Williamsburg, Virginia, is one of my very favorite places. It's just FULL of amazing history, and we love visiting this special place.
I did a post about Colonial Williamsburg after our first visit last Thanksgiving (2021), so I won't go back into extreme detail. I do think it's such a fabulous place, that it does indeed garner an additional post to spread the word about it!
THE HISTORIC TRIANGLE
The Williamsburg area is home to not only Colonial Williamsburg, but also Jamestown Settlement (reconstruction of original) and Historic Jamestown (the actual original site), as well as right next door to Historic Yorktown and the Yorktown Battlefield (where the British surrendered to Washington during the American Revolution.) These three epic historic stops are within 20-25 miles of each other and all connected by the Colonial Parkway, which is a gorgeous drive and highly recommended.
WHAT MAKES Colonial Williamsburg SPECIAL?
Colonial Williamsburg is the largest outdoor living museum in the country. It's completely open to the public for free, but tickets are needed to go into the buildings and exhibits/experiences. (In other words, stroll the streets of Colonial Williamsburg anytime you'd like, for free.) There are not fences or gates to access it, it simply feels as if you walked right from the streets of current time and stepped into the 1700's. We love to visit many times during the week to walk the streets, chat with historians, and visit shops. It's also fun to see the animals, carriages and gardens while wandering around. We only buy tickets on specific days when we plan to be there to partake in activities and tours. It is adjacent to the university of William & Mary, which is a beautiful campus and historically significant in it's own right.
The historians and interpreters are so committed to sharing history, and it's so fascinating to engage in conversation with them. Each are so knowledgable in their trade/person/time period/etc that they are representing. The farmer, Ed, even asked us to come back to help hill his land plot in preparation for tobacco planting this spring. We all had a lot of fun playing in the dirt and loved being a part of colonial life!
Learn more at the official website HERE.
Check out our video from the Historic Triangle HERE.
Here are a few highlights from our time visiting Colonial Williamsburg:
Helping at the Farm
Governor's Mansion
Capitol Building
George Wythe House
(Thomas Jefferson's law tutor, advisor, friend & first Virginian signer of the Declaration of Independence) An original building with 80% still original interior, we were humbled to run our hands down the same wooden stair railing that George Wythe, Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and many other would have also once used.
Exploring Shops, Streets & Gardens
Meeting Historical Interpreters