Took short trip to visit Williamsburg this past weekend. What a great place to go to relax and unwind. Take a step back in time and visit a historical site or just enjoy the country side. Lots of places to shop and a good variety of restaurants for food. Everywhere you go is a friendly face that welcomes you to the area!

It’s a great place to go at your own pace, especially with young kids. You can tour that area at your own pace and if you need a break you can always come back or go to the merchant square to recharge, its as involved as you want it to be

So many things to experience. We enjoys the musket demonstration, the court session and touring the Governor’s Mansion and Capitol. We also found the apothecary, blacksmith, joiner and dressmaker interactions to be very enlightening.

Enjoyed the reenactments of George Washington and Marquis de Lafayette, but my absolute favorite was Patrick Henry. It sparked a desire to learn more about him.

Years ago when we visited here, there were tons of people doing first person re-enactments. This time we couldn’t find any.

If you love history like I do, Colonial Williamsburg should be on your bucket list! I only went for one day because I had a lot of stuff to do on this trip, but honestly you could spend several days here just seeing all there is to see. I was able to go into the Governor’s Palace, Capital, and Peyton Randolph house while also seeing the grounds, but there are tons of places to see here! From historic houses, churches and shops, to re-enactments, you can see history come alive at Colonial Williamsburg in everything they do. Tour guides are knowledgeable and engaging, and the sheer amount of things you can see and do here is amazing in and of itself! I was so impressed with it all.

we finally wended our way to historic colonial Williamsburg, purchasing the $60 tickets which was the way to go: a bus running every 15 minutes dropping visitors off at all of the venues, passes good for 3 days and included all of the attractions - free! Good time, learned things about pre-Revolutionay War facts I never knew from the well-scripted tour guides dressed in 18th century garb. Gave us a sense of deep pride and gratitude for the forefathers of this great nation.

We visited on a Tuesday and after a lengthy wait in the ticket office we ended up purchasing our tickets online. We purchased the admission not realizing the majority of the buildings were not open. The food and beverage options were mainly closed and the few retailers that had snacks & beverages were picked over. The only place where everything was open was Merchants Square which isn’t even part of the historical area. The most frustrating was the inconsistent opening/closing times. When we entered the visitors center the sign said 9am-7pm. Then on the maps some of the locations had specific hours and others only had tours every 30 minimum. We didn’t want to waste time waiting 30 mins for a tour of the Governors Palace so the guide suggested we come back after 4pm for self guided tours. We arrived at 5:15, not realizing it closed at 5pm. In total we saw the Capitol and the Courthouse as well as a handful of retailers. We did not see any trades. A total bummer considering how busy the place was for spring break. Make sure to check all of the times and available sights before you go. $200 and we left disappointed.

We had fun and learned a lot of history! Be prepared to walk a lot. There are a lot of great places to eat in town. If you want to get the most of out of your visit to the art museum, plan on 3 hours minimum.

It was a lovely historical site. I did find that the info on your site was short on info. I also thought the ticket covered the carriage ride as that was the pic that was above the purchase info. Again more info would be nice on your ticket coverage info.

The price might seem high but you get everything included and can basically walk into whatever you want! The educational aspect is terrific so definitely take the tours. This really brought me back to the good old days, it felt like I was in colonial Williamsburg! The staff was terrific and honestly it was exactly how my great great grandfather used to describe how his grandfather use to live. It was a fun day! Make sure to give two days to see everything and experience it all!

