School Tours || The Gardens on Spring Creek

The Gardens on Spring Creek is a beautiful setting to dig into science education. We offer hands-on school programs for all grades that are unique, interactive, and standards-based. Each program brings a different lens to the beautiful landscapes and animals at The Gardens.

Groups are welcome to stay and play or have lunch in the Children’s Garden after their tour. Groups are not permitted to enter the Butterfly House after their tour.

Fall & Winter Tours open May 1, 2024!

To request a Tour, please follow the steps below.

Create a free Engage account or Login to your existing Engage account.
Complete the request form.
1. Elementary Tour Form
2. Middle School, High School and College Tour Form

Spring Tours will open Jan. 6, 2025.

Large tours are available to schedule April – May & August – October (up to 70 students).

Small tours are available to schedule November – March (up to 30 students).

Fees: $7 per student for most tours. Scholarships are available for schools that are 40 percent or greater Free and Reduced Lunch eligibility (as cited by Colorado or Wyoming State Board of Education for the previous school year).  

Adults: To provide the best experience for your students and for the safety of all visitors, we require between a 1:5 and 1:10 ratio of adults to students. If you meet this ratio, adults will receive free admission. If you have too many or too few adults, ALL adults except teachers will pay the adult group rate of $2 off admission prices.

Self-Guided Tours: Groups of 10 – 20 are eligible for group pricing tickets.  These tickets must be purchased a week in advance to receive $2 off admission prices. Elementary groups must schedule an organized program. 

To schedule a self-guided tour, please contact GardensEducation@fcgov.com.

Scheduling & Rates

Spring and Fall large school tours: April 1 – Sept. 3 (up to 70 students).
Winter small tours: Nov. 1 – March 30 (up to 30 students).

Fees: $7 per student for most tours. Scholarships are available for schools with 40 percent or greater Free and Reduced Lunch eligibility (as cited by the Colorado or Wyoming State Board of Education for the previous school year).

Self-Guided Tours: Groups of 10 – 20 are eligible for group pricing tickets. These tickets must be purchased a week in advance to receive $2 off admission prices.

To schedule a self-guided tour, please email: GardensEducation@fcgov.com.

Winter Tours are open!

To request a Winter Tour, please follow the steps below:

Create a free Engage account or Login to your existing Engage account
Complete the request form

Available Programs#

Soil To Snack Tour (3 hours):

Healthy eating is easier when you know where your food comes from. Come visit the Garden and harvest, prepare, eat and reflect upon how food affects us. During this tour students will prepare and eat their own snack, learn how to plant and grow their own vegetables, and practice mindfulness on a reflective hike through the prairie and foothills.
Extension Option: skip the bus and coordinate a bike ride to the Gardens with Safe Routes email saferoutes@fcgov.com

Bee-Empathetic Tour (2 hours):

A multi-disciplinary exploration of the science behind bees and pollination. This Field Science program is developed in partnership with Colorado State University’s College of Natural Sciences and Entomology Department. Our experiences are supported by kits that can be checked out for the classroom or explored onsite with garden educators at the Gardens on Spring Creek. Students will take the perspective of an individual species of bee to explore the importance and process of pollination, develop models, collect and analyze data and engineer solutions to real world challenges while building their empathy for these unique creatures. Available at the Gardens spring and fall, available in your classroom year-round. Limited to 30 students.

Career Tours (2 hours):

Service Learning + Careers Tour – Students will receive a presentation and tour of the Gardens with a focus on careers that operate within a botanic garden setting. After the tour, students will participate in a service-learning opportunity in the Gardens. Service learning can include: creating seed packets, raking, weeding, pruning, composting, and other opportunities based on the Gardens’ needs.
Community Science + Careers Tour – Students will receive a presentation and tour of the Gardens with a focus on careers that operate within a botanic garden setting. After the tour, students will participate in community science tasks that focus on career skills in the Gardens. Community Science can include: using BudBurst to record scientific data on plants and animals, counting bee species, or planting a seed to take home.
Extended Careers Tour – Students will receive a presentation and tour of the Gardens with a focus on careers that operate within a botanic garden setting. After the tour, students will dive deeper into botanic garden careers with a career activity facilitated by a Gardens education staff member. Students will be able to ask questions and learn about the staff member’s personal career journey.
Optional Butterfly House Visit (add-on) – Students will have the opportunity to have a 15-minute visit to the Butterfly House at the Gardens. Group size is limited to 15 people inside the Butterfly House at one time, so larger groups may be split and will visit at separate times in smaller groups during their tour time.

The Gardens on Spring Creek is happy to work with teachers and their students to shape a unique experience that meets their learning goals. We work with all disciplines from art, to community engagement, to science, to garden careers and more.

