Please be advised that The Sense of Beauty: Six Centuries of Painting from Museo de Arte de Ponce (February 23–June 22, 2025) includes works that depict nudity. If you do not want your group to view these works, please let us know in advance. While our docents will do their best to avoid the galleries that feature these works, they may be visible from other galleries in the museum.

Book A Tour Within Regular Museum Hours

All SMU class groups that meet outside of regular museum hours must request a tour by emailing Meadows Museum Tours.

We offer group discounts for learners of all ages visiting with 10 or more guests. Group reservations must be made at least three weeks in advance to receive a discount.

Public Group Tours

SATURDAYS | 2:00 p.m. and THIRD THURSDAYS | 6:30 p.m.

Explore our galleries with one of the museum’s trained docents. Our docent will guide you through the galleries, offering context and insights into the works of art on view. The content of the tour varies according to what’s on view and the docent’s particular expertise, and it may include a combination of works in the permanent collection and temporary exhibitions. Tours begin in the museum’s lobby; reservations are not required. Tours are free with museum admission.

Please note: Public group tours are not offered on SMU home football game days. Please visit the museum’s Program Calendar for the full schedule.

General Group Guidelines & Policies

Group size: Minimum 10, maximum 45. Groups greater than 45 must reserve additional time slots. We require all K-12 student groups to include 1 adult chaperone per 10 students. Higher education student groups must include 1 instructor per class section.

Groups with physical or cognitive disabilities are not required to meet the 10-person minimum.

Tour times: The following tour times are based on availability.

Monday: CLOSED
Tuesday: 10:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 2:30 p.m., and 4:00 p.m.
Wednesday: 10:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 2:30 p.m., and 4:00 p.m.
Thursday: 10:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 2:30 p.m., 4:00 p.m., 5:30 p.m., and 7:00 p.m.
Friday: 10:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 2:30 p.m., and 4:00 p.m.
Saturday: 10:00 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:00 p.m., 2:30 p.m., and 4:00 p.m.
Sunday: 1:00 p.m., 2:30 p.m., and 4:00 p.m.

Pricing (fees include admission):

  • K-12 student groups: FREE thanks to a grant from Fichtenbaum Charitable Trust, Bank of America, N.A., Co-Trustee. Additional chaperones beyond 1 per 10 students will pay the discounted adult group rate of $10.
  • Non-SMU higher education student groups: $1 per person
  • SMU class groups: FREE
  • Adult groups: $10.00 per person (fee applies to members and non-members)

Docents are provided free of charge.

We ask that self-guided groups yield to tours being conducted by museum staff and docent volunteers.

K-12 Student Group Visits

The Meadows Museum is pleased to offer teacher-guided and docent-led tours for K-12 student groups of up to 45 students. Groups of more than 45 students must reserve additional time slots. K-12 student groups must include 1 adult chaperone for every 10 students.

Admission is waived to all K-12 students + 1 chaperone per 10 students in class visits to the Meadows Museum during the 2023-2024 academic year, thanks to a grant from Fichtenbaum Charitable Trust, Bank of America, N.A., Co-Trustee. Additional chaperones will pay the discounted adult group rate of $10

Teachers are welcome to collaborate with the Meadows Museum Education Department staff to design gallery engagements that support classroom curricula. For more information, email meadowsmuseumtours@smu.edu.

Prepare students for their museum visit by making the purpose of the field trip clear, discussing museum expectations, and linking the trip to their learning in the classroom. A pre-visit lesson in English and Spanish is available for you to download.

Prepare chaperones for the field trip by sharing our downloadable chaperone letter. The letter is available in English and Spanish.

K-12 Tour Types

Learning to Look (1st–6th grade)
60 minutes | 45 students maximum | 1 chaperone per 10 students
Students explore objects throughout the museum, interpreting the stories they see in works of art, identifying basic elements of art, and making connections between art and their own lives.

Spanish Art in Context (Spanish classes 6th–12th grade)
60 minutes | 45 students maximum | 1 chaperone per 10 students
Help your students go beyond what they think they know about Spain. Students studying Spanish explore artworks that speak to the rich diversity and complexity of Spanish culture—from politics, religion, and power to costume, place, and artistic process. Tours cover 3–5 artworks.

The Form of Things (6th–12th grade)
60 minutes | 45 students maximum | 1 chaperone per 10 students
Focus on three-dimensional works of art and consider the ways that dimensionality and material play a role in a work’s creation and reception. Observe 3-5 sculptures from all angles through the Elizabeth Meadows Sculpture Collection. As most of the sculptures are located outside, your tour may be adjusted in the event of inclement weather.

The Faces of Spain (1st–12th grade)
60 minutes | 45 students maximum | 1 chaperone per 10 students
Students investigate the ways artists convey information about people through expression, pose, setting, dress, symbols, and other elements or attributes. Tours cover 3-5 portraits.

Workshop Tour (5th–12th grade)
90 minutes | 45 students maximum | 1 chaperone per 10 students
Workshop tours consist of one of the above tours followed by a related art-making activity designed by teachers.

Customize Your Tour

We are committed to providing engaging and empowering experiences with art to all of our visitors. If you are booking a guided tour, several additions and modifications are available for tours in order to enhance and support your group’s experience. Some items listed below are always available, such as use of the elevator and gallery seating, but it is helpful for us to know ahead of time that your group would benefit from their use so we can alert your docent.

If a member of your tour group would benefit from any of the following accommodations, please indicate them on your tour request form. You can learn more on our accessibility webpage.

  • Use of the elevator
  • Seating in the galleries
  • Tactile/multisensory opportunities – objects, scents, recorded sounds, tactile (braille) representations of works, and/or other opportunities for touch
  • Visual description – verbal descriptions of visual elements of art and the environment
  • Auditory assistance – headphone or T-coil-compatible speech amplifiers
  • ASL interpretation – American Sign Language (1-2 weeks’ advanced notice required)
  • EnChroma glasses for the color blind

Tips

  • Before booking a school group visit, please check your school’s testing dates, holidays, and bus availability.
  • The museum is accessible via FREE SMU Red Express (440) shuttle from Mockingbird Station. Please visit DART.org for up-to-date schedules and other transit routes.
  • Transit scholarships are available to qualifying schools. Download our Transit Scholarship Form for more information.
  • Lunches may be eaten outside the museum, on the south side of the plaza. The museum has no indoor eating facilities in the case of inclement weather. There are many on- and off-campus dining options.
  • Should you need to cancel a tour, please click the link in your confirmation email. Tours must be cancelled a minimum of 3 days before your tour date. Should you need to cancel your tour within a week of your tour date, please call the Meadows Museum Box Office at 214-768-2516.