Independence Day

Celebrate our nation’s 250th at Old Salem – just as we have since 1783.

Join us for live music, hands-on activities, guided tours, historic demonstrations, and fun for all ages!

Click here for the full schedule of events.


Live Music

Costumed Moravian Brass Band

11:00 AM | Salem Square

Hear the same songs composed for worship by Moravian composers that Salem residents listened to in their weekly services!

Appalachian Strings

1:00 PM | Single Brothers’ House

Enjoy the melodies of the mountain dulcimer, originating in the Appalachian Mountains in the early 1800s.

Guilford Courthouse Fife & Drum Corps

2:00 PM | Salem Square

Listen to authentic Revolutionary War era music while learning how troops utilized music as a communication tool during the war.


Family Fun Activities

Bucket Brigade Fire Drill
10:30 AM, 12:00 PM, 1:30 PM

Salem Square

See how early firefighters in Salem handled fires prior to the use of hand-pumped fire engines!

Join our costumed educators at the Boys’ School and enjoy some of the same games children played in Salem!


Guided Tours

Revolutionary War Artifacts Gallery Tour
10:00 AM & 1:30 PM
Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts

Join our MESDA curators for a peek into the craftsmanship and artwork of the Revolutionary War era.

Guided Tour of Revolutionary War Salem
12:30 PM
Salem Square

Explore Old Salem through the lens of the Revolutionary War.

Seeds of the States: Colonial Gardens Tour
12:00 PM & 2:00 PM
Garden Education Center

Take a stroll through the Gardens and learn what crops and foodways played a role during the American Revolution.


Historic Demonstrations

Reading of the Declaration of Independence
11:30 AM & 2:30 PM
Salem Square

Historic Firearms Demonstration
All-day

Tavern Meadow

Making Historical Frozen Treats
All-day

Vogler House