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Tours
Photo: Tom Yi
Group Tours
This tour introduces the permanent galleries at the Museum of the American West. Docents use hands-on carts and teaching replicas to explore western lands, cowboys, popular culture, changes and transformations of the West after the Civil War, and the diverse communities of people that shaped the American West in the late 19th century.
Please click here for group rates and to book group visit reservations.
Autry Audio Guides
NEW! Autry Audio Guides 
Museum of the American West
Southwest Museum of the American Indian
Free to Autry National Center Members
$3 for non-members
The Autry National Center is offering adults and children a whole new way to explore our galleries with audio tours. Visitors can choose the artifacts or works of art you want to learn more about and hear brief presentations, with quotes, music and sound effects to inspire a closer look. Families will find specially created scripts to help them talk about what they see, think about key moments in time and learn about the history of the American West.
Photo: Tony Bailey.
Have a portable MP3 player? Download the Autry audio tours here as podcasts:
Welcome!
The Autry National Center of the American West offers fun, engaging, one-of-a-kind experiences for schoolchildren of all ages. Our unique, interactive environment invites students to experience the art, history, and cultures of the American West. In doing so, we hope to broaden horizons and challenge perceptions of what it means to be a Westerner. No other place welcomes so many traditions, ideas, cultures, and people as the Autry.
We are committed to helping teachers meet their professional goals through prepared lesson plans linked to curriculum standards, free bus transportation for Title I schools, gallery activity guides and much more. Read on to discover the possibilities.
“Thank you for providing
our students the opportunity to visit your museum. The guides
were wonderful. Their knowledge provided the students a
better understanding of the exhibits.”
- Teacher, Park School
Students enjoy Trails West at the Museum of the American West in Griffith Park.
Each year, more than 40,000 school children from throughout Southern California take guided tours at the Museum of the American West in Griffith Park. Museum tours are designed to meet the needs of classroom teachers by addressing local, state, and national history and social studies standards and frameworks. Each tour is age-appropriate and relevant to classroom curriculum.
Students visit display featuring a restored 1912 International Harvester farm truck.
Tour Reservations:
- Beginning June 16, 2009, reservations will be taken for September 22, 2009 through January 31, 2010
- Beginning November 10, 2009, reservations will be taken for February, March and April, 2010
- Beginning February 9, 2010, reservations will be taken for May and June, 2010
Call 323.667.2000, ext 336, for more information and to book one of our school tour programs.
Join us for an interactive, conversational visit to the permanent galleries of the Museum of the American West. Led by our expert Museum Docents, your students will have the chance to visit some of the Museum’s signature displays, including our restored Concord Coach and our early 1900’s farm truck, while learning about major trends in the history of the American West.
| Grades: |
3-12 |
| Times: |
Tuesday through Friday
10:00 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. |
| Maximum: |
150 students per hour |
| Cost: |
$1 per student |
”Please Touch!“ Students in the Family Discovery Gallery experience some hands-on history. Photo: Tom Yi.
In this hands-on environment, your students will learn about the inspiring See Family, who overcame many obstacles to raise a family in early 20th century Los Angeles. After learning the story of the See family, students will be encouraged to investigate how they lived by visiting a mock-up of their 1930’s era house, a replica of the See family antique store, as well as the Dragon’s Den, the Chinese restaurant the family made famous in the 1930’s and 1940’s. Click here  to download the pre-visit lesson plan. Want to see the program in action? Click here  to view a short video clip.
| Grades: |
K-6 |
| Times: |
Tuesday through Friday;
10:00 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. |
| Maximum: |
30 students per hour |
| Cost: |
$1 per student |
“I had never been to a museum where they let us learn and play.”
- Student, Grade 4
Euclid Avenue School
In this hands-on experience, led by our trained Museum Docents, your young students will investigate replica objects and role-play to discover the history of Western communities, Plains Indians, and cowboys and cowgirls.
| Grades: |
K-2 |
| Times: |
First and third Wednesday and Thursday
of each month
October through May only
10:00 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. |
| Maximum: |
20 students per hour |
| Cost: |
$1 per student |
A young ”49er“ pans for gold at the Museum of the American West. Photo: Tony Bailey.
