12 Ways to Explore the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown

| | | |

Adjacent to the Colonial National Historical Park which includes the Yorktown Battlefield, the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown brings to life one of the most consequential battles of the American Revolution. In October of 1781, American General George Washington and French General Comte de Rochambeau cornered British troops, forcing General Cornwallis to surrender at Yorktown. Yorktown, a small town on the banks of the York River, is close to Williamsburg and Jamestown. The three towns are known as the “Historic Triangle.”

The American Revolution Museum opened in the spring of 2017 with a 22 acre site that includes indoor and outdoor exhibits, classrooms, media rooms, a large gift shop, and cafe. The museum is family friendly, inviting, and encourages engagement. Most exhibits are interactive, whether they invite visitors to touch artifacts, take a quiz and check answers by sliding screens, touch screens that encourage guessing or hypothesizing, or with telephones that play recorded narratives. There are also several spaces to sit and watch short films or more in depth displays.  Be sure to leave plenty of time to explore the reproduction farm- there are several interpreters who will engage and include visitors in various demonstrations. During off season winter months, guides provide information inside the museum before brief tours of the outdoor areas.

Traveling with Kids:

  • The museum is open 363 days a year (closed on Christmas Day and New Year’s Day). Consider purchasing tickets ahead of time. There are a wide variety of combination tickets that include visits to Jamestown and Williamsburg- check here for more information. I recommend the America’s Historic Triangle ticket for flexibility and a slower pace to really enjoy all five sites.

  • There is plenty of free parking and the entire museum is handicap and stroller accessible.

  • There are plenty of restrooms located throughout the museum and even outside near the farm.

  • A large gift shop is located near the exit and does not require admission to the museum to visit. Kids will love the wide variety of Revolutionary Era inspired toys and games.

  • A cafe on site offers sandwiches, salads and pizzas throughout the day, in addition to drinks and snacks. More info here. There are both indoor and outdoor dining spaces.

  • Plan to spend at least three hours to explore the indoor museum and outdoor farm. Consider attending a special program, such as a Family History Workshop- more info here.

12 Activities To Do at the American Revolution Museum:

Indoor Museum: Almost 500 artifacts are on display in chronological galleries.
1. Start with the 18 introductory film “Liberty Fever”, shown every half hour. Note: the film is quite loud and often depicts war and death and might not be suitable for young children.
2. Distinguish the different uniforms of soldiers from various colonies by colors.
3. Compare maps from British Colonial America in 1763 to modern day America.
4. Read an original copy of the Declaration of Independence.
5. Compare the size of the round shots (cannon balls) fired from a French Siege Gun used in the Battle at Yorktown.
6. Display a personal definition of the word “liberty” on an electronic lantern hanging from a “Liberty Tree.”

Would you like to save this?

We'll email this post to you, so you can come back to it later.

Outdoor Continental Army Encampment: Experience the daily life of a soldier
7. Feel the heat of the outdoor kitchen where food is cooked all day by soldiers- check out their daily ration of food. 
8.  Learn about the medicine and treatments a regimental surgeon used- a surgeon was in attendance at every camp.
9. Hear the firing of a musket and learn about the process of loading and firing it in the amphitheater.

Outdoor Reproduction Farm (the home of Edward Moss, a local farmer during the Revolutionary War who probate inventory after his death lists the possessions reproduced for the farm)
10. Smell the tobacco hung in the barn- tobacco was the #1 produced crop in American at the time.
11. Watch as interpreters demonstrate how to use various woodworking tools in the utility shed.
12. Count the number of vegetable and fruits planted throughout the farm.

Bonus:
13. “Shift your gaze to see the American Revolution through the eyes of the African Americans” who had an impact on the history of America in the rotating exhibit Forgotten Soldier. On display through March of 2020, the exhibit showcases personal accounts of life during Revolutionary times and curated artifacts from a variety of museums and institutions including the US National Archives. Admission is included in museum fee. 
14. . Attend a special presentation in the Education Center, on a variety of topics related to the museum. Check here for daily options.

For more suggestions on ways to explore the Williamsburg, Jamestown, Yorktown “Historic Triangle”, check out historyisfun.org. The Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation is full of tips, itineraries (based on length of stay), and special events.

Sign up for our weekly emails to see our other adventures in the area.

Disclosure: My family received a media pass to explore the museum. All opinions expressed are my own.

New England based, part high school English teacher, part non profit founder, part road tripper who LOVES hopping in the family SUV to explore America. Our bucket list includes National Parks, MLB stadiums, presidential libraries, and eating wherever the locals eat!

Similar Posts

  • | | |

    41 Ways to Have Fun at the Carnegie Science Center in Pittsburgh, PA

    The most visited museum in Pittsburgh, the Carnegie Science Center is home over two dozens exhibits and 100 interactive activities spread across four floors, welcoming over half a million visitors each year. On our recent visit to Pittsburgh, we enjoyed a whole afternoon exploring the Carnegie Science Center and testing our knowledge and understanding of everything from engineering to astronomy and space exploration to geology, biology, and marine life to health sciences.

