Colonial National Historical Park
On May 13, 1607, Jamestown was established as the first permanent English settlement in North America. Three cultures came together – European, Virginia Indian and African–to create a new society that would eventually seek independence from Great Britain. On October 19, 1781, American and French troops defeated the British at Yorktown in the last major battle of the American Revolutionary War.
About under an hour from Virginia Beach and 1 hours from Richmond by car.
Alerts
- ClosureNPS ↗Rehabilitation of Colonial Parkway Continues
Construction on the Colonial Parkway is affecting travel in many sections. Please follow all detour and caution signs. Additional information can be found at the link below.
Fees & passes
| Type | Cost | |
|---|---|---|
| Per PersonAdult (16 and older) -$15; good for 7 days entrance to Yorktown Battlefield (and NPS areas at Historic Jamestowne); can be upgraded to see Preservation Virginia areas at Historic Jamestowne for an additional $15 at the Historic Jamestowne Visitor Center. Yorktown Battlefield will not be selling the $30 entrance permit for Historic Jamestowne. | $15 | |
| Passes | ||
| Annual Entrance - ParkThe Colonial Annual Pass admits passholder and three accompanying adults unlimited admittance to both NPS areas at Historic Jamestowne and Yorktown Battlefield during regular operating hours. Pass is valid for twelve months from the month of purchase. | $45 | |
Note: Preservation Virginia charges a fee for entrance to their portion of Jamestown on any of the above dates. These areas include the James Fort Site, Archaearium, Memorial Church, and Dale House Cafe.
Hours
| Historic Jamestowne | Daily · 9:00AM - 5:00PM |
| Glasshouse | Daily · 8:45AM - 5:00PM |
| Yorktown Battlefield | Daily · 9:00AM - 5:00PM |
| Park Hours | Daily · 9:00AM - 5:00PM |
Historic Jamestowne: hours by date. Standard hours apply on every date not listed.
| Dates | Hours |
|---|---|
| Standard hoursNow | 9:00AM - 5:00PM |
| Nov 26, 2026Thanksgiving Day | Closed |
| Dec 25, 2026Christmas Day | Closed |
| Jan 1, 2027New Years Day | Closed |
Glasshouse: hours by date. Standard hours apply on every date not listed.
| Dates | Hours |
|---|---|
| Standard hoursNow | 8:45AM - 5:00PM |
| Nov 26, 2026Thanksgiving | Closed |
| Dec 25, 2026Christmas | Closed |
| Jan 1, 2027New Year's Day | Closed |
Yorktown Battlefield, Park Hours: hours by date. Standard hours apply on every date not listed.
| Dates | Hours |
|---|---|
| Standard hoursNow | 9:00AM - 5:00PM |
| Nov 26, 2026Thanksgiving Day | Closed |
| Dec 25, 2026Christmas Day | Closed |
| Jan 1, 2027New Year's Day | Closed |
When to go
April draws the most visits here and February the fewest, averaged over 2021 to 2025.
Visitor centers
- Historic Jamestowne ↗Passport stamp
The Historic Jamestowne Visitor Center is open. The Historic Jamestowne ENTRANCE GATE opens 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. daily. Historic Jamestowne Gift Shop is open 9 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. daily. Glasshouse is open 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
- Yorktown Battlefield ↗Passport stamp
Yorktown Battlefield Visitor center is open for access to the Eastern National Bookstore which is open 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day and New Years Day. The Moore House, Cemetery Lodge, and Poor Potter are closed, but their grounds are open for visitation.
Explore
Things to do
- Drive the Red Route of the Yorktown Battlefield Auto Tour30-120 Minutes
Open year round until sunset, the Yorktown Battlefield Red Route Auto Tour is a 7 mile drive that takes visitors to the most important spots on the Yorktown Battlefield. Allow at least 45 minute to complete this tour.
Opens on the Park Service site - Drive the Yellow Route of the Yorktown Battlefield Auto Tour30-120 Minutes
Open year round until sunset, the optional Yorktown Battlefield Yellow Route Auto Tour is a 9 mile drive that takes visitors through the Allied Encampment areas. Allow at least 30 minute to complete this tour.
