By EMILY D. COOK / Community Columnist

School is back in session and many teachers are looking for a place to take their students for a field trip.

Why not Oak Mountain? We offer field trips for all ages and all groups plus we are inexpensive!

All field trips to Oak Mountain State Park take place outside for the best nature experience, the only problem (well, if you don’t like to get wet) is that we’re outside if it rains!

What do you do on a field trip to Oak Mountain? Field trips to Oak Mountain State Park typically run from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m., but can be adjusted based on where the school is coming from.

A typical trip for a group of 100 students includes a tour of the Petting Farm, a nature program, lunch and a scavenger hunt.

A smaller group of less than 75 students can choose up to four nature programs and lunch.

The cost of this is only $4 for teachers and chaperones (and students above the age of 12) and $1 for students (ages 6 to 11).

There are a variety of nature programs to choose from, depending on what the teacher wants.

A few examples are Animal Adaptations, Birds of AL, Bugs, Geology, and Reptiles and Amphibians.

Oak Mountain State Park also offers science classes to homeschool parents and local schoolteachers.

Throughout the school year, the Park Naturalist will hold classes on a variety of nature topics from mammals to birds to trees or weather, either in the park or by visiting local schools.

Please remember that you keep Alabama State Parks open by visiting them.

For more information on field trips, visit Alapark.com/oak-mountain-state-park-field-trips. Contact the Naturalist by phone at (205) 620-2520 or by email at Oakmountain.naturalist@dcnr.alabama.gov to schedule a field trip, school visit, or to check on science classes.