Colonial National Historical Park Fees & Passes

Overview of entrance requirements

All visitors MUST have

Entrance Passes

Standard Entrance Pass

$15.00

Note: Preservation Virginia charges a fee for entrance to their portion of Jamestown on any of the above dates. These areas include the James Fort Site, Archaearium, Memorial Church, and Dale House Cafe.

Adult (16 and older) -$15; good for 7 days entrance to Yorktown Battlefield (and NPS areas at Historic Jamestowne); can be upgraded to see Preservation Virginia areas at Historic Jamestowne for an additional $15 at the Historic Jamestowne Visitor Center. Yorktown Battlefield will not be selling the $30 entrance permit for Historic Jamestowne.

In-person Purchase Locations

  • Yorktown Battlefield Visitor Center

    Cash or Credit/Debit

  • Historic Jamestowne Visitor Center

    Cash or Credit/Debit

More information
Annual Entrance - Park

Annual Entrance - Park

$45.00
The Colonial Annual Pass admits passholder and three accompanying adults unlimited admittance to both NPS areas at Historic Jamestowne and Yorktown Battlefield during regular operating hours. Pass is valid for twelve months from the month of purchase. Note: There is an additional $ 15.00 Preservation Virginia entrance fee for each adult entering on the Colonial Pass to Historic Jamestowne to visit the Preservation Virginia historic areas.

In-person Purchase Locations

  • Historic Jamestowne Visitor Center

    Cash or Credit/Debit

  • Yorktown Battlefield Visitor Center

    Cash or Credit/Debit

2024 Free Entrance Days in the National Parks

Come experience the national parks! All National Park Service sites that charge an entrance fee will offer free admission to everyone (other fees may apply). Mark your calendar for these entrance fee-free dates:

 

Colonial National Historical Park Entrance Fees & Pass Options


Colonial National Historical Park (Colonial NHP) requires a visitor entrance pass for all persons, age 16 & older. This pass provides access to the following resources managed by the park, including the Yorktown Visitor Center and Battlefield Tour Roads, Jamestown Visitor Center, Glasshouse, Island Drive Tour Road, New Towne and recreational access along the Colonial Parkway.

Pass Options

There are a variety of pass options available to purchase for your visit to Colonial NHP. These pass options provide visitors access, at a minimum, for seven consecutive days. Annual and lifetime pass options are also available, in addition to passes which provide visitors access to over 2,000 federal land and water sites across the U.S.

Colonial National Historical Park ONLY Pass Options

  • Individual Pass: $15 per adult (age 16+): This is a seven consecutive day pass, which is valid only for entrance fees at Colonial NHP.

  • Annual Pass: $45: An annual pass is valid for one (1) year from the month of purchase and provides the passholder and up to three (3) additional adults access.

Note: An additional $15 fee is required to access Preservation Virginia resources at Historic Jamestowne. These areas include James Fort Site, and the Archaearium.

Where to purchase: These passes can be purchased in person, online, or using your mobile device by scanning fee signs posted throughout the park.

In person when arriving at:

  • The Yorktown Visitor Center, 1000 Colonial Parkway, Yorktown, VA 23690; or

  • The Jamestown Visitor Center, 1368 Colonial Parkway, Williamsburg, VA 23185

Online at: Colonial National Historical Park - Recreation.gov Buy you pass online with the recreation.gov logo

 

Or

Using your mobile device by scanning fee signs posted throughout the park.

 
Fee Wayside

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Buy you pass online with the recreation.gov logo

Advanced Purchase of Passes & Credit Card Payment Encouraged, if possible.

The park encourages the advance online purchase of passes through the recreation.gov website at Colonial National Historical Park - Recreation.gov. Additionally, in person payment through a credit card is encouraged and available during normal operating hours at Yorktown and Jamestown Visitor Centers.

 

America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Passes

The America the Beautiful National Parks and Federal Recreational Lands Passes allows access to more than 2,000 recreation areas managed by six Federal agencies, including the National Park Service, Fish & Wildlife Service, Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, and the Army Corps of Engineers. If you want to have a pass shipped to you in advance of your visit, a variety of federal lands passes are available online. Otherwise, these passes are also available in person during normal operating hours at Yorktown and Jamestown Visitor Centers.