Opens on the Park Service site - Glasshouse Ruins30-45 Minutes
Site of the original glassworks. Site is self guiding with waysides and items to see within the building.
Opens on the Park Service site - Island Loop Drive30-45 Minutes
Jamestown has a one-way three/five mile scenic loop drive of the Island. This loop drive is open to pedestrians, bicycles and motor vehicles. Safety issues prohibit buses, motor homes or vehicles over 5-tons from using the Loop Drive.
Opens on the Park Service site - Glasshouse45-120 Minutes
Visitors can see the remains of the original furnaces used by those early glassblowers and watch as modern glassblowers produce wine bottles, pitchers, candleholders and various other glass objects.
Opens on the Park Service site - Walk Main Street in Yorktown30-120 Minutes
Historic Yorktown is available year round. The Nelson House is open as staffing permits. There are informational waysides along Main Street.
Opens on the Park Service site
Show all 8Hide
- Birding
The park's location along the Atlantic flyway affords visitors the opportunity to see wintering, migratory, and breeding birds along park roads.
Opens on the Park Service site - Colonial Parkway60-110 Minutes
The Colonial Parkway is a scenic roadway stretching from the York River at Yorktown to the James River at Jamestown.
Opens on the Park Service site
Films
National Park Service productions, public domain.
Events
- Victory Weekend Events & Programs at Yorktown Battlefield10/1609:00 AM · free
- 10:45 AM
- 01:00 PM
- Yorktown Day10/1910:30 AM · free
News
- Colonial National Historical Park Presents Hamilton With Hamilton ↗2026-10-05
On Oct. 17, Colonial National Historical Park hosts Hamilton with Hamilton. This free event at the Yorktown Victory Monument features a live conversation with an Alexander Hamilton reenactor and outdoor screening of the…
- Yorktown 1781: Before The Siege ↗2026-08-28
Travel back in time and experience Yorktown 1781: Before the Siege — a dynamic living history weekend that transforms Yorktown’s Historic Main Street into a bustling British occupied town on Sept. 12 and 13.
Map
Interactive map by the National Park Service
Historic landmarks nearby
Public land nearby
Distances are approximate. Wilderness Atlas publishes a center point and an acreage for each area rather than a boundary, so each area is treated here as a circle of the same size and the figure is the gap to that circle.
Guidebooks for the South
We earn a small commission if you buy through these links. It does not change what we list.
Titles come from Open Library's catalog, matched by subject.
Reference
Wildlife
Seen this monthBald Eagle 9× · Belted Kingfisher 3× · American White Pelican 3× · Barred Owl 3× · Greater Yellowlegs 1× · Great Horned Owl 1× · Red Fox 1× · Osprey 1×Research-grade observations within 25 km, last 30 days, via iNaturalist
Full checklist: 262 birds, 36 mammalsHide
Raptors & owlsAmerican Kestrel · Bald Eagle · Barn Owl · Barred Owl · Black Vulture · Broad-winged Hawk · Cooper's Hawk · Eastern Screech-Owl · Great Horned Owl · Merlin · Northern Harrier · Osprey · Peregrine Falcon · Red-shouldered Hawk · Red-tailed Hawk · Rough-legged Hawk · Sharp-shinned Hawk · Short-eared owl · Snowy Owl · Turkey Vulture
Waterfowl & wadersAmerican Bittern · American Black Duck · American Coot · American White Pelican · American Wigeon · Black-crowned Night-Heron · Blue-winged Teal · Brown Pelican · Bufflehead · Canada Goose · Cattle Egret · Clapper Rail · Common Goldeneye · Common Loon · Common Merganser · Double-crested Cormorant · Eared grebe · Eurasian Wigeon · Glossy Ibis · Great Blue Heron · Great Cormorant · Great Egret · Greater Scaup · Greater White-fronted Goose · Green Heron · Green-winged Teal · Hooded Merganser · Horned Grebe · King Rail · Least Bittern · Lesser Scaup · Little Blue Heron · Long-tailed Duck · Mute Swan · Northern Pintail · Pied-billed Grebe · Red-breasted Merganser · Red-throated Loon · Ring-necked Duck · Ross's goose · Ruddy Duck · Snow Goose · Snowy Egret · Tricolored Heron · Tundra Swan · Virginia Rail · White-faced Ibis · Wood Duck · Yellow-crowned Night-Heron
