Group Visits

To request a group visit:

Please submit a group request form. Visits must be requested at least 5 weeks in advance. Our staff will contact you to confirm dates and times (based on availability) within five business days.

Dates are scheduled on a first-come, first-served basis; it is helpful to have alternate dates in mind when submitting your request. A non-refundable credit card processing fee that does not apply toward the group total secures date and time of your visit, unless you are a local* school. Your reservation is not official until the non-refundable fee is processed.

Two weeks prior to your visit, you will receive an email with pre-visit information.

Dates
Now accepting group visit requests for August 2024. Group visit requests for September through December 2024 open July 15, 2024.

• Groups are welcome Wednesday–Friday and Monday
• Groups of up to 35 may also make reservations on Saturday.
• Planet Word is NOT open on Tuesday.
• No group booking on Sunday.

Times
Planet Word accepts group reservations at two specific time slots:

10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. and 12:00 – 1:30 p.m.

Group Size Limits
Planet Word accepts groups of 16–80 people

• The museum requires at least one adult chaperone for every ten visitors under the age of 17.
• Chaperone numbers count towards group totals; groups that arrive with fewer than the required number of chaperones may be denied entry.
• Have a larger group or a special experience in mind? We’d be happy to work with you, please email [email protected].

Grade Levels
Planet Word’s content is geared for 3rd grade level and up. 

• 1st through 2nd grade groups of up to 35 may make reservations. There must be 1 chaperone for every 7 students.
• PreK and Kinder group booking is not permitted.

A $25 non-refundable credit card processing fee that does not apply toward the group total secures the date and time for your group visit. If a credit card is not received within three business days of your reservation request, your reservation hold will be cancelled.

Full payment must be received 15 days prior to your scheduled visit, or your visit will be cancelled.

Local* Title I schools up to 80
scheduled during normal visiting hours will have the non-refundable processing fee and group admission waived. A written confirmation is required to secure the time and date for your group visit.

Local* mission-aligned, nonprofit education centers^ with groups no larger than 35 scheduled during normal visiting hours will have the admission waived; a non-refundable credit card processing fee is still required to secure the time and date.  

Local* schools
not receiving Title I funding will have the $25 non-refundable processing fee waived; group payment and a written confirmation is required to secure the time and date for your group visit. 

Groups 16–35
$210 + $25 non-refundable processing fee that does not apply toward the group total secures the date and time.

Groups 36–60
$480 + $25 non-refundable processing fee that does not apply toward the group total secures the date and time.

Groups 61–80
$800 + $25 non-refundable processing fee that does not apply toward the group total secures the date and time.

Groups 80+
Have a larger group or a special experience in mind? We’d be happy to consider your request; please email [email protected]. 

Arrangements for room rentals, performances, or special workshops can be added for additional fees.

Please note
Groups that arrive at the museum after their reservation has been cancelled will not be accommodated.

Payments
Planet Word accepts Visa, MasterCard, Discover, American Express. Reservation fees can be made with a valid credit card only. Please contact our Reservations desk at 202-918-6136, Monday – Friday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Please make all checks payable to:  Planet Word or The Museum of Language Arts. If you have a Purchase Order, email proof of P.O. at [email protected].

*Planet Word defines “local” as the following jurisdictions: D.C., Maryland (Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Howard, Montgomery, and Prince George’s counties) and Virginia (Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Falls Church, Loudoun and Prince William counties).  

^Planet Word defines “mission-aligned, nonprofit education centers” as registered 501c3 nonprofits with an educational mission directly related to Planet Word’s vision and mission. .

Full payment must be received 15 days prior to the scheduled visit, or the group visit will be cancelled. 

• If you need to cancel your visit, please contact us as soon as possible at [email protected] or 202-918-6136.
• Cancelling or rescheduling prior to the 15 days ahead of the group visit will incur no additional charge. Processing fees are non-refundable.
• Group visits cancelled within 15 days of the reservation forfeit any payment made towards the group total and should submit a new online request form and pay a new non-refundable processing fee. 
• Groups that arrive at the museum after their reservation has been cancelled will not be accommodated.

