Explore the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Regions and Beyond
The Northeast and Mid-Atlantic are brimming with exciting new attractions, cultural exhibits, and commemorative events that promise unforgettable experiences for every visitor. From immersive museum openings and historic restorations to world-class exhibitions and breathtaking performances, these destinations are preparing to welcome travelers with a diverse array of offerings. Whether you’re captivated by the allure of tall ships in Baltimore, the cutting-edge interactivity of D.C.’s new People’s House, or the artistic brilliance of Frida Kahlo in Richmond, there’s something to ignite every interest. This guide highlights the most noteworthy updates across the region, ensuring you don’t miss a moment of what’s to come in 2024 and beyond.
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District of Columbia
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The People’s House, a new interactive replica of the White House, offers visitors an immersive virtual experience inside the Executive Mansion. The White House Historical Association project spans 32,000 square feet inside the Mills Building at 1700 Pennsylvania Avenue. Exhibits on permanent display feature a look into the Rose Garden and a replica of the Oval Office. In the People’s Voices Gallery, visitors can interact with framed digital “portraits” of White House staff to hear and see reflections from those who have held non-political staff positions. The White House in Action exhibit allows guests to sit in on a meeting in the Cabinet Room, attend a state dinner, listen to diplomacy discussions, and enjoy historic and contemporary scenes from everyday life in the White House. Although admission will be free, reserved passes are required for entry. thepeopleshouse.org
The National Mall will get an estimated $500 million in improvements ahead of the United States’ 250th anniversary celebration in 2026. The city anticipates an influx of tourists and is preparing with renovations to the Lincoln Memorial, which will boast a new 15,000-square-foot exhibit space beneath the memorial. Constitution Gardens will also get a revamp. The Jefferson Memorial and Tidal Basin are undergoing repairs to fix the seawall. The repairs have resulted in the removal of 158 cherry trees, which will be replaced by 274 new trees upon the project’s completion in 2027.
The new Capital Jewish Museum, at 3rd and F streets, juxtaposes the story of Jewish Washington with exhibits on the American Jewish community’s history of activism and the struggle for civil rights and racial justice for all Americans. Offering three floors of exhibition galleries, the building itself merges old and new, incorporating the original brick building of one of DC’s oldest purpose-built synagogue, Adas Israel, into a more modern structure of metal, glass and concrete. The synagogue, dedicated in 1876, was moved to its new location and renovated and restored to reflect its original condition. capitaljewishmuseum.org
The new National Museum of the U.S Navy, breaking ground in 2025, will replace the Navy’s aging museum in a massive warehouse across the street from Willard Park in Navy Yard. The 270,000-square-foot museum campus at the Navy Yard (near the Washington Nationals baseball stadium) will include a new building, 100,000 square feet of gallery space and a ceremonial courtyard. history.navy.mil
Maine
STACYVILLE – Tekαkαpimək Contact Station, slated to be open to the public in 2025, sits atop Lookout Mountain and was created to welcome the global public to Katahdin Woods National Monument. Tekαkαpimək is Penobscot for as far as one can see – pronounced de gah-gah bee mook. The architecture, landscape and cultural exhibits are the result of an extensive process with representatives of the Houlton Band of Maliseet, Mi’kmaq Nation, Passamaquoddy Tribe, and Penobscot Nation.
After a long day of exploring, nothing beats a Maryland sunset.
