Explore what freedom means to you this summer with our Black Founders exhibit, walking tours, and so much more. Plan Your Visit

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Black Founders: The Forten Family of Philadelphia

The Museum's special exhibition is open through November 26, 2023.

A father holds his child as they look at the Forten family tree in the Museum's Black Founders exhibit.

"... an essential American story"

In our newest special exhibition, explore the lives James Forten and his descendants as they navigated cross-racial relationships in Philadelphia from the American Revolution through the Civil War and Reconstruction to become leaders in the abolition and women's suffrage movements. 

Info & Tickets

Summer Events

Join us this summer for special events and holiday weekends!

A Read the Revolution graphic features images of book covers for Liberty's Daughters and 1774 alongside author Mary Beth Norton's headshot.
Jun 06
 

Read the Revolution Speaker Series with Mary Beth Norton

June 6, 2023 from 6:30-8 p.m.
Author and historian Dr. Mary Beth Norton joins the Museum for a special presentation titled, “Gender and American Resistance to British Authority, 1765-1775: A Reassessment,” as part of the Museum's Read the Revolution Speaker Series.
Go to Event
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Jun 14
 

Flag Day 2023 at the Museum

June 14, 2023
Join the Museum on Flag Day to learn about flags of “all kinds of colours” from the Revolutionary era with activities and in-gallery talks for the whole family.
Go to Event
Black Founders: The Forten Family of Philadelphia exhibit graphic featuring a portrait of James Forten.
Jun 16
 

Black Founders Documentary Screening & Reception

June 16, 2023 from 5:15-7 p.m.
Be among the first to see the new 26-minute film “Black Founders: The Forten Family of Philadelphia,” presented by WHYY and the Museum.
Go to Event
A father holds his child as they look at the Forten family tree in the Museum's Black Founders exhibit.
Jun 17
 

Juneteenth Weekend 2023 at the Museum

June 17-19, 2023
Explore the continuing struggle for equality for all and join the Museum to celebrate Juneteenth, the oldest nationally celebrated commemoration of the end of slavery in the United States.
Go to Event
Declaration Gallery Credit Moar
Jun 30
 

Fourth of July Weekend 2023 at the Museum

June 30 - July 4, 2023
Join the Museum in historic Philadelphia for Independence Day with special activities, costumed interpretation, and crafts for all ages to discover the American Revolution and its ongoing relevance over Fourth of July weekend.
Go to Event
A Costumed Living History Interpreter showing a young child a canteen over Labor Day Weekend
Jul 03
 

History Explorer Meet-Up: Soldiers' Packs

July 3, 2023 from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m.
Join us for an interactive History Explorer Meet-Up, for kids ages 7-11, where you’ll enlist in the Continental Army and try to decide what you’re going to take with you in your haversack.
Go to Event
Three children use replica tools in a recreated sail loft in the Museum's Black Founders exhibit.
Jul 09
 

Relaxed Experience Morning at the Museum

July 9, 2023 from 9-10:30 a.m.
Experience the Museum in a calm, crowd-free environment with lower sound effects, higher light levels, no films, sensory guides, and more to create a sensory-friendly experience.
Go to Event
A family looks at the family guide activities in the Museum's Black Founders exhibit.
Sep 02
 

Labor Day Weekend 2023 at the Museum

September 2-4, 2023
Over Labor Day weekend, join the Museum to explore our Black Founders special exhibit, participate in family-friendly activities and crafts, and more as we wrap up A Revolutionary Summer. Children 12 years old and younger will receive free Museum admission throughout the holiday weekend.
Go to Event

Explore More at the Museum

Family-friendly exhibits and activities around the Museum give visitors of all ages the opportunity to explore what freedom means.

Two Asian American female children utilize the objects within Revolution Place. They are both seated at a wooden table. The child on the left is writing with a quill pen and smiling, while the child on the right is pretended to pour cream into her silver teacup. On the table to her left is a silver tea pot.
 
Exhibits

Revolution Place

Open daily, 11 a.m. - 4 p.m., beginning June 15

The Museum’s family-friendly discovery center, Revolution Place, brings to life the Museum’s lively, diverse Old City neighborhood during the 1700s and invites visitors to learn through hands-on exploration. Daily access begins June 15.

Explore
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True Colours & Washington Standard Projects

On display all summer long!

Learn more about the process of recreating and the history behind the flags flown by 18th-century ships at sea during the Revolutionary War with the Museum's True Colours Flag Project.

Learn More
A Museum educator leads a group on a walking tour in the Museum's Old City neighborhood.
 

Neighborhood Walking Tours

On Saturdays, join a Museum educator on our Black Founders of Philadelphia outdoor tour to explore Old City Philadelphia’s rich Black history, including stops at iconic sites like Mother Bethel African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church. On Sundays, join an educator on our Revolutionary City outdoor tour to explore our Revolutionary neighborhood and imagine what life was like in the 1700s. Daily walking tours begin June 19.

