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Event Topic: For Kids & Families

American History Trivia Night

The 4th of July has passed, but we’re still celebrating America’s 250th birthday! From the Declaration of Independence to modern popular culture, how much do you really know about American history? Bring your team of up to four players (or join a team on the spot) and come test your knowledge at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library. With multiple rounds of fun and quirky questions, Here’s Your Host’s Matt Eickhoff will challenge just how much you really know.

Impress your friends!

Win prizes!

Wonder where you learned that particular piece of trivia!

 

Registration is not required. 

American History Trivia Night

The 4th of July has passed, but we’re still celebrating America’s 250th birthday! From the Declaration of Independence to modern popular culture, how much do you really know about American history? Bring your team of up to four players (or join a team on the spot) and come test your knowledge at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum. With multiple rounds of fun and quirky questions, Here’s Your Host’s Matt Eickhoff will challenge just how much you really know.

Impress your friends!

Win prizes!

Wonder where you learned that particular piece of trivia!

 

Registration is not required. 

Evening Public Program and Reception: Founding Friends, Founding Foes: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson

Founding Friends, Founding Foes: John Adams and Thomas Jefferson (6:00–7:30 PM)

Drawing on Monticello’s acclaimed Founding Friends, Founding Foes program, the discussion will explore how Adams and Jefferson navigated friendship, fierce political rivalry, and reconciliation while helping establish the foundations of American democracy. As America marks its Semiquincentennial, this conversation invites participants to consider how respectful disagreement, collaboration, and shared civic values remain essential to our constitutional republic.

  • Dr. Kurt Graham, President & CEO, Adams Presidential Center
  • Dr. Jane Kamensky, Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello
  • Moderated by Dr. Janet Tran, Director, Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum

Feast of Reason Reception (7:30-8:30 PM)

Following the panel discussion, guests are invited to a public reception featuring Monticello’s Feast of Reason conversation cards—a facilitated experience designed to inspire thoughtful civic dialogue and meaningful conversations.

This event is free to the public. 

July 4th Celebration

Join us on Saturday, July 4, as we commemorate the 250th Anniversary of American Independence at our 4th of July Celebration! Enjoy bounce houses, crafts, refreshments, balloons, and face painting from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. Participate in a special bell ringing as part of the nationwide Let Freedom Ring ceremony at 1 p.m. on the plaza. 

Admission to the Bush Library and Museum and the James A. Baker, III Pavilion will be free all day on July 4, from 9:30 a.m. until 5 p.m. We invite you to see the new exhibit, E Pluribus Unum: Celebrating the American Experience, which explores several aspects of our culture that are distinctly American.

 

Fourth of July Family Day

 

Come celebrate America’s 250th birthday at the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum! We will be offering free admission all day with kids activities and crafts, scavenger hunts throughout the museum, and cupcakes. Award-winning author and historian Denise Kiernan will be joining us to discuss her new book, Obstinate Daughters, check out our website for more detail on that.

 

July 4th at the National Archives

On Saturday, July 4, 2026, the National Archives will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the country’s founding, steps away from the original Declaration of Independence, on Constitution Avenue.

For more than 50 years, the National Archives has held its annual Fourth of July program, and this year the tradition continues with historical reenactors and a dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence. Additional free family-friendly activities include a chance to meet reenactors portraying the Founding Fathers and Mothers, live musical performances, face painting, t-shirt giveaways, balloon artists, arts and crafts, and more.

Americans from all across the country are invited to this once-in-a-generation celebration of the nation’s history and heritage at the National Archives. 

All July 4th activities, both inside and outside the museum, are free and open to the public. The National Archives Museum will be open for extended hours from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Timed entry tickets to see the original Declaration of Independence in person are encouraged to streamline the entry process and avoid long lines.

This family event is free and open to the public. Seating on the Constitution Avenue steps is available on a first-come, first-seated basis. The 10 a.m. ceremony will be livestreamed on the National Archives YouTube channel and on the U.S. National Archives Facebook page. 

