At the root of our tours and programs is an emphasis on the story of the Ellwood House, the history of the Ellwood family, their barbed wire business and the exploration of our collective history.

       School groups viewing a special temporary exhibit: Farm Life.

Field Trip Essential Information

School field trips are FREE OF CHARGE.

See School Tours for specialized tours for your class.

The maximum group size we can accommodate is 45 students. If you would like to bring more than 45 students, please book them in two groups in back to back sessions, or in two groups on two separate days.

We appreciate chaperones, but we ask that you limit parent chaperones to 2 adults per visit. This number, of course, does not include teachers and staff.

We prefer to host field trips in the morning and can begin as early as 9:00 AM. School tours are available Tuesday through Friday. The museum is CLOSED on Mondays.

Bagged lunches can be brought with you and eaten on the grounds. The visitor center meeting room may be available as a backup in case of inclement weather. Please contact our office about using the meeting room.

Ellwood House offers programs and tours for grades 2^nd through 5^th.To see more programs click HERE.

Creatures and Creations

Have you heard there are animals in Ellwood House?

If you take your time and look closely you can find dragons, sea creatures, and more carved into wood, painted on canvas, and hidden where you least expect them.

After your hunt we will continue the program in our Visitor Center by discussing some of the artwork and giving you a chance to make your own take home art project!

Cost: $9.00 per child (all ages are welcome - developed for ages 6 and up).

Program length: 90 min.

Advanced registration required by calling 815-756-4609.

This program can be booked as a custom tour for your small group.