Explore Revolutionary-Era Holidays on the Homefront with Festive Music, Snowy Stories, and More during Winter Break, Dec. 26 – 31

Meet Costumed Living Historians, Bundle Up for Outdoor Walking Tours and Create Historically Inspired Crafts to Take Home

During Winter Break at the Museum of the American Revolution from Monday, December 26 – Saturday, December 31, 2022, experience what the holidays were like on the homefront during the Revolutionary era. Visitors of all ages can enjoy festive 18th-century music, meet costumed living historians, gather up for wintery storytimes, create historically inspired crafts to take home and more while exploring colonial life during the winter months.

Winter Break Highlights:

• Baroque Folk with Robert Mouland | Dec. 26 - 31 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
  Multi-instrumentalist Robert Mouland will join the Museum to perform 18th-century baroque folk music on antique instruments, including a baroque violin, baroque flute, English guitar, and flageolet in the Museum’s rotunda.
• Crafts in Revolution Place | Daily from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
  Explore the Museum’s family-friendly discovery center, Revolution Place, which will transform into the winter of 1778! Walk amidst frost-covered windows, logs piled by the fire, and 18th-century coats and cloaks as you learn about what Philadelphia would have been like in the snowy winter months and how they celebrated the winter holidays. Plus, kids can make and take home festive crafts like tin-punch lanterns, cookie mold ornaments, cut-paper snowflakes, and “illuminations” inspired by artist Charles Willson Peale’s window displays.
  
• Discovery Cart: Peale's Philadelphia | Daily from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
  Join a Museum educator at a discovery cart to learn more about artist and soldier Charles Willson Peale's time in Revolutionary Philadelphia with handling objects and reproduction documents and artifacts.
• In-Gallery Talks: Winter Scenes of the Revolution | Daily at 1:30 p.m.
  Join a Museum educator for a 20-minute, in-gallery talk at two wintery tableau scenes in the core galleries. The first scene depicts a snowy brawl in Harvard Yard between Continental soldiers from different regions. The second scene depicts artist and soldier Charles Willson Peale reuniting with his unrecognizably ragged brother James on the banks of the Delaware on Dec. 8, 1776.
• Living History: Peale’s Company of Philadelphia Associators | Friday, Dec. 30 from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
  In December 1776, artist and soldier Charles Willson Peale canvassed the neighborhood around the Museum to muster support for the flagging Revolutionary cause. His militiamen, the Philadelphia Associators, marched off to confront the British in New Jersey, where they would serve alongside Alexander Hamilton’s artillery company. Throughout the day, meet the Philadelphia Associators, learn military drill, and find out how they survived “the times that tried men’s souls.”
• HomeFront Holiday Wishes Toy Drive | Daily 
  This holiday season, help spread cheer to children in need by donating to our HomeFront Holiday Wishes toy drive. Visitors can contribute new or gently used toys to the donation bin in the Museum’s rotunda – no wrapping required. HomeFront’s mission is to help families break the cycle of poverty by harnessing the care, resources, and expertise of our communities.

Additional ticketed programs:

• History Explorers Meet-up: Mountains of Ice and Snow | Tuesday, Dec. 27 at 1:30 p.m.
  In December of 1775, Henry Knox traveled to Fort Ticonderoga in New York to bring cannons back to Boston, using only a limited number of tools, oxen, and men. They would have to travel over mountains, frozen lakes, and through blizzards of snow and ice. Join Museum staff virtually for this activity-filled exploration of Knox’s journey. Kids are invited to take the lead in this family-friendly program, but at least one adult must accompany up to three children. Tickets include Museum admission and are $19 for children, $24 for adults, and free for Museum Members, and can be purchased here. EDITOR'S NOTE: This will now be included with regular Museum admission and will take place in the Museum's lobby at 1:30pm.
• Outdoor Walking Tour: Revolutionary City | Daily at 2 p.m.
  Bundle up and join an educator to explore our Revolutionary neighborhood and imagine what life was like in the 1700s. This 1.5-hour guided tour covers about a mile and stops outside iconic sites including City Tavern, Independence Hall, and Carpenters’ Hall to discuss the experiences of everyday people in the Revolutionary era. Walking tour tickets are $34 for non-Museum Members (tour only), $45 for non-Museum Members (tour plus Museum admission), and $24 for Museum Members, and can be purchased here.
• Artisan Workshop: Make a Haversack | Wednesday, Dec. 28 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
  Join us for this one-day, in-person Artisan Workshop to learn “plain sewing” and create a Revolutionary soldier’s linen haversack, like a modern shoulder bag. Museum staff will discuss the history of haversacks and offer instruction on basic hand-sewing, inspired by textiles on display in the Museum's core exhibition. Use historical tools and techniques to complete a haversack to take home. This is a beginner workshop and no previous sewing experience is required. Tickets are $95 for non-Members and $75 for Museum Members, and can be purchased here.

Winter Break also marks the anniversary of the “Ten Crucial Days” of 1776-1777, when General Washington and his army saved the Revolutionary War effort, and perhaps the cause of American independence itself, by crossing an ice-filled Delaware River and securing victories at Trenton and Princeton. The Museum is grateful for NJM Insurance Group’s generous support since 2019, including sponsorship of Winter Break programming. Located in West Trenton, New Jersey, NJM’s headquarters sits on the route through which General John Sullivan led a Continental Army division enroute to victory at the Battle of Trenton.

“NJM, with strong roots close to this historic area, is proud to support the Winter Break activities and the Museum of the American Revolution’s rich and inclusive storytelling about our nation’s history,” said Pat Hartpence, NJM Corporate Giving Officer.

Museum Holiday Hours

• Saturday, Dec. 24, 2022, from 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.
• MUSEUM CLOSED Sunday, Dec. 25, 2022
• Monday, Dec. 26 – Saturday, Dec. 31, 2022, from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.
• MUSEUM CLOSED Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023

Tickets for the History Explorers Meet-up and Outdoor Walking Tours may be purchased in advance or on the day of the event. All other Winter Break activities are included with regular Museum admission. Tickets to the Museum can be purchased by calling 215.253.6731, at AmRevMuseum.org, or at the front desk. Kids ages 5 and under always free. All tickets are valid for two consecutive days.

Winter Break at the Museum is sponsored by NJM Insurance Group

About Museum of the American Revolution
The Museum of the American Revolution uncovers and shares compelling stories about the diverse people and complex events that sparked America’s ongoing experiment in liberty, equality, and self-government. Through the Museum’s unmatched collection, immersive galleries, powerful theater experiences, and interactive elements, visitors gain a deeper appreciation for how this nation came to be and feel inspired to consider their role in ensuring that the promise of the American Revolution endures. Located just steps away from Independence Hall, the Museum serves as a portal to the region’s many Revolutionary sites, sparking interest, providing context, and encouraging exploration. The Museum, which opened on April 19, 2017, is a private, non-profit, and non-partisan organization. For more information, visit www.AmRevMuseum.org or call 877.740.1776.