Gardens Staff-Led Programs#

Career Tours (2 hours):

Service Learning + Careers Tour – Students will receive a presentation and tour of the Gardens with a focus on careers that operate within a botanic garden setting. After the tour, students will participate in a service-learning opportunity in the Gardens. Service learning can include: creating seed packets, raking, weeding, pruning, composting, and other opportunities based on the Gardens’ needs.
Community Science + Careers Tour – Students will receive a presentation and tour of the Gardens with a focus on careers that operate within a botanic garden setting. After the tour, students will participate in community science tasks that focus on career skills in the Gardens. Community Science can include: using BudBurst to record scientific data on plants and animals, counting bee species, or planting a seed to take home.
Extended Careers Tour – Students will receive a presentation and tour of the Gardens with a focus on careers that operate within a botanic garden setting. After the tour, students will dive deeper into botanic garden careers with a career activity facilitated by a Gardens education staff member. Students will be able to ask questions and learn about the staff member’s personal career journey.
Optional Butterfly House Visit (add-on) – Students will have the opportunity to have a 15-minute visit the Butterfly House at the Gardens. Group size is limited to 15 people inside the Butterfly House at one time, so larger groups may be split and will visit at separate times in smaller groups during their tour time.

Bee-Empathetic Tour (2 Hours):

A multi-disciplinary exploration of the science behind bees and pollination. This Field Science program is developed in partnership with Colorado State University’s College of Natural Sciences and Entomology Department. Our experiences are supported by kits that can be checked out for the classroom or explored onsite with garden educators at the Gardens on Spring Creek. Students will take the perspective of an individual species of bee to explore the importance and process of pollination, develop models, collect and analyze data and engineer solutions to real world challenges while building their empathy for these unique creatures. Available at the Gardens spring and fall, available in your classroom year-round. Limited to 30 students.

General Garden Guided Tour (1–2 hours):

We offer guided walking tours of The Gardens by one of our trained docent or staff members. Tours can accommodate a variety of abilities. Stroll through 12 acres of curated gardens while learning the history of the site.

Self-Guided Programs#

Botany Tour – This self-guided botany scavenger hunt leads students all over the gardens and through the butterfly house testing their knowledge of plant structures, types and other basic botany knowledge.
General Garden Self-Guided Tour – Stroll through 12 acres of curated gardens while learning from interpretive signage. A staff member will greet you at the start of your visit to answer any questions. Scavenger hunts are available to use during your visit.

Professional Learning#

Find us on PSD Xello! We offer job shadows, summer teen programs, guest speakers, and service-learning opportunities.

Scheduling & Rates#

Guided Tours:

Spring and Fall large school tours: April 1 – Sept. 3
Winter small tours: Nov. 1 – March 30

To request a Tour, please follow the steps below.

Create a free Engage account or Login to your existing Engage account.
Complete the request form.
- Middle School, High School and College Tour Form

Self-Guided Tours: Groups of 10 - 20 are eligible for group pricing tickets. These tickets must be purchased a week in advance to receive $2 off admission prices.

To schedule a self-guided tour, please email: GardensEducation@fcgov.com with your request.

Fees: $7 per student for most tours. Scholarships are available for schools with 40 percent or greater Free and Reduced Lunch eligibility (as cited by the Colorado or Wyoming State Board of Education for the previous school year).

The Gardens on Spring Creek offers check-out kits for classes that may be kept up to two weeks. All materials are cleaned between groups. The kits we offer include:

Tree Trunks: Filled to the brim with activities and materials for all ages, these arbor-themed kits are a collaborative project made possible by Society of American Foresters, the Gardens on Spring Creek, Front Range Community College, Colorado State Forest Service and the U.S. Forest Service. This kit is available for elementary school students or middle school to adult learners. Cost: $50 refundable deposit.

Pollinators Among Us Kit: Explore the wonderful world of bees and their important job as pollinators. Packed full of engaging, fun and hands-on activities, this bee-themed kit brings together STEM and social-emotional learning to facilitate standards-based education for elementary students. Cost: $50 refundable deposit.

Poudre School District Environmental Learning Kits: Our Pollinators Among Us tour can be translated to your classroom with ease. All the lessons and materials are available through the Poudre School District kits.

To begin the scheduling process, please contact GardensEducation@fcgov.com.

Our most popular tours are available in a virtual format. Each tour has an interactive, pre-recorded video with supplemental lessons. We have the following tours available:

Butterfly Tour (kindergarten through second grade)
Plant-tastic Scientists tours (kindergarten through fifth grade)
Pollinator tour (second through fifth grade) – with check-out education trunk at no extra cost
Sensory Tour (preschool)
Horticulture Careers (middle and high school)

To request virtual tour materials, please complete the form below. Virtual materials will be delivered within one week.

Request Free Virtual Tour Materials

Looking for something else? Contact our team. We are happy to work with you to create experiences that help grow students’ learning!