WILLIAMSBURG — The Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation encourages visitors to celebrate the season with Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown’s special exhibits, events and shopping opportunities and a firsthand look at history with interactive outdoor re-creations and innovative galleries featuring rare artifacts, exhibits and 4D films.
At Jamestown Settlement, discover America’s first permanent English colony, cultures and traditions of the Virginia Indians, Europeans and West Central Africans.
At the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, uncover stories of ordinary people in extraordinary times, from the rumblings of colonial unrest to the signing of the Declaration of Independence and beyond.
Festivities and events include:
Nov. 29-30: Foods & Feasts of Colonial Virginia
Jamestown Settlement & American Revolution Museum at Yorktown
Long before microwaves, electric stoves and refrigerators, early Virginians prepared meals in clay pots and iron kettles and preserved food by smoking and salt curing. This Thanksgiving holiday, explore culinary practices and cooking techniques of the 17th and 18th centuries. Event included with museum admission.
Dec. 1: Museum Store Sunday
Jamestown Settlement & American Revolution Museum at Yorktown
Take a little history home and stock up on unique gifts on this one-day worldwide museum store event offering a 20% discount on total in-store purchases. Museum shops offer unique finds and exclusive gifts, from museum reproductions, handmade items, Virginia spirits and folk art, books and more. Purchases support museums’ educational mission.
Through Jan. 5: Ruth E. Carter: Afrofuturism in Costume Design
Jamestown Settlement
More than 70 iconic costume designs by two-time Academy Award-winning costume designer Ruth E. Carter converge with historical fashion of the 1600s and 1700s to transcend time periods. In this extended exhibition, view clothing that bring characters to life from “Roots,” “Amistad” and “Selma” to Marvel Studios’ “Black Panther” and “Wakanda Forever.” Exhibit included with museum admission; merchandise available in museum shop.
Dec. 12: An Audience with King Henry VIII
Jamestown Settlement | 7 p.m.
The year is 1542 and the King, newly a widower following the execution of his fifth wife, contemplates his actions and their outcomes. Come face-to-face with the King as performer John White explores the conflict between church and state in this first-person theatrical experience. Admission is free; advance registration is recommended.
Dec. 14: Candlelight Christmas
American Revolution Museum at Yorktown | 6-8 p.m.
Enjoy an evening of 18th-century Christmas cheer with a blend of modern traditions. Hear festive sounds of holidays past with music and caroling and see how soldiers and colonists may have prepared for a holiday evening. Children can meet Santa, make holiday crafts and decorate the lobby Christmas tree. Separate admission: $10 per child (ages 4-12), $7 per adult (ages 12 and over) and free for ages 3 and under.
Dec. 28-29: Stories from the People of the Longhouse
Jamestown Settlement | 12 & 4 p.m.
Join storyteller Perry Ground, Turtle Clan member of the Onondaga Nation of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy, to hear legends brought to life that share the history and culture of Native peoples through vivid descriptions, rhythmic voice and audience interaction. Program included with museum admission.
Dec. 20-31: Christmastide in Virginia
Jamestown Settlement & American Revolution Museum at Yorktown
Enjoy historical holiday fun with hands-on interpretive programs, cooking demonstrations and musical entertainment. At Jamestown Settlement, learn about the English tradition of the Lord of Misrule — “grand captain of all mischief” — at 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., followed by festive music each day. At the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, enjoy the sounds of Christmas through traditional carols and music at 11:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. each day. Event included with museum admission.
Jamestown Settlement and the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown are open 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily; closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Jamestown Settlement is located on 2110 Jamestown Road near the Colonial Parkway.
The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown is located on 200 Water Street in Yorktown. Museum shops and cafés open during museum hours.
The museums are administered by the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, an educational agency of the Commonwealth of Virginia and accredited by the American Alliance of Museums.