Local Title I schools
which cancel or reschedule within 15 days of the reservation will be invoiced for the value of the group visit plus the $25 non-refundable processing fee. Schools will not be allowed to schedule another group visit until this invoice is paid.  

Local DMV schools and nonprofit education centers up to 35
which cancel or reschedule within 15 days of the reservation will be invoiced the value of the group visit and will not be permitted to schedule another group visit until this invoice has been paid in full.  

All other groups: Group visits cancelled within 15 days of the reservation forfeit any payment made towards the group total.

If a group must cancel a visit due to inclement weather or to an unexpected change in the Homeland Security Threat system, the Museum will attempt to reschedule the program at no additional charge, subject to existing reservations. If Planet Word must cancel a visit due to unexpected circumstances, groups will be offered the option to reschedule or receive a full refund.

Planet Word receives a high volume of requests for group visits. To ensure a fair and equitable process, changes to the group visit date and time are limited. If you must make changes to your reserved date and time, contact [email protected] to cancel your existing reservation. Please submit a new online request form and plan to pay a new processing fee to book a new date and time.

Groups can change size until 15 days prior to the scheduled visit by contacting [email protected]. A new invoice will be sent with the updated amount due. Changes cannot be made after final payment has been received or within 15 days of your group visit.

If a group arrives with more people than were confirmed, we will charge a group credit card for the extra people at the time of arrival, up to the museum’s capacity at the group’s scheduled arrival time. If the number of people exceeds the museum’s total capacity, the group may be turned away.

Like mysteries, riddles, and puzzles? Take a trip through Lexicon Lane, a charming village full of wordplay surprises on the museum’s third floor. Reserve a puzzle case and find clues that will help you solve fascinating mysteries among the town’s quirky shops and byways.

Great for solo sleuthing or team bonding, each case contains a set of themed word puzzles. Search the room for clues and crack each case one by one!

The same group policies and procedures apply when booking a Lexicon Lane group.

Dates, Ages and Group Size Limits

• Organized groups of 20-50 people may make reservations Wednesday–Monday.
• Planet Word is NOT open on Tuesday.
• Lexicon Lane is for ages 12+ only.
• Have a larger group or a special experience in mind? We’d be happy to work with you, please email [email protected].

Times
Planet Word accepts Lexicon Lane group reservations at three session time slots:

10 a.m. – 12 p.m., 12 p.m. – 2 p.m., and 2 p.m. – 4 p.m.

Pricing 

Groups 20-35 (up to 8 cases)
$500 for a private 1.5 hour Lexicon Lane experience, plus the cost of group admission.

Groups 36-50 (up to 12 cases)
$1000 for a private 2-hour Lexicon Lane experience, plus the cost of group admission. 

A 25% non-refundable processing fee applies toward the group total and secures the date and time. If a credit card is not received within three business days of your reservation request, your reservation hold will be cancelled. Full payment must be received 15 days prior to your scheduled visit, or your visit will be cancelled.

Arrangements for group admission, room rentals, and  workshops can be added for additional fees.

The same group policies and procedures apply when booking a Planet Wordshop.

Dive deeper with one of Planet Word’s educator-facilitated Wordshops. Wordshops can either be added to an in-person, self-guided gallery visit to the museum or offered virtually. All offerings are Common Core standards aligned.

Wordshop packages are offered from 10 a.m. – 12 p.m. and 12 p.m. – 2 p.m. on weekdays when Planet Word is open, starting with the Wordshop and ending with an hour of focused gallery time.

Wordshops are designed for classes of 35 or fewer and last an hour unless otherwise noted.

Virtual Wordshops cost $125; on-site Wordshops cost $200, plus the cost of the self-guided group visit. Fee waived for local* Title I schools and local* mission-aligned, nonprofit education centers^.

For more Planet Wordshop information, please visit For Educators.

