George Washington’s Mount Vernon
Mount Vernon
Just outside Washington, D.C., discover the extraordinary world of George Washington at Mount Vernon, the estate he proudly called home. Tour the Mansion he designed, stroll through the gardens and pathways he once walked, and explore historic outbuildings to see skilled tradespeople in action. On the working farm, meet heritage-breed animals and learn about Washington the farmer. In warmer months, set sail on a Potomac sightseeing cruise for sweeping views of this historic landmark.
Step inside the powerful Lives Bound Together exhibit to learn about the enslaved community, and explore Mount Vernon: The Story of an American Icon, where original 18th-century objects vividly bring history to life.
Beginning in 2026, experience George Washington: A Revolutionary Life, a bold new exhibition immersing visitors in the defining moments of Washington’s journey. Here, feel the thunder of battle in the 4D Revolutionary War Theater or test your leadership skills in Be Washington, featuring Hamilton’s Christopher Jackson.
American Revolution Museum at Yorktown and Jamestown Settlement
Williamsburg
Seize the revolutionary spirit at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown and set sail on a voyage of discovery at Jamestown Settlement. These dynamic history museums present the shared stories of people and events of early America through innovative galleries, with artifacts, interactives and 4D films, and immersive living history – and their impact and relevance today.
Virginia 250 Passport
Stories of ordinary citizens and soldiers in extraordinary times unfold at the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, offering a comprehensive look at the nation’s founding, from the twilight of the colonial period to the dawn of the Constitution and beyond. Explore 17thcentury Virginia at Jamestown Settlement to discover a convergence of cultures during America’s first permanent English colony in 1607 – the Virginia Indians who occupied Virginia’s landscape for centuries, Europeans, and the first recorded Africans to Virginia.
Special exhibitions and events presented year-round, including the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 2026.
jyfmuseums.org/250passport
Charlottesville
Thomas Jefferson (1743—1826), the principal author of the Declaration of Independence, spent 33 years in public life, serving as delegate to the Virginia General Assembly and to Congress, governor of Virginia, minister to France, secretary of state, vice president, and president of the United States from 1801 to 1809.
Virginia 250 Passport
Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello
Jefferson designed every aspect of Monticello, his mountaintop home near Charlottesville, Virginia. An icon of architecture since designated as a UNESCO World Heritage site, Monticello was also a working plantation, where the paradox of slavery confronted the ideals of liberty expressed by Jefferson in the Declaration.
Monticello was the center of Jefferson’s world; to understand him, you must experience his autobiographical statement in architecture. On a little mountain in Charlottesville, the power of place merges with the power of Jefferson’s timeless ideas. Monticello is an essential touchstone for all who seek to explore the enduring meaning of “life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.”
monticello.org/250passport
VA250 Mobile Museum Experience
Visit va250.org for location
A hands-on, interactive, and immersive “museum on wheels,” the VA250 Mobile Museum Experience is housed in an expandable tractor trailer that is traveling throughout Virginia and beyond. The mobile museum brings key stories of Virginia’s rich history to schools, museums, local events, fairs, and more, highlighting every region of the state during America’s 250th year of Independence. The VA250 Mobile Museum Experience invites you to experience the true meaning of E Pluribus Unum—Out of Many, One—as we work toward a more perfect union together.
The Sovereign Nations and Indian Tribes of Virginia
Various Location
For countless generations, Indigenous peoples have lived on the lands now known as Virginia. The histories of the state and the nation are not complete without their stories. Today, the Commonwealth recognizes eleven tribes, seven of which also hold federal recognition:
• Cheroenhaka (Nottoway)
• Chickahominy
• Eastern Chickahominy
• Mattaponi
• Monacan
• Nansemond
• Nottoway
• Pamunkey
• Patawomeck
• Rappahannock
• Upper Mattaponi
These tribes and sovereign nations have rich histories and living cultures that thrive across the state, preserving and practicing cultural traditions passed down through centuries. Many host annual or semiannual powwows and festivals on tribal lands, which serve as vital gatherings for tribal citizens to honor shared heritage, reconnect, and celebrate identity through dance, music, food, and art. These events also offer meaningful opportunities for visitors to respectfully experience their cultures firsthand.
