Short legs. Big personalities. One unforgettable day.
Calling all corgis! Operation Short Legs is taking over the Museum of the American G.I. for a day of racing, playing, costumes, food, and four-legged fun.
Bring your corgi, bring the family, and report for duty!
Check-in opens at 8:30. Activities are from 10 AM—3 PM.
Parking is FREE at Santa’s Wonderland’s Blitzen Lot. From there, you enter the museum grounds through the admission tent.
TICKET INFORMATION
Admission: $10 per adult | $5 per child (7-17) | Corgis FREE Admission includes entry to the Museum of the American G.I. *Rain or Shine Event*
Tickets are limited! Get yours today!
Operation Short Legs supports the Museum of the American G.I. and its mission to Preserve • Honor • Educate.
Join the Pack! We’re looking for vendors to join us for Operation Short Legs. Interested? Complete the vendor form to participate.
FEATURED ACTIVITIES
🪖 Boot Camp Test those short legs!
Corgis can tackle a fun obstacle course designed for plenty of scrambling, weaving, jumping, and a little chaos. No military precision required—just come ready to have fun.
🐾Basic Training Sit. Stay. Report for duty!
Pick up some helpful tips during beginner obedience demonstrations. Learn basic commands, training techniques, and ways to keep your four-legged recruit on his or her best behavior.
🎖️Officer’s Parade: Dress uniforms encouraged!
It’s time for our corgis to strut their stuff. Enter your pup in the costume contest and compete for bragging rights as one of the best-dressed officers in the Corgi Corps.
Creative, funny, historical, and military-inspired costumes are all welcome.
🌭 Chow Down Challenge* Corgis, report to the Mess Hall!
It’s time to find out who can make quick work of a hot dog! Corgis will compete to see who can finish their treat the fastest and claim bragging rights as the Operation Short Legs Chow Down Champion.
Come cheer on the contestants as they tackle what may be the tastiest mission of the day.
🍔Mess Hall Every good operation needs provisions.
All that racing and cheering can work up an appetite. Stop by the Mess Hall and grab something to eat from participating food trucks and vendors.
🐕The Dash* Short legs. Maximum speed.
Get ready for one of the highlights of Operation Short Legs—the corgi races! Cheer on these determined little racers as they charge toward the finish line.
Will your corgi stay focused on the mission—or go completely AWOL halfway down the course? Either way, it should be fun to watch.
❤️Recruiting Station Help a dog find its forever assignment.
Visit with participating rescue organizations to learn more about rescue, adoption, fostering, and ways you can help dogs in need.
The Dash and The Chow Down Challenge is $5 per activity. These activities have limited spots, and tickets are required. These activity fees directly support a designated rescue.
Officer’s Parade – No tickets or pre-registration are required. Simply report to the designated main arena or stage 10–15 minutes before the contest begins.
Pack Your Gear! Operation Short Legs is an outdoor event, so bring what you need to keep you and your corgi comfortable throughout the day. Cash or a credit card for food trucks, vendors, and activities. Water, sunscreen, and weather-appropriate clothing for the humans. For your corgi, don’t forget their leash, water and a bowl, treats, poop bags, and any other supplies they may need. Tents, lawn chairs, portable playpens, wagons, and coolers are welcome!
Responsible ownership is the key! Please obey the following rules :
–Pets must be leashed during the event. -Pets that are considered vicious, aggressive, or that display hostile behavior will not be permitted. -Pet owners must pick up after their pets and dispose of pet waste properly. -Dogs must have current rabies vaccinations. -Pets must not be left unattended.
Please confirm that your corgi(s) are current on Rabies, Bordetella, and DA2PP/DHPP/DAPP vaccinations before arriving at the event. (Be safe – bring a copy of your pup’s vaccination record with you.)
Take a ride in a WWII tank**!
Visit the white information tent for the opportunity to ride in a WWII tank for two loops around the arena! *$160/person (cash price). (Tax-deductible donation with proceeds going to maintaining the museum’s collection). Pre-purchase for the first four ride times on Saturday and Sunday will be available from 10 AM on October 1 through midnight on November 6. All remaining ride times will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis on the day of the event.
Take a ride in a Vietnam Era M113**!
Visit the white information tent for the opportunity to ride in a Vietnam-era M113 for two loops around the arena! *$25/person (cash price). (Tax-deductible donation with proceeds going to maintaining the museum’s collection). This is a wonderful activity for visitors of all ages. Pre-purchase for the first four ride times on Saturday and Sunday will be available from 10 AM on October 1 through midnight on November 6. All remaining ride times will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis on the day of the event.