  • | |

    Skytop Lodge in the Poconos

    Traveling during a still present pandemic: This summer we have been traveling to places that have low COVID numbers and offer opportunities for our family to explore the outdoors while keeping our distant from other groups. We went to the Poconos when our children were very little and loved the area (it’s also a super easy drive from our home). Skytop was near the top of my list to visit this summer because it offers so many activities included in our stay, so much areas to explore, and plenty of dining options right on site. We never left the resort and still had so many things we didn’t have an opportunity to do that we’ll “need” to return soon.

    Skytop Lodge, located in the Poconos of Pennsylvania, will transport guests to a bygone area. The main lodge, open since 1928, has grown over the past almost-century to a 55,000 acre resort that includes an 18 hole golf course, 2 pools, lakeside beach, miles of hiking trails, 5 restaurants, and dozens of daily activities for families of all ages. The grounds are stunning: manicured grass, lush gardens, and so many places to sit and relax (rocking on the back porch is a must!). There are flowers arrangements on every table in every space and every single one is fresh! Garden lovers should visit the gorgeous Flower Shop on the lower level of the main lodge.

  • | | |

    10 Ways to Explore Alligator Park in St. Augustine, Florida

    We’re not a huge zoo family, but every guide we read about St Augustine, Florida, as well as a couple of fellow travel writers, all suggested visiting Alligator Farm Zoological Park. So, on our recent visit to St. Augustine, we started one of our mornings at the park and agreed it’s a special place the whole family will enjoy.

    Established in 1893, Alligator Farm is one of the oldest zoos in the country. Originally opened as an exhibition space of native Florida reptiles at South Beach on Anastasia Island, Alligator Zoo quickly became a popular spot for tourists. After both a storm and fire destroyed much of the area in 1920, the owners moved the animals to the current, nine acre space. The zoo is home to 24 species of crocodilian, 40 species of birds, dozens of reptiles, and many other animals. The park has shaded paths that weave through the exhibits, with plenty of viewing areas and places to sit and enjoy the beauty of nature. There’s also a zip lining course, daily animal feedings, and various programs and special events that offer plenty of new things to see with each visit.

  • | | | | | | | |

    City Guide: Sag Harbor, New York

    The village of Sag Harbor, located on the northern part of the South Fork of Long Island, is typically home to under 3,000 year round residents but swells during peak summer months, as the area is a popular vacation spot. Considered part of “The Hamptons” (which includes the towns and villages of Westhampton, South Hampton, Sagaponack, Sag Harbor, East Hampton, Amagansett, and Montauk), the area is under two hours from the hustle and bustle of Manhattan (or a short ferry ride from Fairfield County, Connecticut). Sag Harbor became a US port of entry in 1789 with a growing population involved in servicing whalers and West Indian trade ships. and became a thriving whaling industry in the 1800s. There are many historic homes, museums, outdoor recreational areas, and dining and retail options throughout Sag Harbor and the surrounding towns that the whole family will enjoy.

  • | | | | |

    National Park Guide: Badlands National Park in South Dakota

    Badlands National Park, located in Interior South Dakota, is the location of the world’s largest fossil beds. The 244,000 acre park is home to sedimentary rock layers deposited over 70 million years ago, as well as mixed grass prairie where bison, bighorn sheep, prairie dogs, and ferrets live. There are over 60 species of grass throughout the prairies inside the park. Named by the early French trappers and the Lakota Native American tribe that founded the area, the Badlands are known for extremes: extreme weather, extreme vastness of the plains, and extreme fossil beds. Learn more about the formation of the Badlands Buttes. Badlands became a National Monument in 1939 and then a National Park in 1978; the southern half of the park is located on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation and is co-managed with the Oglala Sioux Tribe. Over one million people visit Badlands National Park each year

  • | | | | | | | | | |

    Ten Ways to Beat the Heat with Kids in Little Rock, Arkansas

    On a recent trip out west, we stopped in Little Rock, Arkansas for the weekend. I knew Little Rock is known for being the home of America’s 42nd President, Bill Clinton and I knew I’d want to stop at the Clinton Center and Park to explore the museum and earn a stamp in my Presidential Libraries passport.

    Yet, as I read through LittleRock.com to search for other things to do, I quickly discovered that Little Rock is a very family friendly city and my list of “must visit” spots quickly grew! I was warned that Little Rock gets hot in the summer; Indeed, on the weekend we visited, it rose to almost one hundred degrees each day. However, the heat did not interfere too much with our plans- there are so many family friendly things to do inside (many of them are FREE!) that we could beat the heat and still have a lot of fun exploring the city. We found Little Rock to be very pedestrian friendly (drivers actual stop for people waiting in a cross walk!) and easy to walk from place to place. We walked to almost all of the following places from our hotel, but you could also take a Rock Region Metro Streetcar, which kids might enjoy. I am already planning another visit to Little Rock; it looks like they have just as many activities for year round fun!

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *