Homeschool Discounts in Arkansas (2026) — Arkansas homeschool days & co-op field-trip rates

Arkansas's homeschool deals cluster at the big museums, science centers, zoos, and gardens around Little Rock, Northwest Arkansas (Bentonville and Fayetteville), Fort Smith, Hot Springs, and Eureka Springs — most delivered through each venue's homeschool program or school field-trip rate. A co-op that gathers a 10-to-15-student minimum can book the Little Rock Zoo, the Botanical Garden of the Ozarks, Garvan Woodland Gardens, and Fort Smith's U.S. Marshals Museum at roughly $5–$11 a student, well under gates that run $14–$35.

A few stops work for a single family, too: the Museum of Discovery runs monthly single-session Homeschool Series classes, Piggott's Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum books K-12 tours at just $5 a student, and the North Little Rock maritime museum puts kids aboard a WWII submarine for $6. Dates and exact rates shift each term, so confirm on each venue's own site before you go.

Your Arkansas homeschool toolkit

Local resources worth bookmarking

Start here

Arkansas homeschool laws

Notice, recordkeeping & assessment rules — straight from the source.

Read Arkansas's requirements →

Check your local library

Free museum passes, classes, makerspaces & interlibrary loan — the cheapest field trips there are. Ask what they offer homeschoolers.

Find Arkansas libraries →

Always ask about homeschool rates

Many venues give 30–50% off (sometimes free) and never advertise it. Call ahead and ask for a homeschool, education, or co-op rate before you pay.

State parks & history

Free and cheap educational programming statewide — nature centers, historic sites, junior-ranger days.

State parks → · Arkansas history →

Free Arkansas homeschool printables

Print, pin & take along — no email needed

Free PDF worksheets to bring on any Arkansas field trip. Print as many copies as you like.

My Arkansas Study

A one-page state study your child fills in — capital, state symbols, flag, and a place to visit.

Download PDF →

Field trip scavenger hunt

A find-it checklist that works at any museum, park, or downtown outing. Reusable every trip.

Download PDF →

Nature journal

A draw-and-observe page for park, trail, and garden days — senses, sketches, and a leaf rubbing.

Download PDF →

Landmarks I want to see in Arkansas

A checklist to fill in — the parks and famous places in Arkansas you want to visit, with a box to tick off each one.

Download PDF →

See all our free printables →

Confirmed homeschool pricing

Published price on the venue's own homeschool page — most under $20 per child.

Offers

Homeschool Classes

Monthly classes (ages 7–12); co-ops 15+

$15

per kid · adult $15

Museum of Discovery

Little Rock · 7–12 (classes); all ages (field trips) · Register per class; field trips 2 weeks ahead

Little Rock's hands-on science center in the River Market runs a monthly Homeschool Series — single-session labs from starfish dissection to animation, built for ages 7–12 at $15 a student (members) or $25 (non-members), supplies included. A co-op of 15 can instead book the $11-per-student school field-trip rate. Daily science and Tesla-coil shows round out a visit.

Regular admission: $15 adult gate — $11–$15/student

Homeschool page at museumofdiscovery.org →

Offers

Field Trips

Groups of 10+

per kid · adult $8

Little Rock Zoo

Little Rock · All grades (3+) · Reserve 2+ weeks ahead

The Little Rock Zoo's grounds in War Memorial Park hold more than 500 animals across naturalistic habitats. A homeschool co-op of 10 books the group rate of $8 a person — well under the ~$15 gate — with free admission for chaperoning teachers and free bus parking. Discounted $2 train and carousel tokens sweeten the day.

Regular admission: ~$15 adult gate — $8/person vs. ~$15 gate

Homeschool page at littlerockzoo.com →

Offers

Field Trips

Groups; USS Razorback tour

per kid · adult $6

Arkansas Inland Maritime Museum

North Little Rock · K-12 (5+ to board sub) · Schedule ahead

On the North Little Rock riverfront, students climb aboard the USS Razorback — one of the world's longest-serving submarines — and the Pearl Harbor tugboat USS Hoga. Group field trips run $6 a person, with free K-12 lesson plans and submarine scavenger hunts. The 14-foot ladder into the sub means kids must be 5 or older to board.

