Field Trip Activities at Ashland The Henry Clay Estate

Standard Offerings:
Tour of the house, grounds, garden, and video

Also Offered:
Archaeological digs
Tree and plant identification
Holiday tours
In-class presentations

Come & Experience Ashland!
Ashland's staff is eager to work with you in planning entertaining and educational programs for your students. Ashland is a great place for young people. In addition to the historic mansion, there are almost 20 acres of wooded grounds, original outbuildings, walking paths, and a formal garden. We also have ample parking for school buses and large modern restrooms.

Ashland also offers a children's activity book with educational games and a writing exercise to each student who visits us!

Basic Tours

Ashland offers two basic tours:
The first tour is designed for grades 2-5. It consists of a tour of the grounds and outbuildings, a special video that shows what a child's life was like in the 1800's and a tour through the mansion.

The second tour is for grades 6-12. It includes a video about Henry Clay and his importance in American history, a tour through the mansion and a walk around the outbuildings and the garden.

Both of these tours are $2 per student and teacher and $6 per accompanying adult and last about one and one half hours.

Special Tours

Archaeology
The archaeology tour is available in the fall on a limited basis. The dates are set by the archaeology department at the University of Kentucky. It consists of the basic tour plus an actual "dig." The students divide into small groups and an archaeologist supervises as they dig, sift, and clean the artifacts they discover. This is a great hands-on experience. The sites for digging have been carefully selected so the students almost always discover something of interest. The cost of this tour is $7.00 per person and requires two to two and a half hours. It is limited to 60 children or less.

Trees and Plants
Ashland also offers a special science-based tour that includes a tour of the formal garden and the grounds with an emphasis on identifying and learning about trees and leaves. There are 40 different varieties of trees at Ashland. This tour is $2.00 per person and requires one hour. To add a tour of the mansion, add $1.00 per student and an additional hour of time.

Holidays at Ashland
From late November through December, we offer special holiday tours for school groups. A different theme is highlighted each year. The cost is $3.00 per student and $6 per accompanying adult. The program takes about 2 hours. This tour is limited to 60 students but we are happy to schedule larger groups at two different times.