Field Trips for Fertile Minds

You have 10 choices. And when you hear that five of them involve learning about dancing in Ireland, mining in Brazil, diving in Bermuda, ranching in Chile or singing in Italy, you may begin to see what we're up to here.

This is the annual "Trips for the Thinking Person" issue, and as in years past, we've asked Ann Waigand, publisher of the Educated Traveler newsletter, to select 10 promising educational tours scheduled for this year. In choosing, she sifted through offerings sponsored by education organizations and tour operators from the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County and the National Trust for Historic Preservation, with destinations that range from Peruvian ruins to an Arctic ice station.

In the listings below, in no particular order, prices are per person, presuming double occupancy. Unless the entry notes otherwise, tours include lodging and most meals, and exclude air fare. Keep in mind that tour rosters can fill quickly and changes in itinerary are possible.

The Music and Dance of Ireland

Sept. 7 to 17. Sponsored by Smithsonian Study Tours and Seminars. Information: Amy Kotkin, Smithsonian Study Tours, 1100 Jefferson Drive SW, Washington, DC 20560; tel. (202) 357-4700, Internet http://www.si.edu/tsa/sst. Price: $3,965, including air fare from New York or Boston.

Folklorist, professional musician, arts administrator and radio and TV personality Mick Moloney, recipient of a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts, leads this exploration of traditional Irish music and its influences. Highlights include visits to a dance school, the workshop of the most famous music-pipe maker in Ireland, the workshop of the foremost maker of bodhrans (goatskin drums) in Ireland, and the Irish Traditional Music Archive. Also included are concerts by Irish step dancers, musicians and singers, and a performance by the country's best-known singer of old church music.

The Gem Mines of Minas Gerais, Brazil

June 26 to July 11. Sponsored by the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County. Information: Christine Robison, Natural History Museum, 900 Exposition Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90007; tel. (213) 763-3534, fax (213) 744-1042, Internet http://www.nhm.org. Price: $3,000, including air fare from Los Angeles.