School Groups
Old North welcomes school groups!
What to Expect: When your class visits our campus, students will start their experience with a brief talk about the history of Old North Church in our scenic courtyard. Then, your group will enter the sanctuary for a self-guided tour of the oldest surviving church building in the city of Boston. Students will learn the true story of Paul Revere’s midnight ride, admire the 17th-century angels flanking the church’s 1759 organ, and see a bust of George Washington that the Marquis de Lafayette praised for its accuracy. Old North’s knowledgeable Educators are stationed around the sanctuary to answer questions, and visitors can refer to informational materials that are available as a handout or on their smartphones, via a QR code.
Monday Field Trip Packages and add-on tours of Old North’s crypt, balcony, and bell chamber are available as well. (See below for details.)
Capacity: Our self-guided tours work well for groups of up to 25 – 30 people. Larger groups will need to be divided into smaller sections.
Price: Admission is $5 per person. Groups from Boston Public Schools and Title I schools receive free admission.
Book Your Visit: For reservations, please contact our Visitor Experience Manager, Julius James, at jhobert@oldnorth.com or 781-352-2069. Please include the name of your school and school address, number of students and chaperones, and your preferred dates and times.
Questions: If you have any questions about our programs or if you’d like to create a tailored experience for your class, please contact our Associate Director of Education, Emily Spence, at espence@oldnorth.com. We are happy to work with you to create the ultimate visit for your students!
See our School Group Guidelines to prepare for your students’ visit.
Learn about our Monday Field Trip Packages, add-on tours, and free digital curricula below.
Monday Field Trip Packages
Old North invites your class to join us for a field trip on an upcoming Monday! Students will have an opportunity to learn about the church and its role in the American Revolution and to hear stories about the people who have been part of the Old North community over the past 300 years.
Since the church is closed to the public on Mondays during the school year, we can offer special field trip packages that are ideal for groups. Keep reading for a list of activities we offer for our Monday field trips. For 2024-2025 school year, Monday Field Trips are available November 4 – June 23, 2025.
Field Trip Activities
- The Balcony: Hidden Histories Tour (Grades 3 – 12)
The balcony tour takes students to the sanctuary’s gallery and focuses on the experiences of early Black congregation members, on some of its most remarkable artifacts, and on the people who built the church. Steep stairs.
- Bell Chamber Tour (Grades 3 – 12)
The bell tower tour brings students to the archive room and then the bell ringing chamber where they learn the history of Old North’s change ringing bells and its steeple. Steep stairs.
- Crypt Tour (Grades 4 – 12)
The crypt tour leads students below the historic church to experience the crypt where 1,100 people are interred. Students learn about burial practices in the 18th and 19th centuries and the differing beliefs of Anglicans and Puritans. Stairs and confined spaces.
- Prince’s Pew Pursuit Scavenger Hunt (Grades 2 – 4)
Students solve clues, learn history, and have a chance to better understand Old North through a scavenger hunt experience “led” by Prince the Cat, the friendly black cat who used to frequent the church
- Old North History Hunt (Grades 5 – 12)
Students complete 10 challenge questions by hunting through the church for the answers. This activity encourages students to read signage, ask questions, and think outside the box.
- Chocolate Spotlight Experience (Grades 9 – 12)
[A standalone field trip that takes 90 – 120 minutes]
In this activity, students use primary sources to take a deeper look at the colonial chocolate industry in Boston and how some Old North congregation members were connected to this industry. They will interpret recipes from the past to learn about urban slavery and how to write inclusive histories.
Group Sizes and Packages
All groups will enjoy a seated talk within the church and wrap-up conversation. Groups from Boston Public Schools and Title I schools receive free admission.
Groups of 10-25 (including chaperones) we recommend:
- Choose one activities from the above list
- Groups can add another activity for an additional charge
- Approximately 45 minutes
Groups of 25- 40 (including chaperones) we recommend:
- Choose two activities from the above list
- Groups of up to 40 can add a third activity for an additional charge
- Approximately 75 minutes
Groups of 40 to 65 (including chaperones) we recommend:
- Choose three activities from the above list.
- Approximately 90 minutes
Groups of over 65 (including chaperones):
- Please contact Old North to customize your experience
Schedule Your Field Trip
For pricing information and reservations, please contact our Visitor Experience Manager, Julius James, at jhobert@oldnorth.com or 781-352-2069. Please include the name of your school and school address, number of students and chaperones, and your preferred dates and times.
Crypt Tour
See what lies beneath Old North! This 25 minute guided tour takes visitors through the church’s historic crypt, where more than 1,100 bodies are interred. Walk amongst the 37 tombs constructed below the sanctuary floors between 1732 and 1860. Learn about the construction of the crypt, view artifacts found in the crypt, and learn how and why crypts were used in colonial Boston.
Participants should be comfortable in a basement setting and navigating tight spaces. The crypt has low lighting, uneven surfaces, and is not wheelchair accessible. Historical topics discussed include death, burials, and human remains.
