Charlotte Museum Opens High-Tech Revolutionary War Exhibit With Augmented Reality Tablets April 14

The Charlotte Museum of History will launch American Revolution: The Augmented Exhibition on April 14. It features augmented reality tech and more than 20 interactive portals covering 1763 to 1789. The show runs through April 2027 at 3500 Shamrock Drive.

Visitors grab tablets called HistoPads to witness key moments. The Boston Tea Party comes alive. So does the Battle of Yorktown. The signing of the Declaration of Independence appears before their eyes. This tech builds 3D recreations with movement and sound at each portal.

Terri White, CEO and president, called it "a defining moment for our museum" during a recent media tour. The institution secured exclusive Southeast regional rights for one year within a four-hour radius.

"This is the type of exhibit you see at large institutions like the Smithsonian and The Met," White said, according to The Charlotte Observer. "For a sleepy museum like us to have it is a really big deal."

The Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia partnered to develop the show. It's part of the nationwide commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. French firm Histovery designed the installation.

The facility raised more than $1 million in private and public funding to bring the exhibition to the Queen City. Officials are still fundraising. They need money for marketing, facilities upgrades, and programming.

The 5,000-square-foot first floor has been transformed. One portal shows Fort Ticonderoga on Dec. 5, 1775. Snow falls. Horses move. It explains Henry Knox's mission to haul cannons over 300 miles to Cambridge, Massachusetts.

A full gallery tells the story of the Carolinas during the war. Portals detail Capt. James Jack's 1775 ride from Charlotte to Philadelphia, where he delivered the Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence to congressional delegates.

The Battle of Kings Mountain appears. So does the Battle of Williamson's Plantation and the Battle of Charlotte. The exhibition includes a "Hornet's Nest" display explaining the legend of British Gen. Lord Cornwallis calling the city a "Hornet's nest of rebellion" during the 1780 occupation.

Nolan Dahm, historian and exhibits manager, worked with the Catawba Indian Nation to create a 1763 encampment. The show includes a costume from Mel Gibson's "Patriot" on loan from Historic Brattonsville in York County.

The traveling show debuted last month at Historic New Orleans Collection. It will visit other cities through 2031 with a goal of reaching all 50 states.

Tickets cost $20 with discounts for seniors, students, veterans, and active military. Tours of the 1774 Alexander Rock House are available on the museum's 8-acre site.