2026 Grand Review Tours

Friday, October 16

Revolutionary Ideas: Inside the Museum of the American Revolution

Experience the story of America's founding through one of the nation's premier history museums. Begin with a guided exploration of the Museum of the American Revolution's world-class exhibits, where expert interpretation brings to life the people, battles, and ideas that shaped the fight for independence. After the guided tour, enjoy free time to revisit your favorite galleries, view George Washington's iconic headquarters tent, browse the museum shop, or explore special exhibitions at your own pace. This experience offers the perfect blend of expert insight and personal discovery in the heart of historic Philadelphia.

Guide: Staff of the Museum of the American Revolution 

Walking Level-Light:
Please expect up to 0.5 miles of walking and standing in a museum setting. 

Saturday, October 17

Destruction on the Delaware: Off the Beaten Path in the Philadelphia Campaign

A little more than two weeks after the Battle of Brandywine, British Lt. Gen. William Howe captured Philadelphia, the American capital. Determined to reclaim the city, General George Washington launched a bold attack at Germantown in early October but was ultimately repulsed. Yet the campaign was far from over. To secure his hard-won prize, Howe had to open a vital supply line along the Delaware River, shifting the focus of the fighting to the waterway's strategic forts. Over the following weeks, British land and naval forces mounted determined assaults against Forts Mercer and Mifflin, and the outcome of these desperate battles would decide the fate of Philadelphia and the 1777 campaign.

Guides: Dan Davis & Kate Egner

Sites Include:

• Brandywine 
• Cliveden 
• Fort Mifflin
• And more...

Walking Level-Moderate: 
Please expect up to 1.5 miles of walking on this tour across rolling terrain, in rural and city settings, grassy areas, and some potentially marshy ground. 

From Brandywine to Valley Forge: Washington's Fighting Retreat

Follow George Washington's army through one of the most dramatic weeks of the Revolutionary War as it fought to slow the British advance after the Battle of Brandywine. Visit key locations across the battlefield before tracing the campaign through the Battle of the Clouds and the often-overlooked September 18 engagement near Valley Forge. Along the way, discover how Washington's determined maneuvers preserved the Continental Army despite a string of setbacks. This tour tells the story of defeat, resilience, and the campaign that ultimately led to the legendary winter at Valley Forge.   

Guide: Michael Harris 

Sites Include:

• Brandywine
• Battle of the Clouds
• Valley Forge 
• And more...

Walking Level-Moderate:
Please expect up to two (2) miles of walking on this tour across rolling terrain, farmers' fields, grasslands, and some potentially marshy ground. 

In the Footsteps of the Founding Fathers 

Walk the streets where the United States was born and discover the places where bold ideas became enduring institutions. Visit the site of the birthplace of the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution at Independence Hall. Venture through the National Constitution Center. Visit the resting place of Benjamin Franklin while exploring the remarkable story behind America's founding generation. Along the way, you'll stand where delegates debated independence and forged the framework of our constitutional republic. This tour offers an unforgettable journey through the birthplace of the nation and the men who shaped its future. 

Guide: Dr. Chris Mackowski 

Sites Include:

• Independence Hall 
• National Constitution Center 
• Christ Church Burial Ground
• And more...

Walking Level-Moderate: 
Please expect up to 1.5 miles of walking on this tour in museum and city settings as well as extended periods of standing. 

Valley Forge: The Winter That Forged an Army

More than a story of hardship, Valley Forge is where the Continental Army was transformed into the disciplined force that would ultimately secure American independence. Explore the encampment where George Washington and his soldiers endured hunger, disease, and the bitter winter of 1777–78 while remarkable leaders such as Nathanael Greene, the Marquis de Lafayette, and Baron von Steuben helped shape the army's future. Along the way, visit the park's iconic monuments and memorials, each telling the stories of the soldiers and statesmen whose perseverance defined the Revolution. Through these landscapes and landmarks, discover how Valley Forge not only forged an army but also helped forge the ideals, leadership, and resilience that continue to define the American nation.

Guide: Kristopher D. White & Ken Gavin 

Sites Include:

• Valley Forge
• Encampment
• Von Steuben Monument/Parade Field 
• Washington's Headquarters
• And more...

Walking Level-Light:
Please expect up to one (1) mile of walking on this tour across rolling terrain, grass, and some potentially marshy ground.

