Have you ever wondered what a Pilgrim’s house looked like? Or how they made tools during the American Revolution? Fortunately, you don’t need a time machine to find out.
Living history museums are places that recreate everyday life in a historical era using actors, props and period techniques. When you visit, you will be instantly transported to the past. These museums feature entire neighborhoods as they would have appeared centuries ago, including homes, clothes and modes of transportation.
The interpreters who work in the museums demonstrate how people in that era grew and cooked their food, built their tools and weapons, cared for their sick and more. They also portray real historical figures who give presentations about their lives. They even reenact important events they were involved with.
Living history museums are incredible opportunities to gain “hands-on” knowledge about our country’s development. They are perfect for family trips: kids can take a deeper dive into the subjects they are studying in school, and adults can learn new aspects of the nation’s early years.
Featured Living History Museums
Plimoth Plantation
Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth, Massachusetts offers visitors a peek inside New England life when the Pilgrims were establishing their settlement.
The museum features a recreation of both an English settlement like the Pilgrims and a Wampanoag homestead showcasing Native life. Nearby, visitors can find a full-scale reproduction of the Mayflower and a working grist mill that demonstrates how the settlers made their all-important cornmeal.
Colonial Williamsburg
Before and during the American Revolution, Williamsburg was the capital of Virginia, one America’s most powerful colonies. The city drew some of the country’s most important Founding Fathers, like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson and James Madison.
Colonial Williamsburg brings this 18th-century hub to life so visitors can experience the birth of the country. Interpreters portray the Founding Fathers and discuss their ideas for the country in character. Elsewhere, visitors can watch blacksmiths build tools and weapons and tour the various homes recreated in period style.
Conner Prairie
Farmers settling on the wide-open grasslands of the Midwest is an iconic part of America’s soul. Conner Prairie in Fishers, Indiana features several interactive exhibits that bring 19-century prairie life into the present day.
Their 1836 Prairietown exhibit features games and crafts that visitors can participate in to learn first-hand about the activities villagers enjoyed. The 1859 Balloon Voyage discusses the history and development of hot-air ballooning and ends with a balloon ride high above the site. Conner Prairie also includes a historic brick house, a treehouse playground and an 1816 Lenape Indian Camp.
Getting ready to take the family to a living history museum? Download our free RV Adventure Checklist to make sure you have packed everything you'll need!