School Tours
Free Admission. Free Transportation.

Now that's a good deal! Bring your classroom curriculum to
life with a field trip to the Phelps Youth Pavilion at the Waterloo
Center for the Arts. Our school tours offer learning experiences
that celebrate cultural diversity and explore the connections
between individuals, communities, cultures and ideas. With over
40 interactive exhibits, learning about art and culture has never
been so much fun! We look forward to giving your students a
memorable, hands-on cultural experience!

Grade/Age: PreK through 12th grade within these counties: Allamakee, Benton, Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Butler, Chickasaw, Clayton, Delaware, Dubuque, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Grundy, Howard, Hardin, Tama and Winneshiek.

Transportation Funding: Receive up to $120 towards busing expenses
Funding Supported by RJ McElroy Trust

Tour Pricing:  Free - Survey Tour, PreK - 12th grade and daycares
                       $1/person - Focus Tour, PreK - 12th grade and daycares
                       Funding supported by RJ McElroy Trust and Cedar Valley's Promise

Learn more about our tour programs: 

• Survey Tours

• Focus Tours

• Tour Details (pricing, availability, free transportation money)

• Educational Connections

Survey Tours
A wonderful choice for all ages to explore and learn through hands-on play!
A docent will guide your students’ adventure through the Phelps Youth
Pavilion’s Junior Art Galleries I & II, and your choice of a third gallery or
an art experience. (Art activity is an additional $1/student). Click here for
details about our Survey Tours.

Focus Tours

A terrific choice for a directed, educational experience in a specific area of the
Phelps Youth Pavilion, including an applied art activity! A docent will guide your
adventure through a specific area of the Pavilion, followed by a hands-on art activity
where your students will become the artists. Choose from 5 unique Focus Tours:

Tour Pricing	Free	Survey	PreK - 12th grade and daycares
	$1/person	Focus	PreK - 12th grade and daycares
Free Tours	Free Survey Tours for K-12 school groups. Sponsored by The RJ McElroy for school groups from the following counties: Allamakee, Benton, Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Butler, Chickasaw, Clayton, Delaware, Dubuque, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Grundy, Howard, Hardin, Tama, and Winneshiek. Free Survey Tours for PreK & daycare groups ages 5 years old and under. Sponsored in part by Cedar Valley's Promise
Tour Availability	School tours typically last 1-½ hours and are available Tuesday through Friday, 9:00am – 5:00pm. We are closed to the public on Mondays. Please reserve your tour date/time at least two weeks in advance (preferably one month). Call (319) 291-4490.
Free transportation money	The RJ McElroy Trust transportation grants are available on a limited basis to help offset the cost of your field trip transportation expenses to the Phelps Youth Pavilion. This grant will reimburse up to $120 per tour from K-12 schools and youth-serving agencies in the following counties: Allamakee, Benton, Black Hawk, Bremer, Buchanan, Butler, Chickasaw, Clayton, Delaware, Dubuque, Fayette, Floyd, Franklin, Grundy, Howard, Hardin, Tama, and Winneshiek.  Click here to download the simple grant form.
Make a Day of It	Consider scheduling your tour in conjunction with a Black Hawk Children’s Theater performance and stretch your busing dollar for a memorable day of cultural exploration! Please note that the Phelps Youth Pavilion can only accommodate up to 60 students per tour, so this is a limited opportunity each day (first come, first serve!).
Educational links	Detailed lesson plans and curricular connections compatible with Iowa Core Curriculum Standards and Benchmarks have been developed for each of the focus tours. Download this information under "Educational Connections."  See exactly how the Phelps Youth Pavilion can help you reach your classroom goals!
Special Requests	If you have any special requests or would like to adapt a focus tour to a different age group than what is listed, please let us know. We will do our best to accommodate your needs!
Book your tour!	Call the Waterloo Center for the Arts at (319) 291-4490 to book your tour today! Here is the information we’ll need to know when you call: • Type of tour (survey or focus)  • Preferred date (and alternative date in case we are booked) • Preferred time (typically 1 ½ - 2 hours) • # students. To ensure a quality experience, 60 students maximum. • # adults/teachers. Ratio of 1 adult to 6 students is required. • Any special needs (wheelchair accessibility, hearing or sight impaired,  etc.) • If you need lunch room space (room rental is $10)