“Victory or Death!”: Washington’s Crossing and the Battles of Trenton

In December 1776, George Washington and the Continental Army sat on the verge of utter destruction by the banks of the Delaware River. The despondent and demoralized group of men had endured repeated defeats and now were on the edge of giving up hope. Washington feared “the game is pretty near up.” Rather than submit to defeat, Washington and his small band of soldiers crossed the ice-choked Delaware River and attacked the Hessian garrison at Trenton, New Jersey, on the day after Christmas. Join historians Mark Maloy and Rob Orrison as we visit the sites where Washington’s epic crossing occurred and where the sharp fighting happened in Trenton.

Guides: Rob Orrison & Mark Maloy

Sites Include:

• Washington's Crossing 
• Trenton 
• And more...

Walking Level-Moderate:
Please expect up to 1.5 miles of walking on this tour across rolling terrain, grass, and some potentially marshy ground.  

Sunday, October 18

Continental Crucible: The Winter at Valley Forge

On December 19, 1777, after months of campaigning, General George Washington's Continental Army trudged into their winter encampment at Valley Forge. In the coming months, the soldiers would endure bad rations, the cold, and disease. Washington himself would face challenges to his authority from within the army and Congress. Still, the officers and men persevered and emerged in the spring of 1778 as a reinvigorated force that would go on to achieve independence. 

Guides: Dan David & Kate Egner 

Sites Include:

• Valley Forge 
• Washington's Headquarters

Walking Level-Light:
Please expect up to one (1) mile of walking on this tour across rolling terrain, grass, and some potentially marshy ground. 

Crossing to Victory: Washington and the Delaware

Stand on the banks of the Delaware River where one of the most daring operations in American military history began. At Washington Crossing Historic Park, explore the events of Christmas night 1776, when General George Washington led the Continental Army across the icy river to launch the surprise attack at Trenton that revived the Revolutionary cause. Visit the historic landscapes and monuments that commemorate this pivotal moment, and discover how courage, leadership, and determination turned the tide of the Revolution and changed the course of American history.

Guides: Kristopher D. White & Alex Robb

Sites Include:

• Washington's Crossing 

Walking Level-light: 
Please expect up to 0.5 miles of walking on this tour along sidewalks, along grass pathways, and in a museum setting. 

Footsteps of the Foundings

Explore the origins of the Declaration of Independence AND the U.S. Constitution by visiting the sites where the political action took place. Visit Independence Hall and other notable locations tied to America's founding documents — where we founded the nation and established a government.

Sites Include:

• Independence Hall
• Carpenters Hall 
• And more...

Walking Level-light: 
Please expect up to one (1) mile of walking on this tour along sidewalks and in a city setting. 

Germantown and the Road Not Taken

After losing Philadelphia, George Washington launched a bold offensive in hopes of reversing British fortunes with a surprise attack at Germantown. Visit the grounds of Cliveden, where one of the battle's fiercest struggles unfolded, before exploring the lesser-known action at Matson's Ford, where Washington again sought opportunities to challenge his opponent. Discover how these engagements fit into the larger Philadelphia Campaign and examine the daring decisions that nearly altered the course of the Revolution. This tour shines a light on two fascinating and often underappreciated battlefields.  

Guide: Michael Harris 

Sites Include:

• Cliveden 
• Germantown
• Matson's Ford

Walking Level-Light:
Please expect up to one (1) mile of walking on this tour across rolling terrain, farmers' fields, grasslands, and some potentially marshy ground. 

“Parade with us, my brave fellows!”: The Battle of Princeton

Following the successful actions at Trenton on January 2, 1777, Washington capped the ten-day campaign in dramatic fashion in the fields just south of Princeton, New Jersey, in the early morning hours of January 3, 1777. The brutal fighting at Princeton proved to be significant in saving the American cause of independence, and much of the battlefield was saved in no small part to the American Battlefield Trust. Join historians Mark Maloy and Rob Orrison as we visit the battlefield of Princeton and see the only field where Washington personally led a bayonet charge against British redcoats.

Guides: Mark Maloy, Will Krakower, and Rob Orrison 

Sites Include:

• Princeton
• Trenton
• And more...

Walking Level-Moderate: 
Please expect up to two (2) miles of walking on this tour across rolling terrain, up hills, across planked walkways, across grass, and across some potentially marshy ground. 

Sunday History Talk 

Talk to be announced