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Today is International Museum Day! Every year, on 18 May, the International Council of Museums (@icomofficiel highlights the transformative role of museums in society. In 2026, International Museum Day is exploring “Museums Uniting a Divided World”, focusing on how museums can act as bridges across cultural, social, and geopolitical divides, fostering dialogue, understanding, inclusion, and peace within and between communities worldwide.

On this International Museum Day, we invite you to visit our special exhibition, Revolutionary Legacies. We hope that as you explore the ways the American Revolution has been remembered over the centuries that you will experiences the power of museums to connect us to our shared past as we envision a bright future.

Plan your visit at concordmuseum.org.

Photo by Mike Ritter.

#IMD2026

Today is International Museum Day! Every year, on 18 May, the International Council of Museums (@icomofficiel highlights the transformative role of museums in society. In 2026, International Museum Day is exploring “Museums Uniting a Divided World”, focusing on how museums can act as bridges across cultural, social, and geopolitical divides, fostering dialogue, understanding, inclusion, and peace within and between communities worldwide.

On this International Museum Day, we invite you to visit our special exhibition, Revolutionary Legacies. We hope that as you explore the ways the American Revolution has been remembered over the centuries that you will experiences the power of museums to connect us to our shared past as we envision a bright future.

Plan your visit at concordmuseum.org.

Photo by Mike Ritter.

#IMD2026

Are you ready to ride? This Saturday, May 16, we will welcome riders to the Second Annual Paul Revere's Bike Ride for the Concord Museum. Ride through through the beautiful historic Concord area, pass revolutionary landmarks, and join the post-ride party - all while supporting our school programs that serve over 15,000 students annually. Sign up at the link in the bio!

This ghostly image marks the entrance to our current special exhibition, Revolutionary Legacies. It depicts the interior of a glistening white canvas tent measuring 410 feet by 85 feet, more than half the size of a football field, allowed 6,000 guests to dine at once. The tent was set up for Concord's centennial celebrations on April 19, 1875.That spring, crowds six times larger than expected arrived in Concord, and with snow a few days before and a bitterly cold spring day in New England, the town required a herculean feat to provide basic necessities for its 60,000 guests.

As we mark the nation's 250th in the present, Revolutionary Legacies explores how we have remembered, commemorated, celebrated, and even mythologized the American Revolution. Plan your visit at concordmuseum.org.

Dining Tent, Concord, 19th April 1875, George J. Raymond & Co., Boston, MA, 1875.Concord Museum Collection, Gift of the Cummings Davis Society; 2000.3.

The magnolia are in bloom and the 37th annual Concord Museum Garden Tour is coming up fast! We need volunteers to help make the event a success. Each of our six gardens requires volunteers for 2 1/4 hour shifts to check guests in – no gardening experience required!

This is a wonderful way to spend a lovely spring day in Concord, see friends, and support the Concord Museum's education programs that serve over 15,000 K-12 students each year. PLUS, you will receive one FREE ticket to the Garden Tour!

Sing up at the link in the bio!

You can see this gown in our current special exhibition, Revolutionary Legacies, on view through September 7. Plan your visit at concordmuseum.org.

Thank you to @decorativeartstrust for supporting the conservation of this dress as part of your support of our three 250th exhibitions.

Block Printed Cotton Gown, 1795-1805; remade from 1785-1790 style.Concord Museum Collection, Gift of Mrs. G. Hollis Blake; Cos74.143.

View in Agricultural Hall decorated by U.S. Government for Centennial Ball, Centennial Views, Concord, MA series Thomas Lewis, Concord, MA, 1875.Concord Museum Collection, Gift of the Cummings Davis Society; 2000.59. See less

It's almost time to ride! Sign up at the link in the bio.

Looking for Mothers' Day gifts? Stop by the Museum Shop and explore some of the lovely spring-themed gifts. Or, you might gift a Museum membership or tickets to the 2026 Garden Tour!

A piece of George Washington's coffin makes a surprise appearance in Revolutionary Legacies, the Museum's current special exhibition.

In 1837, Washington’s remains were moved to a marble sarcophagus at Mount Vernon, and the family hoped to make souvenirs from pieces of the original outer mahogany coffin. The wood was in such poor condition that tiny pieces were instead given away as relics. Here, atop a petite 19th-century coffin, rests one of those small pieces, which itself is fashioned in the shape of an 18th-century coffin.

