Educational Tours

Midway Village as an Educational Tool

There are a variety of options for educators to utilize Midway Village Museum’s resource as an education tool. The below list outlines the tours and programs available for educational field trips. For more information or to schedule a tour contact Laura Furman, Curator, at laura@midwayvillage.com.

Old Stone School Tour
History comes alive as students experience life in a turn-of-the-century one-room schoolhouse. Have your students dress in the clothing of earlier times and make arrangements to spend the day in the past. Take a look at our Old Stone School Manual to enhance your visit with pre, during and post activities and lessons. Complete your time travel with a Guided Tour. The cost for the Old Stone School experience is $5 per student (min $60/day). Tours available for an additional $1 per person. Teachers and one chaperone admitted free for each 10 students.

As a teacher resource, you may download the Old Stone School Teacher Manual.  Download the Old_Stone_School_Teacher_Manual.

Guided Tour
Interpreters dressed in turn-of-the-century style guide you through the pages of yesteryear. Visit our museum or our Village, and see and hear how your ancestors spent their days. 1900 Northern Illinois awaits you! Cost: $6. One chaperone for every 10 students admitted at no charge. Adult tours are $7 per person.

Living History Tour
Costumed interpreters bring Northern Illinois history to life in authentic Midway Village and engage students through a variety of hands-on activities – from rope making to operating a turn-of-the-century printing press! These tours are designed for groups of 80 or more. (Available for smaller groups for a flat fee of $560.00 call for details) Cost: $7. One chaperone admitted free for every 10 students. There are currently 2 types of tours available:

1. Little House on the Prairie
2. Victorian Days

Each tour consists of six or more sites, depending on the number of students and the amount of time you have available. Each site consists of a hands-on experience.

Heritage/Genealogy Tour
Visit the Museum Center and hear about early settlement by various ethnic groups and their contributions to Rockford and Northern Illinois. Take it a step further as you learn how to trace your own heritage and discover how to uncover the facts hidden in your family stories. Cost: $6. Teacher and one chaperone admitted free for every 10 students.

Down on the Farm Tour
Students experience life in rural America while touring the 1850 and 1905 barns. They will hear tales about Northern Illinois’ agricultural past, and have an opportunity to milk a mock cow. They will learn where milk comes from and what it can become. They will also make rope. Call for additional information. Cost: $7. Teacher and one chaperone admitted free for every ten students.

Heritage Garden Tours
Join the Midway Village Museum Garden Historian for a leisurely stroll through the Heritage Gardens in the village as we discuss the Victorian fascination with gardens the Golden Age of Horticulture. This guided tour will view a variety of gardens that have been re-created using 19th Century garden designs, garden structures reproduced from the period, and heirloom plant varieties seldom seen today. Enjoy the beauty and fragrance of heirloom flowers, unique vegetables that were popular generations ago and native plants that greeted the first settlers as they arrived in the Prairie State. Bring a sack lunch and enjoy the tranquil setting of the village or order box lunches for an additional fee. Reservations are required and are limited to groups of 8 or more. Cost: $8 for adults and $5 for children.

For more information on the Heritage Garden Tours, call Tari Rowland at 815-397-9112, ext. 116 or tari.rowland@midwayvillage.com.