The country, along with the travel industry, is gearing up for America250
By Randy Mink
In the upcoming months, an earthshaking revolution that turned the world upside-down 250 years ago will be celebrated in grand style throughout the land, creating special opportunities for history-themed tour programs.
Download the August Leisure Group Travel Edition and Subscribe to the Newsletter for FREE
The congressionally established U.S. Semiquincentennial Commission, operating as the non-partisan America250.org, plus commissions in each U.S. state and territory, will be coordinating events to salute the nation’s founding in 1776. The milestone’sred-letter day will be July 4, 2026, the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, but events and special museum exhibitions will be staged well before and after.
In a recent report to Congress, the America250 folks pledged to deliver “the largest and most inspiring commemoration in our nation’s history.”
Many are comparing the America250 hoopla to the country’s bicentennial bash in 1976, a star-spangled commemoration that, for those old enough to remember, evokes memories bathed in red, white and blue. There were sculptures and monuments created for the occasion, along with historical reenactments, parades and festivals. More than 90 percent of the population participated in at least one 1776-related event.
Rosie Rios, former U.S. treasurer and chair of the Semiquincentennial Commission, fondly recalls observing bicentennial fetes as an 11-year-old in Northern California. “I remember feeling a strong love of country during the bicentennial in 1976. I want my kids—and all Americans—to experience that same feeling for the semiquincentennial.”
Much of the focus in 2026 will be on the Eastern Seaboard, where colonial America had its beginnings. Countless historical attractions in the Atlantic Coast states make the Revolutionary War and struggle for independence from England come alive.
Philadelphia: Birthplace of a Nation
Philadelphia, one of America’s oldest cities, will be one of the celebration’s epicenters and is planning a full slate of events. The city’s historic district is home to Independence Hall, where the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution were drafted and signed. Nearby are the Liberty Bell Center, National Constitution Center and Museum of the American Revolution.
In 2026, Philadelphia’s annual July 4th festival, Welcome America, will be kicking things up a notch. It’s the nation’s largest and free Independence Day celebration. Red, White, & Blue To-Do, celebrated July 2 and inspired by John Adams’s call for “pomp and parade,” features festivities in the historic core, known as America’s most historic square mile.
The Declaration’s Journey, a special exhibition running from October 18, 2025, to January 3, 2027, at the Museum of the American Revolution, will include rare early printings of the American Declaration, plus documents related to the more than 100 nations that have integrated its ideals.
In honor of America’s 250th anniversary, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts and the Middleton family (majority owners of the Philadelphia Phillies baseball team) will present A Nation of Artists, the most expansive collection of American art ever mounted in Philadelphia. The two museums will display more than 1,000 pieces, including works from the Middletons’ private holdings.
Thanks to a $15 million gift from philanthropist Kenneth C. Griffin, the National Constitution Center will open a new gallery on America’s founding in February 2026 and another on separation of powers in May 2026. Griffin will lend his copy of the U.S. Constitution—one of the 14 known original, official printed copies—and a rare first printing of constitutional amendments debated by Congress that would become the Bill of Rights (on display through 2026).
Download the August Leisure Group Travel Edition and Subscribe to the Newsletter for FREE
Festivities in the Nation’s Capital
Washington, D.C. also will take center stage during America250 celebrations. The Smithsonian 250th Festival (June 18-July 12, 2026) will transform the National Mall into a living testament to the country’s cultural heritage. July 4, 2026 on the Mall will be highlighted by a reenactment of the Declaration of Independence signing, a gala parade and spectacular fireworks show. The National Park Service estimates around 50 million people (inclusive of travelers and locals) will visit the National Mall in 2026, about 15 million more than atypical year.
Major developments in D.C. in 2026 include an improved Tidal Basin with wider walkways and 250 freshly planted cherry trees, new exhibits at the Jefferson Memorial, completion of the National Air and Space Museum expansion, a new museum under the Lincoln Memorial and free performances at John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.
A new interactive museum at the National Archives, opening in October 2025, will feature George Washington’s original copy of the Constitution. The Archives will present the Spirit of Independence Festival on Constitution Avenue from June 5-7, 2026.
Virginia: Hotbed of Revolutionary Lore
On the Potomac River in Virginia, just outside of Washington, D.C., Patriots Path: A Revolutionary War Encampment will provide hands-on activities through December 2025 at George Washinton’s Mount Vernon, the home of America’s first president. Visitors can touch the items inside the tents, wash clothes in the laundry yard and examine cooking utensils as they immerse themselves in the daily life of soldiers, military officers and the camp followers who traveled with the army.