Believe the bad reviews if for no other reason than to realize that guest experiences are either hit or miss. My visit was a near complete miss. There were a few positives; I'll share those at the end. My family and I spent three days in Colonial Williamsburg. We purchased our tickets in advance but needed to pick them up at the visitors' center on the first day. We arrived early before the doors opened and still had to wait in line for 45 minutes behind two other couples before we could get our pre-ordered tickets. We counted six employees standing around talking to each other. There was one person taking care of customers. We almost missed our 9:00 ticketed entry tour. We took the bus to the nearest stop per the suggestion of the visitor's center clerk but still had to run to meet our tour. They were leaving just as we arrived. Most of the buildings were not open. There is a paper map with a schedule printed of the buildings that are supposed to be open on certain days. We were there for three days, and the paper map was never accurate. There is supposed to be an app or a schedule on the website, but it didn't work when we were there. We wanted to visit the cooper, who was supposed to be open according to the schedule, but he never was. We checked every day we were there, both morning and afternoon. The buildings that are open hang a flag out front, but of course, you can't know if a building on one end of CW is open if you are on the opposite end without walking there. Some "Open Today" signage at intersections would be helpful. Some of the people who work there were not all that great. We were walking down Duke of Gloucester St. and saw the courthouse was open -- the first building that was actually open. We started up the stairs, and an older lady in costume came barreling out of the building with her arms flailing, yelling at us that we weren't allowed to come in. We were only on the first step. Everyone in our group leaned backwards out of instinct as she yelled at us. I guess she realized how harsh she appeared, so she turned sickeningly sweet and told us we were to wait in the area to the side of the building. We arrived from the opposite side of the building and hadn't seen it. As guests, how were we to know? We decided not to stay. We didn't want to be around someone so thoughtless and rude to guests. We took a tour of the Governor's Palace. There was a costumed person at the gate to the left side of the house. We asked if we were allowed to look around outside before the tour started; we were quite early. She said, yes, but we were ABSOLUTELY NOT allowed to join the tour late. We felt like we were being reprimanded by a nasty school marm. We hadn't mentioned joining late and had no intention of doing so. She prejudged the situation inaccurately. There were several other tours scheduled for the day, so even if we had missed the start of the next one, we could easily have waited for another one. There are nicer, more hospitable ways of speaking to guests. The tour was a disaster. We all sat in the first room that has a large map on the wall. The tour guide came in -- never mentioned the map -- and started what sounded like practice for her one-woman show at a third-rate comedy club. Throughout the tour, she seemed to have been trained by Disney Cruise lines instead of an intellectual place of learning and research. I was pretty sure before the tour ended she was going to turn to us, wink with a cheesy grin, and say, "Rich white men are the worst, amiright? Don't forget to tip your waitress." We went room to room, but she didn't really tell us anything that we couldn't have found on the back of a brochure. There was so much she could have said -- like how were the wallpaper colors and patterns determined? In the entrance hall, were the weapons made by artisans at CW (a cross promotional opportunity, too)? How about that harpsichord? A nice story about Robert Carter playing it while Thomas Jefferson played the violin would really bring the place to life (and it's another cross promotional opportunity). A little boy asked the tour guide a question, as she just looked at him like a deer in headlights. She never did give him an answer. One of the guests on the tour answered him. A couple of adults asked questions, too, and she didn't answer them either. Thank goodness for other guests who knew the answers. We thought she might be a one-off situation, but we had similar experiences at the carpenter shop and at the Robert Carter house. One of the things all three of those guides did was insult the audience right away. All three started off their talk with something to the effect of -- "You don't know anything. The people who work here are smarter than you are, but don't worry, I, the tour guide, know how to translate their intellectual speak so that you, stupidest of all stupid people, will understand." When the tour guide at the Robert Carter house said her version of that statement, one of the guests looked at her companion and said, "you've got to be kidding me." A group of three guests looked at each other with raised eyebrows and stifled laughter. The tour itself was pointless. The guide didn't really tell us anything. She didn't seem to have any knowledge of architecture, building trades, restoration, landscape history, or interior design history. There is more information available for free with a simple internet search than she shared on the tour. The Benjamin Moore paint website shares more information than she did. There was no information about how the house was constructed or what interesting things have been found during restoration. Nothing. About the family, she really seemed to hate them. It was another, "Rich white men are the worst, amiright?" situation. I mean, I know RC, III, wasn't perfect, but he did set in motion the document that freed more than 500 people. Isn't there SOMETHING in that act that makes him worthy of a little respect? She was just another person who came across as ill-informed and incredibly rude. We're pretty sure the carpenter was high. He started off his speech by telling us all how he was smarter than all of us and then just talked gibberish for several minutes. He said a lot of words, but none of them formed complete sentences of substance. He kept looking back at a guy in the workshop who was working on something, and they just giggled at each other over and over again. Thank goodness for guests again, because without the guests who were there, we never would have learned anything about carpentry. The costumed guy was too busy giggling. He was not the only person we suspected of being high. As we walked along DoG St., we saw a young woman in costume sitting out front of one of the buildings. She was bent over, and we thought she was ill -- maybe sunstroke or something. We were going to help her, until she looked up at us with a drunk grin and then flopped over. Then, we realized she was either hungover, high, or still drunk from the night before. One of guests in the area who approached her when we did made light of it and said, "CW is really going for authenticity. They've even included the town wench." I don't care what people do on their own time, but at a family museum, there should be a certain level of professionalism and maturity from the staff. We ate dinner at Christiana Campbell's Tavern. The food was excellent, and our server was great. The dinner show, though, left much to be desired. A minstrel is supposed to enhance the meal -- not forcefully take it over. Our food arrived while he was singing "Yankee Doodle," and you would have thought our server smelled of dung and kicked puppies for fun by the look he gave her. What was she supposed to do? Let our food get cold while the attention-hungry middle-aged man who chooses to where a costume during the day went on and on about nonsense? And he kept saying, "no, no" to guests who weren't paying attention to him. I mean, read the room, dude. There were three redeeming moments on our three-day visit. 1. The gunsmith really knew his stuff. He engaged the audience of mixed ages, told us a lot of really detailed and interesting information about how guns were made and who made them, and really made the experience one to remember. He was top notch! 2. The Master Gardeners who volunteer there also knew their stuff. We went to a talk with two gardeners. They brought pictures, so we could see what they were talking about, and they answered questions from the audience. They were the best part of our visit -- and they don't even get paid. 3. One of the men at the Greenhow gift shop was more than helpful. He anticipated our needs. We heard his interactions with other guests, and he was helpful to them also. He was the ONLY PERSON in three days to tell us where to find water and where to go to cool down on the hot summer days. (As an additional note, the cellar at the Governor's Palace is a cool 50 or so degrees, so you can go there to cool down. You access it from the outside. The door is open. We did ask the cranky school marm when we were at the GP if there was a cool spot, and she said no. Guess she didn't want us in the cellar.) It was all disappointing. We have a fourth grader, and this was supposed to be the right place for the right age, but instead it was unprofessional, poorly run, and full of more opinions than facts. One of my family members remarked at the end of the trip that it's almost like they are failing on purpose. After all, all of that real estate would make somebody a pretty penny if they just had to close their doors and sell to the highest bidder.

