, Costa Rica, Japan, and Hungary, and curriculum-based student tours organized around specific subjects, from history and STEM to performing arts and language immersion.
FLORIDA EDUCATIONAL TOUR EXPERTS
Why Teachers Choose
to Travel with ETA
With more than 30 years planning educational travel, Educational Travel Adventures has helped over 20 thousand educators plan trips for middle school, high school, and university groups. From Kennedy Space Center to multi-city marine biology programs, our team brings the kind of on-the-ground experience that comes from running real Florida itineraries year after year.
- Custom Florida itineraries built around your curriculum, grade level, and group goals
- End-to-end trip planning, including flights, theme park and venue reservations, lodging, ground transportation, and educational programming
- Secure online registration and family payment portal with flexible payment options
- Proven safety and on-site support, including vetted partners, 24/7 assistance, and experienced Tour Managers on the ground in Florida throughout the trip
Planning a Florida school trip involves coordinating a long list of moving parts: NASA tickets, theme park performance slots, regional transportation, and hurricane-season contingencies. Our team handles all of it so educators can focus on the trip itself and the learning experience for their students.
Start Planning Your Student Tour to Florida
From rocket launches at Kennedy Space Center to coral reefs in the Keys and Spanish forts in St. Augustine, Florida turns classroom subjects into experiences students can see, hear, and remember. Our team builds a custom student tour to Florida around your group’s curriculum, schedule, and goals, with every detail handled before you pack your bags.
