School groups touring the “Historic Triangle” in Colonial Virginia often visit three educational and commemorative sites, including Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown, to learn about the early history, settlement, and development of the U.S.

Renovated in 2018, the American Revolution Museum in Yorktown is an immersive history experience that complements and helps to explain the birth of our nation. 


This area of Virginia is one of the best places to delve into the story of America’s beginnings, from the founding of America’s first permanent English colony in 1607 to the Revolution and the establishment of a new nation almost two centuries later. 

For school groups visiting Yorktown, a visit to the newly-renovated American Revolution Museum at Yorktown is a must. 

The complete two-and-a-half-hour tour includes an educational guide who will share stories that relate to the exhibits in a way that encourages curiosity. Your guide also will keep your group on pace to experience everything the museum has to offer

One of your first stops will be a viewing of an introductory film, Liberty Fever. Shown as a moving panorama and featuring silhouettes and shadow puppets, the film shares the experiences and perspectives of five, different people during the American Revolution. The film sets the stage for learning from the indoor exhibits and the outdoor living-history experience.
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Also be sure to see the museum’s experiential movie where you will see, hear, and feel the Battle of Yorktown.

After exploring the indoor exhibits, the tour heads outside to a recreated Revolutionary War encampment. Here, students get to meet with historic interpreters, including Revolutionary War soldiers and medics. 

Photo credit: American Revolution Museum at Yorktown

Learn how and what the soldiers cooked, see their tents, hold their weapons, learn about medical practices used in the field, and hear the firing of muskets and canons.

Your group’s final experience will include a walk through a recreated, 18th Century farm that is home to heritage breed farm animals and historic interpreters who tell the stories of early settlers. Life on the farm is seen in action, from cooking and housekeeping to growing food and tobacco for the markets. The slave experience isn’t overlooked, and it is also a part of the discussion of rural life in Virginia.

After your visit, your students will have a much deeper understanding of the human side of the American Revolution. Through reenactments, theater experiences, and museum exhibits, the new American Revolution Museum at Yorktown personalizes the story of America’s founding.   

Educator resources, including primary sources, lesson plans, and images, are available on the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown’s website.

The Washington Post also published a story about the museum’s grand opening celebration, New museum in Virginia explores other heroes of the Revolutionary War.

The SCHOOL TRIP SPOTLIGHT is written by NationsClassroom’s licensed tour managers and guides. Written from their years of experience with student groups, the articles feature exciting attractions from the most popular student travel destinations on the historic East Coast.

For more information, please Browse Our Tours or Request Information from our team of student travel consultants.

Originally published January 2018, updated March 2021.

Erika King