Jamestown Settlement and American Revolution Museum at Yorktown

Experience the story of America's beginnings at Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown. Through film, artifact-filled galleries and outdoor living history, these museums engage visitors in nearly two centuries of our nation's history - from the founding of America's first permanent English settlement in 1607 to the decisive Revolutionary War victory in 1781 and implementation of the Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Jamestown Settlement - In 1607, 13 years before the Pilgrims landed in Massachusetts, a group of 104 English men and boys began a settlement on the banks of Virginia's James River. They were sponsored by the Virginia Company of London, whose stockholders hoped to make a profit from the resources of the New World. The community suffered terrible hardships in its early years, but managed to endure, earning the distinction of being America's first permanent English colony.

Today at Jamestown Settlement, the story of the people who founded Jamestown and of the Virginia Indians they encountered is told through film, gallery exhibits and living history. Expansive gallery exhibits and an introductory film trace Jamestown's beginnings in England and the first century of the Virginia colony and describe the cultures of the Powhatan Indians, Europeans and Africans who converged in 1600s Virginia. Outdoors, visitors can board replicas of the three ships that sailed from England to Virginia in 1607, explore life-size re-creations of the colonists' fort and a Powhatan village, and tour a seasonal riverfront discovery area to learn about European, Powhatan and African economic activities associated with water. In the outdoor areas, costumed historical interpreters describe and demonstrate daily life in the early 17th century. Guided tours of the museum's living-history areas are offered several times daily. Dine at the Jamestown Settlement caf? when you visit This unique museum of 17th-century American history and culture is located adjacent to the entrance of the original site, Historic Jamestowne administered by the National Park Service and Preservation Virginia.

American Revolution Museum at Yorktown - On October 19, 1781, the decisive military campaign of the American Revolution culminated with the British surrender to combined American and French forces under the command of George Washington. The Siege of Yorktown effectively ended the six-year struggle of the Revolutionary War and set the stage for a new government and nation.

Today the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown tells anew the story of the nation's founding, from the twilight of the colonial period to the dawn of the Constitution and beyond. Comprehensive indoor exhibits and outdoor living history capture the transformational nature and epic scale of the Revolution and its relevance today. Galleries feature period artifacts, immersive environments, interactive exhibits and films, including "The Siege of Yorktown," with a 180-degree surround screen and dramatic special affects. Visitors witness artillery demonstrations and drill with wooden muskets at a re-created Continental Army encampment and explore - and help work - a Revolution-era farm based on a real-life 18th-century family. The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown is located near Yorktown Battlefield and Visitor Center, administered by the National Park Service.

Both sites are connected by the Colonial Parkway, a Virginia scenic byway and an All American Road.

Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, an educational institution of the Commonwealth of Virginia, shall foster through its living-history museums – Jamestown Settlement and American Revolution Museum at Yorktown – an awareness and understanding of the early history, settlement, and development of the United States through the convergence of Native American, European, and African cultures and the enduring legacies bequeathed to the nation.

Hours

9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Daily
Closed New Years and Christmas Days