July 4th at the National Archives is made possible in part by the National Archives Foundation through the generous support of The Boeing Company, Comcast Corporation, Microsoft, P&G, and TikTok. Additional support provided by Ancestry, John Hancock, and Dykema.

PROGRAM INFORMATION: July 4th at the National Archives

WHEN:      Saturday, July 4, 2026

                     Performances and family-friendly activities outside: 8:30 a.m.–12 p.m. 

                     Ceremony: 10 a.m.–11 a.m.  

                     Family activities inside: 10 a.m.–4 p.m.

                     Exhibits (including the original Declaration of Independence): 10 a.m.–10 p.m. 

WHERE:    National Archives Building, Constitution Avenue steps 

                     Between 7th and 9th Streets, NW, Washington, DC

                     A riser will be reserved for attending press.

Please note: Expect increased security around the National Mall during the 250th celebrations. We recommend allowing extra time to navigate the area.

This family event is free and open to the public. Seating on the Constitution Avenue steps is available on a first-come, first-seated basis. The 10 a.m. ceremony will be livestreamed on the National Archives YouTube channel and on the U.S. National Archives Facebook page. 

After the ceremony, step inside the National Archives Museum to see the original Declaration of Independence, exhibits, a scavenger hunt, historic reenactors, activities, and more! 

 

Schedule of Events

Patriotic Shopping at the National Archives “Pop Up” Tent Store on Constitution Avenue 

8:30 a.m.–12 p.m.

 

Family Activities at the National Archives Museum

Outside: 8:30 a.m.–12 p.m.

Inside: 10 a.m.–4 p.m.

  • Sign the Declaration of Independence
  • Participate in a scavenger hunt in the National Archives Rotunda
  • Meet and have your picture taken with George Washington, John and Abigail Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Forten, Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, and Ned Hector
  • Enjoy free, interactive activities, including face painting, balloon artists, arts and crafts, and more 

 

Live Musical Performance by The Washington Tattoo

9 a.m.–9:45 a.m. and 11-11:45 a.m.

 

Ceremony 

10 a.m.–11 a.m.

  • Welcome from National Archives Foundation Chief Executive Officer Patrick Madden
  • Presentation of the Colors, provided by the Space Force Color Guard
  • Performance by the Fife and Drum Corps, provided by U.S. 3rd Infantry, The Old Guard
  • Singing of The Star Spangled Banner by Master Sergeant Caleb Green, U.S. Army (Ret.)
  • Dramatic reading of the Declaration of Independence by educators in period dress portraying historical characters, including George Washington, John and Abigail Adams, Thomas Jefferson, James Forten, Benjamin Franklin, John Hancock, and Ned Hector.
  • Live performance of America the Beautiful by Master Sergeant Caleb Green, U.S. Army (Ret.)

 

Visit Museum Exhibits (June 22–July 5) 

10 a.m.–10 p.m. (10 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. on June 23)

 

Exhibit Closing: America 250: An Exhibit at the Reagan Library

As America marks 250 years of independence, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum invites you to celebrate America 250 at the Reagan Library, where the American story comes to life.

Inspired by President Reagan’s enduring optimism and his faith in freedom, this spectacular exhibition will take you on a sweeping journey through our nation’s story, from the daring decision to declare independence to the America Ronald Reagan knew and helped shape, and the chapters still being written today. It is the Reagan Library’s signature contribution to the 250th anniversary of the United States, an opportunity to experience this unique milestone together. Included with Museum admission. 

 

Community Leadership Camp

Join the education team at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum this summer for a free three-hour program of discussion and activities, including a guided tour of the museum!
Students (grades 6-8), plus their accompanying adults, will learn about becoming engaged leaders in their community by studying the Declaration of Independence, and by seeing the examples of President Gerald and First Lady Betty Ford.

Space is limited, registration is required. 

Community Leadership Camp

Join the education team at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Museum this summer for a free three-hour program of discussion and activities, including a guided tour of the museum! Students (grades 6-8), plus their accompanying adults, will learn about becoming engaged leaders in their community by studying the Declaration of Independence, and by seeing the examples of President Gerald and First Lady Betty Ford.

Space is limited, registration is required.