A Hamilton Experience, A New Discovery Center, Audio Tours and More in Museum’s Second Year

PHILADELPHIA, April 19, 2018 — Today marks the first anniversary of the Museum of the American Revolution, which opened on April 19, 2017, the date that the “shot heard round the world” ignited the Revolutionary War in 1775. The Museum is looking ahead to exciting new experiences and initiatives in the coming year, including an interactive playscape that explores Alexander Hamilton’s Philadelphia connections, a hands-on discovery center, audio tours and a new line-up of Read the Revolution evening author events.

Revolution Place

Opening Saturday, June 9, 2018

Free with regular Museum admission

This summer, the Museum of the American Revolution’s new discovery center, Revolution Place, will bring to life the Museum’s own lively, diverse Old City neighborhood during the 1700s and invite visitors to learn through hands-on exploration. Revolution Place will officially open to the public on Saturday, June 9, and will be open daily from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. throughout the summer. Revolution Place is located on the Museum’s lower level in the John M. Templeton Jr. Education Center. It is supported in part with multi-media experiences, historical records, and funding from FamilySearch International, a nonprofit, volunteer-driven organization sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.                           

Revolution Place features four key recreated historical environments – a military encampment, a tavern, a home, and an 18th-century meeting house – to immerse and engage families, especially kids 5-12 years-old, in the places where the American Revolution took root. Visitors will enjoy experiential elements, interactive touchscreens, reproduction objects, and special programming set against colorful murals that evoke scenes from 18th-century Philadelphia.

Hamilton Was Here: Rising Up in Revolutionary Philadelphia

Oct. 27, 2018 through March 17, 2019

Free with regular Museum admission
This fall, journey through Hamilton’s Philadelphia as the Museum of the American Revolution presents Hamilton Was Here: Rising Up in Revolutionary Philadelphia from Oct. 27, 2018 – March 17, 2019. The interactive playscape reveals connections between our own city and Alexander Hamilton’s extraordinary contributions to the nation’s founding. Through playful interactives, scenic environments, and facilitated games, visitors will actively engage in the challenges of founding and maintaining a country and will be inspired to carry these lessons forward as they face the challenges of citizenship today. The experience also will serve school groups with a facilitated program. Sponsored by Bank of America. 

Audio Tours

Beginning Memorial Day

Tours are $3 for members, $4 groups, and $5 for general public with regular admission

Beginning Memorial Day weekend, audio tours of the Museum’s core exhibition will be available to guide guests through the exhibit experience, narrated by the Museum’s Vice President for Collections, Exhibitions and Programming Dr. R. Scott Stephenson, and featuring the “voices” of Phillis Wheatley, the first published African American female poet, and Baroness Frederika von Riedesel, who aided the wounded and journaled about her experience. Tours will enhance the visitor experience with additional insight into the artifacts and exhibits, behind-the-scenes details of the Museum’s creation, and opportunities to dig deeper into the stories behind objects on display.

Read the Revolution 2018-19 Speaker Series

Beginning Sept. 19 at 6 p.m.

Tickets are $15 for Museum members, $20 for non-members, $10 for students

The Museum’s popular Read the Revolution speaker series, which brings celebrated authors and historians to the Museum for lively discussions of their work, will continue in the 2018-19 year. The series is based on the Museum’s successful bi-monthly e-newsletter, which features excerpts from thought-provoking books to inspire learning about the American Revolution.

The 2018-19 series will include:

• Virginia DeJohn Anderson discussing her book The Martyr and the Traitor: Nathan Hale, Moses Dunbar, and the American Revolution on Wednesday, September 19, 2018
• Colin G. Calloway on The Indian World of George Washington: The First President, the First Americans, and the Birth of the Nation on Thursday, November 29, 2018
• Mary Sarah Bilder on Madison's Hand: Revising the Constitutional Convention on Thursday, January 31, 2019
• Laurel Thatcher Ulrich on The Age of Homespun: Objects and Stories in the Creation of an American Myth on Thursday, March 28, 2019

Ticket prices for individual events are $15 for Museum members, $20 for non-members, and $10 for students, and are available for purchase here.

Headquarters of the American Revolution Website

This summer, the Museum will relaunch its www.AmRevHQ.org website, which highlights the numerous local and regional sites where history was made, including battlefields, burial grounds, historic houses, and more. The website serves as an easy-to-use web tool that helps visitors discover the many historic sites and heritage attractions in and around Philadelphia. The relaunched site will include additional itineraries, family-friendly events, and opportunities for user engagement. A map in the Museum’s lobby and a printed brochure also highlight Revolutionary sites in the Museum’s neighborhood.

About the Museum of the American Revolution

The Museum of the American Revolution explores the dynamic story of the American Revolution using its rich collection of Revolutionary-era weapons, personal items, letters, diaries, and works of art. Immersive galleries, theater experiences, and recreated historical environments bring to life the events, people, and ideals of our nation’s founding and engage people in the history and continuing relevance of the American Revolution. Located just steps away from Independence Hall, Carpenters’ Hall, and Franklin Court, the Museum serves as a portal to the region’s many Revolutionary sites, sparking interest, providing context, and encouraging exploration. The Museum is a private, non-profit, and non-partisan organization. For more information, visit www.AmRevMuseum.org or call 877.740.1776.