Descanso Gardens doesn’t list a discount for individual teachers. What it does list is free admission for a qualifying school’s field trip: if your school qualifies, admission is free for all students and for the adults within the student-to-adult ratio, which the page gives as 1:10 minimum and 1:4 maximum.
If you’re planning a class trip, the field trip sections below are where you start. If you’re visiting on your own, the admission prices are further down, and students with a current ID pay $14.
How To Get The Descanso Gardens Teacher Discount
There’s no individual teacher discount to claim, so a teacher’s route is a field trip for a qualifying school. The School Groups and Field Trips page says many of Descanso’s educational programs and field trips are provided free of charge, and that field trips and programs are available for qualifying schools with advance reservations.
The page says a qualifying school must meet one or more of these requirements: an accredited California public or private school, a preschool providing instruction to students over two years of age, a program through a school that provides academic instruction to students, a Head Start or Child Development Center, or homeschool groups.
Docent-Guided Field Trips
The page says docent-guided field trips are offered on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 9:30am or 10am, with a minimum of 15 students and a maximum of 60 students per day. Each one is a 1-hour guided tour of one of the listed subjects. The Habitat Exploration Tour and the Spring Discoveries Tour are for kindergarten through 2nd grade, the Adaptations and Interactions Tour is for 3rd through 5th grade, and the Seasonal Garden Tour is for kindergarten through 8th grade. The page says the Spring Discoveries Tour is only available for part of the docent-guided season, so check the page against the date you have in mind.
Self-Guided Field Trips
The page says self-guided field trips are offered year-round on Mondays through Fridays at 9am or 10:30am, with a minimum of 15 students and a maximum of 90 students per school per day. It says that with the help of a chaperone you provide, students can learn about the gardens or simply spend the day discovering nature, and that teachers structure and lead the educational experience. You can download a self-guided chaperone guide and student activity booklet in either English or Spanish.
For questions about field trips, the page says to call 818.949.0120 or email schools@descansogardens.org.
Visiting On Your Own
The hours and admission page lists general admission at $20, seniors 65 and over at $14, students with current ID at $14, and children 3-12 at $8. Descanso members and children 2 and under are free, and the page says parking is free. It lists no teacher or educator rate.
The Visit FAQs say students pay $14, discounted from the $20 cost of adult tickets, and that kids 3-12 years old get a daytime admission price of $8. They also say EBT cardholders need no advance reservation, just their EBT card and photo ID at Guest Services on the day of the visit. The discount list there has no teacher or educator wording either.
What We Couldn’t Confirm
The qualifying list names accredited California schools, so we couldn’t tell what a school from another state would pay, and we couldn’t find what a school that doesn’t qualify pays. If either describes you, call the number above before you book. The page also doesn’t say how many adults beyond the student-to-adult ratio can come along, or whether a teacher visiting alone to scout a trip gets in free.
Q&A
Does Descanso Gardens give teachers a discount?
Not an individual one, on the pages we read. The admission page lists no teacher or educator rate. For a field trip, the school groups page says admission is free for all students and for the adults within the student-to-adult ratio if your school qualifies.
Which schools qualify for free admission?
The page says a qualifying school must meet one or more of these requirements: an accredited California public or private school, a preschool providing instruction to students over two years of age, a program through a school that provides academic instruction to students, a Head Start or Child Development Center, or homeschool groups.
How many students do I need?
Docent-guided field trips have a minimum of 15 students and a maximum of 60 students per day. Self-guided trips have a minimum of 15 students and a maximum of 90 students per school per day.
Do I need to reserve?
Yes. The page says field trips and programs are available for qualifying schools with advance reservations.
When can we go?
Docent-guided trips run on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays at 9:30am or 10am. Self-guided trips are offered year-round on Mondays through Fridays at 9am or 10:30am.
Is parking free?
Yes. The hours and admission page says parking is free.
More Information:
The details above come from Descanso Gardens’ own pages as they loaded when we checked, and programs change without notice. See more entertainment discounts for teachers.
