Virginia Museum of History & Culture

Virginia Museum of History & Culture Discover, explore, and learn about more than 16,000 years of history at the Virginia Museum of History & Culture. www.VirginiaHistory.org
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Plan your visit, browse upcoming events, view virtual tours, watch past lecture & program recordings, and much more at VirginiaHistory.org.

06/19/2026

Richmond SailFest was a weekend to remember ⛵️

We hope you were able to join us for a spectacular celebration—a fitting start to VMHC’s countdown to America’s 250th anniversary!

in partnership with proudly welcomed nearly 50,000 people over the course of three days to enjoy access to three tall ships, live music and performances, historical re-enactors, and exhibitions of history and art.

Revisit the festivities with two special videos—a SailFest highlights reel and a full-length video (for a limited time) of the fireworks experience—now available at https://VirginiaHistory.org/SailFest

Did you know approximately 13.5% of Virginia’s residents were born in another country? This Immigrant Heritage Month, ex...
06/17/2026

Did you know approximately 13.5% of Virginia’s residents were born in another country? This Immigrant Heritage Month, experience the VMHC exhibition, "We The People: The World in Our Commonwealth." Explore the history, impacts, and contributions of immigrants to Virginia from the founding of the nation to the present. Stories of opportunity, community, and resilience are brought to life through more than 100 voices speaking to distinct perspectives and a rich tapestry of experiences.

Plan your visit at https://VirginiaHistory.org/WeThePeople

06/16/2026

IllumiNATION is almost here! ⁠🎇⁠
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Produced for America's 250th, this free special event at the VMHC presented by on June 25-28 features a breathtaking video art projection that brings the American story to life. Set against the museum’s historic facade, this immersive experience will blend artistic light, historic imagery, and music to transport viewers on a powerful journey through time and place.⁠
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Plus, before each night's show, enjoy a festive block party atmosphere with popular local bands, art displays, cultural demonstrations, community groups, and activities for the whole family.⁠
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Details at https://VirginiaHistory.org/IllumiNATION

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TICKETING:
While the festival and 9:00 pm show are free to attend, pre-registration is encouraged to help us anticipate crowd size. Pre-register on the IllumiNATION webpage.

VIP LOUNGE - Few Spaces Remaining!
Don't miss out on the VIP Lounge. Prior to the 9:00 pm show, enjoy festive food, drink, and music in an air-conditioned lounge space with ample seating, plus have a guaranteed seat to view the show outside at 9:00 pm. Tickets available on IllumiNATION webpage.

PARKING:
Get exclusive IllumiNATION parking in the VMHC lot! Pre-purchase now on the IllumiNATION webpage, while supplies last. Advance purchase only; tickets for parking in the VMHC lot will not be available at the door.

View the IllumiNATION webpage at https:// VirginiaHistory.org/IllumiNATION for more details about parking and public transportation options, road closures, festival features, performance schedule, and more!

We're sending out a very tall THANK YOU to everyone who attended Richmond SailFest with and this weekend, and all of t...
06/15/2026

We're sending out a very tall THANK YOU to everyone who attended Richmond SailFest with and this weekend, and all of the staff, volunteers, crew, performers, vendors, and organizational partners that made this special commemorative 250th event so incredible ⛵️🎆 Check out the highlights on our Instagram profile to view recaps from the weekend!

LAST CHANCE to check out Richmond SailFest! Join us for the 3rd and final day of this free, family-friendly, weekend-lon...
06/14/2026

LAST CHANCE to check out Richmond SailFest! Join us for the 3rd and final day of this free, family-friendly, weekend-long festival with and featuring tall ships, cultural performances, historical re-enactors, art & history exhibitions, and more.⁠
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--- Today's Schedule ---⁠
10:00 am - 4:00 pm – Tall Ship Tours*⁠
10:00 am - 4:00 pm – Art & History Exhibitions on Display⁠
10:00 am - 4:00 pm – Food & Beverage Concessions⁠
12:00 - 4:00 pm – Paddle In Your Park with

11:00 am - 12:00 pm – Live Performance: River City Taiko (Japanese drums)
12:00 - 2:00 pm – Live Music: No BS! Brass
2:00-2:30 pm – Live Performance: Mile of Music (Richmond Symphony)**
2:30 - 4:00 pm – Live Music: U.S. Fleet Forces Band

⁠*A limited number of free pre-registration tickets for Tall Ship Tours will be released each morning of the event through the SailFest webpage and via QR code on-site and available until they sell out. All other activities at Richmond SailFest are free and do not require registration. ⁠

**Please note: Richmond Symphony will present the 6th Annual “Mile of Music” as part of Richmond SailFest. Experience this unique set of multiple mini-concerts along a one-mile route in Richmond parks as you make your way towards SailFest. Mile of Music runs from 12:00-2:30 pm, starting in Jefferson Park and ending at SailFest's event grounds with the 2:00-2:30 performance. More details.
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More details at https://VirginiaHistory.org/SailFest

06/13/2026

We had a great first day of Richmond SailFest, full of tall ship tours, ceremonial cannon firing, live music and cultural performances, family activities, and more!

