5 reasons to visit California on your next creative school trip
Looking for somewhere your students can explore their creativity freely on your next school trip? We’ve got just the thing. With its world-renowned museums and galleries to its bustling music and literary scenes, California has something for every student on an art & design or film & media school trip.
Whether you’re an art teacher looking to inspire your students, or a film studies teacher wanting to engage your class with some hands-on learning, you can count on California to inspire and motivate your group. In this blog, we’ll explore five ways that California delivers on a creative school tour – and why the state should be at the top of your list for your next art or film based school trip.
Take in world-class art at California’s museums & galleries
California is home to some of the world's most renowned museums and galleries, including the Getty Centre in Los Angeles, and San Francisco’s Museum of Modern Art and De Young Museum. These museums offer a wide range of exhibits and programmes across art, design, and photography that are designed to inspire and engage schoolchildren, including hands-on workshops, lectures, and other interactive activities.
Observe the creativity of locals at Los Angeles’ famous beaches
You can find creativity almost everywhere in California. One of the most famous creative hubs in the state is Venice Beach, where all kinds of artists come to showcase their talents and share their unique visions with the world. The iconic beach is home to a vibrant community of painters, musicians, and performers, who bring life and colour to the streets.
Just a little further up the coast, you’ll find Muscle Beach – the birthplace of the physical fitness boom in California. Here, students can watch gymnasts, acrobats and bodybuilders in their element, and gaze in wonder at the athletic performances as they learn about the history of the site.
Uncover the fame and fortune of film in Hollywood
Known as the centre of the entertainment industry, Los Angeles should be at the top of your list if you’re looking to inspire film studies and performing arts groups. Home to many of the world’s most famous actors, directors and writers, the city is a hub for entertainment, therefore featuring several landmarks dedicated to the film and television industry. In Hollywood, we know students particularly enjoy viewing the Hollywood sign and visiting Hollywood Boulevard, where they can seek out their favourite celebrities’ names, footprints, and handprints.
Learn about the Beat Generation and other literary legends in San Francisco
Another important hub of creativity in California is San Francisco, which has a rich history as the birthplace of the Beat Generation – a group of writers and artists who emerged in the 1950s and 1960s to challenge the conventions of mainstream culture. Some of the most famous Beat Generation writers, including Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, came from San Francisco, and their legacy continues to inspire artists and thinkers to this day.
The city is also a hub for literary events and creative writing programmes, creating a widespread appreciation for literature that can be spotted across the city. Whether it’s larger events like the San Francisco Writer's Conference, or smaller pop-ups dotted in libraries and bookstores across the city, San Francisco is ripe with literary creations that will inspire your class’ future wordsmiths.
Wow your students with California’s design & architecture
A hub for design and innovation, California boasts a thriving community of designers and artists who are constantly pushing the boundaries of what is possible. From industrial design and fashion to graphic design and architecture, there are a wide range of design disciplines that students can explore in California.
The state is also home to a wide range of architectural styles and landmarks, from the iconic shapes of the Golden Gate Bridge to San Francisco’s famous picturesque Haight-Ashbury neighbourhood. With such a wide range of styles and genres on offer, schoolchildren who visit California have the opportunity to see first hand how design and architecture can be used to shape and transform the built environment of a city.
Other excursions & sights in California we know your students will love:
San Francisco
- Golden Gate Bridge & Park
- Exploratorium
- Yosemite National Park
- Aquarium of the Bay
- Alcatraz Visit and/or Cruise
- Walt Disney Family Museum
Los Angeles
- Griffith Observatory
- Disneyland California Adventure Park
- Warner Bros Studio Tour
- Santa Monica Pier
- Universal Studios Hollywood
- The Broad
- Dolby Theatre
Enjoy endless excitement with a creative school trip to California
With its vibrant and diverse art, music and literature scenes, California is a no-brainer when it comes to choosing a destination for art & design and film & media school trips. By visiting the incredible landmarks and attractions in San Francisco and Los Angeles, your students will learn about the history of creativity in the state and see first-hand the incredible talents of the artists and performers who call California home.
Regardless of your learning outcomes, California is a destination that will leave a lasting impression on your students and inspire them to think outside the box.
To find out more about our art school trips to California, or enquire about our film, design and media excursions in Los Angeles and San Francisco, please call us on 01273 648248. You can also fill out our webform, and our school trip experts will get back to you as soon as we can.
