18th Century Colonial Tourism
Written: Nov 07 '07 (Updated Nov 07 '07)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Well preserved and kept with educational experiences.
Cons: Children under 9 will not benefit much from the historical experience.
The Bottom Line: A nice authentic historical tour.
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| northeastgal's Full Review: Virginia |
In August this year, I went to Williamsburg, Virginia with my son and his family. Out vacation was mainly to visit
Busch Gardens and Water Park in Williamsburg. Since the trip from New Jersey is just over 6 hours, we did not want to travel for 2 days jut for the theme park and decided to see and do as much as we could while in beautiful Virginia.
Because the 2 children are ages 6 and 4 they decided we would go to Colonial Williamsburg on the next day of our arrival. We did not plan to spend all day and night there. The weather was in the high 80s - low 90s with high humidity. This is normal for August in Virginia. My son had fond memories of the last time I had taken him when he was in his teens but his wife had never been there and was very eager with anticipation.
We found the location with ease from our hotel. There are signs on the main road to direct you. Parking was not difficult. It was very crowded at the Visitor's Center but lines moved fast. The workers are very swift in getting everyone through. We picked up the map of the area and went outside where every few minutes busses would load the visitors and take them to the area. While on the bus, they explain a little about the place which was interesting. Within a few minutes, we arrived at the plantation.
You can visit and buy your tickets on their website www.colonialwilliamsburg.com. We purchased them at the Visitor's Center. They have various passes suited to individual interest but we chose the 1 day for almost $50 per adult and children about $20 each. There are additional charges to visit the Governor's Palace which we included with our pass.
What is Colonial Williamsburg?
"The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is a private, non-for-profit educational institution that preserves and operates the restored 18th century capital of Virginia so the future can learn from the past. It's a 301 acre historic land maintained exactly from the 1770s Revolutionary era". All the employees are in the attire they wore in that era. There are about 500 restored and reconstructed buildings, sites and tradeshops.
Williamsburg is midway between Richmond and Norfolk on I-64. There are signs that will direct you to the Visitor Center at 101A Visitor Center Drive, Hwy 132Y.
They are open all year round with various events scheduled. Hours throughout the year change. I found that during the summer it's best to go there in the early am so that you can stop and have lunch in the middle of the day but leave before dinnertime is plenty for family with small children. We saw many horse drawn carriages with visitors purchasing a 15 minute ride for $10 per person. We chose not to spend $50 for that because you have to stand at a specific location and wait for the carriage. It would have been too much time consuming for something we can do in our state.
This is a list of things you can explore but some were closed and some are only open at specific times/days:
Apothecary
Bassett Hal
Blacksmith
Brick Yard
Brush Everard House
Cabinetmaker
Capitol
Colonial Garden
Cooper
Courthouse
Gaol
Geddy Site
Governor's Palace
Palace Kitchen
Wheelwright
Great Hopes Plantation
Gunsmith
Harness Shop
Magazine
Mary Stith House
Milliner& Tailor
Playbooth Theater
Presbyterian Meetinghouse
Printer
Bookbinder
Raleigh Tavern
Randolph House
Robert Carter House
Shoemaker
Silversmith
Wetherburn's Tavern
Wigmaker
Wythe House
Basketmaker
Weaver
Many of the homes have guides that will first explain about who lived there and their history followed by a walk around to view the entire home.
In one place the guide would remind children "Please don't touch that." There were many roped off areas with valuable furnishings that you could look in but were not allowed to touch. In one instance, the man told those with children if they wished to take the children outside where there were workers demonstrating old toys in which they could play with. There were various toys with workers helping the children that were hand made things which I found very unique and unusual. This kept the children occupied while the parents toured the building. These toys/games were sold at the shops.
Overall
It was fun walking around looking at women, men and children in historical costumes. I thought it was very hot to be dressed in jackets, long dresses and bonnets but they didn't seem to mind it at all. I asked this one person if he was hot in all the clothing he had on while we waited for the next group to go in with the tour and he replied it was not that hot to him but there was a day it was in the mid 90s with high humidity that it was so hot there were hardly any visitors so they closed early.
I found the many shops there all sold practically the same products which most were related to colonial times. We did look at the dining choices in the pamphlet we picked up at the Visitor's Center but asked a few people what they recommended and we were told to go to The King's Arms. We told the hostess outside how many we were for a table and all waited outside till a table was ready. Although the restaurant did not seem very busy when we entered, our waitress was very slow in taking our order. The menu is very limited with unfamiliar titles to dishes not many are familiar with. Salads ranged from $6 - $12.95, sandwiches $11.75 and $12 with only 2 choices of Ham & Cheese and Roasted Turkey, 6 entrees from $11.75 to $14.75. There was nothing on the menu I liked. My son and his wife did not like their meals. The children hardly ate anything. The burger they chose from the children's menu was dry and burnt. It was an expensive lunch that left us hungry. A lesson learned. I would NOT recommend this Tavern to eat at.
Although this is an interesting historical site with well maintained and restored buildings, it is not a place small children under 9 would benefit from. There were many small children there but to me it's a waste of time and money. Older children would get more educational benefit from this revolutionary site that could help in their history studies.
I enjoyed the Governor's Palace with it's manicured landscaping and park like setting behind the home. There is a maze made from shrubbery in the back of the home that was much better the last time I was there but now seems the shrubs are too thick and does not look like a maze anymore. I enjoyed the scenery but it's not something I could do yearly. I would go back but not for a couple of years. Williamsburg, Virginia is beautiful and there are many things to see and do there. Everyone in Virginia is friendly and accommodating. It is a pleasure to visit there.
If you have an interest in the Colonial Historial period of over 200 years ago and have children studying history in school this will bring everything to life and leave a memorable impression.
Considering what it will cost a family to go there, I find this destination to be of average rating. The horse-drawn carriage ride for 15 minutes may be average priced but not while you are walking touring each house in the area.
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(My thanks to SurgRN911 for adding this Travel Destination to the database.)
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Jun - Aug
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