Long Island Museum Offers Free Rides for Schools

By Laura Brothers December 19, 2014

The Long Island Museum of American Art, History & Carriages, a museum that focuses on American history and art with a tie to Long Island, is offering its Rides for Kids program this year after piloting it last year. The program provides free rides for schools to visit the museum.

children at long island museum

Students practice script writing in Long Island Museum's School Days program.

The Long Island Museum of American Art, History & Carriages, a Smithsonian affiliate dedicated to American history and art with a Long Island connection, is bringing back its Rides for Kids program after piloting it last year. Through museum funding, the program provides transportation for schools and their students to the museum for its educational programs. The museum, which gained additional funding through an auction this year, hopes to serve more schools and kids than last year.

Julie Diamond, director of communications for the museum, explained last year’s initiative as very successful. “It is a great tool for schools,” she says. “We served around 15,000 students last year and hope to meet or exceed that this year.”

Serving both Suffolk and Nassau counties, schools that are interested and meet the museum’s criteria will receive free transportation for their students to and from the museum.

The museum has dedicated school programs in social studies, art, and language arts that meet the New York state standards, Diamond says. The programs are ongoing and are for third through sixth grades, with a focus on third and fourth graders. Programs last for approximately two hours.