To view the suite of annual or lifetime pass options, including the Interagency Annual Pass, Military Annual Pass, Military Lifetime Pass, 4th Grade Pass, Senior Annual Pass, Senior Lifetime Pass, Access Pass, and Volunteer Pass visit: Entrance Passes (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov))

 
Interagency Pass

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Free Entrance Days

Each year, the National Park Service offers entrance fee-free days that provide free admittance to all national parks for everyone. On these significant days of commemoration or celebration, and throughout the year, the National Park Service is committed to increasing access to national parks and promoting the advantages of outdoor recreation for public benefit and enjoyment.

The free entrance dates for 2024, when fees are waived at Colonial NHP are:

Note: Preservation Virginia charges a fee for entrance to their portion of Jamestown on any of the above dates. These areas include the James Fort Site, Archaearium, Memorial Church, and Dale House Cafe.

 

How Your Fees Help Colonial National Historical Park

Entrance fees are an important source of revenue in National Parks to improve the visitor experience, including recreational opportunities. The Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act (FLREA) allows the NPS to collect and retain revenue and requires that fee revenue be used to enhance the visitor experience. At least 80 percent of the money stays in the park where it is collected, and the other 20 percent is distributed to benefit other parks across the system that do not collect fees.

Recreation fees help the park fund important work and projects at Colonial NHP. For example, these fee dollars have supported:

  • York River shoreline stabilization project along the Colonial Parkway.

  • Restoration of cultural landscapes within the park.

  • Repair work of historic cannon carriages.

  • Painting and restoring picket fences in historic Yorktown.

  • Visitor safety including providing additional traffic safety patrol and signage where needed.

For more information on how your fee dollars are at work across the National Park system, visit Your Fee Dollars at Work (www.nps.gov/aboutus/fees-at-work.htm).

 

Are you planning an Organized Group (Commercial or Non-Commercial) visit to Colonial NHP?

Colonial NHP charges a per user entrance fee for all recreational users including those visiting with a commercial or non-commercial group. Reservations are not required to visit the park.

Academic Fee Waiver

If you are organizing a visit for a school or other bona fide educational institutions (accredited, officially recognized, or tax exempt for educational purposes), you may request an academic fee waiver. The fee waiver allows qualifying groups free entry into the park for educational purposes. Academic fee waivers are not granted automatically, and applicant groups must show they qualify for the waiver. To complete the fee waiver application, visit the academic fee waiver page for more information. Applications must be submitted to Colonial NHP at least four (4) weeks prior to your visit.

The academic fee waiver provides admittance to resources managed by Colonial NHP. This includes Yorktown Battlefield Visitor Center, the Yorktown Battlefield Tour Roads, Jamestown Island Visitor Center, New Towne, Jamestown Glasshouse, and Island Drive Loop.
The Academic Fee Waiver does not include access to our partner, Preservation Virginia's property which includes the James Fort site, Memorial Church, and Archaearium. For information regarding tickets to our partner's site, contact Preservation Virginia.

Commercial Organized Group Fees

If you are operating a business that provides leisure or recreational services while in the park it is considered a commercial group and you are required to have a Commercial Use Authorization and pay entrance fees for all adults 16 and older. A commercial group is defined as consisting of one or more persons traveling on an itinerary that has been packaged, priced, or sold for leisure or recreational purposes by an organization that realizes financial gain through the provisions of the service. For more information, please visit: Commercial Use Authorizations - Colonial National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

Note: At this time, Road-Based Commercial Tours (commercial buses) are not required to apply for a CUA at Colonial NHP but must check-in to pay fees at one of the NPS Visitor Centers as the first stop within the park.

Are you interested in planning a special event or activity in the park?

A special park use is a short-term activity that takes place in a park area and provides a benefit to an individual, group, or organization, rather than the public at large. This may include events, ceremonies, filming, and other activities and requires permission and a special use permit from Colonial NHP. Many of these events and activities require payment of the per person recreation fee by the organizer and may also require a permit fee.

Colonial NHP charges per person entrance fees for all recreational users including those participating in special events and activities.

For more information, visit: Permits & Special Park Use - Colonial National Historical Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov)

Exemptions To Entrance Fee Requirements

  • NPS areas along the waterfront of Yorktown are maintained by an agreement with York County at the County’s expense and are currently fee free.

  • Visiting on the fee free entrance days listed above.

  • Non-recreational through traffic utilizing the Parkway does not require a recreation fee.

 

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Last updated: January 2, 2024

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Contact Info

Mailing Address:

P.O. Box 210
Yorktown, VA 23690

Phone:

757 898-2410

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