Info & Tickets
Daryian Kelton portrays a soldier of African descent as part of the Museum's Meet The Revolution program.
 

Meet the Revolution

Join costumed living history interpreters, including Daryian Kelton (pictured), Hannah Wallace, Hugh Goffinet, and Marvin-Alonzo Greer, throughout the summer at the Museum to explore the work of craftspeople and soldiers of color through hands-on demonstrations, storytelling, and conversations.

Learn More

Ways to Save

See and do more for less with discounted ticket prices and special deals.

Two living history interpreters talk with a group of visitors on the Museum's outdoor plaza.
 

Online Exclusive Ticket Discounts

The Museum is currently offering two ticket discounts available with online purchase only, including a Family Four-Pack (two adult GA tickets and two youth GA tickets) for $55 as well as Adult GA tickets for $21 ($24 if purchased at the Museum).

Purchase Online
Blue Star Museums Logo
 

Blue Star Museums Program

The Museum is proud to be part of the Blue Star Museums program, which offers free admission to active-duty military personnel, including the National Guard and Reserves, and their families from Armed Forces Day, May 20, through Labor Day.

Learn More
African American Museum via Visit Philly M Kennedy
M. Kennedy for Visit Philly 

Ticket Discount with AAMP

Visitors can receive $4 off admission to the Museum of the American Revolution when they show their ticket stub from the African American Museum in Philadelphia (AAMP). Discounts can be redeemed by showing AAMP ticket stubs at the front desk.

More about AAMP

Explore Historic Philadelphia

Make the Museum your first stop in historic Philadelphia before exploring Revolutionary history throughout the city.

Phlash Bus Stop 16 at the Museum of the American Revolution in Old City.
 

Ride Philly PHLASH

Daily service runs April 28 through Labor Day

The Philly PHLASH Downtown Loop is an affordable, visitor-friendly public transit service managed by the Independence Visitor Center, which provides access to 19 stops located near must-see attractions, from Penn's Landing to Fairmount Park. Don't forget to stop at the Museum — Stop 16!

More Info
Benjamin Franklin House in Old City Philadelphia looking through the archway.
 

Explore Old City

The Museum's Old City Philadelphia neighborhood is known as America’s most historic square mile. Whether you come to experience Old City as a visitor, a resident, or a business person, you’ll find resources on Old City District's website to help you discover and get involved in this charming, creative, multi-layered district.

Explore the Neighborhood

First Oval Office Project

The Museum's suite of handsewn, full-scale replicas of General George Washington's Revolutionary War sleeping, dining, baggage tents, and camp equipment hits the road this summer — catch us at one of our stops!

The Museum's first oval office project set up at Newport Historical Society with four costumed living history interpreters and one Museum staff member in a navy blue museum polo.
Jul 08
 

First Oval Office Project at Morristown National Historical Park

July 8-9, 2023
Join the Museum, Morristown National Historical Park, and the Washington Association of New Jersey at Washington's Headquarters to celebrate the Park's 90th Anniversary with our First Oval Office Project.
Go to Event
Image 101220 Foop George Washingtons Replica War Tent
Jul 14
 

First Oval Office Project at Newport Historical Society's French in Newport Weekend

July 14-15, 2023
Join Museum staff for a weekend of living history in Newport, Rhode Island, as part of the Newport Historical Society's French in Newport event on July 14-15.
Go to Event
The Musem's replica of George Washington's tent with Mount Vernon in the background at the 2018 Revolutionary War Weekend.
Aug 27
 

First Oval Office Project at Green-Wood Cemetery's Battle of Brooklyn Commemoration

August 27, 2023 from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m.
Join the Museum at the Green-Wood Cemetery in Brooklyn, New York, for their Battle of Brooklyn and the Meaning of Freedom event.
Go to Event

Made By Us: 2023 Civic Season

The Museum is proud to partner with Made By Us for their 2023 Civic Season, which spans from Juneteenth to the Fourth of July to mobilize a movement to understand our past and shape our future.

From the Museum Shop

Shop these staff picks from the Museum Shop to have yourself a Revolutionary summer!

Grey t-shirt with an image of Washington's War Tent and the words Washington Slept Here.
 

"Washington Slept Here" T-shirt

$27.00

Get in on the joke with this "George Washington slept here" t-shirt featuring an image of his Revolutionary War tent, a place we can confidently say he slept.

Purchase
Shop American Flag Hat
 

American Flag Cap

$29.99

Seriously, though, what dad wouldn't want to wear this Stars and Stripes ballcap?

Purchase
Cover of the exhibit catalog book for Black Founders featuring a portrait of James Forten.
 

Black Founders: The Forten Family of Philadelphia

$38.00

The book serves as catalog for the Museum's special exhibition, Black Founders: The Forten Family of Philadelphia, which explores the story of free Black Philadelphian James Forten and his descendants.

Purchase