Maryland
BALTIMORE – An impressive fleet of tall ships from around the world will highlight Sail250 Baltimore from June 25-July 1, 2026. Ships from Denmark, Spain, Norway, Germany and other countries will be open to public exploration. In addition, patriotic parades, live performances and community engagement with sailors from around the region will take place. Sail250 Baltimore is part of Sail4th 250, a signature event in America250, the nationwide observance of the United States’ 250th anniversary. sailbaltimore.org
COLUMBIA – The 2025 playbill of Broadway musicals at Toby’s Dinner Theatre, a group standby for more than 40 years, begins with 9 to 5, Jan. 17-March 16. It will be followed by The Music Man, March 21-May 18; Disney’s The Little Mermaid, May 23-Aug. 17; Saturday Night Fever, Aug. 22-Nov. 2; Elf, Nov. 7-Jan. 4, 2026; and Rock of Ages, Jan. 9-March 8, 2026. tobysdinnertheatre.com
Maryland Zoo in Baltimore’s 10-year master plan includes a new build near the front gate to feature indoor and outdoor habitats for amphibians and reptiles, a new exhibit for gibbons in 2025 and a new grizzly bear exhibit in 2026. marylandzoo.org
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Stoneham, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
BOSTON – The Museum of Fine Arts Boston presents the exhibition Van Gogh: The Roulin Family Portraits from March 30-Sept. 7, 2025. The portraits represent Van Gogh’s tender relationship with a neighboring family when he lived in Arles, in the south of France. Visitors will see approximately 20 works by Van Gogh, including the MFA’s iconic portraits Postman Joseph Roulin (1888) and Lullaby: Madame Augustine Roulin Rocking a Cradle (La Berceuse) (1889) as well as important loans from museums such as the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam, Museum of Modern Art in New York, Art Institute of Chicago and Musée d’Orsay in Paris. mfa.org
From July 11-16, 2026, Boston Harbor will host tall ships and military vessels from around the world as part of Sail250, a multi-state event that celebrates the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States in 1776. sailboston.com
New Jersey
TITUSVILLE – Plans for a new visitor center, set for completion in time for the nation’s semiquincentennial in 2026, are in the works at Washington Crossing State Park. Featuring over 500 artifacts from the American Revolution, the park tells the story of Gen. George Washington’s ambitious Christmas night crossing of the icy Delaware River on the march to Trenton. Galleries focus on New Jersey’s role in the Revolution and “The Ten Crucial Days” surrounding Washington’s Crossing and the Battles of Trenton and Princeton. The film “The Ten Crucial Days: The Road to Liberty” is shown in the auditorium. washingtoncrossingpark.org.
New York
NEW YORK CITY – From July 3-8. 2026, NYC and New Jersey will host Sail4th 250, a series of events celebrating the 250th anniversary of America’s independence. Millions across the nation will witness the largest-ever international flotilla of ships and vessels sailing into the ports of New York and New Jersey. The six-day celebration will also host an array of festivities including firework displays and food festivals. sail4th.org
The Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation has announced a $100 million revitalization of Ellis Island Museum, including technological advancements, reimagined exhibitions and new theaters. Visitors will enjoy seamless new wif-fi, new restrooms and a new lounge seating area near the entrance. In addition to reimagining the 30-year-old museum by 2026, the revitalization will expand the Records Discovery Center, increasing from 65 million to 154 million names in its database. statueofliberty.org/ellis-island/ellismuseumreimagined
The Urban Civil Rights Museum will open in 2025 in the National Urban League’s new Harlem headquarters, the Urban League Empowerment Center, currently under construction. It will be one of the few museums to look at the American civil rights movement in the North and will not concentrate just on the 1950s and ’60s. The museum will explore the black cultural, artistic and political renaissances that flourished in New York, Chicago, Washington, D.C. and Los Angeles. nul.org
The Universal Hip Hop Museum will open in the Bronx, just south of Yankee Stadium, in 2025. It is part of Bronx Point, a mixed-use development that is opening in phases and includes a waterfront promenade along the Harlem River. thhm.org
The Brooklyn Museum exhibition Solid Gold, running through July 6, 2025, explores gold as a symbol of beauty, honor, joy, ritual, spirituality, success and wealth throughout history. It combines showpieces from the museum collection with international loans. brooklynmuseum.org