Participating festivals and their dates can be found at VirginiaHistory.org/250Passport. Discount does not apply.
Preserving, telling, and exhibiting the inspirational stories of Virginia’s African American people, places, and events as part of the inclusive narrative of American history.
Fredericksburg Area Museum
Fredericksburg
Discover Fredericksburg’s stories at the Fredericksburg Area Museum through engaging exhibitions, programs, and events that spark curiosity, connect community, and celebrate local history. History for all. Free admission.
famva.org/250passport
Fredericksburg
George Washington lived here from age six until grown. Explore the replica Washington house and outbuildings as discovered by the site’s active archaeology department.
kenmore.org/visit-george-washingtons-ferry-farm
Dedicated to preserving and sharing Hanover County’s diverse history, the Museum highlights well-researched narratives and cultural perspectives, respecting the lives and legacies that have shaped the county.
hanovercounty.gov/1093/Museum Hanover
Fielding and Betty Washington Lewis’s 1775 Georgian-style house in downtown Fredericksburg, known for its exquisite plasterwork, 18th-century furnishings, and architecture.
kenmore.org/visit-historic-kenmore
Historic St. John’s Church Richmond
Historic St. John’s Church is the site of Patrick Henry’s iconic “give me liberty or give me death!” speech on March 23, 1775, which helped spark the American Revolution.
historicstjohnschurch.org
Mercer
Apothecary Shop Fredericksburg
The Hugh Mercer Apothecary Shop highlights 18th-century medicine. Dr. Mercer treated Fredericksburg residents, including Mary Washington. A brigadier general under Washington, Mercer suffered mortal wounds at the Battle of Princeton.
washingtonheritagemuseums.org
Hugh
James Madison’s Montpelier Montpelier Station
James Madison’s Montpelier invites visitors to engage with history, enjoy scenic grounds, and take tours highlighting the Constitution, principles of selfgovernment, and the roots of American democracy in Virginia’s countryside.
montpelier.org/250passport
The James Monroe Museum and Memorial Library is dedicated to the study, interpretation, and presentation of the life and times of the fifth President of the United States.
jamesmonroemuseum.umw.edu
The James Monroe Museum
Explore people and events that shaped the young United States, and the remarkable story of a Revolutionary War hero who became the fifth President of the United States. highland.org/250passport
John Marshall, “The Great Chief Justice,” shaped the modern Supreme Court. His home showcases the largest collection of Marshall family pieces, offering a look at the formation of the American Government.
johnmarshallhouse.org
John Marshall House
Sargeant Museum of Louisa County History
Louisa County
The Sargeant Museum introduces visitors to Louisa County and its place in American history. Exhibits showcase Indigenous history, the American Revolution and Civil War, up through modern day. Free admission.
louisahistory.org/250passport
Start your visit to Central Virginia at the Lynchburg Museum, which shares stories about people and events that shaped our region. Three floors of galleries feature artifacts, artwork, and more. Free admission.
Mary Washington House Fredericksburg
George Washington bought this Fredericksburg home for his mother in 1772. He sought her blessing here before becoming president. Discover the resilient woman who shaped a founding father’s legacy.
washingtonheritagemuseums.org
Meadow Farm Museum at Crump Park presents programs, events, and exhibits on the Native Americans, African Americans, and European Americans who have called the Meadow Farm lands home. Free admission.
henrico.gov/rec/places/meadow-farm
Meadow Farm Museum at Crump Park
Experience Red Hill, the home and burial place of Virginia’s first governor, where the legacy of Patrick Henry, his family, and those he enslaved endures at his 1794 plantation.
Patrick Henry lived at Scotchtown from 1771 to 1778.
Guided tours explore the place where he conceived his most influential revolutionary ideas, including his famous “Liberty or Death” speech.