They did an excellent job of rebuilding and recreating the colonial town. The governor’s palace was my favorite. It was truly an amazing experience!!

We throughly enjoyed walking around Colonial Williamsburg. Very quiet time in January, not many buildings open but plenty of walkers taking advantage of the streets.

Colonial Williamsburg is a huge living history museum. You need several days to see it all. In addition to the historic buildings, there are tours and performances to enjoy. You can spend several hours in the Art Museums alone. Christmas is a good time to come because there are many special programs that show how the colonists celebrated Christmas. There are 89 original buildings. The newest was the re-discovered Bray School. This school for enslaved and free Black children was built in 1760 and the building was moved to its current location earlier this year. (BTW, in the 18th century, some enslaved people were taught to read and write so they could perform their jobs better and become more useful to their owners. It wasn't until the 19th century that it became illegal to teach an enslaved person how to read and write.) They plan to have it ready to open to the public next September. One of my favorite buildings is Charlton's Coffeehouse. When I first visited Williamsburg in 1985, a huge Victorian building sat next to the Capitol. After the last resident died, the family agreed to give the land to Colonial Williamsburg provided they moved the house to another location. They put the house on a truck and moved it to the other side of town, just outside the historic area. (It is now a B&B.) The Mars family (of candy fame) funded the reconstruction of Charlton's Coffeehouse and it opened in 2009. After touring the ground floor rooms, you descend into the original kitchen, where you are given a small cup of either dark drinking chocolate or dark roasted coffee. Every day you can visit the Play House Stage and watch the various entertainments. I took a tour that was led by a person of the past. We followed him as he went about his daily activities. You can watch nation builders such as Washington, Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and the Marquis de Lafayette talk about their lives and answer questions from the audience. I have learned so much from my visits here.

Excellent! Get the 3-day pass! Park at the Visitor Center and use the free shuttle bus. See as many of the tradesmen, street/stage performances, and indoor building tours as possible. Eat at the King’s Arms Tavern (soups) and the Art Museum Cafe for a delicious, reasonably priced lunch. Skip the commercialized Merchants Square area unless you like modern-day shopping and and like to spend. Stay at the excellent Comfort Inn 10 minutes away. Outstanding full breakfast, indoor pool, clean and comfortable room and courteous staff.

