America250 and VA250 Events

Her and Me: Crafting Workshop

Students and a special woman in their lives, (mom, grandma, aunt, etc.), will spend the evening creating their very own 250 masterpiece. Students and their “she” will work together while following easy step-by-step instructions. All craft supplies are included. Registration is only needed for child. Fee is per pair. 

Colonial Kitchen

From bay to backyard! Discover colonial cooking techniques and learn about local foods. In this interactive program, learn how to churn butter, in a jar, and learn about foraging. For families. 

Patriotic Film Festival: Sweet Liberty

Enjoy a family-friendly movie with a patriotic theme as we celebrate America's 250 anniversary! College history professor Michael Burgess' life and town are turned upside down when a film company arrives to make a movie out of his best-selling book on the American Revolution. 

I Survived the American Revolution: 1776

Test your survival skills! Complete daring missions, solve clues, and decode danger. Brave the obstacle-course inspired by the beloved, I Survived series, by Lauren Tarshis. For families. 

Charter to Chesapeake

Salute America’s 250th year with a weekend of interactive living history, educational activities, colonial trade demonstrations, hands-on crafts for all ages, food trucks, and much more. Explore the Great Bridge Battlefield and Waterways Museum, then take a deck tour of the tall ship Sultana, a full-scale reproduction of a 1768 schooner. The event is free and open to the public.

Stars, Stripes, and Sails

Join us for a sail-abration featuring lively music from the U.S. Fleet Forces Band, nautical crafts, and outdoor lawn games for all ages. Come enjoy an afternoon of coastal creativity and community. 

Summer STEAM: 250 Birthday Edition

Celebrate America’s 250th birthday with Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Math. This program is best for children age 6 -12. 

Red, White, and You: Miniature Art Show

Stars, stripes, and creativity! Paint a miniature canvas full of sparkle and imagination! Enter your masterpiece into the July community art exhibit. Available while supplies last. For families. 

Make and Take

Looking for a fun craft? Stop by the Children’s Department to create your own masterpiece. Crafts are available while supplies last. 

Happy Birthday Red, White, and Blue!

July 1, 2026

Get ready to celebrate America's 250th birthday with red, white, and blue crafts and activities. 

Movie Morning: 1776 (1972)

Experience history in song! From debate to declaration, experience the musical story of independence and the founding of America. This movie is rated G and has a run time of 141 minutes. For families. 

Celebrate Freedom

Let freedom ring this July as we commemorate America's 250th anniversary at the annual Celebrate Freedom Concert and Fireworks Spectacular at Chesapeake City Park. Beginning at 5 p.m., guests can delight in food, fun, games, history, and tons of children’s activities. Listen to dynamic patriotic concert music from the U.S. Fleet Forces Band before settling in on the lawn for a lively fireworks display. Open to the public, paid event parking.

Annual South Norfolk July 4th Parade & Picnic in the Park

Our annual Patriotic Parade and Picnic in the Park event in South Norfolk at Lakeside Park in Chesapeake, Virginia is always led by the color guard. Up to 100 units may appear, including hundreds of individuals, marching bands, dance groups, floats, old cars, new cars, and funny cars. Follow the parade to the celebration in the park!  Celebration at Lakeside Park follows immediately, beginning with the opening ceremony.

Activity Afternoon

Create patriotic book-page art with recycled library books, watercolors, and Americana themes! 

Weaving in 1776: Threads of the Past 

Small hands, big history! Discover historical basket weaving techniques. From fields to forests of 1776 Virginia, families made what they needed. Work with your family to create a special keepsake! 

Patriotic Film Festival: 1776 (1972)

Enjoy a family-friendly movie with a patriotic theme as we celebrate America's 250 anniversary! A musical celebration of the founding of the United States of America based on the award-winning Broadway production! 

Revolutionary Spy Academy

Sneak, solve, and spy! Train like the Culpeper Spy Ring and crack codes to complete secret missions. Test your skills with codebreaking as you learn about real life spies in 1776. For families. 

Revolutionary Trivia - On a Saturday!

Think you know American history? Test your chops at our wild-but-wholesome Revolutionary trivia! Bring a team or join one. Win prizes, brag nicely, and have a blast. Free—registration required! 

VA250: 1776 America’s Revolution by Tidewater Winds

Tidewater Winds presents an evening that traces the soul of America —  from its revolutionary beginnings to the rich, diverse musical landscape that defines us today. 

From Plant to Pigment: 1776

Gather round the garden path of 1776! Among herbs and wildflowers, learn how early Virginias made dyes. Create your own softly colored fabric inspired by nature's quiet strength. For families. 

Stitching Stories: Bookbinding in 1776

Bind your own story! Explore bookbinding basics that were used in 1776. Create your own stitched treasure to bring home. This event is for families. Available while supplies last. 

Stories and Tea with Felicity: American Girl Doll

Tea, tales, and a touch of history! Explore life in colonial Williamsburg, with Felicity Merriman, during the Revolutionary War. Discover the role that tea played in history. For families. 

We the People Read Aloud 

August 8, 2026

Let's read the Constitution! Snag a photo with Chesapeake’s largest U.S. Constitution. Register to read or stop by to listen. Kick off the celebration with the Fifes & Drums of Yorktown. 

Growing Strong for 250 Years

Experience life in the Revolutionary War era during this weekend of commemorative events. Witness exciting narrated reenactments of the Battle on both days, visit Patriot and British soldier’s encampments, meet historical figures, see skilled artisans demonstrating early American trades, learn from local experts, shop our unique "sutler’s marketplace," plus food trucks, and more. Free and open to the public. 

Indigenous Perspectives: Traveling Exhibition – Presented by The Library of Virginia 

Explore the rich heritage of Virginia’s tribal communities. Discover how Indigenous voices and experiences have been, and remain, a vital part of Virginia’s history and culture. 

Suffrage & Tea

Tea fueled more than afternoons — it fueled a movement. Sip your way through the surprising role tea played in the fight for women’s rights, with stories as bold as the brew. Registration required. 

STEAM Team

Party like it's 1776 and learn how to bookbind! Celebrate 250 years of Virginian history with this pamphlet bookbinding program. 

Make and Take

Warp back in time to celebrate 250 years of Virginian history with fun crafts! Stop by the Children’s Department to create your own masterpiece. Crafts are available while supplies last. 

Colonial Day

1776 is just a hop, skip, and jump away! Craft and play the colonial way with these history-inspired stations. 

Homeschool Adventures: Play Through the Ages

Challenge your friends to an old-fashioned game of Graces and make your very own colonial toys at this special edition of Homeschool Adventures! 

Play Through the Ages: Colonial Games and Toys 

Challenge your friends to an old-fashioned game of Graces and make your very own colonial toys at this special edition of Homeschool Adventures! 

Battle of Great Bridge Reenactment at Battlefield Park South

Experience life in the Revolutionary War era during this weekend of commemorative events. Witness exciting narrated reenactments of the Battle on both days, visit Patriot and British soldier’s encampments, meet historical figures, see skilled artisans demonstrating early American trades, learn from local experts, shop our unique "sutler’s marketplace," plus food trucks, and more. Free and open to the public. 

STEAM Team

Churn some butter and create a pomander at this week's STEAM in celebration of 250 years of Virginia history!