July 4 Celebration at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown

This Fourth of July holiday, salute the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence during Liberty Celebration at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown.

On July 4, 2026 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, visitors can enjoy interpretive programs, artillery demonstrations and learn about the challenges that faced our nation’s founders, including those who signed the Declaration of Independence, as well as those for whom the new nation’s rights of freedom and liberty did not yet apply.

Here are a list of the Special Event Demonstrations going on for July 4th!

Catch “Liberty Fever” – the museum’s award-winning introductory film, shown throughout the day in the main theater. Share your thoughts on liberty by adding them to the “Liberty Tree,” an interactive feature on a 17-foot sculptural tree, rooted in the museum galleries.

Discover the powerful stories behind the Declaration of Independence in an immersive gallery exhibit surrounded by signatures of this historic document’s signers.

At 11 am, 1 pm & 3 pm, be part of an 18th-century artillery crew and get your first lesson in the loading of an artillery piece. Then, the Continental Army crew fires a salute to our nation’s founders. (Weather permitting)

Join in the “Great American 4th of July Sing-along” led by the Cigar Box String Band, playing songs from American history that everyone knows by heart at 12:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. Enjoy songs played on the fiddle, banjo and bones.

Visit the Wish Wall in the Museum Lobby. Share your wish for America in the next 250 years and post on the Wish Wall along with the wishes from your friends and neighbors.

From artillery firings to cooking demonstrations, take part in patriotic programming with living-history interpreters in outdoor re-creations of a Continental Army encampment and Revolution-era farm.

A full schedule of activities is available at jyfmuseums.org/libertycelebration.

Living-History Experiences

Visitors can discover daily life for 18th-century soldiers and citizens caught up in the American Revolution in life-size re-creations of a Continental Army encampment and Revolution-era farm.

At the Continental Army encampment, historical interpreters describe and depict daily routines and diverse roles of American soldiers, with demonstrations of flintlock musket and artillery firing, 18th-century surgical and medical practices, and the role of the quartermaster in managing troop supplies. In the artillery amphitheater, feel the thunder of a cannon blast as historical interpreters fire a salute to our nation’s founders during artillery demonstrations throughout the day, weather permitting.

At the re-created Revolution-era farm, visitors can learn about the daily life of farmers and enslaved people during the Revolution including cooking, gardening, basket-weaving and pastimes. Historical interpreters also will prepare a variety of 18th-century dishes, using historical recipes from Virginia’s earliest cookbooks, as well as foods of enslaved people and cultural influences on period dishes.

Admission to Liberty Celebration

“Liberty Celebration,” funded in part by the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Inc. Annual Fund, is included with museum admission: $20.00 for adults, $10.00 for youth ages 6-12 and free for ages 5 and under. A value-priced combination ticket with Jamestown Settlement, a museum of 17th-century Virginia, is $34.00 for adults and $17.00 for ages 6-12. Residents of York County, James City County and the City of Williamsburg, including William & Mary students, receive complimentary admission with proof of residency. Tickets are available  online or in person at both museums.

About the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown & Fourth of July in Historic Yorktown

A partner of the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission, the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily and located on 200 Water Street near the Colonial Parkway in Yorktown, tells the story of the nation’s founding, capturing the transformational nature and epic scale of the Revolution and its relevance today. The museum shop and café are open during museum hours.

Parking at the museum is free for museum visitors. On July 4, the Yorktown Trolley will offer free shuttle service to Historic Yorktown for its Fourth of July Celebrations from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information about “Liberty Celebration,” visit jyfmuseums.org/libertycelebration.

Attend the Star-Spangled Cookout

Join the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown for an evening (6 – 8:30 p.m.) of old-fashioned Fourth-of-July Americana! After the museum closes continue to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the country with traditional cookout fare of hot dogs, hamburgers and all the fixings!

After dinner there will be music, puppet shows, crafts and competitions with prizes. End the event with a bang in salute America’s birthday with an artillery firing then walk down the hill into historic Yorktown for fireworks. You may leave your car in the museum parking lot until after the fireworks are over. Tickets are $45 for adults, $25 for youth and free for ages 2 and under. More information including tickets to the Star-Spangled Cookout.

Let’s eat!

• Thick ‘n Juicy 6 oz Steak Burgers  (GF)
• Large all-beef Hotdogs (GF)
• Soft burger and hotdog Buns (GF & VG options)
• “Cookout Classic” Beyond Burgers (V, VG, GF)
• Black Bean Burger with red peppers and caramelized onion (V, VG, GF)
• Condiments: ketchup, mustard, mayonnaise, vegan mayonnaise, relish, onions, pickles, lettuce, tomato and a selection of cheeses, including dairy free.
• Baked Beans sweetened with a touch of brown sugar, spices and onion (V, VG, GF)
• Mediterranean Pasta Salad with ripe cherry tomatoes, crisp cucumbers, black olives, red onion, feta cheese, zesty Italian vinaigrette (VG – contains gluten)
• Vegan Potato Salad with red skin-on potatoes mixed with vegetables, seasoning and vegan mayonnaise (V, VG, GF, DF)
• Cookies and Brownies an assortment of fresh baked chocolate chip cookies, red velvet cookies, peanut butter cookies, and chocolate fudge brownies (GF, V, VG options)
• Non-Alcoholic Beverage Station: Unsweetened iced tea, lemonade, water, ice and fresh lemons
• Beer and Ciders are available at the cash bar

^{(DF-Dairy free; GF-Gluten free; V-Vegetarian; VG-Vegan)}

More information including tickets to the Star-Spangled Cookout.

Patriotic entertainment

Come see a family friendly puppet show provided by Shades of Our Past about the throwing of the pernicious tea into Boston Harbor. Boo and hiss as the dreaded Lord North and Parliament tax the colonies and cheer as the tea goes in the harbor.

Shades of Our Past LLC provides historical education and entertainment from America’s founding to World War II. Lee Ann and Bill Rose have over 30 years of character interpretation experience in the museum field.

More information including tickets to the Star-Spangled Cookout.