Colonial Williamsburg, the thriving capital of Virginia from 1699 to 1780 presents an enchanting and exciting time. Virginia was a rich and powerful colony whose boundaries stretched all the way to the mighty Mississippi River and north to the Great Lakes. Virginia’s capital, Williamsburg, the young city of the colonies was the political, cultural and educational center of the most influential American colony. Colonial Williamsburg transports you back to the 18th century, a time when this dynamic capital was alive with the American dream of freedom and independence. While visiting Colonial Williamsburg you personally interact in live conversational presentations with influential patriotic leaders including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, George Mason and Peyton Randolph.

We arrive at the Woodlands Hotel & Suites. The Hotel is set in a pine grove adjacent to the Colonial Williamsburg’s Visitor Center. From the hotel we are within walking distance of the Visitor’s Center, shuttle buses, and less than a mile walk to the historical sites of Colonial Williamsburg. Extra features in selecting this hotel are the one bedroom king suite with a separate bedroom and living area providing plenty of room to spread out, a very good fitness facility, free Internet access, and an expanded complimentary breakfast. Additionally, full passes to Colonial Williamsburg and various special events are included with our four night hotel package. This is an excellent value for the money and highly recommended for visitors.

Orienting ourselves to this unique living history museum, we admire the vision of Reverend Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin, Rector of Bruton Parish Church, who dreamed of restoring Williamsburg to its colonial past. Dr. Goodwin shared his dream of preserving the city's historic buildings with philanthropist John D. Rockefeller Jr. Thanks to Goodwin’s perseverance and the foresight of Rockefeller, Colonial Williamsburg's, 18th century capital and the ideals of its patriots, who created our American democratic system, live on for future generations. The Visitor Center’s feature film, “The Patriot”, takes us to the Colonial Williamsburg’s days and the challenges faced by our forefathers in this politically active capital.

Our priority is to weigh our options in order to make the most of our visit. It is a sunny spring afternoon and perfect for the less than a mile walk to join an Orientation Tour. The colonial costumed guide gives an overview of Colonial Williamsburg, recommends places to see, the best times to see the most popular attractions and how to make the most of our visit to this unique colonial town. The Historic Area of Colonial Williamsburg stretches over 301 acres and includes 88 original 18th-century structures. Hundreds of houses, shops and public outbuildings are reconstructed on their original foundations. Most of the buildings are open to the public, while others are private residences and administrative offices. A flag at a building's entrance indicates that the site is open. As we walk the streets, Williamsburg comes alive showing us how life was in the 18th century.

Following the orientation we enjoy a colonial style lunch at the restored King’s Arm Tavern with our wait staff and hostess all in 18th century attire. We then tour the Capitol building where the guide explains how the colonists were controlled by the British Monarchs. Walking by the shops, we stop at the Wig Makers Shop that displays wigs warn by both men and women. In the Apothecary Shop a highly enthusiastic guide urges visitors to perfectly describe symptoms in order to assure the proper drug is prescribed. The apothecary must understand the full detail of your symptoms. A tour of the Public Gaol (Jail) shows that prisoners received only the very basic necessities.

Being featured in the afternoon is the Revolutionary City – various skits available to only those with specific passes, which our package includes. The skits portray local citizen’s lives and challenges they faced in this early American time. These vignettes provide excellent insight into life of the citizens in these turbulent times.

The excitement and energy of Colonial Williamsburg is catching as we are immersed into our nation’s past. Visitors walk the same streets as Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and Patrick Henry. The costumed interpreters undertake years of study to accurately portray the founding fathers in first person presentations every day. You can see them in Revolutionary City's street-theater scenes, or ask your questions during "Conversation with a Founding Father" programs. The everyday people in the Historic Area also made contributions and influenced our society, culture, and self-governance. In the Historic Area, you have the opportunity to meet servants, farmers, preachers, craftsmen, and shop owners and hear their stories of life in this era. You can stop and chat with a sheep farmer as he shears a sheep or walk alongside a farmer who guides oxen pulling a wagon with supplies to town. You become part of this colonial town.

