Museum of the American Revolution
Follow the Revolution through soldiers, families, enslaved people, and preserved objects, then encounter Washington's actual wartime headquarters tent.
Artwork inspired by Violet Oakley
This museum makes the Revolution a story of people making choices under pressure, not a victory parade of familiar portraits. Its galleries connect protest, war, independence, and the question of who freedom included. Washington's headquarters tent, preserved from the war, appears at the end of a film in a separate theater; it is the original artifact, not a walk-through replica.
Allow about two hours for the core galleries, then use the museum's second-day ticket validity to return to something you rushed. The displays are particularly useful before walking to Independence Hall or the Liberty Bell because they supply the messy social and military context those compact historic sites cannot hold. Listen for the voices of Indigenous people, Black Philadelphians, and women alongside the founders.
- Original artifact
- Washington's headquarters tent
- Ticket value
- Two consecutive days
- Neighborhood
- Old City, near Independence Hall
Quick guide
- Follow the chronology
- Start with protest and war before the founding-era conclusions.
- Time the tent film
- Check its screening schedule and leave room for the original tent reveal.
Know before you go
- Start with dissent
- Notice how colonial grievances looked different to different communities.
- Question independence
- Look for whose freedom expanded and whose did not.
- See the tent
- The preserved fabric gains force after the film recounts its use and survival.
- Walk the district
- Carry the museum's broader story to Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell.
Good to know
The real war tent is revealed in a dedicated theater, not displayed as a tent visitors can enter. The museum has no on-site parking, and its general ticket can be used on two consecutive days.
Notice these
- Washington's War Tent
- Revolution-era objects
- Multiple perspectives on founding