Regular admission: $12 adult / $6 child — $6/person group rate

Homeschool page at nlr.ar.gov →

Offers

Field Trips

Groups of 10+

per kid · adult $10

U.S. Marshals Museum

Fort Smith · K-12 · Submit a School Visit Request Form

Fort Smith's riverfront museum traces 230 years of the U.S. Marshals through five high-tech galleries, from frontier deputies like Bass Reeves to modern witness protection. Homeschool groups of 10 book at $8 a youth, and sponsor funding has underwritten field-trip tickets and buses. Museums for All brings SNAP families in at $2.50.

Regular admission: $15 adult / $10 student — $8/youth group rate

Homeschool page at marshalsmuseum.org →

Offers

Group Visits

Monday–Saturday, on the hour

per kid · adult $15

Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum

Piggott · K-12 · Reserve group tours ahead

In Piggott, northeast of Jonesboro, the restored 1930s Pfeiffer home and the barn studio where Ernest Hemingway wrote parts of A Farewell to Arms make a vivid literature-and-history stop. K-12 group tours run just $5 a student (one free chaperone per eight), walking students through Depression-era family life and the writing of an American classic.

Regular admission: $15 adult — $5/student K-12 groups

Homeschool page at hemingway.astate.edu →

Offers

Field Trips

Self-guided to station programs

per kid · adult $14

Botanical Garden of the Ozarks

Fayetteville · K-12 · Schedule ahead

Northwest Arkansas's botanical garden turns its 12 theme gardens into an outdoor classroom. Published field-trip rates start at just $2 a student self-guided and run $3–$8 for guided, station, and butterfly programs covering plant life cycles, pollinators, and Earth science. A homeschool co-op books easily and very cheaply.

Regular admission: $14 adult — $2–$8/student field trips

Homeschool page at bgozarks.org →

Offers

Field Trips

Groups of 10+, from 10am

per kid · adult $17

Garvan Woodland Gardens

Hot Springs · All grades · Book with the education director

The University of Arkansas's 210-acre botanical garden on Lake Hamilton drops to $8 a student for school field trips — well under its $22 gate. Homeschool co-ops of 10 explore the Evans Children's Adventure Garden, the glass Anthony Chapel, and lakeside trails through nature journaling, pinecone math, and scavenger hunts, with a free pre-visit consultation to shape the day.

Regular admission: $22 adult — $8/student vs. $22 gate

Homeschool page at garvangardens.org →

When everything’s free

Big-ticket museums with a recurring free-admission day — open to everyone, no homeschool sign-up needed.

Year-round

12 museums

FREE

Admission days

Free-for-all guide

Free museum days across Arkansas

Bentonville & Northwest Arkansas · Little Rock · Bentonville · Fort Smith · Jonesboro

No group minimums and no booking forms — just show up on the right day. From free weeknights and weekend days to resident-free museums, these are the recurring free-admission days at Arkansas’s major museums, each verified on the museum’s own site.

Why it’s here: the cheapest field trip there is — no per-kid ticket and no reservation.

See all Arkansas free museum days →

Worth calling about

These venues run homeschool programs but don't publish pricing online. Call before you go.

Offers

Field Trips

Call

no public price

Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge

Eureka Springs · All grades · Contact the refuge 2+ weeks ahead

America's largest big-cat sanctuary, seven miles south of Eureka Springs, rescues tigers, lions, and bears onto 459 wooded acres. Student field trips for groups of 6+ get a discounted rate on the guided tram tour, led by biology and zoology staff sharing each animal's rescue story — but the homeschool price isn't published, so contact the refuge to arrange it.

Regular admission: $35 adult / $25 child

How to reach them: Prescheduled educational groups of 6 or more get a discounted admission rate for a guided big-cat field trip, but the exact homeschool price isn't posted online — contact the refuge to schedule (two weeks ahead). The regular gate is steep at $35 adult / $25 child, so the group discount matters; tours are led by biology and zoology staff.

Homeschool page at turpentinecreek.org →

Offers

Field Trips

Call

no public price

Scott Family Amazeum

Bentonville · 2–14 · Book via the Unfield Trip / group form

Bentonville's hands-on children's museum near Crystal Bridges is a Northwest Arkansas homeschool staple — climbing canopy, water play, a chocolate-themed lab. Field-trip admission is free for homeschool students in Benton and Washington counties thanks to the Walmart Foundation; families from elsewhere pay the $17 gate. Confirm group rates and dates through the museum's Unfield Trip program.

