Colonial Heritage Festival

Kids' Activities

You can tap on various part of the map and schedule to see where different locations are in the park.

Give it a try!

Wool Spinning with a Drop Spindle	Twist raw wool into thread using a drop spindle — the same simple tool colonial children used every single day.
Raffia Rope Making	Twist and braid natural fibers into sturdy rope, just as colonial families did to hold their world together.
Wheat Grinding and Refining Flour	Grind real wheat into flour by hand and discover how much work went into every loaf of colonial bread.
Corn Husk Dolls	Craft a traditional corn husk doll from scratch — the same toy colonial children made from whatever the harvest left behind.
Carrying Water with a Yoke and Buckets	Shoulder a wooden yoke and carry water buckets the colonial way — then decide if running water is your favorite invention.
Lucet Bracelets	Use a two-pronged lucet to braid a bracelet the colonial way — a forgotten craft that's surprisingly fast and satisfying.
Leathercraft	Cut, punch, and shape real leather into a colonial keepsake using the same tools an 18th-century tradesman would recognize.
Print a Wanted Poster	Set type by hand and run your own wanted poster on a colonial press — take home a piece of living history.
Assemble a Bucket	Fit staves, drive hoops, and assemble a wooden bucket the way a colonial cooper did — harder than it looks.
Try on Armor	Lift a helmet, heft a breastplate, and discover exactly how heavy it was to be a soldier in centuries past.
Make a Beeswax Candle	Dip real beeswax candles by hand and learn how colonists made the light that held the darkness back each night.
Colonial Games	Roll hoops, toss quoits, and play the same outdoor games that kept colonial children entertained long before screens existed.
Weaving on a Loom	Pass the shuttle, beat the weft, and weave a few rows on a real loom — patience included, frustration optional.
Children's Militia	March, drill, and practice commands alongside the colonial militia — and find out what it took to defend a revolution.
Cartridge Rolling	Roll paper cartridges just like a Continental soldier — the faster you roll, the faster the army can fire.
Spend Time in the Pillory	Step into the colonial pillory for a photo and a taste of 18th-century justice. Rotten vegetables not included.
Spy Activities	Decode secret messages, practice invisible ink, and learn the real spy tradecraft that helped America win the Revolution.
Bind a Pamphlet	Fold, stitch, and bind your own pamphlet by hand — the same process that spread revolutionary ideas across the colonies.
Doing Laundry	Scrub, wring, and hang colonial laundry by hand — and gain a whole new appreciation for the washing machine at home.
Sign the Declaration	Step forward, take the quill, and add your name to the Declaration of Independence — just like the founders did.
Get Name on Bookmark	Watch a calligrapher pen your name in 18th-century script on a keepsake bookmark to take home from the festival.
Cider Making	Crush apples and press fresh cider using colonial methods — then taste the results of your own 18th-century labor.
Make Paper	Pull a screen through pulp and press a sheet of handmade paper — the same painstaking process behind every colonial document.
Treading Clay with the Brick Maker	Stomp and knead real clay with your feet to prepare it for bricks — colonial manufacturing at its most hands-on.
Play Forage Ahead	Command a squad of Revolutionary War soldiers on daring foraging missions in this table-top game— scavenging supplies, navigating terrain, and outwitting the enemy.
British Children's Militia	The Crown's youngest soldiers are ready for inspection — cheer on the British Children's Militia as they drill with pride and precision.