In this highly popular and dynamic program, Museum Teachers share the history of hysteria that grew up around discovery of gold at Sutter’s’ Mill, and the resulting flood of immigration to California. Then, it’s off to the gold mines, where students learn the techniques that actual ‘49ers’ used to pan for gold in streams, and visit a replica general store stocked with provisions they would need to purchase. The outdoor portion of this program is weather dependent. Click here to download the pre-visit lesson plan. Want to see the program in action? Click here  to view a short video clip.
| Grades: |
2-8 |
| Times: |
Tuesday through Friday;
10:00 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. |
| Maximum: |
30 students per hour |
| Cost: |
$1 per student |
“Thank you for teaching us a lot about the Gold Rush. It was really interesting to learn how to pan gold! It was really fun to pretend like we were forty-niners.”
- Student, Grade 4
Palisades Charter Elementary
Life in the West, Plains Indians
In this interactive program highlighting the original peoples of the Plains and how their lives were shaped by following their food source, Museum Teachers will make use of our extensive hands-on replica collection, as well as the Plains Indians displays from our permanent galleries.
Starting in February 2009, we will offer an expanded version of this program.
| Grades: |
3-6 |
| Times: |
Tuesday through Friday;
10:00 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. |
| Maximum: |
30 students per hour |
| Cost: |
$1 per student |
Life in the West, Cowboys and Ranchers
We’ve all heard of cowboys, but what did they actually do? In this highly entertaining program, a Museum Teacher will introduce your class to some of the practical, everyday responsibilities of the cowboy, then round them up ‘to head out on the range’ to visit displays in our permanent galleries, as well as share hands-on replicas used by the cowboys of yesterday and today.
| Grades: |
K-2 |
| Times: |
Tuesday through Friday;
10:00 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. |
| Maximum: |
30 students per hour |
| Cost: |
$1 per student |
Museum teacher shares the gold panning display with a student group.
NEW! Go West! The Westward Expansion Tour
In this program, your students will be inspired to imagine themselves in the time of Westward Expansion, using replica objects from the Education collection, along with some of the noteworthy depictions of the American West by artists and newspaper reporters at that time. In addition, they will explore why so many people from the eastern United States and from countries around the world decided to re-locate to the west during this pivotal period in American history. Through close observation of hands-on discovery items, your students will learn how and why these people from around the world made their new homes in the American West.
| Grades: |
2-12 |
| Times: |
Tuesday through Friday;
10:00 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. |
| Maximum: |
30 students per hour |
| Cost: |
$1 per student |
Museum teacher and students investigate a 19th century chuck wagon.
“I really liked when we saw what people used to wear. I also liked when we saw the real buffalo. I enjoyed going to the museum. Our family is looking forward to going to your museum.”
- Angie, student
All guided tours are 55 minutes long, unless otherwise stated
Windows on the West: People of the Plains
| Program Available: |
February - June 2010. |
| Grades: |
3-8 |
| Days: |
Tuesdays through Thursdays;
|
| Time: |
10:00 a.m.only; 90 minute program |
| Maximum: |
60 Students |
In this interactive program highlighting the original peoples of the Plains, Museum Teachers will make use of our extensive hands-on replica collection, as well as the Plains Indian artifacts from our permanent galleries. Once the tour of the galleries has concluded, your students will return to the museum’s classrooms to create a Native American craft.
First Peoples: California Traditions
| Program Available: |
February–June 2010 |
| Grades: |
3-4 |
| Days: |
Fridays Only |
| Times: |
10:45 a.m.; 65-minute program followed by a self-guided experience |
Native American Culture Bearers will share elements of dancing, storytelling, and other traditions of the First Peoples of California. Students will discover the differences between popular cultural images and the realities of Native life.
Basketry of Native North America
| Program Available: |
Fall 2009- June 2010
|
| Grades: |
3 - 12 |
| Days: |
Tuesdays through Fridays
|
| Times: |
10:00 a.m., 11:15 a.m., and
1:00 p.m. |
| Maximum: |
30 students per hour |
Along with Museum Teachers, your students will examine the basketry of the Southwest, California, and Great Plains regions. Explore national identities, customs, and Native Americans’ adaptation to their local environments, as well as tie in the past with the present to demonstrate continuing traditions and heritages..
