Tips to know before you arrive:
- While it’s free to walk around Colonial Williamsburg, you’ll need a ticket to go inside many of the buildings. If there is a colonial flag outside the building, a ticket is required.
- As of this writing, a single day ticket for Colonial Williamsburg is $44.99 for adults, $24.99 for children (6-12). There are multi-day tickets also available.
- If you’re looking for discounted tickets to Colonial Williamsburg, consider staying on property.
- Get a schedule of events from your hotel. The Fife & Drum March is not to be missed and kids LOVE it!
- Download the free Colonial Williamsburg App before your trip. You can search restaurants, purchase admission tickets and even book a carriage ride. Also, the app provides coupons and discounts.
- Parking at the Visitor’s Center is free.
- If you arrive later in the day to Colonial Williamsburg, consider walking throughout the area to familiarize yourself with the overall layout. By doing so, you’ll be ready to hit the ground running the following morning.
First things first, walking around Colonial Williamsburg is an absolute treat. You may be greeted by Thomas Jefferson or even stopped by George Washington. These historic interpreters, known as Nation Builders, portray historical figures. The Nation Builders are wonderful to talk to and indeed keep in character.
Since Colonial Williamsburg is really a living history museum, you’ll be immersed in the 18th Century. Don’t forget to visit the home of George Wyeth as he was Virginia’s first signer of the Declaration of Independence.
There are numerous trades on display within Colonial Williamsburg where you don’t just learn about history, you get to experience it! You’ll learn from a tailor, blacksmith, silversmith, weaver, wigmaker and many more artisans performing their work. Additionally, they gladly answer every question from children. The print shop was fascinating and the boys really enjoyed seeing how printing was completed in the 18th century.
Inside the Benjamin Powell house, kids really get to see what everyday life was like in the 18th century. It includes seeing what chores, games, and meals for children were like at the time. Bruton Parish is a beautiful church that George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Patrick Henry all attended. If services are not being conducted, you’ll be able to walk through the chapel.
I am usually not very much into this “the whole town is an attraction” places, but I enjoyed the read. Thanks for sharing your experience!
This sounds like a terrific family destination! We loved our recent trip to Washington DC- I wish we could have had enough time to visit Colonial Williamsburg, too. Next time!
I don’t have kids but Colonial Williamsburg looks a fun place to visit. I love places with a history. The historical park in Yorktown sounds really interesting.
I’ve always wanted to see the colonial towns! My husband loves history and I think this would be so awesome to see
The Moor House is so pretty! I don’t have kids yet but I would love to visit one day!
My kids would LOVE the digging in the dirt experience! I can’t wait to take my kids!
This is soooo cool! What a fantastic way to bring history to love and get kids interested in it! It looks like you guys had a blast!
I would love to bring my niece and nephew to Colonial Williamsburg, or try to sneak in and pretend that I’m a big kid myself. 😉
It looks like you and your kids had a great time in Colonial Williamsburg. I think my kiddos are still too little to enjoy this destination much. They’d look at Thomas Jefferson and go “Who?!”
Love this! Williamsburg has been on my list for awhile (I’m a history teacher!). I’d love to go with my daughter and husband! So good to know that the historic taverns are worth the wait. It all looks so lovely!
I love anything with history so this would be cool to check out! I love how they make it interactive for kids.
I love visiting places that have reenactment actors, it’s totally fun for the kids but as an adult I enjoy it too. It takes me back in time. I didn’t know anything about Williamsburg but this looks like a really fun visit. Thanks for the discount tips for if I stay at any of the properties, it’s always helpful to save some cash!
This seems so fun! Thanks for the recommendations, especially on where to stay. This is often the hardest part of any trip!
How fun and educational! I love vacations that have a history lesson intertwined.
We LOVED going to Colonial Williamsburg! It’s so full of great visual reminders of the history of the United States.
Colonial Williamsburg has been on my list of places to visit for years! My kids are 11, 10 and 8 now and we are finally feeling like travelling with them is more fun than work so have a ton of travel plans. This looks like a great place to go with my family, there is so much history and fun things to do!
They are a PERFECT age to go! Old enough to know about some of America’s early history and young enough to really enjoy
all of the fun activities they have for kids.
What a fun place to visit for the whole family! I love historical places like this!!
Kileen
What a historical thrill! I would love to take my kids here, We love visiting historical sites.