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Colonial Williamsburg

Colonial Williamsburg is America's largest outdoor living history museum. A fully operational 18th century city with tradesmen and tradeswomen working in their shops. The ticket prices vary depending on the length of your stay and begin at $36 for a one-day pass for adults. Enjoy a step back in time and see how eighteenth century people of all social classes would have lived. Participate in a court proceeding, tour the Governor's Palace, and see how the American Revolution affected the people of this historic town.
 

The College of William & Mary

The campus of The College of William & Mary is just at the end of Colonial Williamsburg's Duke of Gloucester Street. The Christopher Wren building, where Thomas Jefferson attended classes, is one of the college's original academic buildings and is open to the public, with tours provided by a group of student volunteers. If you're approaching campus from Colonial Williamsburg you will find the College's Sunken Garden just on the other side of the Wren building. The Sunken Garden is a gorgeous place to walk, sunbathe, and play frisbee. It's an impressive sight and a favorite haunt of students and local residents, as well as being a prime example of 20th century Colonial Revival architecture.
 

James River Plantations

The James River Plantations are a collection of historic sites located in and around the Williamsburg area. Some such as Berkeley, Chippokes, Lee Hall, and Shirley are open for guided house tours on a daily basis. Others, such as Bacon's Castle and Smith's Fort are open for guided tours for certain months throughout the year. Edgewood, North Bend, Piney Grove, Sherwood Forest and Westover are open for self-guided grounds tours and for guided group house tours by appointment.

The Colonial Parkway
The Colonial Parkway runs between Jamestown and Yorktown, passing directly through Williamsburg along the way. Jamestown and Yorktown each feature both a national park site containing the actual historical site, and a privately run living history museum designed located near the historical site to amplify understanding. Visitors should be wary of the signs, which are designed draw attention to the more expensive living history museums rather than the true historic sites. National Park admission of will get you to the actual sites of both the original Jamestown Fort and the Yorktown Battlefield. Free guided tours directed by park rangers run at posted intervals, typically last about 45m, and are the best way to truly understand the historical context of the sites. During summer, Jamestown is an active archeological dig site, with visitors allowed within feet of the edge of the excavations, and opportunity to talk with workers and ask questions about the dig. By contrast, the Jamestown Settlement and Yorktown Victory Center are large, privately run living history museums which feature actors in period dress illustrating life in Colonial times. Like the national park sites, they offer a single entry fee providing admission to both locations.  

Presidents Park

Presidents Park, 211 Water Country Parkway, April–August 9AM-8PM, September–March 10AM–4PM. Closed Christmas Day and New Years Day. The Presidents Park is home to very large sculpted busts of all of America's presidents, with interesting facts about them and their achievements, laid out on a nice and compact path. There are five types of tours including: The Constitution and “The Bill of Rights,” “Protecting The Nation,” “Human Rights, Civil Rights, Slavery,” “Religion,” and “Assassinations and Near Misses.” All are filled with tons of historical information and fun filled facts. Operating hours are April – August 9AM – 8PM. September – March 9AM – 5PM. There are discounted rates for groups of fifteen or more.
 

January - March
November - December

Information not available

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