School Groups


School Group Rates
General Admission
Students Georgia Public, Private & Home School Groups Free
Other School Groups $4.00
Chaperones 1 per 5 students (Grades PreK4-8) Free
1 per 10 students (Grades 9-12) Free
Additional Adult Chaperones $6.50
Additional Military/Senior Citizen Chaperones $4.50
Bus Drivers One driver per bus Free
Reserved Programs / Special Features
Paul S. Simon
Discovery Theater
Students $2.00
Chaperones Free
STARLAB Portable Planetarium Students $2.00
Chaperones Free
Discovery Labs Students $2.50
Chaperones Free

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Payment Information and Policies

Group reservations must be paid in full at least 10 full workdays (Monday-Friday) prior to scheduled visit date.

One teacher should be designated as the person in charge of the visit. This person is responsible for coordination of the visit and payment of all appropriate fees and charges.

Method of payment can be any of the following: check, money order, credit card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express), cash, or school purchase order.

If you are paying with a school purchase order, please send the original document for total cost with your reservation form. Original purchase orders must be itemized and include the purchase order number, authorized signature, school name, date of visit and total cost.

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Planning Your School Trip Visit

Length of visit - Plan at least three hours for your visit to Fort Discovery.

Groups - Divide your class or classes into groups and assign chaperones to each group prior to arrival.

Chaperone requirements - Insure you have at least the minimum number of adult chaperones. Grades Pre-K4 through 8 require one (1) chaperone per five (5) students; grades 9-12 require one (1) chaperone per ten (10) students. Additional chaperones are welcome at the rates shown in the Rates table.

Chaperone responsibilities - Chaperones are responsible for and must supervise their group during the entire visit. Our rule of thumb is that chaperones should always be able to see all of the members of their group and should also accompany them into The Science Store. Insure your students are aware of the following rules of visitor etiquette which chaperones will help us enforce:

  1. Please, no eating, drinking, or chewing gum while in the Center.
  2. Running or reckless behavior is not permitted while visiting Fort Discovery. We want your visit to Fort Discovery to be safe and enjoyable.
  3. Fort Discovery is a tobacco-free environment.

Clothing requirements - Please note that closed-toes shoes and foot socks are required for some of our exhibit experiences.

When you arrive - Each group will be met at the bus drop-off, located on the west side of the building, by a member of the Fort Discovery staff. For quick entry into the Center, each school's group leader should provide the Fort Discovery staff member an exact count by category of all children, adults, and bus drivers in the group. Any differences between prescheduled and actual numbers will be addressed at this time. Any changes in food service requirements should also be brought to the attention of the Fort Discovery staff.

During your visit - Encourage your students to take the time to read the directions provided for each exhibit. Following the directions for operation will make the interaction with each exhibit much more meaningful to the student, as well as provide a valuable lesson in following directions.

Don't forget The Science Store! Everyone in your group will certainly want to take home something from The Science Store. We even have great School Packs! Give them a call to get all the info about these and arrange to have them ready to pick up during your visit.

    Phone: (706) 821-0613 or (800) 325-5445 ext. 0613
    FAX: (706) 821-0269

(When visiting The Science Store, be aware that it is monitored via closed-circuit TV.)

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Planning on Lunch at Fort Discovery?

Discovery Deli on the Levee - Pre-ordered box lunches are available from Discovery Deli on the Levee located at Fort Discovery.

Box lunch orders must be placed and paid for in full at least ten (10) business days prior to your group’s visit.  Payment may be made by credit card or a separate check that is payable to:
Discovery Deli on the Levee
Any changes to your order must be made at least 24 hours prior to your visit.

To place orders, use either of the following methods.
1. Call Michael directly at Discovery Deli on the Levee at (706) 722-6752.
2. Download and complete a Group Lunch Order Form. (PDF - 63Kb)  Then you may either:
    a.  Fax the completed form to (706) 722-6750; or
    b.  Mail the completed form to:
         Discovery Deli on the Levee
         ATTN: Michael Leverett
         One 7th Street
         Augusta, GA 30901-1341

Special note:  This form enables the new "Typewriter" feature, one of many found in the latest version of Adobe Acrobat Reader.  If you wish, you may use this feature to complete your form before printing. 
Download the latest free Adobe Acrobat Reader here.

Picnic Lunches - Augusta's Riverwalk provides ample space to have a leisurely picnic in various scenic areas along the Savannah River. Fort Discovery also has limited outdoor dining areas available for picnic-style dining. These areas are scheduled on a first-come, first-serve basis.

But, whether you're dining in our area or along the Riverwalk, we'll be glad to store your bag lunches until you are ready for them. Bag lunches should be placed in a box or cooler labeled with the school or group name written on the front.

Lunch plans will be addressed as part of your welcome and orientation.

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Late Arrivals

If you will be arriving later than expected, please notify us of your new arrival time.

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Cancellation

A $25.00 cancellation fee is assessed for each visit that is not either cancelled or confirmed at least 10 business days prior to visit.  If you must cancel or postpone a visit, please call Fort Discovery as soon as your plans have changed.

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School Group Reservations
Mailing and Contact Information
Fort Discovery
One 7th Street
ATTN: Reservations
Augusta, GA 30901
Phone: (706) 821-0200 ext. 0221 or
(800) 325-5445 ext. 0221
FAX: (706) 821-0269
Email: scheduling@nscdiscovery.org