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Experience the Metamora Grist Mill to discover the mill’s history from its beginnings to today and see for yourself how the mill grinds corn into flour, meal and grits – just as it has since the 1800s! Plus, explore our transportation discovery space and learn how Hoosiers used to move from here to there on our wooden canal and train table, chart your course throughout Indiana with an interactive map or pack a model canal boat full of crates and merchandise before its journey to Cincinnati. Our field trips are designed to blend art, history, and nature, and are aligned with Indiana Academic Standards.
Call 765.647.6512 to schedule your field trip to Whitewater Canal State Historic Site.
Free Admission
Free for preregistered Indiana schools of 10+ K-12 students, teachers, bus drivers and one additional adult per five students. Additional chaperones pay the group admission rate of $4/person.
Free Admission
Free for preregistered groups of 10+ students, including one free adult per five students. Additional adults pay the group rate.
Pre-Registration
All field trips must be booked at least two weeks in advance. This ensures a personalized, engaging experience for your students.
Group Size
A minimum of 10 students is required for field trips.
Lunch
Picnic areas are available, and there are nearby restaurants for students and chaperones.
Contact
Call 765.647.6512or email [email protected] to schedule your field trip to Whitewater Canal.
Take a look at our collected educator resources from across the Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites.
Our programs are designed to engage students with art, history, science and nature in an integrated way. We focus on core educational themes that meet Indiana Academic Standards for multiple grade levels, including:
Come explore the Metamora Grist Mill, see the nation’s only known wooden Aqueduct, and explore the hiking trails.
A ropemaking demonstration is available for an additional $2/student (no additional fee for teachers or chaperones). Students will get to learn about ropemaking and watch as staff operate a genuine historical ropemaking machine. The ropemaking demonstration must be booked during field trip registration.
Indiana Academic Standards: Social Studies: K.1.2, K.3.1, K.4.1, K.4.2, 1.1.1. 1.1.6, 1.3.4, 1.3.9, 1.4.1, 1.4.2, 2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.3.3, 2.4.2, 2.4.3, 2.4.4, 2.4.5, 2.4.7, 2.4.8, 3.1.2, 3.1.3, 3.1.4, 3.1.6, 3.1.8, 3.3.13, 3.4.2, 3.4.3, 3.4.4, 4.1.6, 4.1.9, 4.3.8, 4.3.9, 4.4.1, 4.4.2, 4.4.3, 5.3.7, 5.3.13, 5.4.3, 5.4.4, 6.1.14, 6.1.15, 6.1.19, 6.3.13, 6.4.1, 6.4.2, 6.4.4, 6.4.7, 8.1.30, 8.3.7, 8.4.3, 8.4.5, 8.4.6, 8.4.10, E.1.1, E.8.1, IS.4.1, IS.1.8, IS.1.9, IS.3.4, IS.3.5, IS.4.1, IS.4.3, IS.4.4, IS.5.11; Science: K.PS.1, K.PS.2, K-2.E.1, 3.PS.2, 4.PS.3, 4.PS.1, Env.1.2, Env.2.2, Env.1.7
Begin your trip by experiencing the Metamora Grist Mill. Discover the mill’s history and see for yourself how the mill grinds corn into flour, meal and grits – just as it has since the 1800s! Then, try milling grains yourself with a hand-powered grinder or learn how millers secured their sacks of flour by trying your hand at tying a miller’s knot. Children can explore the transportation discovery space. See how Hoosiers used to move from here to there on our wooden canal and train table, chart your course throughout Indiana with an interactive map or pack a model canal boat full of crates and merchandise before its journey to Cincinnati.
Originally constructed in 1843, the aqueduct was partially destroyed by a flood in 1846. Shortly afterward, it was rebuilt with a modified Burr arch truss more than 75 feet long. The Duck Creek Aqueduct is very unique — so much so that it was featured in an edition of Ripley’s Believe It Or Not. It is perhaps the only covered wooden aqueduct still operating in the United States. Engineers designed this aqueduct to carry the canal and its boats above Duck Creek. It’s on the National Register of Historic Places and is a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.
Starting at the Whitewater Canal State Historic Site, walk along the hiking trails that lead you down the canal route. These trails will take you through historic Metamora and lead you to the Duck Creek Aqueduct (about .5 miles) and eventually the “Twin Locks” (an additional 2.6 miles). Add some fun to your trek with a scavenger hunt, available at the Grist Mill.
We look forward to welcoming your students to the Whitewater Canal State Historic Site. Call us at 765.647.6512 to book your trip or send us an email at the link below.
