Helpful Trip Tips

The following tips have been provided to ensure that your trip to Phipps Conservatory and Botanical Gardens is enjoyable and rewarding for you and your students. If you have any additional questions or concerns, please call us at 412/441-4442, ext. 3925.

Lunch

Due to limited space, we are unable to accommodate groups for lunch inside of the Conservatory or at Café Phipps (unless you have purchased lunch there). Students may bring lunches and eat in the Outdoor Garden (if open) or in Anderson Park, on Flagstaff Hill and in Schenley Park. Please plan according to the weather. If you would like to have your lunches stored at the security desk during the program, please place them in large boxes. You may bring them to the desk when you check in. You may also call us to discuss options for reserving an indoor lunch space for your group.

Parking

A limited amount of free parking is available.

Size Limits

Field trip programs are offered to groups of at least eight students. If you arrive with less than eight children in your group, your program will be subject to cancellation; however, you will still be able to enjoy the Conservatory at your leisure.

If you have more than 30 students, we are happy to offer back-to-back program sessions for your group. Once you have made these arrangements, you will be asked to divide your students into two or more evenly-sized groups prior to your visit. Upon arrival, a Phipps education staff member will direct your groups to the appropriate location.

Groups on docent-led tours will be split up further into sets of eight – 12 children with at least one adult.

Supervision

Phipps requires at least one adult chaperone for every 10 students. For docent-guided tours, one adult for every eight students can be admitted free of charge, however, so we encourage this higher adult to student ratio.

Teachers and chaperones are responsible for supervising students during field trip programs and tours. We reserve the right to terminate all programs and tours if groups do not maintain proper supervision. Please note: Cell phone use is prohibited during classroom sessions and tours.

Time Management

Please plan to arrive 15 – 30 minutes before your scheduled program begins. If you are traveling long distances, be sure to allow time to use the restrooms before and after your scheduled activities. If your group arrives late, you will receive a shortened version of your program, which will end at the original scheduled time. If your group arrives more than 20 minutes late, the program and tour may be cancelled. In this case, you are still welcome to explore the Conservatory.

Photo © Cory Doman