*Planet Word defines “local” as the following jurisdictions: D.C., Maryland (Anne Arundel, Baltimore, Howard, Montgomery, and Prince George’s counties) and Virginia (Alexandria, Arlington, Fairfax, Falls Church, Loudoun and Prince William counties).  

^Planet Word defines “mission-aligned, nonprofit education centers” as registered 501c3 nonprofits with an educational mission directly related to Planet Word’s vision and mission. .

Getting here
For up-to-date driving, metro, or city bus directions, visit the Plan Your Visit page. Groups arriving by school or charter bus can unload on 13th St. and walk to the entrance on K St. There is no on-site parking for private cars or buses.

Arrival procedures
When you arrive, please send the leader to the welcome desk to alert staff to your arrival. A staff member will greet your group on the bus or guide your group to an available space within the museum and provide a brief welcome and orientation to Planet Word.

Please do not bring large bags, backpacks, lunches or drinks with you to Planet Word.

Visit duration
Groups are scheduled at one of two time slots (10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. and 12:00 – 1:30 p.m.) unless otherwise specified. Please arrive at the time of your reserved group visit. Groups that arrive more than an hour after their scheduled arrival time may be denied entry. All groups must leave at the conclusion of their time slot unless prior arrangements have been made. We do not allow re-entry for large groups once they depart the building.

Moving through the museum
Many of the museum’s galleries are small. Large groups should plan to divide into groups of no more than ten to move through the galleries. Please be conscious of other visitors as you move your group through the galleries.

The museum features galleries on three floors. If you’d like to plan ahead, please review this Museum Map.

Visitor Expectations
Please review the following visitor expectations.

• Please take turns, be respectful, and only post content appropriate for all ages. 
• We encourage visitors to speak with the exhibits, but please do not scream. The exhibits work best if you speak clearly, directly into the microphone. 
• Please be gentle with our hands-on experiences. 
• Walk, do not run, in the museum. 
• Listen for and follow any instructions from Planet Word staff. 

Planet Word reserves the right to eject any person whose conduct is deemed disorderly or does not comply with the visitor expectation or our Visitor Code of Conduct.

Accessibility
Please see our Accessibility page for details. If you have questions about accommodation or accessibility needs, please indicate in your group request form.

Food
Groups may not eat on-site at Planet Word. We encourage groups to eat lunch at Franklin Park, directly across 13th St. from the museum. The park has seating, a children’s play area, nearby restaurants and public restrooms.

If you need to take a short snack break, please step into the museum’s courtyard. Food or water needed for medical reasons may be consumed in the stairwells.

Planet Word is pleased to welcome groups for on-site, hour-and-a-half long self-guided museum visits to choose your own adventure and achieve your own learning goals. Or dive deeper with an hour-long, educator-facilitated, Common Core aligned Wordshop Package on one of six topics of your choosing (grade dependent) followed by an hour of self-guided gallery exploration.  

Chaperone Expectations 

Download our chaperone guide and distribute to all chaperones. 

The museum requires at least one adult chaperone for every ten visitors under the age of 17. Chaperone numbers count towards group totals; groups that arrive with fewer than the required number of chaperones may be denied entry. 

Chaperones MUST be present and engaged with the students at all times while in the museum. Group members may not roam without their chaperone. Unchaperoned or misbehaving groups are subject to being escorted out of the museum and may not be allowed admission in the future. 

We rely on adult chaperones to help model positive visitor behavior for the students in their care. Chaperones may be called upon to demonstrate how to engage with exhibits, help their students take turns with hands-on activities, and model sharing space with other museum visitors. 

Pre, Post, and Extension Materials 

Planet Word offers free, teacher-vetted lessons to help your students take full advantage of a field trip to Planet Word. Each grade-banded unit, aligned with one of our ground-breaking exhibits, includes a pre-lesson, extension lesson, post-lesson, and a project-based activity. You know your students best, so you can choose to use all, some, or none. 

For additional questions please contact our Reservations team at [email protected] or 202-918-6136. Office hours are Monday through Friday 10-4pm.