Historical Markers
Child looks at dinosaur skull in museum display - elementary school history trips

By bus · city, California

Elementary School History Trips in Santa Monica, CA

Short trips for younger grades: a couple of nearby stops, a story at each one, and a badge for every child who finds the marker.

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Photo: Hasibul Hasan on Unsplash

A field trip that costs a bus and a morning has to be worth it. Santa Monica has a population of about 92,472. The listed sites near your school are the cheapest primary sources you will ever use.

Kids curiously examining something small on the sidewalk grass - elementary school history trips
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Children standing beside fence during daytime - elementary school history trips
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Three children enjoying a fun exhibit in a museum, exploring with excitement and curiosity - elementary school history trips
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On the record near Santa Monica, CA

The 12 nearest

493 listed historic sites on the record within 30 miles of Santa Monica, CA.

  1. Charmont Apartmentsunder a mile from the center of Santa Monica · Building · Santa Monica · listed 1996National Register of Historic Places
  2. Sovereign Hotelunder a mile from the center of Santa Monica · Building · Santa Monica · listed 1997National Register of Historic Places
  3. Club Casa Del Marunder a mile from the center of Santa Monica · Building · Santa Monica · listed 2000National Register of Historic Places
  4. 27th Street Historic District1.0 miles from the center of Santa Monica · District · Los Angeles · listed 2009National Register of Historic Places
  5. Horatio West Court1.1 miles from the center of Santa Monica · Building · Santa Monica · listed 1977National Register of Historic Places
  6. Milbank, Isaac, House1.4 miles from the center of Santa Monica · Building · Santa Monica · listed 2023National Register of Historic Places
  7. Weaver, Henry, House1.4 miles from the center of Santa Monica · District · Santa Monica · listed 1989National Register of Historic Places
  8. Bradbury House1.6 miles from the center of Santa Monica · Building · Los Angeles · listed 2010National Register of Historic Places
  9. Parkhurst Building1.6 miles from the center of Santa Monica · Building · Santa Monica · listed 1978National Register of Historic Places
  10. Case Study House No. 181.8 miles from the center of Santa Monica · Building · Los Angeles · listed 2013National Register of Historic Places
  11. Case Study House No. 91.8 miles from the center of Santa Monica · Building · Los Angeles · listed 2013National Register of Historic Places
  12. Ellison, The1.9 miles from the center of Santa Monica · Building · Venice · listed 2017National Register of Historic Places

Distances are straight-line from the center of Santa Monica, CA. Many sites are private property or working buildings - view them from the public way. See them on the map.

Elementary History Trips in Santa Monica, step by step

  1. 1

    Choose stops within the time and distance the day allows

  2. 2

    Send families the route and the stories ahead of time

  3. 3

    At each stop, read the record aloud and ask one question

  4. 4

    Students photograph or sketch one detail at every site

  5. 5

    Back in class, each student explains one stop to the room

What people in Santa Monica, CA ask first

How much does it cost to visit these sites in Santa Monica, CA?

Most listed sites can be seen from a public road or sidewalk at no cost, and the app is free to use. Some sites are private homes, working churches or museums with their own hours and fees. The record for each one says what it is, so you know before you go.

Where does the information on these sites come from?

From published records: the National Register of Historic Places, the Recorded Texas Historic Landmark program, and the Georgia Historical Society and Georgia Department of Natural Resources marker program. Every site on the page names its source.

Is this suitable for students in Santa Monica, CA?

Yes. Every stop is a published historic site with its record attached, so the content is factual and sourced. Teachers choose the stops, and the route can be kept to sidewalks and public ground.

Does this line up with state standards?

State history standards in most grades ask students to connect events to local places. The listed sites near your school are those local places, with the primary record already attached.

How a visit works in Santa Monica

  1. Step 1

    Find the place

    Every stop starts as a pin with real coordinates. In Santa Monica, CA the map shows what is listed around you and how far each one is, so the first decision is where to go, and it takes a few seconds.

  2. Step 2

    Read the story

    The record behind each marker is kept whole: what happened there, when, who was involved, and why it was worth a sign. You read it standing where it happened, which is the part a textbook cannot give you.

  3. Step 3

    Get there under your own power

    Walk it, run it, hike it, ride it or drive it. Stops in Santa Monica, CA are chained into routes that fit the way you move, so a lunch break, a long run or a Saturday drive can all pass through history.

  4. Step 4

    Collect it and come back

    Each stop you reach counts toward a badge, and a photo or a correction you send makes the record better for the next person. The map remembers where you have been, so the next trip starts where the last one ended.

The rules that make it work

The record comes first

Every site on these pages comes from a published register or marker program, with its source named. Nothing is listed that is not on the record.

Read the whole story

A marker is a few lines on a post. The story behind it is longer, and it includes the hard parts. Both are worth the stop.

Movement makes it stick

People remember the places they walked to. A route through five markers teaches more than fifty marker pages read on a couch.

Local beats famous

The marker two streets over usually has a better story than the one in the guidebook, and nobody else is standing in front of it.

Respect the ground

Many sites are private homes, working churches or cemeteries. View from the public way, follow posted hours, and leave it as you found it.

Every visitor can improve it

Markers go missing, get moved, or carry mistakes. A photo or a location fix from the person standing there is how the record stays right.

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Elementary History Trips near Santa Monica

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