Celebrate Independence Day at Fort Ticonderoga
Fort Ticonderoga will celebrate Independence Day with special events and programming during an exciting holiday weekend, July 4-5, 2020. Experience the American Revolution on the very ground on which the fight for liberty occurred, with museum staff and costumed interpreters recreating and exploring the events of the year 1777. Guests will follow the footsteps of the Continental Army and see first-hand the struggle for freedom.
This year, until otherwise announced, general admission capacity will be capped at 400 visitors per day and advance on-line ticketing is required by visiting www.fortticonderoga.org. During the initial open phase beginning June 30th, exterior spaces and Mount Defiance will be open to visitors Tuesday-Sunday from 9:30 am until 5:00 pm (last ticket sold at 4:30 pm)
DAILY ACTIVITIES DURING INDEPENDENCE DAY WEEKEND INCLUDED WITH ADMISSION:
Carillon Battlefield Hiking Trail
In 1776, American soldiers renamed the 1758 Carillon Battlefield, ‘Liberty Hill,’ as they dug fortifications to defend this strategic high ground. Visitors can hike the Carillon Battlefield trail, and the American earthworks that still stand today, bearing the openings where American cannons fired against the British in 1777.
Key to the Continent Guided Tours
Could Ticonderoga have been held by the Continental Army in 1777? Was its loss a disaster or a prudent retreat? Create your own answers to questions that have enthralled officers and armchair generals alike for 243 years. Explore how two decades of military occupation culminated with rich cultures and characters at Ticonderoga in 1777.
Musket Demonstrations
American soldiers, behind a wall of earth, steeled their nerves to hold their ground as the British Army landed to attack in 1777. See how an army of farmers and tradesmen used their muskets & bayonets to hold back British and German soldiers.
Breaking Ground: A Guided Tour of the Historic Gardens
From military garrison gardens to a secluded colonial revival commemorative spectacle of color and light, explore one of the oldest cultivated landscapes in America. Discover the layers of horticultural history of the Ticonderoga peninsula.
Bateau Maintenance Demonstrations
See how wooden boats were sealed each campaign season and discover how bateaux carried the Continental and British Army on Lake Champlain. Hear the harrowing story of the Continental Army’s wounded soldiers, women, and children, who fled Ticonderoga by bateau, chased by British gun boats.
Cannon Demonstrations
Watch a cannon and its crew in their element, holding the British Army back with shots, fired from the earthen walls of a redoubt. Explore how the science of gunnery and field fortification were applied in the defense of Ticonderoga in July, 1777.
Mount Defiance: Witness to History Guided Tours
Oh, the stories this graceful mountain overlooking Fort Ticonderoga could tell! As Fort Ticonderoga relives 1777, discover the unique tactical role of Mount Defiance in the story of this decisive campaign fought for our independence.