Visit the white information tent for the opportunity to pull the lanyard on a historic 75 mm Cannon! Participants will get to shoot off one blank, experiencing this amazing artillery piece’s force. *$40/round (cash price). (Tax-deductible donation with proceeds going to maintaining the museum’s collection). Tickets will only be sold during the event – no pre-purchase tickets are available.
Shoot a Machine Gun (Gas-adapted)
Visit the information tent for the opportunity to fire a machine gun (gas-adapted) for only $10 (cash price). (Tax-deductible donation with proceeds to maintain the museum’s collection). This is a wonderful activity for visitors of all ages.
*NEW* Shoot a M1 Garand (blank fire)
Visitors 8 years and older are invited to visit the artillery range to fire one clip on an M1 Garand for only $20 (cash price). (Tax-deductible donation with proceeds to maintain the museum’s collection). Tickets will only be sold during the event – no pre-purchase tickets are available.
SCHEDULE
10 AM to 4 PM
Tentative Timeline: • 8:30 AM – 10 AM– Check-in opens • 10 AM – Vendors & Activities Open • 10:30 AM – Chow Down Challenge* • 12 PM – Officer’s Parade • 1:30 PM – The Dash* • 3 PM – Activities End
* Limited spots – tickets required
November 8 & 9, 2025
History in Motion
Tanks, Tanks, Tanks! Hear the rumble of historic tanks, vehicles, and boom of artillery at the Museum of the American G.I.’s “History in Motion”. Feel the ground shake as the tanks, vehicles, and artillery take to the arena in a fantastic display of historic military might! At the Museum of the American G.I., you will see one of the finest collections of pristinely restored vehicles in the South!
This action-packed weekend has fun activities for the entire family! The tanks will be running all day with special demonstrations scheduled throughout the day. In between the demonstration, you can see historic military vehicles up close or take a ride in a WWII tank or Vietnam Era M113!
We begin each day with a special presentation of the National Anthem at 10:00 AM, setting the stage for everything to follow. At 10:30 AM, prepare for an extraordinary 250-year span of American Military Small Arms in action! The action continues with not one but TWO BIG Vehicle Demonstrations at 11:30 AM and 1:30 PM—and rumor has it Santa himself may roll in to catch the show! At 12:30 PM, step back in time with a Civil War School of the Soldier drill. Don’t leave early or you will miss the finale: a powerful artillery demonstration that ends the day with a BOOM!
NEW THIS YEAR! As if the action weren’t enough, step into the past with Living History Displays from the Civil War to Vietnam. These hands-on exhibits showcase authentic uniforms, equipment, and camp life, giving you a deeper understanding of what it meant to serve across different eras.
The gates open at 9:00 AM on both days. On Saturday and Sunday, 10 AM—3 PM.
Parking is FREE at Santa’s Wonderland’s Blitzen Lot. From there, you enter the museum grounds through the admission tent.
Come early and stay all day! You will not want to miss anything. Chick-fil-A, Kona Ice, and other food vendors will be on-site to make sure no one goes hungry!
This family-friendly event is sure to have something for everyone!
TICKET INFORMATION
One Day Tickets (Cash price) $25 Adults, $10 Kids (5-17), Under 5 free
Speed through the line by purchasing admission tickets online! Available starting September 3, 2025
Early Bird Promotion for First 50 Online Tickets. Buy an early bird ticket to be entered for a chance for a FREE Tank Ride.
If you do not want to rely on Lady Luck, the first four Tank ride Times on both Saturday and Sunday will be available for pre-purchase beginning October 1, 2025. All remaining Ride times will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis on the day of the event!
History in Motion is a “Special Event Day’ and regular admission prices are not valid.
This is an outdoor event, and the museum building will not be open during History in Motion.
ACTIVITIES
250 Years of American Military Small Arms – Saturday & Sunday, 10:30 AM Experience the firepower that shaped our nation in a powerful demonstration of small arms spanning the Revolutionary War, Civil War, World Wars, and modern conflicts!
Vehicle Demonstrations – Saturday & Sunday at 11:30 AM and 1:30 PM From the rolling steel of World War II to the firepower of Vietnam, watch historic vehicles like the M8 HMC, M3 GMC, M4A1 Sherman, M18 Hellcat and the six-barreled M50 Ontos in action.
School of the Soldier — Saturday & Sunday at 12:30 PM From shoulder arms to marching in line, experience the drills and commands of the Civil War School of the Soldier, where discipline was the difference between victory and defeat.
Pictures with Santa and his Tactical Elves– Saturday & Sunday 2:00 PM This season, trade the sleigh for steel—snap your picture with Santa and his elves inside our Vietnam-era M113 Armored Personnel Carrier.
