This paper surveys research over the past decade on school group visits to museums. By shifting attention to students' views about field trips, to their socially negotiated learning behaviors during field trips and the interaction between learning in the classroom and in the museum, this research has afforded a deeper understanding of the nature of learning in these contexts. This paper explores these aspects through a look at what the literature tells us about the similarities and differences between how families and students learn in museums, then investigates this further through the voices of adults and students in museums. The impact of the valuing and definition of learning in museums by students and teachers leads to discussion of boundary crossings between museums and schools.