School Trips FAQs

Schedule early! Our most popular dates are typically booked eight months or earlier in advance. To ensure the best date and time for your needs, contact  education@soundwaters.org today!

SoundWaters can accommodate groups up to 200 students at our Coastal Education Center in Cove Island Park, 42 passengers aboard our schooner and 100 at our Harbor Center site.

Our Coastal Education Center is conveniently located near I-95 in Stamford, Connecticut. The facility is located in Cove Island Park, one of Stamford’s beautiful public parks. There is ample parking for buses. As we are located within the greater New York metropolitan area, rush hour traffic can be heavy. Please take travel time into account when scheduling your program!

SoundWaters Coastal Education Center is situated in the heart of Cove Island Park, along the shores of Long Island Sound and the tidal Holly Pond. From our facilities, we have access to a myriad of habitats and natural resources, including a salt marsh, a rocky intertidal zone, and sheltered waters for seine net fishing, sailing, and canoeing. To access the Center, walk over the bridge from the parking lot, follow the path to your left and continue past a red brick building. We are located in the large white house.

Students will need to provide their own lunches. Make sure you’ll have plenty to eat; you’ll be having a very active day! Upon arrival at SoundWaters, our educators will direct students in where to store their lunches and belongings while they are participating in activities. If your program has a scheduled lunch break, students and their chaperones will have time to eat either outside or in our Center, contingent upon the weather.

Our programs occur, rain or shine! Our educators will endeavor to provide students with the best and most enriching experience possible; in case of light rain, a program may be adapted to feature outdoor sampling combined with indoor processing and discussion. In case of heavy rain or dangerous conditions, we have a number of alternative indoor activities that emphasize the same concepts and skills as our outdoor programs. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any special requests or concerns.

To help support students and ensure that the instructor is able to maximize his or her attention to the class, we ask that each class of students has at least one chaperone who will be able to stay with the class during the program.

Our outdoor programs are offered March through November, Monday through Friday. Program content is flexible and customized to meet your needs.

Safety is our highest priority! All our instructors are trained in first aid and lifeguarding. Instructors are flexible and can suggest adaptations to activities for students who may not be comfortable completing a station. If dangerous conditions arise, back up activities will be provided

Our instructors have a diverse background in science and education. Learn more.

In order to confirm your SoundWaters program, a deposit of 50% of the total cost is due. The remainder is due two weeks prior to the first date of the scheduled program. Customers may cancel their SoundWaters program up to 30 days before the start date, and a refund less a 10% administrative fee will be issued. If the program is cancelled less than 30 days prior to the start date of the program, 50% of the total cost will be retained by SoundWaters. Signed contract and deposit can be returned to SoundWaters, 1281 Cove Road, Stamford, CT 06902 or education@soundwaters.org.

Each student will need a permission slip, completed by a parent or guardian, prior to or upon their arrival at SoundWaters. If students will be canoeing, an additional canoe waiver is also required. Photo waivers will also be distributed; please keep a record of which students have opted out of photos and be able to share that information with our staff. Spanish language forms are available upon request.

For questions regarding scheduling, content, or logistics, contact please contact education@soundwaters.org.