Hard Hat Tour Colonial Williamsburg Art Museum Colonial Williamsburg Historic Area June 4
14 Superlative Attractions & Things to Do in Williamsburg, VA
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One of America'southward best-known living history towns, Colonial Williamsburg is not a reproduction or a group of buildings nerveless from other sites. This was the capital of the colony (and later the state) of Virginia from 1705 until 1779, and today re-creates those times in their original locale, often in the original buildings. Others are meticulously rebuilt or restored on their original sites.
But Williamsburg is not just for history buffs, nor is information technology all most the Revolution. Its tourist attractions include two outstanding museums of art, a major theme park, and a water park. Even if you don't go to Williamsburg for its history, y'all'll enjoy walking through the restored area, where you'll meet people dressed in 18th-century clothing and engaged in the everyday life of more than two centuries ago.
Discover interesting things to see with our list of the top attractions in Williamsburg.
Meet also: Where to Stay in Williamsburg
Note: Some businesses may be temporarily airtight due to recent global health and safe issues.
1. Colonial Williamsburg: Revolutionary Urban center
In the setting of more than 100 original and reconstructed buildings from the 1700s, costumed interpreters recreate the excitement of the era just before and during the American Revolution in a prosperous colonial capital.
Along with the everyday life of artisans, shopkeepers, and residents are daily reenactments of militia drills, trials, political meetings, and other activities, many of which are outdoors. Others are in the handsome Capitol Building, which for 80 years was the political center of Virginia, one of England's largest and wealthiest colonies.
Candlelight tours, carriage rides, and tours following special interests such as gardens (there are more than than 100 of these in Colonial Williamsburg) are also offered. Be certain to bank check the daily schedule to detect those activities and tours that interest you, as some are not repeated oftentimes.
While you tin stroll down Duke of Gloucester Street through the center of the restored area, eat in the taverns, and visit the shops, you lot cannot enter any of the celebrated buildings or gardens without a ticket, and even the street may be restricted to ticket-holders for whatever of the many costumed parades and reenactments.
Tourists can secure tickets in advance, which grant admission to all of Colonial Williamsburg'south museums, historic sites including Governor's Palace, reenactments, and other attractions.
Address: 101 Visitor Eye Drive, Williamsburg, Virginia
Official site: world wide web.colonialwilliamsburg.com
2. Governor's Palace
The original dwelling of the Purple Governor was completed in 1722 but it burned to its foundations and was replaced with a replica in 1934. The Governor's Palace was the social center of Williamsburg, scene of gala dinners and balls, and information technology was built to impress the locals with Royal potency. Afterwards the Revolution, it was home to the first two governors of Virginia.
Within, forth with its beautifully appointed rooms, yous'll see a display of period firearms and swords. Exterior, explore the terraced formal gardens, which include a hedge maze, and a peek into the kitchen and scullery allows you lot to watch period foods beingness prepared.
3. George Wythe House
The finest private home in Williamsburg, the George Wythe House was built for a prominent attorney in the mid-18th century. Today, information technology'due south busy and furnished in flow pieces, so you tin see what life would have been like in 1700s Williamsburg.
George Wythe was among the most aware and influential men of the Revolutionary era, a mentor to Thomas Jefferson and other Virginia patriots and leaders. He was a delegate to the Continental Congress, and signer of the Declaration of Independence. Merely the distinguished history of the business firm doesn't terminate there.
It was Full general George Washington's headquarters earlier the British siege of Yorktown, and headquarters of the French General Rochambeau subsequently the victory at Yorktown. In 1776, Thomas Jefferson and his family stayed here while he was delegate to the Virginia General Assembly. Along with the house are outbuildings that include a kitchen, smokehouse, dovecote, and stable, as well as lovely formal gardens.
four. Dine in Colonial Taverns
In colonial Virginia, taverns were where local people and travelers gathered for news, nutrient, and sociability. Some of those in Williamsburg are still active dining places where yous tin can get a feel for 18th-century social life and taste authentic dishes that Jefferson or Washington might have enjoyed here.
Raleigh Tavern was a social hot spot favored by members of the Firm of Burgesses, and every bit popular was Wetherburn's Tavern, right across the street. Assurance and banquets were held at both taverns, and during restoration, virtually 200,000 artifacts were establish on the site of Wetherburn's.
King's Arms Tavern opened in 1722 and catered to the gentry with the finest furnishings and service. Today, it continues that standard every bit the premier dining room in the historic area, with 18th-century musical entertainment.
Much more than breezy is Chowning's Tavern, which first opened in 1766 catering to a less lofty clientele. Today, the eating place retains this spirit, serving traditional English fare, and featuring evening Gambols, with colonial games and music. George Washington's favorite was Christiana Campbell's Tavern, and you can still savor Christiana'due south special seafood dish here as he did. Shields Tavern serves a varied abode-style menu in a casual atmosphere.