Artillery Demonstration – Saturday & Sunday 2:30 PM From the sharp crack of the 37mm to the booming roar of the 105mm, experience the power of American artillery as these historic guns fire individually before a thunderous grand finale..
Narrated Living History Displays Take a stroll through the living history camps, and learn about soldiers’ daily lives. See original or carefully reproduced equipment and uniforms from the Civil War through the Vietnam War.
SPECIAL ACTIVITIES
Tickets will be available at the INFORMATION TENT
Experience history from the turret of a WWII Tank, or a Vietnam era M113 APC! Whether you’re a World of Tanks fan, a history buff, a military geek, or anything in between, this is definitely one to mark off your bucket list.
You will either ride in a Sherman tank, M18 tank destroyer, Stuart tank or Chaffee tank. We cannot guarantee a ride in a specific tank.
There are 10 ride times each day, with two tanks and one M113 running during each ride time! Each tank will hold three riders, and the M113 between 8-10 (depending on the group’s composition). Tank and M113 rides in the first 4 ride times are available for pre-purchase. All other Tank rides are sold at the information tent on the day of the event.
Take a ride in a WWII tank**! Visit the white information tent for the opportunity to ride in a WWII tank for two loops around the arena! *$160/person (cash price). (Tax-deductible donation with proceeds going to maintaining the museum’s collection). Pre-purchase for the first four ride times on Saturday and Sunday will be available from 10 AM on October 1 through midnight on November 6. All remaining ride times will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis on the day of the event.
Take a ride in a Vietnam Era M113**! Visit the white information tent for the opportunity to ride in a Vietnam-era M113 for two loops around the arena! *$25/person (cash price). (Tax-deductible donation with proceeds going to maintaining the museum’s collection). This is a wonderful activity for visitors of all ages. Pre-purchase for the first four ride times on Saturday and Sunday will be available from 10 AM on October 1 through midnight on November 6. All remaining ride times will be sold on a first-come, first-served basis on the day of the event.
Shoot a WWI Cannon Visit the white information tent for the opportunity to pull the lanyard on a historic 75 mm Cannon! Participants will get to shoot off one blank, experiencing this amazing artillery piece’s force. *$40/round (cash price). (Tax-deductible donation with proceeds going to maintaining the museum’s collection). Tickets will only be sold during the event – no pre-purchase tickets are available.
*NEW* Shoot a M1 Garand (blank fire) Visitors 8 years and older are invited to visit the artillery range to fire one clip on an M1 Garand for only $20 (cash price). (Tax-deductible donation with proceeds to maintain the museum’s collection). Tickets will only be sold during the event – no pre-purchase tickets are available.
Shoot a Machine Gun (Gas-adapted) Visit the information tent for the opportunity to fire a machine gun (gas-adapted) for only $10 (cash price). (Tax-deductible donation with proceeds to maintain the museum’s collection). This is a wonderful activity for visitors of all ages.
**Health & Safety Regulations for ride participants: Safety is our number one priority for anyone who rides in our vehicles. Tank Ride participants must be at least 7 years or older, with a minimum height of 52 in, and the ability to climb on and off the vehicle and in and out of the hatches unassisted. Tank Ride participants must have no underlying health conditions that would preclude riding in “off-road” conditions.
There is no age requirement for M113 rides except that participants must be able to remain seated (either by themselves or in a lap) during the ride.
All Tank, Half-track, and M113 ride participants (or their legal guardian) must sign a hold-harmless agreement. The Museum of the American G.I. and its crew reserve the right to refuse any participant (tank ride or half-track ride) who they deem unfit or unsafe to themselves, other participants, or the crew. The ticket price will be refunded if the ride is canceled for safety reasons.
The History in Motion program and vehicles listed to take part are subject to health and safety, operational, weather, and mechanical considerations. The Museum of the American G.I. reserves the right to amend or modify the program or withdraw vehicles at any time without notification when reasonably required in accordance with its own best-practice procedures or those of exhibit owners. As with all historic machines, the appearance of any vehicle or tank in the arena display is subject to its mechanical reliability on the day.
TENATIVE SCHEDULE
10 AM to 3 PM Both Saturday & Sunday
9 AM Gate Opens
10 AM Event Start
10:30 AM 250 Years of
American Military Small Arms Demonstration
11:30 AM Vehicle Demonstration
12:30 PM Civil War School of the Soldier
1:30 PM Vehicle Demonstration
2 PM Pictures with Santa and his Tactical Elves
2:30 PM Special Artillery Demonstration
Take a ride in a WWII tank**!
Take a ride in a Vietnam Era M113**!