Built by George Washington’s brother Charles in 1760, the Rising Sun Tavern became a lively stop for travelers in 1792. Learn more about travel and hospitality in early America.
washingtonheritagemuseums.org
The Robert Russa Moton Museum preserves Prince Edward County’s civil rights story. From Barbara Johns’s and the Moton Students’ walkout to the five-year public school’s closure. Free admission.
motonmuseum.org/250passport
Robert Russa Moton Museum
Farmville
Rising Sun Tavern Museum Fredericksburg
Thomas Jefferson’s Poplar Forest Lynchburg
Visit Thomas Jefferson’s personal retreat home and plantation in Bedford County. Learn stories of those who lived and worked here. Admission includes either a docent-guided house tour or self-guided tour. poplarforest.org
The Valentine Richmond
The Valentine collects, preserves, and interprets Richmond’s history. Through the Historic Wickham House, rotating exhibitions, and programs, we highlight Richmond’s central role in the broader American story. Free admission on Thursdays.
thevalentine.org
Wilton House Museum Richmond
This Georgian mansion was built in 1753 for the Randolph family. It served as the centerpiece of their 2,000-acre tobacco plantation, worked by more than 150 enslaved individuals. Free admission.
wiltonhousemuseum.org
Alexandria
Virginia’s first Bicentennial Center in 1974, Alexandria’s history museum showcases centuries of history through its exhibits, collection, and stories. Part of Historic Alexandria.
Alexandriava.gov/Lyceum
Fairfax Museum and Visitor Center
Fairfax
Discover Fairfax’s rich history through rotating exhibitions, family-friendly activities, a scavenger hunt, and tourism info—all inside a historic 1873 schoolhouse. Accessible, engaging, and welcoming to all. Free admission.
fairfaxva.gov/visitors
Warrenton
Explore the history of the Fauquier History Museum at the Old Jail, housed in two old jail buildings: a brick 1808 structure and a stone building dating from 1823.
fauquierhistory.org
The two 18th-century taverns that make up Gadsby’s Tavern Museum capture the changing landscape of the early United States. Part of Historic Alexandria. Discount applies to self-guided tour. alexandriava.gov/GadsbysTavern
George Mason’s Gunston Hall
Mason Neck
Explore the ideas and legacy of George Mason, Founding Father and author of the 1776 Virginia Declaration of Rights, at his 18th-century home on Mason Neck, VA.
gunstonhall.org
Sterling
Discover Loudoun’s agricultural roots by visiting Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum. Make sure to check out the 1775 Tenant Revolt exhibit—an act of resistance shaping our nation’s fight for independence.
Loudoun Heritage Farm Museum
The Manassas Museum offers interactive exhibits that explore the city’s rich history, from Native Americans to the present day, in permanent and changing galleries. Free admission.
manassasva.gov/things_to_do/manassas_museum
National Museum of the Marine Corps Triangle
Explore 250 years of Marine Corps history through immersive exhibits and powerful stories at the National Museum of the Marine Corps. Free admission.
Special Exhibition! Explore the nation’s beginnings through vivid personal stories and rare, never-before-seen artifacts from the original colonies and beyond. Discover how ordinary people secured our nation’s independence. Free admission.
theNMUSA.org/250passport
Our museum, showcasing the county’s history from ancient times to the modern age, is open daily from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Adjacent to a Civil War battlefield. Free admission.
spotsylvania.va.us/250Passport
Belle Grove, in Middletown, was the home of Major Isaac Hite Jr. and Nelly Madison Hite, sister of President Madison. The Manor House, completed in 1797, is open for touring.