Regular admission: $17 general

How to reach them: Field-trip admission is free for pre-K–12 homeschool students in Benton and Washington counties (funded by the Walmart Foundation); homeschool families from elsewhere pay the regular $17 admission, and the discounted group rate for 20+ isn't posted online. The branded multi-week Homeschool Adventures series is separate at $75–$95.

Homeschool page at amazeum.org →

Gear up for your field trip

A few inexpensive things that turn a museum or nature day into a richer lesson — favorites from homeschooling families.

Kids' field journal

Sketch and note what they see at each stop

Shop on Amazon →

Compact binoculars for kids

Zoos, nature centers, living-history farms

Shop on Amazon →

Bug viewer & magnifier

Turn any nature trail into a science lesson

Shop on Amazon →

Kids' sketchbook

Art-museum and outdoor sketching days

Shop on Amazon →

Scavenger hunt cards

Keep little ones engaged on long visits

Shop on Amazon →

Junior ranger activity book

Pairs with park and museum trips

Shop on Amazon →

Homeschool resources we love

Homeschool curriculum Science experiment kits Kids' art supplies Educational workbooks

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Plus more free and cheap educational outings in Arkansas

Already on DiscoverCheapUS — free and low-cost Arkansas attractions homeschool families plan whole field-trip days around.

Hot Springs

6 free or cheap

Bathhouse Row Historic DistrictFree to walk
Fordyce Bathhouse Visitor CenterFree
Mid-America Science Museum$15 adults / $13 children / Free under 2
Mountain Valley Spring Water Visitor CenterFree
Gangster Museum of America$16 adults / $6 children 8-12 / Free under 8
Garvan Woodland Gardens$22 adults online ($30 gate) / $10 ages 4-12 online / Free 3 and under

See all Hot Springs attractions →

Fayetteville

4 free or cheap

Botanical Garden of the Ozarks$14 adults / $7 children (under 3 free)
University of Arkansas Historic Campus (Old Main & Senior Walk)Free
Clinton House MuseumSmall admission fee
Prairie Grove Battlefield State ParkFree

See all Fayetteville attractions →

Bentonville

7 free or cheap

Crystal Bridges Museum of American ArtFree general admission (some special exhibitions ticketed)
The MomentaryFree general admission
Museum of Native American HistoryFree
Scott Family Amazeum$17 ($14 online) / Free under 2 / pay-what-you-wish Wed eve
Walmart MuseumFree
21c Museum Hotel BentonvilleFree
Compton Gardens & ArboretumFree

See all Bentonville attractions →

Eureka Springs

3 free or cheap

Thorncrown ChapelFree (donations welcome)
Eureka Springs Historical Museum$5
Blue Spring Heritage Center$17.75 adults / $9.75 kids 6-15 / Free 5 and under

See all Eureka Springs attractions →

Fort Smith

7 free or cheap

Fort Smith National Historic SiteFree
U.S. Marshals Museum$15 adults / $10 students 5–college / Free under 5
Fort Smith Museum of History$10 adults / $6 children 6-15 / Free under 6
Fort Smith Regional Art MuseumFree
Janet Huckabee Arkansas River Valley Nature CenterFree
Chaffee Barbershop & Military MuseumFree
Fort Smith Trolley MuseumFree to visit / small fare for a trolley ride

See all Fort Smith attractions →

Jonesboro

4 free or cheap

Forrest L. Wood Crowley's Ridge Nature CenterFree
Arkansas State University MuseumFree
Bradbury Art MuseumFree
Hemingway-Pfeiffer Museum & Educational Center$15 adults / $5 K-12 groups / Free under 5

See all Jonesboro attractions →

Little Rock

9 free or cheap

Little Rock Central High School NHSFree
Arkansas State CapitolFree
Old State House MuseumFree
MacArthur Museum of Arkansas Military HistoryFree (donations welcome)
Arkansas Museum of Fine ArtsFree
Clinton Presidential Center$12 adults / $7 youth 6-17 / Free under 6
Museum of Discovery$15 adults / $13 children 12 & under / Free under 1
Historic Arkansas MuseumFree galleries (grounds tour ~$2.50)
Witt Stephens Jr. Central Arkansas Nature CenterFree

See all Little Rock attractions →

See all 68 Arkansas attractions on the directory →