The big ticket item for today was a visit to Colonial Williamsburg. Williamsburg was founded as the capital of the Virginia Colony in 1699. The young city grew quickly into the center of political, religious, economic, and social life in Virginia. With the establishment of the Willam and Mary college, Williamsburg also became a center of learning. Famous political leaders, such as Presidents Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and John Tyler attended the college. George Washington assembled the Continental Army in Williamsburg in 1781 for the siege of nearby Yorktown and the winning of American independence. So, as you can see, Williamsburg really does have an important place in early American history.
Many of Williamsburg’s 18th century buildings survived into the early twentieth century and in 1926, John D. Rockefeller, Jr., funded and led the massive reconstruction of the 18th-century city that is on display today. “Colonial Williamsburg” as it is today is a HUGE living history museum. We arrived at the visitor centre not long after it opened, bought our tickets and chose to walk the 10 minute walk to the entrance rather than wait for a shuttle bus. The township area is really just a section of streets within the main town, however the “historic area” is blocked to traffic and although you could walk in without a ticket you are unable to enter any of the buildings without one. The walk was green and pretty.
Our first stop was the Governors Palace. The building is a reconstruction of the original but is built faithfully over the old foundations and has been recreated as authentically as possible. Because we were early we were lucky to have a private tour!
After touring the house we wandered into the kitchen where costumed guides were praparing a feast. The costumed guides are everywhere in the town, and they were entertaining, educational and very passionate about the history of the place.
We wandered along the streets of the town, popping into visit the various shops and establishemnst such as the armoury, the apothekary and the tailor. In the courthouse we watched a typical daily court session of the day. In the streets, carriages rolled by and we even saw the “Governor” on horseback riding through the town.
At the end of the “Historic Area” there is a wide selection of shops and cafes and restaurants, so we stopped in at Berret’s Taphouse & Grill for a light lunch and to rest our feet! We both had the Virginia Crab Broil, excellent!
On our way back through the historic area we stopped in at the Bruton Parish Church, which was attended by both George Washington and Thomas Jefferson around the time of the American revolution. The pews they used are named for them!
Williamsburg is amazing, it’s well worth a visit but bring your energy with you. My legs were pretty weary when we finally made it back to our car, however we decided to stop in at the big Outlet Centre on the north side of town. I didn’t find anything this time but Neil picked up a couple of bargains. After a pretty big day we were glad to eat at the hotel again tonight.