Shorebirds & seabirdsAmerican Woodcock · Black Skimmer · Black-bellied Plover · Bonaparte's Gull · Caspian Tern · Common Tern · Dunlin · Forster's Tern · Great Black-backed Gull · Greater Yellowlegs · Herring Gull · Killdeer · Laughing Gull · Least Sandpiper · Least Tern · Lesser Black-backed Gull · Lesser Yellowlegs · Pectoral Sandpiper · Ring-billed Gull · Royal Tern · Ruddy Turnstone · Sanderling · Semipalmated Plover · Semipalmated Sandpiper · Short-billed Dowitcher · Solitary Sandpiper · Spotted Sandpiper · White-rumped Sandpiper · Wilson's Snipe
Gamebirds & dovesMourning Dove · Northern Bobwhite · Ring-necked Pheasant · Rock Dove · Ruffed Grouse · Wild Turkey
WoodpeckersDowny Woodpecker · Hairy Woodpecker · Northern Flicker · Pileated Woodpecker · Red-bellied Woodpecker · Red-headed Woodpecker · Yellow-bellied Sapsucker
Hummingbirds & swiftsChimney Swift · Ruby-throated Hummingbird
Also on the checklistAcadian Flycatcher · American Crow · American Goldfinch · American Pipit · American Redstart · American Robin · American Tree Sparrow · Bank Swallow · Barn Swallow · Bay-breasted Warbler · Belted Kingfisher · Black Scoter · Black-and-white Warbler · Black-billed Cuckoo · Black-capped Chickadee · Black-throated Blue Warbler · Black-throated Green Warbler · Blackburnian Warbler · Blackpoll Warbler · Blue Grosbeak · Blue Jay · Blue-gray Gnatcatcher · Blue-winged Warbler · Boat-tailed Grackle · Bobolink · Brewer's Blackbird · Brown Creeper · Brown Thrasher · Brown-headed Cowbird · Brown-headed Nuthatch · Canada Warbler · Canvasback · Cape May Warbler · Carolina Chickadee · Carolina Wren · Carolina chickadee · Cedar Waxwing · Cerulean Warbler · Chestnut-sided Warbler · Chipping Sparrow · Chuck-will's-widow · Cliff Swallow · Common Grackle · Common Moorhen · Common Nighthawk · Common Redpoll · Common Yellowthroat · Connecticut Warbler · Dark-eyed Junco · Eastern Bluebird · Eastern Kingbird · Eastern Meadowlark · Eastern Phoebe · Eastern Towhee · Eastern Wood-pewee · European Starling · Evening Grosbeak · Field Sparrow · Fish Crow · Fox Sparrow · Gadwall · Golden-crowned Kinglet · Grasshopper Sparrow · Gray Catbird · Gray-cheeked Thrush · Great Crested Flycatcher · Hermit Thrush · Hooded Warbler · Horned Lark · House Finch · House Sparrow · House Wren · Indigo Bunting · Kentucky Warbler · Least Flycatcher · Lincoln's Sparrow · Loggerhead Shrike · Louisiana Waterthrush · Magnolia Warbler · Mallard · Marsh Wren · Mourning Warbler · Nashville Warbler · Northern Cardinal · Northern Gannet · Northern Mockingbird · Northern Oriole · Northern Parula · Northern Rough-winged Swallow · Northern Shoveler · Northern Waterthrush · Orange-crowned Warbler · Orchard Oriole · Ovenbird · Palm Warbler · Philadelphia Vireo · Pine Siskin · Pine Warbler · Prairie Warbler · Prothonotary Warbler · Purple Finch · Purple Gallinule · Purple Martin · Red Crossbill · Red-breasted Nuthatch · Red-eyed Vireo · Red-winged Blackbird · Redhead · Rose-breasted Grosbeak · Ruby-crowned Kinglet · Rusty Blackbird · Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow · Savannah Sparrow · Scarlet Tanager · Seaside Sparrow · Sedge Wren · Snow Bunting · Solitary Vireo · Song Sparrow · Sora · Summer Tanager · Surf Scoter · Swainson's Thrush · Swainson's Warbler · Swamp Sparrow · Tennessee Warbler · Tree Swallow · Tufted Titmouse · Tufted Titmouse · Veery · Vesper Sparrow · Warbling Vireo · Whip-poor-will · White-breasted Nuthatch · White-crowned Sparrow · White-eyed Vireo · White-throated Sparrow · Willow Flycatcher · Wilson's Warbler · Winter Wren · Wood Thrush · Worm-eating Warbler · Yellow Warbler · Yellow-bellied Flycatcher · Yellow-billed Cuckoo · Yellow-breasted Chat · Yellow-rumped Warbler · Yellow-throated Vireo · Yellow-throated Warbler