Join and today and tomorrow for more festive fun, plus an epic fireworks show over the James tonight 🎆

Get all the details at VirginiaHistory.org/SailFest

Join us for Day 2 of Richmond SailFest! This free, family-friendly, weekend-long festival with and features tall ships...
06/13/2026

Join us for Day 2 of Richmond SailFest! This free, family-friendly, weekend-long festival with and features tall ships, cultural performances, historical re-enactors, art & history exhibitions, an epic fireworks show over the James, and much more.⁠
⁠
--- Today's Schedule ---⁠
10:00 am - 6:00 pm – Tall Ship Tours*⁠
10:00 am - 8:00 pm – Art & History Exhibitions on Display⁠
10:00 am - 9:30 pm – Food & Beverage Concessions⁠
12:00 - 4:00 pm – Paddle In Your Park with RVA Paddlesports

11:00 am -12:30 pm – Live Music: Garden Variety String Band
12:30-1:30 pm – Live Performance: Nathan Elliott (Native American flute)
1:30 - 3:00 pm – Live Music: Bio Ritmo
3:00 - 4:00 pm – Live Performance: Swingers Jump Rope Team
4:00 - 5:30 pm – Live Music: Justin Golden & The Devil's Coattails
5:30-6:30 pm – Live Performance: Ezibu Muntu (West African Dance)
6:30 - 7:30 pm – Live Music: Richmond Symphony

🎆 9:00 - 9:30 pm – Epic Fireworks, Drone, & Music Experience over the James River
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*A limited number of free pre-registration tickets for Tall Ship Tours will be released each morning of the event through the SailFest webpage and via QR code on-site and available until they sell out. All other activities at Richmond SailFest are free and do not require registration. ⁠
⁠
More details at https://VirginiaHistory.org/SailFest

Richmond SailFest is here! Join us for Day 1 of this free, family-friendly, weekend-long festival with and full of tal...
06/12/2026

Richmond SailFest is here! Join us for Day 1 of this free, family-friendly, weekend-long festival with and full of tall ships, cultural performances, historical re-enactors, art & history exhibitions, an epic fireworks show over the James, and much more.⁠

--- Today's Schedule ---
10:30-11:00 am – Opening Ceremony
11:00 am - 6:00 pm – Tall Ship Tours*
11:00 am - 6:00 pm – Art & History Exhibitions on Display
11:00 am - 6:00 pm – Food & Beverage Concessions

12:00-1:00 pm – Live Performance: Rappahannock Whalers (1800s sea shanties)
1:00 - 2:30 pm – Live Music: Plunky & Oneness
2:30 - 3:30 pm - Live Music: Woody Woodworth & The Piners
3:30 - 5:00 pm – Live Music: Plunky & Oneness
5:00-6:00 pm – Live Performance: Heart of Ireland (Irish dance)
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*Please note: A limited number of free pre-registration tickets for Tall Ship Tours will be released each morning of the event through the SailFest webpage and via QR code on-site and available until they sell out. All other activities at Richmond SailFest are free and do not require registration.

More details at https://VirginiaHistory.org/SailFest

☀️PLEASE NOTE: a Heat Advisory has been issued for the City of Richmond for Friday, June 12, from 11:00 AM to 8:00 PM. See last slide of this set for info about heat preparedness at SailFest.

06/11/2026

Join historian Michelle Craig McDonald for a fascinating look at the popularity and importance of coffee in colonial North America.

Coffee is among the most common goods traded and consumed worldwide, and so omnipresent its popularity is often taken for granted. But even everyday habits have a history. When and why coffee became part of North American daily life is at the center of Coffee Nation: How One Commodity Transformed the Early United States. Using a wide range of archival, quantitative, and material evidence, Michelle Craig McDonald follows coffee from the slavery-based plantations of the Caribbean and South America, through the balance sheets of Atlantic world merchants, into the coffeehouses, stores, and homes of colonial North Americans, and ultimately to the growing import/export businesses of the early nineteenth-century United States that rebranded this exotic good as an American staple. The result is a sweeping history that explores how coffee shaped the lives of enslaved laborers and farmers, merchants and retailers, consumers and advertisers.

Dr. Michelle Craig McDonald was the Librarian/Director of the Library and Museum at the American Philosophical Society and the author of Coffee Nation: How One Commodity Transformed the Early United States.

The content and opinions expressed in these presentations are solely those of the speaker and not necessarily of the Virginia Museum of History & Culture.

Registration is not required to view the livestream. Tickets are required for in-person admission at https://secure.virginiahistory.org/overview/3934

Richmond SailFest is almost here! Find the answers to your biggest questions and get ready for a free, fun, festive week...
06/10/2026

Richmond SailFest is almost here! Find the answers to your biggest questions and get ready for a free, fun, festive weekend with and full of tall ships, cultural performances, historical re-enactors, art & history exhibitions, an epic fireworks show over the James, and much more.⁠
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Details at https://VirginiaHistory.org/SailFest

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428 N Arthur Ashe Boulevard
Richmond, VA
23220

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Wednesday 10am - 5pm
Thursday 10am - 5pm
Friday 10am - 5pm
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