Educational Opportunities

Fort Hunter Park offers educational opportunities for children and adults at an easy-to-access historic site on 40 scenic acres. The landscape, inhabited by Native Americans for thousands of years, now features the 1700s and 1800s buildings as well as picnic pavilions and playgrounds.

Children-friendly tours of Fort Hunter Mansion and the Native American workshop for school field trips, scouting groups and reserved bus tours are available.  Please contact us during regular business hours at 717-599-5751 to make a reservation or for more information. We offer two School Program options: the Standard School Program and a Mansion Tour Only Program.

The Friends of Fort Hunter host a Virtual Lecture Series on locally pertinent historic topics.  Check the Calendar of Events for upcoming talks. Links to previous virtual talks are available at the bottom of this page.

Standard School Program

The Standard School Program is for students from grade 2 through grade 5. The program is available to groups of 15 or more by reservation only Tuesday through Friday, from April 1st through early June, and again beginning September 1st through mid-November from 10:00 am -2:00 pm. Our capacity is a maximum of 64 students per school program. Teachers and chaperones will be expected to help with some aspects of the workshop and museum tour activities. You will be sent a confirmation letter, a map, and parking directions. For easy scheduling, call 717-599-5751.

The Standard School Program is available April – early June and mid -September – mid-November and has three components: The Hands-on Native American workshop  The Tour of Fort Hunter Mansion         Visit to the Museum Shop.

 

Standard Program Fees

Payment will be due at time of program by cash or check (made to “Fort Hunter”) in one lump sum.

Itinerary

Hands-on Workshop: Native Americans along the Susquehanna

Your students will explore how Indians once lived in the Fort Hunter/Harrisburg area, focusing on how Indians obtained food, shelter, clothing and equipment. Activities include exploring a wigwam, hands on activities and games. Children will learn about the kinds of food and materials once used by Native Americans who farmed and hunted here in the 1300s and 1400s.

Please provide a teacher and at least one adult (free admission) to help with the workshop. Groups of over 32 children will be split-half will start with the workshop and half with the Mansion tour, and will switch after lunch. The Hands-on Workshop lasts approximately 1 1/2 hours, and addresses State Standards: 8.1.3A, 8.1.3.D, 8.2.3C, 8.2.3B, 1.6.3A, 1.6.3D, 1.6.3E.
Also 8.1.6A, 8.1.6B, 8.2.6A, 8.2.6B, 8.2.6C, 1.6.5A, 1.6.5.D, 1.6.5E

Tour of Fort Hunter Mansion

This historic house museum invites students to learn about Mansion life in the 1800s. Children will compare the owners’ life to Native Americans – how they obtained food, shelter, clothing and equipment in the Victorian era. On guided tours students will see original artifacts and furnishings—from a music box and cradle to an ice saw and toaster. The tour and visit to the Museum Shop last 1 ½ hours.

At the conclusion of the Mansion tour, children will visit the educationally oriented shop. Many of the items are historical reproductions; children enjoy finding a memory-making treasure, many of which are priced under $6.  Proceeds from Museum Shop sales fund educational programs at Fort Hunter.

Mansion Tour Only

Guided tours of this wonderful house museum offer students the opportunity to explore life as it was 100 years ago, as they view artifacts and ask questions. They will discover such wonders as meat grinders, chamber pots, rope beds, stereoscopes, foot warmers and many other aspects of a life long ago. The tour and a visit to the Museum Shop lasts between one and one-half hours.

The Mansion Tour Only is appropriate for grades 2 and up, and is available April through December during regular museum hours. Capacity is a maximum of 50 students per school program. You will be sent a confirmation letter, a map, and parking directions. Reservations are required.  For easy scheduling, call 717 599-5751.

  • Students – $3.00
  • Adults – $6.00

Payment will be due at time of program by check (made to “Fort Hunter”), credit card or cash in one lump sum.