Buffalo Bill Center's Virtual Field Trips Reach 275,000+ Students Globally

Since 2013, the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming, has connected over 275,000 students across six continents through its virtual field trip program. The initiative, presented at the Museums & Schools Summit 2026, began modestly with Skype in the Classroom and now delivers 30 weekly sessions reaching 30,000 students annually, with 300,000 milestone imminent. Five staff use iPads in galleries and a COVID-era Innovation Lab for hands-on demonstrations. The program draws on five museums under one roof: Buffalo Bill Museum, Draper Natural History Museum, Whitney Western Art Museum, Cody Firearms Museum, and Plains Indian Museum. Sessions are tailored to curriculum standards, including Next Generation Science Standards. Educators like Ruby Gray emphasize conversational engagement, while Heather Bender's 'Buffalo and Westward Expansion' offers Indigenous perspectives. Chloe Winkler features live raptors like the American kestrel Dot. Funding comes from an anonymous donor, with primary costs being personnel. The program proved resilient during COVID-19, having already been operational. Digital educator George Miller sometimes films from home during snowstorms, incorporating the surrounding landscape.