Excellent overall. Toured the governor's palace, the court house and a few other stops. Didn't get a carriage ride, heard they fill up quickly. Will return!

Great tour guides, a very informative and enjoyable day. The venue is historically accurate with a few original structures.

We had a wonderful trip. Had purchased tickets on line and the process to get our passes at the visitor's center was quick and easy (hint: go early in the day!). Took the bus to avoid crowded parking. Very convenient to just get off and on at our desired stops! Everyone was helpful and pleasant

We went about once a month over the course of a year. I purchased an annual pass for the family as a Christmas gift for my husband (he asked for a family experience and it fit with what the kiddos were learning in school). Key Information: If you buy an annual pass, it starts the day you purchase, not the day you redeem. If you want to buy it as a gift, I recommend printing a modified certificate to give as the gift and purchasing your actual pass online the morning of your visit. Purchasing online will save you a bit of time at the visitors center. Reservations at the taverns must be done far in advance. The prices are quite high and the menus are limited (to be expected). We recommend with little ones eating in merchants square but finding places without the exorbitant resort/service fees. Over time we found Precarious Beer Project to be the best place to have lunch as it is similar to a food hall, the food and beer were reasonably priced and the atmosphere was super family friendly. Maybe not entirely authentic for a colonial experience but definitely worked better than any other dining establishment for our family. Many years ago we did eat at the Kings Arm tavern and found the peanut soup to be delicious but our one attempt to eat there on our current pass year on a slow day met with a very rude encounter with the hostess and we weren't willing to try to schedule a dining time for over priced food and poor hospitality with two pre-teen boys (you can make peanut soup at home and it is just as incredible). The hours are pretty short, most activities close by 5. It is a colonial reproduction area so it is not entirely surprising but the hours don't change in the summer when it is daylight until quiet late in the evening. Some merchants are closed one of the weekend days and usually at least one week day. Plan your visit wisely if there is a specific merchant your family would like to visit. There are some evening separate ticketed events, purchase these as early in the day, as in stand in line at opening (or in advance when possible) if you want to attend as they usually sell out early. Carriage rides sell out early, as in before the actual open of the area. You can only purchase them day of at the Lumber House Ticket Office. If you wait for the visitors center to open, you will not get a carriage ride. If you need to purchase day passes and want to do a carriage ride, park and walk directly to the Lumber House to purchase. Prepare to queue by 8:00/8:15. For our last visit my youngest asked for a carriage ride, we were at the Lumber House by 8:30 and almost missed getting a selection (it was a super fun experience, I'm terrified of horses but even I enjoyed the different perspective), my boys felt like royalty and were waiving at everyone, it was adorable to watch. It will be hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Dress accordingly. Bring sunscreen. Bring hydration and snacks. Bring layers and good walking shoes. Some areas will not be accessible to individuals needing mobility assistance. Expect resort prices for everything you purchase. Souvenirs can often be found at the visitors center for less than the same item at the merchants, but there are some very unique custom items, it is fairly easy to tell what is custom vs mass produced. Dogs are welcome on the grounds but only service animals are allowed inside the historic buildings. Actual Review: It might sound like we disliked our experience from my advice, but we truly love our experience. We learned over time how to navigate the area and it would have saved us time and money if we had known some of the insider tips. We usually spent a half day from lunch to closing (2 neurodivergent boys, lots of walking and lots of history, many small doses worked best for us). The merchants were great with the boys, even when they asked questions that were definitely influenced by their fortnite battle knowledge vs real life. Every merchant had a hands-on experience and it really made things fun for the kids. We picked seeds from cotton, there were samples at all of the smiths, games to play in some of the parlors, beautiful gardens with very well labeled plant life, musket fire, and cooking demonstrations. The reproduction discusses the treatment of slaves and Native Indians with facts about the work, living quarters, and laws of the time, we appreciated the bluntness without idealizing or sugar coating information as we feel it helped our children learn. We highly recommend more than one day, take your time, enjoy the experience. This is a fantastic experience not just for history buffs but for any curious mind. It is a superb example for many social studies lessons. We've enjoyed Williamsburg as a couple and now as parents.