Small mammalsBeaver · Cotton Mouse · Eastern Cottontail · Eastern Harvest Mouse · Eastern Mole · Golden Mouse · Gray Squirrel · House Mouse · Least Shrew · Marsh Rice Rat · Meadow Vole · Muskrat · Northern Short-tailed Shrew · Pine Vole · Southeastern Shrew · Southern Flying Squirrel · White-footed Mouse · eastern chipmunk · hispid cotton rat · southern short-tailed shrew
PredatorsBobcat · Gray Fox · Mink · Raccoon · Red Fox · coyote · northern river otter · striped skunk
Hoofed mammalsWhite-tailed Deer
BatsBig Brown Bat · Hoary Bat · silver-haired bat
Also on the checklistDomestic Dog · House Cat · Virginia Opossum · Woodchuck
Activities
Weather & climate
During the summer season visitors should dress in light, comfortable clothing, wear comfortable shoes and use sunscreen. We recommended you carry a bottle of water with you. High temperatures and high humidity create higher risk of heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heatstroke. Most of the Historic site is out-of-doors and although not a great distance from an air-conditioned building, staying properly hydrated will help prevent these illnesses. During the fall visitors should have a light jacket available.
Questions people ask
How much does it cost to enter Colonial?
Entrance is $15 per person on foot or bike. Adult (16 and older) -$15; good for 7 days entrance to Yorktown Battlefield (and NPS areas at Historic Jamestowne); can be upgraded to see Preservation Virginia areas at Historic Jamestowne for an additional $15 at the Historic Jamestowne Visitor Center.
Source: National Park Service
Which passes work at Colonial?
The $80 America the Beautiful pass covers the entrance fee here, and a Colonial-only annual pass is $45.
Source: Is the pass worth it
Can I pay the entrance fee in cash?
No. Colonial takes cards only at the entrance.
Source: National Park Service
When is entrance to Colonial free?
Next on October 27, Theodore Roosevelt's birthday. 2 fee-free days are left this year, for US residents only.
Source: Free entrance days
Do I need a reservation to enter Colonial?
No. There is no timed-entry or entrance reservation at Colonial. Camping and some tours have their own reservations.
Source: National Park Service
What are the hours at Colonial?
Standard hours are 9:00AM - 5:00PM, every day. Dated exceptions are listed under Hours.
Source: National Park Service
Is anything closed at Colonial right now?
1 active alert as of October 14, 2026: Rehabilitation of Colonial Parkway Continues.
Source: Alerts
How busy is Colonial?
1,582,994 recreation visits in 2025, number 55 of 387 units that report visitation.
Source: Most visited parks
Is there cell service at Colonial?
At the park's reference point, FCC coverage maps show Verizon 4G LTE, AT&T 4G LTE, and T-Mobile 5G. Coverage inside the park varies by location.
Source: FCC Broadband Map
When was Colonial established?
1936.
Source: Wikipedia
What is the weather like at Colonial?
During the summer season visitors should dress in light, comfortable clothing, wear comfortable shoes and use sunscreen. We recommended you carry a bottle of water with you.
Source: Weather & climate
Follow this park
- Alerts feed (RSS)
- Every active Park Service alert for this unit, one item each, rebuilt with the nightly data refresh.
- Add dates to your calendar (.ics file)
- Fee-free entrance days that apply here and each published hours exception, as all-day events.
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