A Class Trip: Greenfield Village

School trips. We all go on them. What trip do you remember the most? Where did you go? Who was with you? How did you get there? Have you ever been back?
Write a memoir post about a memorable school trip. Word limit is 600.

I think it was 4th or 5th grade, I really don’t remember the grade for sure but I don’t think it matters. What matters is the trip. My class was planning an overnight trip to Greenfield Village. Overnight? Yes, they have dorms that you can stay in (or they used to).

We had a fundraiser to help with the cost of the trip. Since at the time we lived in a pretty rural area and our neighbors weren’t all that close to us so there was a lot of walking and bike riding so I could sell all those packages of M&M’s.

For a week or more I would trek down the dirt roads asking everybody who was home if they would want to buy my candy after I explained the trip. It didn’t take long before I had sold my entire box of candy and I had enough to go on the trip. I was so excited to be going away for the night with all of my friends.

Soon the day of our trip came and we all met at the school with our bags, pillows, and sleeping bags. You could almost taste the excitement in the air! All those kids gathering to go away overnight to a place many of us had never been to.

After what seemed like an endless bus ride we arrived we were taken to the dorms, girls in theirs and the boys in theirs. The rooms were large and lines with bunk beds that we quickly moved towards so we could claim the ones we wanted with our best friends. We rolled out our sleeping bags, put our pillows in place, and were ready for the next adventure.

The series of events next are in no particular order because the order isn’t what I remember…. it’s the fun things we did.

Swimming! What kid doesn’t love to go swimming? Especially when they don’t have a pool or live near a lake. And an indoor pool… even better! I believe it was after a quick tour of the dorm that we went back and got into our swimsuits so we could go to the pool. Mine was a one piece purple suit and I remember this because I loved that suit and with purple being one of my favorite colors it’s stuck with me.

The pool was a huge indoor pool, or to me at a young age it was huge. We swam for a while before heading back to change and get ready for dinner in the cafeteria.

It was a great few days for me and my classmates. The village, the pool, dorms, and staying away from our families overnight.

I haven’t stayed overnight there since that one time and I don’t even know if that option is still available for schools, but I’ve been back to Greenfield Village and the Henry Ford Museum many times. Class trips with my two oldest girls and a couple of times just with my family.

Regardless of how you visit it’s worth the trip. Fun and education all rolled into one place.