Being avid golfers we stop at Horseshoe Golf Course, to obtain information on tee times, fees and other Williamsburg courses. The Golden Horseshoe is listed as “One of the Top 75 Golf Resorts Around the World”, by Conde’ Nast Traveler and the Rees Jones designed Green Course is rated 4½ stars by Golf Digest. The staff is very courteous, sharing ideas for playing both the Golden Horseshoe and the Green Course during our stay.

We hop on the complimentary shuttle returning to our hotel. The shuttles come frequently making getting around Williamsburg simple. Just park your car and walk or take the shuttles. For dinner we ride the shuttle to Merchant Square, a shopping district on the edge of Colonial Williamsburg with upscale shops and restaurants. After enjoying an excellent dinner at Berret’s Restaurant and Taphouse Grill we return to our hotel to relax and plan our next day’s activities.

Up early the next morning, we use the Fitness Center and then head down to the breakfast room. The hotel has a very good selection of breakfast foods, more than the traditional continental breakfasts. There are plenty of tables inside and outdoors to enjoy our morning meal.

The plan today is to tour the Historic Area of Williamsburg. Specifically touring the many buildings open for guided tours and visiting the various tradespeople’s shops. We start with the most majestic and impressive of the buildings, The Governor’s Palace. Entering the foyer of this beautifully constructed brick building, we are in awe of the 540 guns and swords that decorate the Palace. These weapons line the walls in such intricate patterns that they blend in with the décor. The Palace has housed the early British Governors of Virginia but also the state of Virginia Governors including Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson. After our informative tour of the Palace, we wander through the Governor’s Gardens before going into the Palace Kitchen. We watch the cook prepare meals for the day. He shares insight into food preparation and types of food served during the 18th century. On the tour we notice that all the meats are served with their heads in place, i.e. fish, boar. The guide explains that food was always served with the head so that the guests would know what they were eating. Sometimes the fun of tours is getting insight into the little things, too.

The George Wythe House, a two-story brick residence is our next stop. Our guide explains Wythe was one of the most influential men of the Revolutionary era. He ranked among colonial America’s finest lawyers, legal scholars, and teachers. In fact Wythe trained Thomas Jefferson and John Marshall in the law. The outbuildings of the Wythe House have costumed ladies weaving, spinning and basket weaving. As we tour the Bruton Parish Church, the guide announces there is a noon prayer service and visitors are welcome to attend. We take advantage of the opportunity to participate in this service. Next are visits to the Courthouse where the Declaration of Independence was read from its steps. Then we climb steps into the Magazine which was used to store equipment for protection against Indians, slaves, riots, and pirates. Once the British Governor attempted to empty the arsenal and disable the guns which created additional tension between the colonists and the British.

From the Magazine it is only a half mile walk to Merchant Square, where we locate a great place for a brown bag lunch, The Cheese Shop. The sandwiches are excellent and the outside seating is perfect on this sunny afternoon. Following lunch we wander through the shops and roam the serene campus of the College of William and Mary, the second college in the American colonies. Back to the Historical Area, we tour the Public Hospital built in 1773. It was the first building in North America devoted to the treatment of the mentally ill. The hospital exhibits explain the various treatment methods over the years for the mentally ill or insane. A reminder of how extreme treatments were in the past, causing more damage than cure. The Hospital also houses the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum and the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Art Museum.

Returning to the Historic Area, we stop by the Carpenter’s Shop where the carpenter demonstrates how construction was done in the 18th century. The work and restorations for Colonial Williamsburg are done in these shops using the tools and methods from that era. The carpenter is especially proud of the rebuilding of the kitchen of the Peyton Randolph House to matching the historical specifications. In our tour of the Peyton Randolph House, we have an even better appreciation for the reconstruction of the house and its buildings.

One last stop for the day is the Cabinetmaker’s Shop where the craftsmen explain the cabinetmaking trade. We are impressed with the many items they have made. All furniture they produced was done using both the tools and designs of the era.