Frontier Culture Museum of Virginia Staunton
History comes alive at the Frontier Culture Museum. Join costumed interpreters to learn about the past and how people lived in the Valley of Virginia during the 18th and 19th centuries.
frontiermuseum.org
Museum of the Shenandoah Valley Winchester
A regional cultural center with gardens, galleries with permanent & changing exhibitions, Glen Burnie House, Museum Store, and free-admission 90-acre art park. Special Revolutionary Valley exhibition opens July 4, 2026. themsv.org
Historical Society Museum
Lexington
The Rockbridge Historical Society Museum features local history displays and rotating exhibits, historic maps, RHS publications, a library, and terraced gardens. Across from Lexington Visitor Center. Free admission. RockbridgeHistory.org
Step into the Valley’s past at Rocktown History. From frontier settlements to today’s diverse communities, our exhibits reveal how Shenandoah Valley stories helped shape the American experience. Free admission. rocktownhistory.org
Rockbridge
Rocktown History
Dayton Shenandoah
Southwestern Virginia
Avoca Museum in Altavista, Virginia, explores Saponi Native American heritage, the Revolutionary War, Lynch family legacy, Civil War, Victorian era, and the town’s founding. Free admission.
250 Passport
Avoca Museum and Historical Society Altavista Virginia
Birthplace of Country Music Museum celebrates the 1927 Bristol Sessions and the legacy of early commercial country music. The museum will host two VA250 exhibitions and related programming in 2026. birthplaceofcountrymusic.org/250passport
Blue Ridge Institute & Museum
The Blue Ridge Institute & Museum (BRIM), established in 1973, is the official state center for Blue Ridge Folklore and includes an 1800 living history farm.
Founded in 1770, Botetourt County witnessed the birth of America. Explore Revolutionary-era artifacts, rare treasures, and rich local heritage at the Botetourt County Historical Society, Inc. in Fincastle. Free admission. bothistsoc.wordpress.com Botetourt County Historical Society, Inc. Fincastle
A rich collection of art and historic objects, combined with the unique history of the Sutherlin Mansion, DMFAH tells the stories that shaped the Dan River Region and beyond.
Edith Bolling Wilson Birthplace Museum Wytheville
Visit the birthplace and childhood home of First Lady Edith Bolling Wilson located in Downtown Wytheville, Virginia. Learn about her fascinating journey from Wytheville…to the White House. Free admission. edithbollingwilson.org
Historic Smithfield tells the story of American history in a way that none other can, spanning the length and breadth of the nation’s history—from the Revolution to Revolutionary.
historicsmithfield.org
Historic Smithfield
Blacksburg
The Historical Society operates the Roanoke History and O. Winston Link Museums, and is housed in Roanoke’s historic N&W passenger station, remodeled by 20th century industrial designer Raymond Loewy. roanokehistory.org Historical Society of Western Virginia Roanoke
Founded in 1776, Montgomery County spanned an area now covered by twelve municipalities. Montgomery Museum of Art & History will celebrate VA250 by showcasing local heritage and culture. Free admission. montgomerymuseum.org
The Salem Museum, home to over 300 years of history, highlights Patriots Andrew Lewis and William Fleming among the history, sports, and art of the Roanoke Valley. Free admission.
Built in 1665, Bacon’s Castle is the oldest brick dwelling in North America. The site was named “Bacon’s Castle” in 1676 when Nathaniel Bacon’s men occupied it during Bacon’s Rebellion. baconscastle.org
Colonial National Historical Park
Yorktown
Explore Yorktown Battlefield, site of the last major battle of the Revolutionary War, and Jamestown Island, first permanent English settlement in North America, linked by the 23-mile Colonial Parkway. Discount does not apply. nps.gov/colo
Deltaville Maritime
Museum & Holly Point Nature Park
Deltaville
Eastern Shore of Virginia Barrier Islands Center Machipongo
BIC is a museum and cultural center dedicated to highlighting Virginia’s coastal history through artfully displayed exhibits about people who once worked, lived, and played on the islands. Free admission. barrierislandscenter.org
Visitor & Education Center and Casemate Museum at
Guests will explore exhibits on the convergence of Indigenous, European, and African cultures. A visit through the original casemates provides an opportunity to experience the 200-year history of Freedom’s Fortress. Free admission.