Age Level: Recommended for grades 4 – 12.
Capacity: 20-25 people per tour MAXIMUM. Due to the physical space within the crypt, we cannot accommodate more than 20-25 people per tour. However, we can accommodate more visitors by breaking large groups into smaller tour groups and starting in different sections of the church. Please speak to our Visitor Experience Manager for more details.
Price: A crypt tour can be added to our basic self-guided tour for an additional $5 per person. For reservations, please contact our Visitor Experience Manager, Julius James, at jhobert@oldnorth.com or 781-352-2069. Please include the name of your school and school address, number of students and chaperones, and your preferred dates and times. We will do our best to accommodate your request. Please note we are especially busy with school groups from April – June.
The Balcony: Hidden Histories Tour
Explore Old North’s balcony (also known as “the gallery”), a paradoxical space that is home to both the church’s undesirable seating and some of the sanctuary’s most costly and ornate items. In this 25 minute guided tour, you’ll learn about the experiences of early Black congregants, both free and enslaved, who historically sat in the gallery. You’ll also get an up-close look at Old North’s beautiful 1759 pipe organ and the 17th century carved angels flanking it. The tour weaves together the stories of the many people whose labor and contributions shaped Old North into the place it is today.
Participants should be comfortable climbing stairs.
Age Level: Recommended for grades 3 – 12.
Capacity: 20-25 people per tour MAXIMUM. However, we can accommodate more visitors by breaking large groups into smaller tour groups and starting in different sections of the church. Please speak to our Visitor Experience Manager for more details.
Price: A gallery tour can be added to our basic self-guided tour for an additional $5 per person. For reservations, please contact our Visitor Experience Manager, Julius James, at jhobert@oldnorth.com or 781-352-2069. Please include the name of your school and school address, number of students and chaperones, and your preferred dates and times. We will do our best to accommodate your request. Please note we are especially busy with school groups from April – June.
Bell Chamber Tour
Join us for a guided tour of the church’s bell tower! Visitors will explore the archive room and the bell ringing chamber: two behind-the-scenes areas that aren’t typically open to guests. Along the way, you’ll learn about Old North’s famous bells, notable bell ringers, and the art of change ringing. Visitors will also hear the story of the church’s three steeples and consider the paradox that the steeple represents.
Age Level: Recommended for grades 3 – 12.
Capacity: 20-25 people per tour MAXIMUM. However, we can accommodate more visitors by breaking large groups into smaller tour groups and starting in different sections of the church. Please speak to our Visitor Experience Manager for more details.
Price: A bell chamber tour can be added to our basic self-guided tour for an additional $5 per person.
For reservations, please contact our Visitor Experience Manager, Julius James, at jhobert@oldnorth.com or 781-352-2069. Please include the name of your school and school address, number of students and chaperones, and your preferred dates and times. We will do our best to accommodate your request. Please note we are especially busy with school groups from April – June.
Free Digital Curricula for Your Classroom
Bring Old North to your school with fully developed multimedia lessons.
Old North Teacher Guide (Grades K – 12): The activities in this guide explore the many aspects of Old North Church and cover a variety of subjects, including arts and STEM, and teach important skills such as interpreting primary sources, organizing data, and constructing an argument.
History Mystery (Grades 4 – 8): Who held the famous lantern signals in Old North Church’s steeple? Watch our three-part video series to solve this “history mystery” while learning to think like a historian.
Behind the Scenes Tour (Grades 5 – 12): Take a half-hour video tour of Old North Church’s most compelling spaces. Learn about the many people who helped build the church and its community over the past 300 years.
Chocolate as a Lens to the Past (Grade 5): In six different lessons, students are challenged to look at the history of chocolate in Boston from both a historical and scientific perspective while analyzing a variety of primary sources and designing their own scientific investigations.
Cacao and Colonial Chocolate (Grades 9 – 12): This curriculum for high school students traces the history of chocolate from the Maya through colonial Boston and the slave trade to the present day chocolate industry and its connection to child labor.
Bell Ringer’s Agreement (Grades 4 – 8): This lesson provides students with an opportunity to read, decipher, and analyze a primary source document from colonial Boston, Old North’s original Bell Ringer’s Agreement ca. 1750.
Explore Old North Church with Bloomberg Connects
The Bloomberg Connects app is another great way for students to explore Old North Church, whether on site or in the classroom. Download the app to learn more about the rich history of the church, its fascinating congregants, our connection to colonial chocolate, and more. Use the app to plan your visit, to get an enhanced experience during your tour, or to dive deeper after your field trip. The free app can be used anytime, anywhere and also features digital guides to over 200 museums from around the world.
To download the free app, scan the QR code below or visit this link. Once downloaded, open the app, scroll to “Old North Church & Historic Site” in the list of participating museums, and tap our logo to start exploring our guide.
