Step back into the 18th century to the capital of colonial Virginia at Colonial Williamsburg. This is a family friendly destination where history comes alive through the largest living history museum in the USA. Your family will experience live action theater, tours of original 18th-century buildings, museums, gardens, and interaction with costumed in-character townspeople of Colonial Williamsburg.
I received tickets to facilitate this post.
Our family enjoys history and learning new things. Colonial Williamsburg has so much to see and explore! Guest services suggested a kid-friendly route to start us off to The Revolutionary City. There is a bus to circles the entire city with multiple stops throughout, so you are always just 5 minutes from a bus to take you to your next stop if you’d like.
Our first stop was the Palace Green, home of the Governor’s Palace, Everard House, Wheelwright, Basket-maker, and even an active Bruton Parish Church where we caught part of a service during our Sunday visit. We enjoyed stopping by the different trade shops, learning about how to make a basket to how shoes were made to how nails where made.
We were able to step inside and learn about the Courthouse as well as the Gunsmith & Foundry. My kids were fascinated by the foundry and all the toy guns available for purchase! There are vast options for discovering and learning at Colonial Williamsburg! In the family pictured below, the man has a Youngstown State shirt on, does anyone know him? 🙂
We enjoyed a delightful lunch on the outdoor garden patio of Chowning’s Tavern. There was even live flute music played.
The Revolution in the Streets is a MUST and my favorite part. During this time, you are encouraged to interact with the 18th-century residents of Williamsburg. We were captivated by the personal stories of the residents and how those developed. You could feel the frustration they felt.
I can’t get over how much I felt included in the Revolution in the Streets. I felt myself feeling for the situation these people were in and the hard choices they had to make. I was cheering them on and wanted to pitch in to help the cause.
There was one part where the governor’s wife was calling all women and children to pitch in and give or do all that they could. Only the women and children could participate in this effort so a townsman offered my daughter ‘money’ to give on his behalf.
She was confused at first but then loved that she was chosen to participate and contribute to the cause.
The actors during the Revolution in the Streets made history come to life and gave us a powerful connection to the past.
Plan to spend at least an entire day when visiting Colonial Williamsburg and start early as the majority of attractions end at 5pm. In the evening, there are additional tours, dances, and theatrical performances and reenactments as well as a number of taverns for dinner. We only visited for one day but there is so much to see and do that we are planning on a return trip soon. When looking for family-friendly accommodations in Colonial Williambsburg, check out Embassy Suites where we stayed.
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