Plan Your School/Group Visit

What to Expect

Education programs at Black Creek Pioneer Village take place both outdoors and in buildings on the site.

When you arrive, students may disembark from the buses in front of the Visitors' Centre group entrance. Ample bus parking is provided. You will be joined by your education guides who will lead your program at the village. There are washrooms in the Visitors' Centre and also outside in the village. Plan to arrive about 10 to 15 minutes before your program time. Large groups will be subdivided into smaller groups of 18 to 25 students, depending on age and special needs.

What to Wear and Bring

Programs take place outside and in the historic buildings. They operate regardless of the weather so please ensure that students dress appropriately. A lot of time is spent outside, so be sure to have students dress warmly in the cooler months. In hot weather, hats and sunscreen are a wise precaution.

Teachers' Preparation/Involvement:

Special requests or themes can be accommodated with advance notice. Tour programs are 1- 3/4 hours in length. If you are able to stay all day, ideal tour combinations would be Grade 3: Many Hands and Life in a New Land, or A Stitch in Time and Yesterday's Child, or Christmas Past and Toys of Yesterday; Grade 7: 1837 Rebellion Revisited and Life in a New Land.

The village opens at 9:30 a.m. during the school year.
We are an EcoSchool location. Litterless lunches are appreciated.
Packing lunches in one container simplifies storage. Please leave your backpacks behind.
Covered eating space is limited and is used on a first-come/first-served basis. During inclement weather, there may be a short wait for a table.
Many of our objects, furnishings and buildings are rare and fragile. Please do not touch unless invited to do so by a costumed staff person.
For your safety and their diets, please do not touch or feed the animals.
Schools and teachers are responsible for their students and the actions of students while in the village.

Safety

Staff First Aid Training: Many staff at Black Creek Pioneer Village have First Aid training. Courses are conducted each year to keep staff up to date. Should there be an incident, a procedure is in place to ensure rapid attention to the injury.

Nearest Hospital/Emergency Response Time: Humber River Regional Hospital is the closest hospital. Depending on urgency of incident, Toronto EMS response is between eight to 20 minutes.

Allergies: Black Creek Pioneer Village is a "nut-sensitive" facility. Visitors are asked to bring only snacks that are free of nuts and/or nut products. Group leaders who have a participant that is or may be allergic to nuts or other allergens are asked to ensure that staff are made aware so that appropriate precautions can be built into your daily schedule.

Accessibility

There are hard-packed gravel roads throughout the village and wooden boardwalks are situated in several areas. The Visitors' Centre and 14 historic buildings are accessible by wheelchair. Five buildings are partially accessible. Accessible washrooms are located in the Visitors' Centre, Event Pavilion and near the Laskay Emporium. Many special needs groups come on guided and unguided visits.