Tour operators and tourism boards are gearing up to celebrate the 250th anniversary of America's founding in 2026, with trips and events that focus on history and inspiration.
While cities and states around the nation are partaking in the party, destinations along the Eastern Seaboard are expecting to draw huge crowds for the semiquincentennial, with storytelling about the nation's founding at the heart of their celebrations.
Both tour operators and destination management organizations said they hope the stories of resilience will inspire unity.
"There's no greater story than this one about our country ... and there's no bigger time than right now to tell and understand the story and for us all to embrace it," said Steve Born, chief marketing officer for the Globus family of brands.
Globus unveiled Celebrating America: 250 Years Strong, a 10-day tour from Boston to Washington that will visit some of the nation's most historic cities while putting history into context, Born said.
"This package is all about not just seeing these cities and hearing about the history and hitting all the must-see sites but having a layer in each city of our history, and how that's living history, and the effect that it has on our country, not only then but now," he said.
Collette is offering an itinerary to celebrate the semiquincentennial, including a visit to Mount Vernon in Virginia. Photo Credit: Courtesy of Collette
Collette will operate a nine-day Celebrating America's 250th Anniversary itinerary, also starting in Boston and ending in Washington.
The idea is to start the trip where the American Revolution began and end in the nation's capital, said Diana Ditto, Collette's product marketing and growth strategy vice president.
"A psychographic insight we have on our travelers is that they like to be inside the story, inside history," she said. "Our travelers do consider themselves, many of them, history buffs. ... They like to be walking in history."
Some departure dates are already sold out, Ditto said, while Born said Globus has seen "good traction ... right away."
American Cruise Lines also unveiled an itinerary to ring in America's milestone birthday, a 52-day trip from Oregon to Boston that includes three cruises, ending with a New England sailing and Independence Day in Boston. The river line will also operate a 32-day Revolutionary War trip, combining three sailings starting in Albany, N.Y., and ending in Washington.
Independence Hall in Philadelphia. Visit Philadelphia is projecting increased visitor spend for the 250th anniversary of America’s founding. Photo Credit: J. Fusco for Visit Philadelphia
Cities step up
Prominently featured on all of these itineraries are the cities where the country's founding history was made: the start of the revolution, the development of America's cultural and financial hubs, the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Tourism boards are not celebrating the semiquincentennial on just one day: They are stretching the festivities across 2026 with sporting events, art shows and festivals.
New York will start the party early by celebrating the 400th anniversary of its founding in 2025 as a lead-up to next year. New York City Tourism + Conventions partnered with the city to launch "Founded By NYC," a campaign that focuses not only on the city's history but on its present and future.
"It really does give us an opportunity to highlight the achievements in terms of the creativity and the resilience of our city and its people," said Julie Coker, CEO of the DMO. "What we would say is, 'Come see the New York that you may not know': We'll be creating different itineraries for those [stories] to be highlighted."
Destination DC expects 2026 to bring record visitors to the nation's capital, said CEO Elliott Ferguson, who added that the organization is promoting its events to international visitors who are coming for the FIFA World Cup soccer tournament.
The anniversary creates an opportunity to highlight untold stories of the nation's history, he said. For example, a tour hosted by the nonprofit 51 Steps to Freedom features 300 stories from "hidden figures" in D.C. history and features lesser-known burial grounds, enslavement quarters and civil rights sites.
Visit Philadelphia also expects its events related to America's 250th to draw major crowds, said CEO Angela Val, as the city was where the Declaration of Independence was drafted and signed, marking the nation's birth. Visit Philadelphia anticipates additional visitor spend of up to $1.6 billion in 2026, a figure that includes the impact from World Cup matches in the city, including one that will be held on the Fourth of July.
The opportunity to use the semiquincentennial as a unifier for Americans and as a draw for international visitors to the city is also on the minds of planners, Val said.
"Our core value is brotherly love and making sure that Philadelphia is seen as a welcoming place," she said. "We're America's birthplace. We're the birthplace of modern-day democracy. ... You have an opportunity here to be yourself and have a sense of belonging."