Join in the One-Year Countdown to America’s 250th Anniversary with Immersive Programs, Artillery Firings and In-Depth Look at the Declaration of Independence
YORKTOWN, Va., June 27, 2025 – This Fourth of July holiday, salute the 249th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence during Liberty Celebration at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, and join in the one-year countdown to America’s 250th commemoration.
From 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on July 4, 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.
Whether exploring the indoor galleries or outdoor living history, visitors can enjoy these Fourth of July experiences:
• Catch “Liberty Fever” – the museum’s award-winning introductory film, shown throughout the day in the main theater.
• Discover the powerful stories behind the Declaration of Independence in an immersive gallery exhibit surrounded by signatures of this historic document’s signers. At 11:30 a.m., take part in a dramatic reading of the famous document outdoors in the Continental Army encampment. At 1 p.m., a first-person portrayal of John Rollison reflects on conversations in his York County tavern once independence is declared.
• 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 10:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. Enjoy songs played on the fiddle, banjo and bones.
• Enjoy a conversation with Ben Franklin, portrayed by B.J. Pryor, along with Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation Executive Director Christy S. Coleman about diplomacy and the Constitutional Convention at 3:30 p.m.
• Visit “Patrons & Patriots: The Legacy of Nick and Mary Mathews” special exhibition, on display through July 27, to learn about the unwavering patriotism and impact of these Greek American immigrants and their iconic 20th-century Yorktown restaurant.
• From artillery firings to cloth-dyeing demonstrations, take part in patriotic programming with living-history interpreters in outdoor re-creations of a Continental Army encampment and Revolution-era farm
• 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.
A full schedule of activities is available at jyfmuseums.org/liberty-celebration.
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, living-history 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. Visitors can join an 18th-century artillery crew and then feel the thunder of a cannon blast as living-history interpreters fire a salute to our nation’s founders during demonstrations at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., weather permitting.
At the re-created Revolution-era farm from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., visitors can learn how farmers during the war became more self-sufficient by growing and processing flax, cotton and wool for homespun cloth, and producing natural dyes from available materials. Living-history interpreters 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, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
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
Open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, along with its museum shop and café, is located on 200 Water Street (Route 1020) in Yorktown. 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 Celebration from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
A commemorative partner of the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission marking the anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the museum is administered by the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, an educational agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia accredited by the American Alliance of Museums. In time for the 250th, visit jyfmuseums.org/250 to explore a variety of upcoming exhibitions and events.
For more information about “Liberty Celebration,” visit jyfmuseums.org/liberty-celebration.
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Media Contacts
Tracy Perkins, tracy.perkins@jyf.virginia.gov or (757) 253-4114
Meghan van Joosten, meghan.vanjoosten@jyf.virginia.gov or (757) 253-4175
