Group Programs Onsite

Programs for groups of 15 or more, advance reservations are required.

Guided Tours
Let our Foundation guide lead your group on a two-hour, curriculum-based, hands-on, inquiry-oriented tour of Jamestown Settlement and/or the Yorktown Victory Center. At Jamestown Settlement, students get involved with significant aspects of the 17th-century English, Powhatan and African cultures. At the Yorktown Victory Center, students explore life during the American Revolution, its impact on the diverse people of America and the development of the new nation. Students will handle reproduction objects, explore history through provocative questions, talk with costumed interpreters, and experience living-history areas. Programs are designed to meet Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) objectives. Pre- and post-visit materials are provided to all groups scheduled for guided tours. The two-hour guided tour is for 15 or more students and requires advance reservations at least 72 hours prior to arrival. Allow extra time to view the museum film and for the gift shop, meals and travel-related necessities.

Hands-On History Educational Programs

Hands-on activities coupled with a structured tour allow students to develop a deeper understanding and appreciation of life in the 17th and 18th centuries. The two-and-a-half hour program is for 15 or more students and requires reservations at least 72 hours prior to arrival. Allow extra time to view the museum film and for the gift shop, meals and travel-related necessities. Choose from eight programs customized for a variety of ages at Jamestown Settlement or the Yorktown Victory Center.

Self-Guided Visit
School groups that wish to visit the museums on their own are welcome to do so.  Special rates are available for groups of 15 or more students. Advance registration is highly recommended. Allow at least two hours to tour each museum.

Sampler Tour
This one-hour tour, led by a trained guide, is designed to help groups get the most out of limited time at either museum by highlighting living-history areas.  The one-hour sampler tour is for 15 or more students and requires advance reservation of at least 72 hours prior to arrival. Allow extra time to view the museum film and for the gift shop, meals and travel-related necessities.

Outreach /Return Visit

Prepare your students for their museum visit with a hands-on, inquiry-oriented lesson provided by one of the Foundation's educators in your Virginia classroom. Programs last  approximately one hour and are limited to one class at a time. Schools or tour operators are required to provide appropriate classroom space for the program. Please call Reservations to inquire about other areas of service, availability, and other requirements.

Legacy Learning

Designed for mature and multigenerational group travelers, the Legacy Learning Program consists of a 60-minute classroom session followed by a self-guided museum tour or a film. The program is ideal for groups that are seeking a unique educational experience, and for those visitors who may prefer a stationary activity.

In the "First Settlers" program at Jamestown Settlement, groups can choose from one of three classroom subjects, "Living With the Indians," "Cultures in Contact" or "Voyage to Virginia." Individuals within a group can choose either a self-guided tour or the film, Voyage of the Godspeed. In the "First Freedom" program at the Yorktown Victory Center, groups can choose one of two classroom subjects, "Colonial Medicine" or "Life of a Private." Individuals within a group can choose either a self-guided tour or the film, Road to Revolution.

Programs can be customized to include a guided tour, voucher for lunch at the Jamestown Settlement Café or box lunches to go. Programs are available daily June 1-October 15 and December 1-March 15, and on Mondays and Tuesdays, October 16-November 30. The Legacy Learning Program is not available for groups comprised of more than 50% youth.

Homeschool Program
Hands-on history programs for home-educated students will be offered on an advance-reservation basis February 16-24, 2013. Learn more about 2013 homeschool programs. One-hour education programs for students in pre-kindergarten through 12th grade are followed by a guided tour for participating students and their families of the museums' outdoor interpretive areas -- a Powhatan Indian village, 1600s replica ships, colonial fort and riverfront discovery area at Jamestown Settlement, and Continental Army encampment and 1780s farm at the Yorktown Victory Center. Education programs are taught by trained museum educators and address Virginia and United States history-curriculum objectives. For more information or to register, call (888) 868-7593 toll-free or (757) 253-4939, fax (757) 253-4997, or email group.reservations@jyf.virginia.gov. 

Broadside Summer Children’s Programs
The Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation offers summer history programs for local area children at Jamestown Settlement and the Yorktown Victory Center. Whether it’s picking up a few words of the Algonquian language of the Powhatan Indians or learning critical signals sent between troops during the American Revolution, the programs offer children summer fun with an educational twist on colonial American history through hands-on activities, visits to outdoor interpretive areas and a take-home craft. Classes are available for children age 4 through fifth grade. Registration is by mail only and programs are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, please call (757) 253-4731.

Scout Activities
For additional information about Scout programs, contact Group Reservations at (757) 253-4939.