Informal science settings, such as zoos and aquariums have been around since the 1800s. These facilities provide their visitors with the opportunity for a hands on approach to the study of science. With recent changes in educational policy, it has become increasingly difficult for teachers to take their classes on fieldtrips. In order to increase the frequency of fieldtrips, it is first important that they become more effective. In this study, I took two high school biology classes to the North Carolina Aquarium at Fort Fisher in order to study the effectiveness of pre- and post-visit activities. A teacher packet was created which included all the activities needed for the experiment. One class participated in the pre- and post-visit activities, whereas the other class did not. Both classes were tested before and after the project began. Both classes showed improvement, but the class with the pre- and post-visit activities showed a greater increase in knowledge as well as better retention over time. Although the sample size was too small to determine if the data were significant or not, the numbers seem to support the hypothesis.