Swipe to see a small, framed memorial of Washington from about 1859, a piece further illustrating the ways Americans produced memorial objects to honor figures from the Revolution.

Plan your visit at concordmuseum.org to see both of these fascinating objects along with other objects that help us think about the ways we've remembered the Revolution over the past 250 years.

George Washington miniature coffin, unknown maker, United States, about 1837.Concord Museum Collection; M705.Image Courtesy of the Concord Museum.

Framed George Washington memorial print, manufacturer by James Crutchett, Washington, D.C., about 1859.Concord Museum Collection, Gift of Mr. Percy Brown; M2030.

A piece of George Washington's coffin makes a surprise appearance in Revolutionary Legacies, the Museum's current special exhibition.

In 1837, Washington’s remains were moved to a marble sarcophagus at Mount Vernon, and the family hoped to make souvenirs from pieces of the original outer mahogany coffin. The wood was in such poor condition that tiny pieces were instead given away as relics. Here, atop a petite 19th-century coffin, rests one of those small pieces, which itself is fashioned in the shape of an 18th-century coffin.

Swipe to see a small, framed memorial of Washington from about 1859, a piece further illustrating the ways Americans produced memorial objects to honor figures from the Revolution.

Plan your visit at concordmuseum.org to see both of these fascinating objects along with other objects that help us think about the ways we've remembered the Revolution over the past 250 years.

George Washington miniature coffin, unknown maker, United States, about 1837.Concord Museum Collection; M705.Image Courtesy of the Concord Museum.

Framed George Washington memorial print, manufacturer by James Crutchett, Washington, D.C., about 1859.Concord Museum Collection, Gift of Mr. Percy Brown; M2030.

How has it already been a year since the first Paul Revere’s Bike Ride?? Sign up to join us again on May 16 at concordmuseum.org 🚴🚴‍♀️🚴‍♂️🚴🚴‍♀️🚴‍♂️

Join the student artists featured in the new special exhibition Revolutionary Legacies, along with Curator David Wood and Curator and Director of Exhibitions Christie Jackson, for a gallery talk at 11:30 am on May 1.

Their thought-provoking works respond to the 250th anniversary of April 19th, 1775, and bring reflections of our nation’s founding all the way to the present day, highlighting the voices of the next generation and inviting visitors to consider their own role in carrying forward the ideals of the Revolutionary period.

Free with Museum admission. Members visit free.

Photo by Mike Ritter

What a magical night! Thank you to everyone who joined us for the 2026 Midnight Ride Celebration to support the Paul Revere's Ride Fund, a program that makes the Museum's hands-on learning experiences accessible to over 15,500 students each year. Thanks in no small part to this extraordinary community, the Museum will continue to keep the story of the Revolution alive for future generations.

Photo by Mike Ritter.

What a magical night! Thank you to everyone who joined us for the 2026 Midnight Ride Celebration to support the Paul Revere's Ride Fund, a program that makes the Museum's hands-on learning experiences accessible to over 15,500 students each year. Thanks in no small part to this extraordinary community, the Museum will continue to keep the story of the Revolution alive for future generations.

Photo by Mike Ritter.

What a magical night! Thank you to everyone who joined us for the 2026 Midnight Ride Celebration to support the Paul Revere's Ride Fund, a program that makes the Museum's hands-on learning experiences accessible to over 15,500 students each year. Thanks in no small part to this extraordinary community, the Museum will continue to keep the story of the Revolution alive for future generations.

Photo by Mike Ritter.

Tickets are now on sale at the link in the bio! Join us for a day of beauty, nature, and discovery as you visit six stunning gardens throughout Concord.

In 2026, the Tour will offer a wide variety of garden styles and features, including decorative elements and vegetable beds, manicured spaces and naturalistic plantings, native species and showstopper plantings. Each offers an approach to creating gardens that blend seamlessly with the surrounding landscape, complement the architectural features of the home, and offer delightful settings for everyday living. This year’s gardens also showcase expansive patios, immaculate pools and water features, hand-cut fieldstone walls, winding paths, and terraces.

All proceeds benefit the Museum’s vital school programs that serve over 15,500 K-12 students each year.