West Chatham Elementary School students took their knowledge quest outside the classroom Oct. 30.

All fourth-grade classes were invited to participate in the daylong adventure through the South Carolina Lowcountry.

The ultimate destination was one of the country's oldest working plantations, Boone Hall in Charleston. En route along U.S. 17, teachers found other opportunities to point out wildlife and ecosystems students are currently studying.

Once the buses reached Charleston, the first stop was the "Scare Crow" Festival at the plantation's farm. Settling near the fields for a picnic lunch, students learned what crops now grow on the 300-year-old cotton fields. Youngsters had to visit the farm's animals and explore the grounds on a spooky hay ride or search the pumpkin fields to select a souvenir to take home.

Youngsters then visited the plantation house and grounds on the opposite side of the 813-acre site. Guides pointed out stables, a smokehouse and a cotton gin found on the plantation in the 1800s. The three-story brick house was built in 1936 to replace the original plantation home and has been featured in a television miniseries and two movies, most recently "The Notebook."

With science, ecology, history and geology filling their heads, the weary travelers boarded the buses for the trip home.