Traveling in History – Williamsburg Adventures
Posted in Family Fun, Historic, Travel | By Shelley Gillespie | Tags: Gardens, Travel, US Domestic Travel
March down the street in Williamsburg, Virginia following the Fife and Drum group – dressed in British Colonial red – and you’ll feel the excitement of visiting Williamsburg.
Fife and drum performs on the green in front of the Governor's Palace Photo provided by Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
There’s energy in the air that gives you a sense that you have stepped back in time. It’s easy to immerse yourself and your family (children love it, too!) in the life of 300-plus years ago in the “colonies.” It wasn’t an easy life, but exploring it is a fascinating experience.
Take a tour of the Governor’s Palace, exploring the gardens in the warm seasons, and see what is was like to have an opulent life.
Governor's Palace and Gardens
Tour the Capitol and you can know what it was like for Virginians like Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry to make life-changing decisions prior to our nation’s independence.
The buildings were carefully reconstructed based on careful excavations. It’s the closest you may ever get to a glimpse of the early life of America. The tour guides, many who are college students from the College of William and Mary down the street, are bright and engaging and explain the history and answer questions in a very evocative way.
Capitol - Photo courtesy of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Colonial Williamsburg gives you a view of the life of the average person, too, with tradespeople plying their trades, like blacksmiths, bakers, wigmakers and apothecaries.
Sheep greet visitors - Courtesy Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Blacksmith plies his trade - Photo courtesy of Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
And, they are unflinching in showing a side of American history people are not particularly proud of, the lives of slaves, whose lives are shown with dignity.
Musical performers - Courtesy of Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
The pageantry and passions of the colonial era are on display and invite visitors’ involvement, from playfully posing for photos in the stocks, to watching a reenactment. Museums also show artifacts of the colonial era.
Although there are charges for touring the more prominent buildings, like the Capitol and Governor’s Palace, it is worthwhile to join the tours. Williamsburg may not have the thrills, say, of a Disney park, but it is a thrill to know what life was like over 300 years ago in probably the most authentic experience you’ll ever have.
The joy and learning are wonderful for a family to share. A know, because I came to Williamsburg with my family as a child and I never forgot it. Then, I was lucky enough to bring my child and return many times to celebrate the holidays. I never grow tired of Williamsburg!
Note: We have not been paid to endorse Williamsburg.
Tags: Gardens, Travel, US Domestic Travel