Virginia Rolls Out Free Passport Covering 70 Historic Attractions

Collect Stamps and Win Up to $2500

Virginia just made it cheaper to visit the places where America was born.

The state launched a free 64-page passport booklet that covers 70 historic sites, from George Washington’s Mount Vernon to the battlefield where the Revolution ended.

Get one stamp, and you unlock 15% off admission at every other site. Get five stamps, and you enter a sweepstakes with cash prizes.

The program runs through December 2026, timed to America’s 250th birthday, and the passport doubles as a travel guide, keepsake, and discount book all in one.

One Stamp Unlocks 15% Off Everywhere

The math is simple. Once you have received at least one passport stamp, you get a 15% discount on admission at all the following passport sites you visit. That first stamp acts like a key.

Visit Monticello, get your stamp, and suddenly Colonial Williamsburg costs less. Then Jamestown costs less.

Then Mount Vernon. You get one admission discount per passport holder, once per site.

The savings add up fast if you hit multiple locations in a trip.

Five Stamps Enter You for Prizes

Getting five stamps opens the door for a prize drawing, which will be announced in December 2026.

Prizes include one-year family memberships to select sites like Colonial Williamsburg, Monticello, and Mount Vernon for 20 winners, $250 cash for 10 winners, and $2,500 cash for one grand prize winner.

Once you have received at least five passport stamps, ask a passport site to validate your sweepstakes card, then submit it to the Virginia Museum of History and Culture by December 1, 2026.

Five Major Sites Organized the Program

The Virginia Museum of History and Culture partnered with Colonial Williamsburg, George Washington’s Mount Vernon, the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, and Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello to organize the initiative.

The project is supported by the Virginia American Revolution 250 Commission and the Virginia Tourism Corporation. Governor Glenn Youngkin released a video announcement for the launch.

These five signature sites anchor the program and serve as pickup locations for the free passports.

Virginia Shaped the Nation More Than Any State

Seven major Virginians played integral roles before, during, and after the American Revolution: George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, George Mason, Patrick Henry, and John Marshall.

The home state of George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and other founding fathers, Virginia played an important role in the American Revolution. Four of the first five presidents were Virginians.

The Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights all bear Virginia fingerprints.

Monticello Tells Jefferson’s Full Story

Thomas Jefferson lived in a tucked-away estate called Monticello that overlooks one of America’s first public colleges, the University of Virginia, which he also founded.

The mountaintop home outside Charlottesville is one of the passport’s signature sites. Tours now cover both Jefferson’s achievements and the lives of the people he enslaved.

If you have one or more stamps in your passport, you qualify to save 15% on your next regular admission ticket to Monticello.

Mount Vernon Just Reopened Washington’s Bedroom

The first and second floors of the mansion will reopen to the public in December 2025, with newly restored rooms including the Washington bedchamber, featuring new wallpaper that showcases how the room would have looked in 1799.

George Washington lived at the Mount Vernon estate off the Potomac River, which is open to the public 364 days of the year.

The estate also features a working distillery, the tombs of George and Martha Washington, and exhibits on the 317 enslaved people who lived and worked there.

Yorktown Ended the Revolutionary War

Lord Cornwallis, with an army of 7,000, established a base of operations at the port of Yorktown. Washington sent a force under the Marquis de Lafayette to confront him.

When a large French navy arrived to assist, all moved to entrap Cornwallis’s army. With his surrender, the British lost their resolve to continue the war.

The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown is a passport signature site, and it walks visitors through the entire conflict with immersive exhibits and living-history demonstrations.

Colonial Williamsburg Turns 100 in 2026

Colonial Williamsburg is ready to meet these historic moments, their own centennial and the nation’s 250th anniversary.

The restored 18th-century capital has been welcoming visitors since 1926, making it one of America’s oldest and largest outdoor history museums.

The Virginia 250 Passport program runs from November 11, 2025, to December 31, 2026. That timing means visitors can celebrate both milestones with a single trip.

The Passport Covers Five Virginia Regions

The 64-page commemorative booklet features descriptions of the 70 participating museums and historic sites across five regions: Central Virginia, Northern Virginia, Shenandoah Valley, Southwestern Virginia, and Tidewater.

Central Virginia sites include the Fredericksburg Area Museum, George Washington’s Ferry Farm, Historic Kenmore, the Hugh Mercer Apothecary Shop, the James Monroe Museum, and Mary Washington House.

The Museum of the Shenandoah Valley is one of five Shenandoah Valley sites participating in the program.

Lesser-Known Sites Made the List Too

The passport goes beyond the famous estates. The Gloucester Museum of History is housed in a 1770 tavern.

The Spotsylvania County Museum chronicles the county’s pivotal role in shaping the nation, from critical colonial moments to major Civil War battles.

Shore History on the Eastern Shore will share the stories of the region’s roots with visitors from across Virginia and beyond. These smaller museums offer unique stamps and local stories the big sites cannot match.

How to Get Your Passport for Free

Passports are available, free of charge and while supplies last, at Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, Monticello, Mount Vernon, Virginia Museum of History and Culture, the VA250 Mobile Museum, and Virginia Tourism’s twelve Welcome Centers across the Commonwealth.

A total of 250,000 copies will be distributed. The Virginia 250 Passport is only available in physical booklet form and passport stamps must be collected on-site.

Once you have your booklet, the clock is ticking: the program ends December 31, 2026.

Visiting Virginia

Virginia stretches from the Atlantic coast to the Appalachian Mountains, and the passport sites span nearly the entire state.

Most signature sites cluster in two areas: the Tidewater region around Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown, and the Central Virginia corridor from Richmond through Charlottesville. Mount Vernon sits just south of Washington, D.C. , making it easy to combine with a capital visit.

Virginia’s twelve Welcome Centers along major interstates all carry passports, so you can grab one as soon as you cross the state line.

This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.

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