Colonial Williamsburg

We "popped-in" as we were in the area and saw as much as we could like the fountain and the theatre.
The ladies at the front desk were very nice and understanding.

It's a historical site to visit for a whole day; so plan your visit.

The souvenir shops are lovely, as well!

I'm definitely going back the next time in town.

This place has so much history. I loved everything about this place. All the people dressed up so you feel as if you went back into time. Everything is well kept and clean

One of my favorite places to visit
I've lived in the Norfolk Va beach areas for a long time
This was the first time I paid for the "PASS "
My whole life I thought it was a waste of money
Boy was I wrong !
An amazing experience from start up finish's
The guided tours and speakers are worth every penny.
They offer a great military discount when you
Buy the tickets and almost every store gives you an additional discount-
so It can save ton in the long run

If you're Military- VET it allows you access to a special place called the LIBERTY LOUNGE with Cold Drinks, Fresh Coffees, Snacks, Free Wifi and best of all a Comfortable Chair in the AC.

We were very disappointed with Colonial Williamsburg. The website said the opened at 9:00. Most things were not open until 10. They do not do the day in history anymore. Most but not all shops were open but not all demonstrating. Most shop workers did not offer information . said they would answer questions if you had them. A few of the workers were very rude. Such a great opportunity but it did not pan out. We looked through in 3 hours.

This is a must visit for anyone who is a US citizen or an aspiring one. There is a lot to see and lots of history to take in. There are a multitude of ticket options ranging from a day or more and ones that include Jamestown and Yorktown.

You'll park at the visitor center and get your tickets and either walk about a half mile to the grounds or take the free shuttle. We decided to walk in, and I am glad we did because the first property we toured was the Randolph mansion, and it was beautiful! We also got to visit the governor's palace, capitol, weaver, wig maker, apothecary and Raleigh Tavern. All of the field guides in the living history museum were very friendly and highly informative. One cool fact I learned was that the term "pig pen" came from George Washington, wanting property owners to contain their pigs in a "pen"

You will walk quite a bit here, so be ready! There is also a large museum to tour with lots of period art and home furnishings to browse. If you are looking to do a carriage ride you must get those early or possibly online because they sell out quickly.

Went here for a high school field trip. We had the best tour guide ever, I think his name was Brandon. He was very knowledgeable and funny, and all the staff overall were very very nice and helpful with all the questions we had. The town is beautiful and the tour has a lot of really interesting stuff, exploring the different lifestyles of different business people in the 18th century. They didn't let us eat the food that was cooked from 18th century cookbooks however. Governor's mansion was beautiful. Ghost tour was amazing, we saw the mysteriously glowing windows in that one house that is built over a Native American graveyard. Gracie, our tour guide, was truly amazing. She had us act out certain stories and it was a hoot. I would 100% do it all again. Worth it. Also they let me play the harpsichord :)

I remember my middle school class were going to Colonial Williamsburg for a school field trip but I got sick so I never went. Not giving my age but years later, I'm on a field trip with my family! HAHAHA!!!

It's a nice walk around the "plantation" and a lot of history. They bring the experience to life by having the staff dressed up like the olden days. Think of 1800's early 1900's, you know how we used to dress back then LOL!!

Fun fact, some of the houses are actually houses people bought and are living in. So some houses are not open to the public because there's real family living in them. I wonder if these see ghosts at night? Hmmm....

The only thing I missed out on was the carriage ride. They said they usually sell out in minutes. You have to get there as soon as the window booth open and buy your time in advance. So another field trip is in the future....

We recently made a trip to Williamsburg and visited Colonial Williamsburg (CW) during Memorial Day weekend. My in-laws had booked us a room at the Williamsburg Woodlands Hotel and Suites for a family vacay and whatever deal my mother-in-law found, included entrance tickets to CW with the booking. Score!

If you're looking for accommodations nearby, Williamsburg Woodlands Hotel and Suites is located right next to the CW visitors center. I'll post a separate review for our experience there.

- Transportation -
Free shuttle available all around CW, making stops between different points in the CW village and some of the restaurants and shops next to CW village. Runs pretty much all day until the later hours of the evening.