Some of the taverns are besides considered to be hubs of paranormal activeness, and are featured in many of the boondocks's ghost stories. Tourists looking for a spooky treat can accept a ii-hour evening ghost and witch tour of Williamsburg, which is led by a costumed guide who volition tell local legends while showing some of the town'due south most haunted spaces.
5. Play at Busch Gardens
Whether you lot're a parent, a thrill-seeker, or y'all but like a twenty-four hours of carefree fun, there's something for you at this lively combo of adventure park, zoo, playground, and amusement phase. You tin can see the Muppets, cruise the "Rhine," clap to Bavarian oompah bands, ride in a teacup, or hop aboard the historic Loch Ness Monster roller coaster.
Rides accept German and other European themes – a h2o ride through Pompeii'southward ruins, the Verbolten, and the hair-raising 195-foot Alpengeist, 1 of the globe'due south tallest and fastest coasters with inversions at speeds upwards to 67 miles per hour. Less adrenaline inclined visitors tin can watch border collies herd sheep at the Highland Stables, meet Clydesdales, interact with colorful exotic birds at a free-flight asylum, and learn near wolves and other predators in Wolf Haven.
Fiddling kids will love Land of the Dragons and Sesame Street Forest of Fun. To save time, tourists can buy mobile tickets in accelerate , ensuring that your family unit gets the most out of your mean solar day at the park.
Accost: One Busch Gardens Boulevard, Williamsburg, Virginia
Official site: https://buschgardens.com/
6. Celebrated Jamestowne
The Historic Jamestowne Visitor Middle is habitation to an exhibit of more than than i,000 artifacts that were discovered on the site since excavations began, as well as exhibits that tell the history of the site as far back as prehistoric times. The largest collection, yet, is in the Archaearium, an archaeology museum, which houses over 4,000 artifacts.
Exhibits include descriptions of the evolution of the recovery procedure and explain what the objects tell u.s.a. most the everyday lives of the surface area's native populations and its first European settlers. Tourists can also explore the active archaeological site, which has 33 separate dig sites, including the remains of row houses, billet, a blacksmith store, a bakery, churches, and wells.
A free walking tour is included with admission, guided by an archaeologist or scholar. In add-on to regularly scheduled tours, specialty tours are available, which have a closer, backside-the-scenes expect at the discoveries and the techniques used.
Accost: 1368 Colonial Parkway, Jamestown, Virginia
Official site: historicjamestowne.org
7. Jamestown Settlement
Adjacent to Historic Jamestowne on Jamestown Island, Jamestown Settlement recreates portions of the first successful English language settlement on the mainland of Due north America. Designed to bring to life the artifacts and remains establish in the nearby excavations of the site, Jamestown Settlement is a living history museum.
Among the attractions are a recreation of the original James Fort, a Powhatan Native American village, and authentic replicas of the settlers' ships the Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery. These replicas get in easier to chronicle the archaeological finds to the lives of the people who settled hither.
Costumed interpreters demonstrate skills needed for settlers' daily lives, and at the re-created Paspahegh Boondocks, you can encounter how the Powhatan people prepared food and made tools and vesture. The celebrated recreation is based on archaeological evidence, artifacts and descriptions left by the settlers themselves.
The interpreters' demonstrations and the number of interactive exhibits make Jamestown Settlement an especially skillful place to go for families with children.
Address: 2110 Jamestown Road, Williamsburg, Virginia
Official site: https://world wide web.historyisfun.org/jamestown-settlement/
8. DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Gallery and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum
Two outstanding art museums share a building that, while connected to Colonial Williamsburg, is not part of the Revolutionary City celebrated area. The DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Gallery displays American and British decorative arts from the 17th through 19th centuries.
Specialties are the globe's largest collection of piece of furniture made in the American south, one of the largest collections of English porcelain exterior of Britain, and a major collection of English language silver.
The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum contains one of the most consummate collections of American folk art, which includes sculptures, paintings, toys, woodcarvings, needlework, quilts, and decorative items created by untrained artists.
The fresh designs, vibrant colors, and creative ideas expressed in these works evidence an exuberance and spontaneity that makes them peculiarly highly-seasoned. The combined museums require a separate ticket from the Revolutionary Urban center sights.
Address: 325 Francis Street, Williamsburg, Virginia
Official site: world wide web.history.org
9. Artisans' Shops
Some of the most fascinating places to visit in Williamsburg are the many artisans' shops where costumed craftspeople practice and demonstrate the skills that were necessary in any prosperous 18th-century city. Step into these to encounter authentic tools, clothing, and utensils beingness handcrafted and to talk with the craftspeople.
Among the most interesting are the Blacksmith Store, the Geddy Foundry and silversmith shop, the Harness & Saddlemaker Shop, the Bootmaker, the Gunsmith Shop, the Wheelwright, and the Cabinetmaker Shop. You can spotter fashionable hats created at the Milliner's Shop; meet wigs fabricated from human, caprine animal, and horse hair at the Wigmaker's Store; and watch the cooper equally he works on casks and pails at his shop in the Ludwell-Paradise Stable.
