As America commemorates the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown is marking its 50-year milestone this year and celebrating the museum’s 1976 origins rooted in America’s Bicentennial.
The museum opened on April 1, 1976, as the Yorktown Victory Center – the largest of three bicentennial centers established by the Virginia Independence Bicentennial Commission to celebrate the 200th anniversary of America’s independence. Now administered by the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, an educational agency under the Commonwealth of Virginia, the museum underwent a 10-year transformation and renaming to the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown in 2016.
Today, the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown tells the stories of ordinary people in extraordinary times during the nation’s founding, from the twilight of the colonial period to the dawn of the Constitution and beyond. Comprehensive indoor exhibits – complete with period artifacts, immersive films, and interactives – and outdoor living history allow visitors to experience the transformational nature and epic scale of the Revolution and its relevance today.
April Kicks Off Golden Anniversary Year during America’s 250th Celebration
The museum’s golden anniversary will be commemorated on April 1, 2026, with an artillery salute, celebratory remarks and refreshments in the museum’s artillery amphitheater. The programme begins at 3 p.m. and is open to the public.
The occasion launches an anniversary year showcasing the museum and marked with special exhibitions, events and programmes as America commemorates its semiquincentennial.
“It’s not just a one-day celebration, it’s one we want to extend all year, especially as we mark America’s 250th anniversary,” said Christy S. Coleman, executive director of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation and member of the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission. “We invite visitors to join us throughout the year to reacquaint themselves with our museum, the story of our American independence and the important role that Yorktown played in securing our nation’s freedom as the last major victory of the American Revolution.”
Early Years of the Yorktown Victory Center
On the eve of America’s 1976 Bicentennial, the late Nick and Mary Mathews, natives of Greece who emigrated to the United States and established the world-renowned Nick’s Seafood Pavilion, generously donated the land for the Yorktown Victory Center so that others would know “…the blessings of democracy that commenced in my native land of Greece and later here in (Yorktown)…”. For 50 years, millions of museum visitors have benefited from the legacy of their generous gift, learning about the ideals and freedoms of the American Revolution and the significance of the Siege of Yorktown to secure American independence. The couple is buried on the museum grounds overlooking the York River.
American Revolution Museum at Yorktown Today
The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown encompasses an education complex, exhibition galleries and outdoor living history. Indoors, the “Liberty Fever” introductory film sets the stage for museum experiences and tells the story of diverse people and events of the Revolution. The 22,000-square-foot exhibition galleries engage visitors in the tumult, drama and promise of the Revolution through period artifacts, interactives and films, including an experiential 4D theater that transports visitors to the Siege of Yorktown.
Among the focal points this year is the permanent display of a rare July 1776 broadside of the Declaration of Independence. The museum is the setting for the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission signature exhibition, “Give Me Liberty: Virginia & The Forging of a Nation,” in partnership with the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, in July 2026 – the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
In a re-created Continental Army encampment, living-history interpreters describe and depict the daily life of American soldiers under General George Washington and engage visitors in military drills, camp medicine and artillery. At a Revolution-era farm, based on a real 18th-century family from York County, Va., visitors can explore a farmhouse, kitchen, tobacco barn, quarters for enslaved people and gardens, and are invited to help tend crops, process fiber for cloth and play 18th-century games.
How to Visit
Admission with a Virginia 250 Passport: Individual admission to the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown is $20.00 for adults and $10.00 for ages 6-12. 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. This year, a Virginia 250 Passport, available at the admission desk, encourages visitors to explore history together by visiting 70 historic sites and museums.
Hours & Location: The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily year-round and closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s days, is located on Route 1020 in Yorktown, near Yorktown Battlefield.
Shopping & Dining: The museum shop offers official VA250 merchandise and a selection of museum souvenirs, reproductions, books and collectibles. The 1781 Café by Aromas
