This article was originally published in 2025 and most recently updated on June 22, 2026, with current information.
This article is part of our America 250 coverage. See calendar recommendations for the Midwest, the Northeast, and the South, plus more stories on things to do and signature foods to eat in each of the 50 states (plus D.C. and Puerto Rico).
Not all Western states were on the map 250 years ago, but the region has long shaped America’s story. From the ancestral homelands of Indigenous nations to the coastal cities and canyonlands that anchor the country’s frontier myth, the West offers a more complex view of independence. It’s one rooted in resilience, reinvention, and renewal—and a lens for re-examining what freedom means today.
As the nation honors its Semiquincentennial in 2026, states across the region are joining the celebration with exhibits, cultural festivals, and outdoor gatherings that honor the many voices and landscapes that make up the American experiment. These events, part of the nationwide America 250 celebration campaign, reflect on the past while imagining what freedom and belonging can mean in the centuries ahead.
America 250: A More Perfect Union exhibition at Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda, California
Dates: through January 2027
At the Nixon Presidential Library’s America 250 exhibition, visitors can see artifacts that include Gilbert Stuart’s iconic portrait of George Washington, Lincoln’s handwritten battlefield instructions to Ulysses S. Grant, a piece of the Wright Flyer wing cloth, and Edison’s first patented lightbulb. Pop culture curiosities also feature, such as Marilyn Monroe’s white gloves and Bob Dylan’s harmonica. The exhibition, which celebrates innovation and perseverance, offers fun interactive moments too: You’ll be able to toss tea into a virtual harbor with the Boston Tea Party, mine for gold during the Gold Rush, and tinker with experiments at Edison’s lab.
The Colorado Museum’s exhibit is a timeline of objects that showcase Americans’ achievements and challenges through history.
Courtesy of History Colorado Center
Moments That Made Us at the History Colorado Center in Denver
Dates: through October 18, 2026
The Moments That Made Us exhibition in Denver, Colorado, brings together more than 40 iconic artifacts that shaped the nation—from George Washington’s spurs and Jackie Robinson’s bat to moon rocks from Apollo 11 and Nixon’s Oval Office tape recorder. The pieces illuminate struggles, setbacks, and triumphs that defined America.
Americana at 250: Eagles, Flags, and Uncle Sam at the New Mexico History Museum in Santa Fe
Dates: through January 20, 2027
This yearlong exhibition in Santa Fe, New Mexico, explores symbols of national identity—eagles, flags, and the ever-evolving figure of Uncle Sam—while inviting visitors to ponder what it means to be both American and Nuevo Mexicano.
United We Celebrate: The Traditions That Bring America Together at the Idaho State Museum in Boise
Dates: Through July 31, 2026
Tracing how Americans—and Idahoans in particular—have celebrated national milestones and community traditions across generations, the patriotic United We Celebrate exhibition considers how collective rituals help shape civic identity.
This Land Is… at the Huntington Library and Gardens in San Marino, California
Dates: June 14, 2026–January 11, 2027
Borrowing its title from the Woody Guthrie song of the same name, this Huntington Library and Gardens exhibition pulls together documents and artifacts to tell the layered story of American history. Visitors can browse two annotated printings of the Declaration of Independence, a hand-drawn Mount Vernon survey by George Washington, manuscripts by Walt Whitman and Octavia E. Butler, and documents from colonial Pennsylvania’s Walking Purchase, when colonists swindled more than a million acres from the Lenape people.
At the Battle of Little Bighorn, Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho warriors fought back against Custer’s cavalry.
Photo by Mendenhall Olga/Shutterstock
150th Anniversary of the Battle of Little Bighorn at Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument in Crow Agency, Montana
Dates: June 25–27, 2026
Coinciding with America’s 250th, this commemoration marks 150 years since the Battle of the Little Bighorn, which was one of the defining clashes between the U.S. military and Indigenous nations when a combined force of Lakota and other Native American people routed General Custer’s invading troops. Events include a tribal veteran color guard and a flyover by the Montana Air National Guard along with presentations, reflections, and traditional drum groups. A newly expanded visitor center debuts with exhibits cocreated by Tribal partners, offering a more nuanced understanding of the conflict’s causes, consequences, and continuing legacy across Montana and the Great Plains.
Blackfoot Ranch Rodeo at Eastern Idaho State Fairgrounds in Blackfoot, Idaho
Dates: June 25–27, 2026
In honor of America’s birthday, the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage has recognized the Blackfoot Ranch Rodeo as one of 30 nationwide events that exemplify regional American culture.
Presented by the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, Arts Idaho, local cowboy communities, the Shoshone-Bannock tribes, and the Fort Hall Indian Relay Association, the three-day event showcases various aspects of ranch life. The Indigenous groups will hold what’s known as Indian Relay Races, a centuries-old equestrian tradition where teams of riders leap between horses as they race laps. The cowboy groups will demonstrate ranching skills such as reining and roping, and there’s also artisan and artist exhibitions, an evening concert, fireworks, and a parade, plus the rodeo.
Heritage of the Cowboys in Encampment, Wyoming
Dates: July 17–19, 2026
Step back in time during this cowboy poetry festival at the Grand Encampment Cowboy Gathering, where poets, musicians, and working ranch hands gather for a three-day celebration of a classic Western tradition. The festival is one of Wyoming’s America 250 signature events and celebrates the range life that shaped the Mountain West.
A master weaver and natural-dye expert spins Navajo Churro wool on a Navajo spindle in the Moab Museum gallery.
Photos by Diego Velasquez/ Courtesy of Moab Museum
Voices of the Plateau: Commemorating America’s 250th Anniversary at the Moab Museum in Moab, Utah
Dates: ongoing (Breaking 100 Years of Silence, Lowrider Culture in the American Southwest); starting July 28, 2026 (Buffalo Soldiers Heritage Trail); starting 23 October, 2026 (How Did We Get Here? Stories of Migration and Home)
This yearlong series of exhibitions at the Moab Museum spotlight the diverse histories and cultures of the Colorado Plateau through art, storytelling, and community collaboration. From the Ute-led Breaking 100 Years of Silence to explorations of lowrider culture, Buffalo Soldiers, and contemporary migration stories, the Moab Museum invites contemplation on identity and belonging in the evolving American experience.
America’s Block Party at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California
Dates: July 4, 2026
Los Angeles is one of the five anchor cities for “America’s Block Party,” a countrywide initiative to bring Americans together over the summer holiday. Taking place at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, expect free food, drinks, face painting, games, giveaways, and live music. Tickets cost $18 and proceeds go to hunger relief organization Feeding America. The celebration will be hosted by Queen Latifah, with performances by Chris Stapleton and the Smashing Pumpkins. Other host cities include New York City, Charleston, Fort Campbell, and Milwaukee.
Arizona Celebration of Freedom in Mesa, Arizona
Dates: July 4, 2026
Get ready to party at Arizona’s largest free Fourth of July festivities. The Arizona Celebration of Freedom in downtown Mesa will feature a patriotic car show, live entertainment, and a packed program of family-friendly activities. Highlights include picnic games such as a “patriotic potato sack race,” wrestling matches, BMX stunt displays, and a laser light show, with local institutions including the Arizona Museum of Natural History and the Mesa Arts Center hosting an arts, craft, and culture showcase, too. Families can cool off on the Splash Zone’s inflatable water slides or head to the carnival-style Yankee Doodle Kids’ Zone and the day concludes with a drone display and fireworks.