Gloucester Museum of History
Gloucester
Located in a 1770 tavern, you will discover exhibits on local history including the pivotal 1781 Battle of the Hook, central to the allied victory at Yorktown. Free admission.
gloucesterva.gov/gloucester-va-250
Great Bridge Battlefield & Waterways Museum Chesapeake
Visitors will experience life in 18th century Virginia, learn about the water that defined the landscape, visit a Three Tun Tavern, and immerse themselves in the Battle of Great Bridge.
Hampton’s history is America’s story, from Kikotan life before English arrival, to the Space Race. Immerse yourself in the fight for independence in our exhibit “Revolutionary Hampton: Journeys of Freedom.”
hamptonhistorymuseum.org
Constructed by Robert “King” Carter and virtually unchanged since its completion in 1735, Historic Christ Church is Virginia’s finest colonial church and a National Historic Landmark. An architectural treasure with an interactive museum.
christchurch1735.org/visit/250passport
Explore the USS Monitor Center, ship models, and more! Relax in the café and stroll on the serene Noland Trail. 10% discount in gift shop applies. $1 museum admission.
Visit the 1769 home of signer Francis Lightfoot Lee being preserved and restored in glass and a Remembrance structure honoring those enslaved. Tours, guided kayaking, and American history on 500 acres. menokin.org/250passport
Virginia Beach
The Military Aviation Museum houses one of the largest collections of flying WW2 aircraft anywhere in the world. The aircraft are exhibited alongside historic buildings and airplane rides. MilitaryAviationMuseum.org
Shore History
Shore History, located at historic Ker Place, collects, preserves, and celebrates Virginia’s Eastern Shore history. Every day, we inspire learning, curiosity, and cultural connection through engaging exhibits, programs, and preservation efforts. Free admission.
shorehistory.org/250passport
Stratford Hall
Stratford
Established c. 1738, Stratford Hall was home to the Lee family, including the only two brothers to sign the Declaration of Independence. Explore 1,800+ acres of history on Virginia’s Northern Neck!
SWEEPSTAKES
To Enter: Once you have received at least five Passport stamps, ask a Passport Site to validate your sweepstakes card.
Submit validated sweepstakes card during regular business hours at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture at 428 N Arthur Ashe Blvd, Richmond, Virginia 23220.
Or, mail your completed sweepstakes card in a postage stamped envelope addressed to the Virginia Museum of History & Culture, c/o Passport Prize Entry, PO Box 7311, Richmond, Virginia 23221.
Sweepstakes entries must be received by the Virginia Museum of History & Culture by December 1, 2026 at 4:59pm EST.
*All fields required for submission. Void if incomplete or multiple submissions provided. Must be 18 years or older on December 1, 2026 to be eligible. See full sweepstakes rules at VirginiaHistory.org/250Passport.
Rules, Restrictions & Important Considerations
This passport is not a guarantee of services or access. Hours of operation, admission prices, site-specific rules and restrictions, etc. are determined by Passport Sites, and are subject to change. Contact individual Passport Sites for details.
Discounts and use of the Virginia 250 Passport are facilitated by Passport Sites, at their discretion, from November 11, 2025 to December 31, 2026.
Unauthorized reproduction of the Virginia 250 Passport is strictly prohibited. The Virginia 250 Passport is provided to encourage educational opportunities, free of charge, for voluntary use, on a first-come, first-served basis, and while supplies last. This passport cannot be exchanged for cash or used as a credential. The organizers, sponsors, and Passport Sites assume no liability for any loss, damage, or inconvenience arising from visits to Passport Sites or participation in this program.
Participation in Virginia 250 Passport Sweepstakes is voluntary. No purchase necessary. Void where prohibited by law. Eligibility restrictions apply. Sweepstakes period is November 11, 2025-December 1, 2026.
Virginia 250 Passport and Sweepstakes Official Rules, and information on submitting alternative documentation of Passport Site visitation, can be found at VirginiaHistory.org/250Passport.
Virginia 250 Passport ©Virginia Museum of History & Culture, 2025.
