New Special Exhibition Opening, Family-Friendly Fun this Spring Break at the Museum of the American Revolution

Banners of Liberty: An Exhibition of Original Revolutionary War Flags Opens to the Public on Saturday, April 19, 2025 

Wave hello to spring at the Museum of the American Revolution with a new exhibition of Revolutionary War flags, special programming, and more.  

Of the hundreds of flags made and carried in the Revolutionary War (1775-1783) by the Continental Army and American militia, only about 30 are known to survive. Opening Saturday, April 19, 2025 – the Museum’s eighth anniversary and the 250th anniversary of the Battles of Lexington and Concord – Banners of Liberty: An Exhibition of Original Revolutionary War Flags will feature more than a dozen of these flags, making it the largest gathering of rare and significant Revolutionary War flags in more than two centuries. On April 19, the Museum will host a free, public opening event on our plaza which will include performances, speakers, and a presentation of colors. The special exhibition will be open daily starting April 19 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and included with regular Museum admission.  

The Museum will also observe Spring Break, April 12–27, 2025, with a flag-themed craft, an interactive discovery cart, in-gallery talks, and more.  

Spring Break Highlights Include: 

Banners of Liberty Public Opening Event | April 19 from 10:15 – 11 a.m. 

The Museum will host an opening for our new special exhibition on our plaza including performances from the Central York Middle School Colonial Fife and Drum Corps, a presentation of colors, and remarks by Museum officials and elected leaders. This event is free and open to the public. 

Design Your Own Flag Craft | Daily from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m. in the Museum’s Rotunda 

On June 14, 1777, the Second Continental Congress officially adopted the flag of the United States, agreeing that “the flag of the thirteen United States be thirteen stripes, alternate red and white; that the union be thirteen stars, white in a blue field, representing a new constellation.” Though the number of stars and the pattern of that constellation have been altered through the years, their meaning has not changed. Visitors can create their own flag and explore what the symbols in their own “banner of liberty” might represent. 

On Display: True Colours Flag Project | Daily from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. The Museum’s handsewn, replica “suit of colours” is back on display in the Museum Rotunda. Learn more about the process of recreating — and the history behind — these huge flags flown by 18th-century ships at sea during the Revolutionary War. Sponsorship for the project was provided by The Color Guard of the Pennsylvania Society of Sons of the Revolution. 

10-Minute Talk: My Favorite Object | Daily from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m. 

Find a Museum educator to learn about and discuss some of their favorite objects on display in the core galleries. 

Discovery Cart: Rebecca Flower Young | Daily from 11 a.m. – 3 p.m.  

Flagmaker Rebecca Flower Young advertised “all kinds of colours” for the Revolutionary cause from her shop here in Philadelphia. Meet a Museum educator to view replica objects and learn more about Young’s work as a military contractor making flags and drum cases for the Continental Army. 

Highlights Tour | Saturdays and Sundays at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. 

Join a Museum educator for this 60-minute tour of the core exhibit galleries highlighting objects and hearing about how the diverse groups of people living in North America experienced the American Revolution, including Loyalists, Hessians, free and enslaved people of African descent, women at home and at war, and other Revolutionaries. During your tour, you will explore the American Revolution from its beginnings in the 1760s and trace its ongoing story. Tickets available here. 

Outdoor Walking Tour: Revolutionary City | Saturdays and Sundays at 10 a.m. 

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. Don’t forget to bring water and sunscreen, and make sure to save time to explore the Museum before or after your tour! Tickets available here. 

Gallery Highlights Tour: Black Voices of the Revolution | Saturdays and Sundays at 12 p.m. 

Join a Museum educator for this 60-minute tour of the core exhibit galleries highlighting a diverse set of stories, experiences, and objects related to people of African descent during the American Revolution. Through it all, you’ll have the opportunity to consider what words like freedom, liberty, and equality meant for different people within the Revolutionary era, and how these ideas continue to influence our lives today. Tickets available here. 

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 an independent, non-profit, and non-partisan organization. For more information, visit www.AmRevMuseum.org or call 877.740.1776.