Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, VA
Home MenuLiberty Celebration
July 4, 2026 • American Revolution Museum at Yorktown
On the Fourth of July holiday, salute the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence during Liberty Celebration at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown.
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, as well as those for whom the new nation’s rights of freedom and liberty did not yet apply.
| LIBERTY CELEBRATION 2026 SPECIAL DEMONSTRATIONS |
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|---|---|---|
| Approximate Time | Location | Description |
| 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. | Revolution-era Farm | Open-Hearth Cooking Explore the emerging American identity through food culture with cooking methods used in late 18th-century Virginia. |
| 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. | Revolution-era Farm | Cooking at the Quarters Discover what foods were prepared and eaten by enslaved people on a middling farm. What aspects of traditional West African cooking were they able to continue in Virginia, and how did they supplement their diets in their limited free time? |
| 11 a.m., 1 & 3 p.m. | Continental Army Encampment | Artillery Demonstrations Be part of an 18th-century artillery crew and get your first lesson in the loading of an artillery piece. Then, cover your ears as the Continental Army crew fires a salute to our nation's founders. (Weather permitting) |
| 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. | Museum Lobby | Wish Wall 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. |
| 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. | Give Me Liberty Special Exhibition | Civics Activity - Revolutionary Grievances Find the connections between the grievances against King George III found in the Declaration of Independence and the revolutionary events that took place in Virginia. |
| 12 p.m. | Encampment Drill Field | Marching Drill Learn to march, then grab a wooden musket and fall in line as you begin your military career as a Continental soldier. |
| 12:30 & 2 p.m. | Education Center | The Great American 4th of July Sing-Along! Join in as the Cigar Box String Band performs songs from American history that everyone knows by heart, played on the fiddle, banjo and bones. |
| 3:30 p.m. | Continental Army Encampment | Fife and Drums of York Town Enjoy the martial music of the 18th century. |
Continental Army encampment
Historical interpreters describe and depict daily routines of American soldiers, with demonstrations of musket and artillery firing. Grab a (wooden) musket and join in military drills or learn about Revolutionary War espionage.
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.
Revolution-era farm life
Discover the variety of activities that would have been part of daily life on the farm for both middling farmers and enslaved people, including cooking, gardening, fabric dyeing and pastimes.
Visitors can learn how families were fed during the disruption of the Revolutionary War. Special programs at the quarters for enslaved people will illustrate what foods were eaten and how they were prepared and preserved.
Museum galleries & films
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. 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.
Special event activities at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown are made possible in part by the York County Arts Commission and the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Inc. Annual Fund.
Join the celebration
The Liberty Celebration special event is included in museum admission. Buy a single day admission or a value-priced combination ticket that includes Jamestown Settlement, a museum of 17th-century Virginia.
Residents of York County, James City County and the City of Williamsburg, including William & Mary students, receive free admission with proof of residency.
About the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown
The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown is open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily (closed Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s days) and located on Route 1020 near the Colonial Parkway in Yorktown.
A commemorative partner of the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission, the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown tells the story of the nation’s founding. Comprehensive indoor exhibits and outdoor living-history areas capture the transformational nature and epic scale of the Revolution and its relevance today.
Admission tickets can be purchased online or in person. Plan your visit today or call (757) 253-4838 for more information. Parking at the museum is free for museum visitors. A free shuttle service is available Historic Yorktown on the Yorktown Trolley.