Major League Soccer’s New York City Football Club will build the city’s first professional soccer stadium. Located in Willets Point, Queens, the 25,000-seat stadium, to debut in 2027, will be part of a larger mixed-use development including a 250-room hotel, affordable housing, a school, public space and retail. willetspointqueens.com
Pennsylvania
LANCASTER–Dutch Apple Dinner Theatre, a favorite with groups touring Amish Country, kicks off its 2025 season with the new musical comedy Murder for Two, Jan. 17-Feb. 22, and Waitress, Feb. 28-April 5. Next are The Fiddler on the Roof, April 11-May 17; We Will Rock You, May 23-June 21; The Wizard of Oz, June 27-Aug. 9; Buddy: The Buddy Holly Story, Aug. 15-Sept. 20; A Chorus Line, Sept. 26-Nov. 1; and Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn, Nov. 7-Dec. 28. dutchapple.com
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Virginia Tour Group
Virginia
FREDERICKSBURG – Riverside Center for the Performing Arts begins 2025 with Heartbreak Hotel, Jan. 8-March 2, and Jesus Christ Superstar, March 12-April 27. Next are To Kill a Mockingbird, May 7-June 22; Next to Normal, July 2-Aug. 10; The Sound of Music, Aug. 20-Oct. 26; and Irving Berlin’s White Christmas, Nov. 5-Dec. 28. riversidedt.com
NORFOLK – From June 19-24, 2026, Sail250 Virginia will feature an international fleet of tall ships and military vessels in Norfolk and other ports in the Hampton Roads and Chesapeake Bay region. There will be free visits to the public. The event is part of America250, the nationwide observance of the country’s 250th anniversary. va250.org
RICHMOND – In connection with the nation’s 250th birthday festivities, the Virginia Museum of History & Culture will present the exhibition Give Me Liberty: Virginia and the Forging of a Nation from March 22, 2025 to Jan. 4, 2026. It intends to inspire appreciation for the actions of iconic and ordinary individuals who brought about a model of democratic government. Other upcoming exhibitions at the museum include Free Black People in Virginia (June 14, 2025 to July 5, 2026), a look at how free black Virginians achieved their freedom, fought for civil rights and persevered within a legal system that recognized them as free but not equal. We the People (March 14, 2026 to January 3, 2027) will spotlight those who have made Virginia the place it is and the impact of the immigrant experience throughout the Commonwealth’s history. va250.org
The Virginia Holocaust Museum’s new Dimensions in Testimony, a collection of interactive Holocaust survivor biographies developed by USC Shoah Foundation, opens in November 2025. It uses AI technology to enable visitors to engage in conversations with pre-recorded video images of Holocaust survivors and other witnesses to genocide. vaholocaust.org
The world’s largest surf park is under construction at The Lake, a mixed-use project expected to be completed in 2030. Meanwhile, a non-surfing water feature offering wakeboarding, an inflatable obstacle course, and standup paddle boarding is set to open by summer 2025. The development will feature retail and office space, apartments, a hotel, an amphitheater, a 13-acre artificial Wake Lake and a six-acre water park capable of generating artificial waves large enough to surf. It will be the East Coast’s first surf park. lakeadventures.com
The exhibition Frida: Beyond the Myth at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (April 5-September 28, 2025) will showcase many of the Mexican artist’s most important self-portraits, still lifes, and portraits from the beginning of her career in 1926 until her death in 1954. It also features a selection of photographs of Kahlo. vmfa.museum
A new live music and performance venue will open just in time for the 2025 summer concert season. The Allianz Amphitheatre at Riverfront, on the James River in the heart of downtown Richmond, will seat 7,500 people and is estimated to host 30+ events and shows annually. rvaamp
The Virginia War Memorial in 2025 will unveil its newest exhibit on National POW/MIA Recognition Day (the third Friday in September). Virginia’s Missing in Action: The Search Continues will be presented on behalf of the surviving family members of the more than 1,200 Virginia veterans who are still missing in action (MIA) and the more than 700,000 veterans who call Virginia home. The exhibit will explore the scientific process behind searching for and recovering the remains of those individuals by the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency. vawarmemorial.org
DOSWELL – To celebrate 50 years of fun at Kings Dominion, the amusement park in 2025 welcomes Rapterra, the world’s tallest (145 feet) and longest (3,086 feet) launched wing coaster. Rapterra’s design positions riders on either side of the track, offering an immersive, floorless experience that simulates flying. kingsdominion.com
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