First stop, we had to present ourselves at the admissions office to get our physical badges for entrance. My stepfather-in-law is a veteran and my husband is active duty, so they gave them a blue star with their badge. We were informed that Home Depot sponsors admission for military and their dependents during Memorial Day, so we got free passes for our kids. I must say, I am grateful for the deals from the hotel booking and complimentary passes sponsored by Home Depot, because when I looked up on the TV screens for the prices, it wasn't cheap! Now, we had been to CW once before when my oldest was a tiny baby and my youngest wasn't even around at that time. I remember enjoying our visit, but also don't remember it being that pricey, but maybe we went during a similar situation.

We took probably about 2.5 days to explore. Can't say we saw everything, because one of those days, it was raining most of the day, so it threw a wrench in our plans. I do love a good interactive theme and CW delivers on that front. Great for the kids' learning experiences as well. Paid staff and volunteers dress up in the traditional dress and are really quite knowledgeable. We visited so many different houses of prominent figures during those times and various shops. We visited places like the carpenter, the silversmith, the brickyard, the wigmaker, gun maker, George Wythe house, The Capitol of Williamsburg, the coffee house, Raleigh Tavern, Governor's Palace and so much more. There's just a lot to see and so much info to process and take in.

Some things to note and fun facts:
- not sure if there is tiered pricing, but our passes were valid over the course of a week. This is really great if you live in the area, so you can take a week and go explore different sections on different days without having to pay for the hotel. For the tourist crowd, if this is all you came to see, then at least the tickets will be worth it.
- For the Home Depot sponsored tickets for the kids, we did have to go daily to get a new pass for each day
- you can walk within the villages, but you can only access certain buildings with a pass
- Fun fact: some of the staff rent rooms within the historical buildings. Talk about walking to work!
- bring your walking shoes and lots of water.
- the red horse carriage was the one Queen Elizabeth II rode when you she came on her last visit to Williamsburg.
- horse carriage is an extra fee (runs around $50+) It takes you around a square and the driver provides some tidbits of fun info that makes for a pleasant chat
- they are still experiencing staff shortages, so you may experience some shows/demos being cancelled or just less staff around

Overall, it's was a fun experience to play tourist for the weekend somewhat close to home. The entire village is very well kept, staying on theme with so much information. Lots of history on these grounds and they do a great job of restoration, preservation and education, but like I mentioned, it comes at a cost. If you're like me, who likes to read ALL the things, but have younger children who squirrel everywhere, still go and experience it all, but take lots of pics, post them here and read them all later (or with the best intention to). This is what I do! hahaha

Stay safe, Friends!

This place is BIG!!! It's April (spring), the weather is perfect to take in the sites. This was our first time to Williamsburg, and some friends advised us to walk around our first visit... I had no idea how much has been restored, or how many park employees were going to be there to answer questions and tell stories. The whole place is a living museum. It's information overload. Did you know the first hot air balloon launched in VA was in Williamsburg in 1801???? Yeah, that kind of information. It's more than pre-revolution info. It's all a lot of fun.

Tips: comfortable walking shoes, sun screen (even if it's cloudy), a good hat, and water.

Try to take in any of the plays, and try to read the signs on each house (one of them was owned by Martha Washington's Father/Grandfather)... the plays are where you'll hear the oddball information and the signs on the houses are kind of cool to help make all the connections to prominent historical figures or give you an idea of where they were spending time when they weren't making written history.

Plan an ENTIRE day here cause there is sooo much to do. During the winter months they even have an ice skating rink. Oh so here we go,... u get ur tickets at the visitors center and can walk to the downtown area through the back door or just drive over to the downtown. And when I say downtown,... it is literally in the downtown of the city. There are shops and places to eat, but to get to go into the historical buildings/art museum, you gotta show your ticket! Such a fun and great time for us and the kids.

Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia
*Williamsburg was the first capital of Virginia.
*John D. Rockefeller, Jr, American financier and philanthropist, was responsible for funding the restoration of Williamsburg in 1926.
*It was home to the 1st psychiatric hospital in 1773.
*William & Mary, the nation's second oldest college, is located in Williamsburg.
*Williamsburg was an important city during the American Revolution. It was home to the Virginia Conventions including the one where Patrick Henry gave his famous "Give me liberty, or give me death!" speech. It also was where General George Washington assembled the Continental Army in preparation for the siege of Yorktown.