Dreamers
| Program Available: |
September- December, 2010
|
| Grades: |
3-12 |
| Days: |
Tuesdays through Fridays
|
| Times: |
10:00 a.m., 11:15 a.m., and
1:00 p.m. |
| Maximum: |
30 students per hour |
This exhibition of photographic images explores the West as a place and a society in which enterprise and innovation are uniquely possible. From unknown hopefuls to international celebrities, your students will learn about some of the dreamers who have made significant contributions to the history and future of Los Angeles and the American West.
Homelands: How Women Made the West
| Program Available: |
April- June, 2010
|
| Grades: |
2-12 |
| Days: |
Tuesdays through Fridays
|
| Times: |
10:00 a.m., 11:15 a.m., and
1:00 p.m. |
| Maximum: |
30 students per hour |
Explore the histories of women who have made the West their homes. Through artifacts, images, and media, we will examine some of the choices individual women made in response to the difficulties and opportunities presented in three different Western places.
Art of the West
| Program Available: |
Fall 2009- Spring 2010
|
| Grades: |
2-12 |
| Days: |
Tuesdays through Fridays
|
| Times: |
1:00 p.m. |
| Maximum: |
30 students per hour |
This exploration of the Autry’s signature paintings and sculptures will introduce students to the lives of Western artists, and the ideas and styles they represented.
Special 1:00 p.m. Museum Teacher programs are available by reservation.
Teachers who wish to spend additional time in the museum, or who want to explore on their own, can reserve a self-guided visit. Trip sheets are available to download, copy, and use during your visit.
| Grades: |
K-12 |
| Times: |
Tuesday through Friday;
Beginning at 12:15 p.m. |
| Cost: |
$1 per student |
Are you a teacher planning a field trip, a parent bringing your family, or a visitor who just wants to know how much a bison weighs? Then these trip sheets are just for you.
Download and print out these sheets and bring them with you to the Museum of the American West. They highlight an object in each gallery and include fun facts and questions. On the back of each sheet there is an activity for you, your students, or your family to complete.
“It is truly impressive to read about the creative educational programs planned for the Center and we are pleased to support your effort to ensure a museum experience for children that complements their classroom studies. We hope that, over time, every child in Southern California will have the opportunity to benefit from these visits.”
- Norman C. Osbrow
Joseph Drown Foundation
All Aboard! provides Title I schools with free bus transportation to the museum. Teachers are given curriculum materials and free Outreach Kit rentals enabling them to create and reinforce classroom learning. In addition, the Autry National Center of the American West offers each student free family access to the museum for one year, which allows families to explore, learn, and grow together.
Click here  to view a short video clip.
Name Tags
We encourage all students to wear name tags on the day of their visit. Being able to call a student by his or her name creates a more personal experience for your students. Click here to download a name tag template – or create your own in the classroom.
Visit Evaluation—Tell Us What You Think!
As your educational partner, we welcome your feedback and suggestions. Please take a moment to give us your feedback by clicking here.
Southwest Museum of the American Indian
Living History: Casa de Adobe Program
Built in 1918, the Casa de Adobe is the Museum’s reproduction of a traditional 19th century Spanish style home that marked the period of Spanish and then Mexican control of the Southwest region. Through hands-on demonstrations, offered by the Arroyo Seco Museum Science Middle School Junior Docents in period clothing, your students will learn about the process of adobe brick making, the skill and style of the vaquero, and the important role of both Californios and Native peoples in the history of our region.
| Grades: |
4 |
| Times: |
Program available from January to June 2009
Please call for available dates and times |
| Maximum: |
60 students |
| Cost: |
$1 per person |
The Southwest Museum
The Autry has embarked on extensive renovations to upgrade
and improve the Southwest Museum of the American Indian making
access to the galleries limited in 2008-2009. For this reason,
we regret that we cannot accept reservations for school tours
this year.
Members and their guests are invited to an insider's tour of the preservation efforts at the Southwest Museum and special-interest lectures by Autry staff. By reservation only; please call 323.667.2000, ext 391.
Click here for dates and lecture subjects.
| Open to: |
Members Only |
| Times: |
Fourth Saturday of each month |
| Cost: |
Free to Members Only |
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