At the Apothecary, yous'll larn how apothecaries functioned as doctors at that time, treating patients and performing surgery.
10. Berkeley Plantation
The well-nigh historic of all the plantations along the James River, Berkeley has earned its National Historic Landmark condition several times over. The first Thanksgiving was historic hither in 1619, and Taps was equanimous here in 1862 when it served as the headquarters of Union General McClellan during the Civil State of war.
Berkeley was the birthplace of President William Henry Harrison. Merely today's tourists volition recollect it most for its beautiful Georgian architecture and for the rooms furnished with priceless antiques. Exist sure to visit the restored gardens in boxwood-hedged terraces overlooking the James River.
Address: 12602 Harrison Landing Road (off Rt. 5), Charles Urban center, Virginia
11. Great Hopes Plantation
The restored houses along Duke of Gloucester Street were homes of the wealthiest leaders, simply that'southward not the way nearly 18th-century residents of Williamsburg lived. Nigh lived and worked on modest plantations endemic by farmers who were not men of wealth. They lived in modest houses or cabins; many were slaves. Not bad Hopes Plantation is a newer addition designed to represent the lifestyle on one of these minor family farms.
Forth with replicas of their buildings, yous can see rare breeds of farm animals they would have known, visit their gardens, and encounter demonstrations of how they cooked. Interpreters are busy at the tasks of everyday life - planting, caring for animals, making implements, cooking, and domestic tasks - and are happy to hash out the lives of small farmers and their work.
12. College of William and Mary
The College of William and Mary was founded in 1693 and is the second oldest higher in the United States, behind Harvard. George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and John Tyler all took courses here. The Wren Building is the oldest active educational edifice in the United States, originally congenital in 1695, and reconstructed in 1732 after a fire.
The offset floor of the Wren Building is open, and student-led campus tours are filled with history and stories about the college. You lot can see the building where British General Cornwallis stayed and nourish free organ concerts in the chapel. The Muscarelle Museum of Art stages visiting exhibitions, and throughout the campus are pieces of sculpture.
Accost: 200 Stadium Drive, Williamsburg, Virginia
Official site: www.wm.edu
13. Bassett Hall
The 18th-century dwelling house of John D. Rockefeller Jr. and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller was built by a member of the Virginia Business firm of Burgesses. The firm has been restored to its appearance in the 1930s and '40s. A xv-infinitesimal pic sets the background, and a visit to the Rockefellers' home gives a perspective on the family that fabricated Colonial Williamsburg possible. Be sure to visit the extensive flower gardens.
Another fine case of 1 of Williamsburg's oldest houses is the Brush-Everard House, restored to its 1773 state and authentically furnished to illustrate the life of Thomas Everard, an apprentice who rose to become a planter and community leader. The home is especially known for its beautifully crafted staircase with carved stair brackets and turned balustrades. Y'all tin as well run across the original kitchen and smokehouse.
Address: 522 Due east Francis Street, Williamsburg, Virginia
14. Make a Splash at H2o Country USA
When children tire of restored colonial homes and antiques, and the summer afternoon rut is getting to the adults, everyone volition enjoy a visit to nearby Water Country, a h2o park with pirate-themed rides and miniature golf replete with h2o hazards.
Visitors can ride on the Hubba Hubba Highway, not quite the placid river it appears to be, and get wet on one of the waterslides or in the wave puddle. This park is affiliated with the mega-park Busch Gardens, and families who are planning on visiting both parks can accept advantage of combination tickets.
Address: 176 Water Land Pkwy, Williamsburg, Virginia
Official site: www.watercountryusa.com/en/williamsburg
Where to Stay in Williamsburg for Sightseeing
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Celebrated Virginia: History-lovers have plenty to explore in this part of Virginia, and two major historic centers are inside an 60 minutes's drive of Williamsburg. Coastal Norfolk, known for its naval base and armed forces history, is full of related attractions including the Battleship Wisconsin. Inland, the vibrant city of Richmond was first an important colonial city with potent ties to the independence movement and later ravaged by war as the Confederacy tried to go on information technology out of Union hands for over v years during the Civil War.
Virginia's Neighbors: The District of Columbia sits only over the border between the states of Virginia and Maryland. Washington, DC is home to some of the about iconic American landmarks and the nigh popular tourist attractions in the country, from the Lincoln Memorial to the massive collections of the Smithsonian Institution. Just beyond, Baltimore, Maryland is domicile to even more museums, ranging from fine fine art to cryptology, as well as many family attractions like the National Aquarium and the Maryland Science Centre.
Romantic Getaways: One of the top Virginia destinations for younger couples is Virginia Beach, loved for its festive atmosphere and multitude of things to do. Those looking for a different vacation experience might want to look just a petty farther southward to find romantic getaways in Northward Carolina.
Source: https://www.planetware.com/tourist-attractions-/williamsburg-us-va-w.htm
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