Youth Programs

and Group Visits

Contact Programs Team →

Annual Programs   •   Field Trips   •   Summer Camps  •   Adult Groups

Types of Youth Programs We Offer

  • Group of children and adults excavating and digging in a soil pit outside, with some tools.

    Summer Camps


    Week-long seasonal programs that offer hands-on learning and exploration of Santa Barbara's history.

    Summer Camps
  • A person holding a Jimmy's drink menu with an illustration of two women in traditional Japanese kimonos in a restaurant setting. Other people are partially visible in the background.

    Our Communities, Our Stories


    An annual field trip program designed for local 3rd grade students. This immersive field trip experience is offered on select dates each year.

    Learn More
  • A group of children sitting on the wooden floor of a historic church, listening to an older man speaking at a table with a red cloth. The church has ornate wall decorations, religious statues, and an altar in the background.

    School Field Trips


    Available throughout the school year, these customizable field trip options serve individual classes and school groups.

    Learn more, and sign up!
Seal of the Santa Barbara Trust for Historic Preservation featuring a circular design with six stylized leaves or arrows and the organization's name around the circle.

School Field Trips

SBTHP offers free, educational field trips to its historic sites year-round. The programs we offer contextualize and build upon grade-level topics & lessons students learn in their classrooms and align with California’s History-Social Science Curriculum Frameworks & Content Standards. 

  • Field trips are offered Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays between 9:00am-2:00pm. Programs last 1.5 - 2 hours (depending on grade-level). Reach out if you require alternative scheduling times.  

  • All field trip programs encourage discovery-based learning, including hands-on activities, engagement with historic resources, and facilitated group discussions. 

  • While at SBTHP, students will explore Chumash culture and history, Spanish colonial, Mexican period & Californio history, the history of Santa Barbara’s Chinese and Japanese immigrant communities, as well as topics related to the work of public historians, including research, exploring primary & secondary sources, historic preservation, and tools for navigating power dynamics that are often hidden in historic records and dominant historical narratives.  

  • Program learning outcomes and subjects are tailored to match grade-based CA History-Social Science Curriculum, but field trips are customizable. Let us know if you are interested in certain subjects and we will do our best to meet the needs of your group!   

  • SBTHP School Field Trips are developed and presented in partnership with Su’nan The SPACE – a Chumash cultural center for arts and education.  

  • SBTHP/SBHM Dual Tours (2.5-3 hours): If teachers and group organizers wish, there is an option to combine your trip to SBTHP’s historic sites with a guided tour experience at the Santa Barbara Historical Museum(SBHM). SBTHP/SBHM Dual Tours offer an enhanced experience at two historic institutions with complimentary learning. Located a short walk away, SBHM offers interactive, docent-led programs tailored to children grades K - 4.   

Field trips are led by our professionally trained staff of public history educators!  

Questions? Contact Tucker Foltz, Director of Programs at tucker@sbthp.org,(805) 961-5374. 

“Our Communities, Our Stories” — 3rd Grade

ANNUAL PROGRAMS

A group of children sitting on the wooden floor inside a church or chapel, listening to an older man with white hair, glasses, and a hat, who is speaking or giving a presentation at a table with a red cloth. The altar in the background features religious statues, candles, and ornate decorations, with painted walls and candle sconces.

This immersive field trip experience for 3rd grade students explores the daily life of diverse communities that lived in the Presidio Neighborhood over time. Through hands-on, student-centered activities, students learn more about themselves and their classmates through a historical lens.


2027 Dates:

  • Thursday, March 18th (9:30am-Noon) 

  • Friday, March 19th (9:30 - Noon) 

  • Thursday, April 8th (9:30 - Noon) 

  • Friday, April 9th (9:30 - Noon) 

Stay tuned for additional 2027 details!

Program Goals:

  • Explore identity and belonging

  • Foster critical thinking and historical understanding

  • Encourage civic engagement

Guiding Questions:

  • Who were the first people in my community?

  • Why did people move to my community?

  • How has my community changed over time?

  • What issues are important to my community?

  • How can I help my community?

A person holding a Jimny's menu with two illustrated women in traditional Japanese kimonos inside a restaurant. The person is wearing a brown shirt with floral embroidery and a name tag that reads 'Dalexa'.
A woman with gray hair and glasses holding a small goat while a young girl reaches out to pet it at a farm.

Summer Camps

  • Group of six children standing in front of a white brick wall and large banana plant, smiling at the camera. The children are wearing casual clothes, some with backpacks and one with sunglasses.

    CASA Camp


    Cultural Activities and Summer Adventures (CASA) is a free summer day camp hosted at El Presidio. Through hands-on activities and field trips, children explore local history and culture. Registration is limited to the Housing Authority of the City of Santa Barbara (HACSB) families.

    2027 Dates: TBD

    Ages: 5–12

  • Group of people excavating a small archaeological dig in the dirt, using shovels and brushes.

    Presidio Archaeology Camp


    Young aspiring archaeologists dig into Santa Barbara's past by excavating El Presidio and learning archaeological techniques, artifact analysis, mapping, and more. This week-long camp each July fosters curiosity, collaboration, and a deep appreciation for historical inquiry.

    2027 Dates: TBD

    Ages: 10 - 15

    Tuition: $225