The hotel staff recommends The Whalehouse Restaurant for dinner. It is outside Colonial Williamsburg in a shopping district. This restaurant is rustic and specializes in seafood. As we enjoy our meals, our cheerful waiter shares ideas of things to do in the area.

Our first tour on our third day is Wetherburn’s Tavern. The guide explains how the tavern is known for its merriment and conviviality. The tavern was so popular that the owner built an addition called the great room to better accommodate customers. We walk the mile from the town area to Merchant Square to attend the “Conversation with Thomas Jefferson” at the Kimball Theater. Again our package at the hotel included access to tickets for this performance. The auditorium is packed as Thomas Jefferson takes the stage. He states that he has recently left the presidency and is enjoying his time at Monticello, thus setting the time frame for the discussion. Amazing, astounding and fantastic describe the solo performance of the actor, who captures the essence of this great statesman. He even takes questions from the audience and smoothly handles each question addressing them in that time and era. We are both enthralled with the talent of an individual to have the depth of character portrayed. You feel you are really in the presence of Jefferson.

While in Merchant Square, we had a good lunch at the Seasons Restaurant. Checking our calendar of events we rush to catch the “Conversation with George Washington” at Revolution City. The rains come and cutt this short and we go to the Visitor Center where we watch the film on the Rockefellers and their impact on Colonial Williamsburg.

As the weather clears we decide to drive over to Yorktown, VA for dinner. The Colonial Road is a peaceful forested road that connects Williamsburg to Yorktown. At Yorktown we go Yorktown Victory Monument commissioned by the Continental Congress in 1781 to commemorate the great victory at Yorktown. From the Monument there is an excellent view over the York River. In Yorktown, we walk through the River Landing but only a couple of shops are open. The board walk provides beautiful views along the York River. We spot a lot of cars at The Yorktown Pub. When a limousine pulls up and drops off several young ladies, we decided to give it a try. It was a down home Pub and a fun place to enjoy the local flavor.

Based on our conversation with the Pro Shop staff, we made tee times to play the Green Course at 7:40 am and then play the Golden Horseshoe at 1:30 pm. With an early tee time we miss the complimentary breakfast at the hotel and arrive to find the Green Course Club House doesn’t have food. It is a beautiful sunny day and a great day for golf. The course is very well maintained and we enjoy the hilly terrain. As soon as we finish we drive over to the Golden Horseshoe Golf Course. There is time for lunch at the Williamsburg Lodge, across the street. The Lodge is more upscale than the Woodside Hotel and has a full restaurant and bar. The course has some unique holes with blind shots. We both agree that we preferred the serenity and challenge of the Green Course,

We finish our golf day at Golden Horseshoe with drinks at the Gold Club. Debating dinner options, I suggest we cap the day off by going to Kingsmill Golf Resort. Golf Digest recently named Kingsmill in their list of “The 75 Best Golf Resorts in North America.” The Kingsmill River Course hosts the Michelob ULTRA Open, an LPGA Tour event. We arrive and walk around the Pro Shop and patio viewing the James River while watching golfers finish the 18th hole. Dinner is a light meal at the Eagle’s Lounge where we can still watch golfers on the course. As we finish dinner the sun sets for our final day in Williamsburg. It has been an awesome visit to experience our country’s heritage and fun topping it off with a full day of golf.

For information contact:
The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, P. O. Box 1776, Williamsburg, VA 23187-1776
1-800-HISTORY.
www.colonialwilliamsburg.org
Note: Do research before arriving to plan your activities. The Historic area is spread out, it is much easier to stroll from building to building than rush from one end to the other. Upon your arrival you will receive the weekly schedule of activities, building openings, and special programs. This is the perfect guide for planning and mapping out your trip. There are also excellent evening programs to enjoy. We visited in May and it was not crowded, however some areas weren’t open. Summer is the busiest season with activities all day long. Williamsburg is great for all ages.