Yorktown, site of the decisive 1781 battle that led to Britain’s surrender, will be a natural focal point for history-minded travelers in Virginia next year. The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown will host Give Me Liberty: Virginia & the Forging of a Nation, the commonwealth’s signature commemorative exhibition. On display from July 1, 2026, to January 31, 2027, the exhibition will feature lesser-known voices such as enslaved and free Black people, Indigenous peoples, women, and young people. Rare artifacts will include a Charles Willson Peale painting of George Washington as colonel in the Virginia Regiment, Washington’s silver hilted smallsword worn during the French and Indian War, Patrick Henry’s spectacles and an ivory paper cutter associated with his famous “Give Me Liberty” speech. Give Me Liberty is on view at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture in Richmond through January 4, 2026.
The Yorktown museum’s newest treasure is the circa-1790 portrait of Washington by Charles Peale Polk, the nephew of Charles Willson Peale. Depicting Washington as the victor at the 1777 Battle of Princeton, it went on permanent exhibit on July 4, just in time for the one-year countdown to America’s 250th anniversary. The painting previously was held in a private collection in Portugal before resurfacing in America three years ago.
The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown will mark its 10-year anniversary in 2026, continuing a legacy that began 50 years ago with the opening of the Yorktown Victory Center for the 1976 Bicentennial.
The Sail Yorktown Festival will feature tall ships and military vessels on the York River from June 12-14, 2026. The weekend will include a Parade of Sail, free deck tours, live entertainment, living history demonstrations, reenactments, live firings and military drills.
Sail250 to Showcase Tall Ships
The Yorktown regatta is an affiliate event of Sail250, an America250 maritime extravaganza featuring a fleet of majestic tall ships and military vessels from more than 20 countries. Sail250’s first stop is in New Orleans (May 28-June 1), followed by Norfolk and Hampton Roads, Virginia (June 19-24), and Baltimore (June 25-July 1). The ships spend July 3-8 in New York Harbor before their final call in Boston (July 11-16).
Revolutionary Fervor in Massachusetts
The first major battles of the American Revolution took place in Lexington and Concord in April 1775. Concord’s role in the conflict and how its role has been remembered over time will be the subject of Revolutionary Legacies, a special exhibit that opens in March 2026 at the Concord Museum. Also in observance of America250, Transformed by Revolution, opening in October 2025, will explore how ideas about community and belonging changed during and after the American Revolution.
In immersive, newly renovated galleries, the ongoing exhibition April 19, 1775 displays the lantern used as a signal by Paul Revere on his famous midnight ride, plus dozens of other objects that witnessed the start of the American Revolution.
Minuteman National Historical Park in Lexington, Concord and Lincoln (about 30 minutes north of Boston) plans a wide range of programs and events in observance of America250. The visitor center’s 25-minute multimedia presentation tells the story of “the shot heard around the world,” a reference to the first rifle shots at the Battles of Lexington and Concord.
America250 in the Heartland
In downtown Louisville, Kentucky, Sons of the American Revolution(SAR) plans to open a new museum in July 2026. The SAR Education Center & Museum, now under construction on Main Street, will interpret the Revolutionary period through large-scale multimedia productions, digital displays and other high-tech features.
In central Illinois, the Peoria Riverfront Museum is gearing up to celebrate the 250th anniversary of America’s founding with The Promise of Liberty, an exhibition that will occupy two of its five major galleries. Opening January 31, 2026 and running through the year, the exhibition will showcase 250 objects and documents of historical significance. Among the items will be a Gilbert Stuart portrait of George Washington on loan from Colonial Williamsburg, a 1776 edition of the Declaration of Independence, a first printing of the U.S. Constitution, a rare photo of Abraham Lincoln in Peoriaand Martin Luther King’s 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech. The galleries also will spotlight American Indigenous peoples in the Illinois River Valley, French explorers who settled the area and central Illinois farming innovations that made an impact worldwide. The Promise of Liberty is guest curated by documentary filmmaker Ken Burns, whose six-part film The American Revolution premieres on PBS television stations in November 2025.
In Nebraska, the 500-Mile Sculpture Garden, a series of eight modernist sculptures installed along Nebraska’s I-80 rest areas during the 1976 U.S. bicentennial, will be rejuvenated. As the nation approaches its semiquincentennial in 2026, Nebraska is preparing to enhance these iconic installations. While specific plans are still unfolding, the Nebraska Semiquincentennial Commission has been actively discussing initiatives to commemorate 250 years of independence.
The Nebraska History Museum in Lincoln is preparing a special exhibit to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary in 2026. Though details are still under wraps, the exhibit will explore Nebraska’s unique contributions to the nation’s story, highlighting the people, events and cultural touchstones that have shaped the state over the past two-and-a-half centuries.
Download the August Leisure Group Travel Edition and Subscribe to the Newsletter for FREE
