Brenden(sp?) was a wonderful educator. Full of natural knowledge that you could tell he enjoyed…read moresharing. He was kind and soft spoken and his enthusiasm was contagious. He made the experience what it was and it was so refreshing to hear from someone with his passion for the subject. Your was partially self lead and paced which we enjoyed as we had several slower walkers. Walk way was clear and easy to navigate. We liked having the Audio options at our disposal as we went along. Peaceful and enjoyable experience. Once we entered the church Brenden helped our group inside and allowed us time to look around. He was eager to answer all of our questions and customized his talk to what we were interested in. The history here is incredible and we enjoyed learning about this piece of American history. Kudos to St. Luke's for finding Brenden our group agrees he's a gem. Gift shop was cute and offered affordable options in order to be able to take a little something with to remember your day. Affordable tour.

The tour of this small but elegant historical church was really interesting. Lots of details about…read morethe building, which dates back to 1637, and the people who conceived of it and had it built. Great details about its renovation and the original organ that is still in place. Toward the end of the tour, they play a recording of it in action, really amazing considering its age. St. Luke's is a national historic landmark, now surrounded by graves dating back centuries (but there's still room if you want in!) No longer an active church, it is a great setting for learning a bit more about the colonial era and how the local church centered the community (and how the building was designed to be bolder than every other colonial church of its time.) It's located in Isle of Wight County, Virginia, near Smithfield. Unless you are a history fanatic, it's not worth a long trip to get here just for this. But with everything that the surrounding area has to offer in the way of historical buildings, local hams, a few good restaurants, and the hint of salt in the air, this tour is a good way to top off a day trip to the area.

A good place to start on the tour of the battlefield sites that defined America…read more The Yorktown Visitor's Center is the perfect starting point for exploring several of the most pivotal sites in American history. The drive from the main road to the center is scenic, offering glimpses of Virginia's historic landscape before arriving at the center. Getting to the actual center seemed a little confusing as there are arrows describing the car tours to visit various sights when leaving the center. The center is not very large. The exhibits inside are well-organized and interactive, showcasing artifacts from the Battle of Yorktown, maps, uniforms, and weaponry from the era. There is a short film that provides an good overview of the battle and its significance in the history of our American independence. The center also features a gift shop with books, souvenirs, and historical memorabilia. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable and offered suggestions regarding various tours that you could take when driving around the area. There are several well-marked signs leading visitors from the center to the surrounding area sites. The driving tours take visitors through key historic sites connected to the Siege of Yorktown (1781) and the broader Colonial National Historical Park. Overall, the Yorktown Visitor's Center is an great stop, providing an introduction to this historic battlefield and its role in shaping the nation.

Colonial NHP is spread out over Jamestown, Yorktown and a road connecting them. We went to the…read morevisitor center in Yorktown and thought it was great. It did a great job of explaining what led up to the British surrender and how it happened. I especially liked the part of a ship that was built into the visitors center. Walking through it really was like walking through an 18th century ship - very cool. The visitors center did a great job of explaining the surrounding area and helping us decide where to go. I enjoyed it and would definitely recommend checking it out when visiting Yorktown.

An adorable museum run by a very knowledgeable docent. Our…read moretour gave us a vast history of Yorktown and the fishing that used to be so abundant there. When we got to explore the exhibits, we saw how detailed everything was. As someone who is interested in sustainability, the overfishing history was fascinating. It's hard to picture what the York River would be like with all of the fish it had many years ago.

A little gem! First you'll meet Mary and learn of the history of the area, how the bay was formed,…read morewild horses, and waterman restoration efforts of the bay today. We had the pleasure of meeting Bruce, the model boat maker. Bruce's interaction with our son shows his excitement for his craft. The museum is full of information and history, a must visit and we'll worth the nominal entry fee!

Although the tour wasn't "scary" it was entertaining. Our "ghost host" was actually very funny,…read morecharming and informative. They stayed in character the entire time and really kept our attention. We went into 3 houses and instead of touring the homes you just enter a room and sit to hear the stories then move to the next. I think to really elevate the tour it would be nice to see the rooms we are hearing about ! The price was very fair $19 per person and it lasted about an hour and 15 minutes. It was worth our money to get out of the house but I would love to see more interactive things added into this fun experience! We really appreciate our host. Thank you!

The positive: the tour lets you inside three historic buildings including the peyton randolph…read morehouse. The bad: The tour does not cover any lore of actual hauntings ( the unofficial one does) or much of any actual history. Our tour guide misled the tourists from the start by stating most buildings are 250+ years old. When in fact, it was burnt down during the civil war and rebuilt by the Rockerfellers in the 1930s. When another guest directly asked her how old the buildings were she said she did not know. The stories were: 1. About a portal in the basement of the peyton Randolph house, 2: a story the family who previously owned the house might've told their daughters ( unrelated to anything cw, think a bad scary story time on youtube) and 3. About some guy's pipe smoke that can sometimes be smelled- in all fairness I was not paying attention at that point.) Interestingly, she made a comment about how other ghost stories were made up in the 1930's. I think it was an attempt to discredit the unofficial tours? Funny how she didn't know that the buildings were not spooky scary colonial originals but knew cw started in the 30´s. Why to go on the other tours: 1. The only part of the buildings we were allowed to see/enter were the front rooms. 2. Other tours include info on the civil war era, hauntings in the peyton randolph house, and ghostly encounters the staff and workers have had through out the years. 3. They provide accurate information and dates about the buildings.

Old Point Comfort lighthouse is on Fort Monroe I did drive right by it the first time because I was…read moreexpecting it to be on the water side. It's actually sandwiched in between two houses, but if you're walking around I think you would have noticed it quicker than driving. Either way, a beautiful drive or a beautiful walk

Not exactly sure why this was only given 2 stars. The lighthouse and landscape both were beautiful…read more Now I realize this can only be seen from outdoors. Still it deserves more than 2 stars even for the upkeep of the landscape and views alone. We came in the spring. The flowers were blooming. We paid a visit on a weekday. Next to it was the light keeper house. It did state private property. So it was not available to view. You could still take pictures from the outside. Directly across the street is the amazing view of the water. Plenty of parking available and you can take a nice stroll to catch the views and Sunray. We stopped by here on our way back to Maryland. I have a thing for lighthouses. So definitely on my list for returning while in the area. Overall I'll give it a 3.5 rating.

This is a great historical attraction, but you have to know how to navigate it. The signs around…read morethe historical section are not great at all. We stayed a few miles away, so we drove in and parked at the visitors center (paid parking). Go inside the visitors center to get your passes & maps (make sure you get the clip passes as every person manning the doors at the different houses will ask). Go down to the bottom of the visitors center and catch the WATA bus to go into the historical section. We started at the governor's mansion and walked from there. You'll easily get 10,000 steps if you see the whole property, if you have mobility issues you definitely should rent a scooter (there are quite a few rental spots around the visitors center). You can take the WATA bus to most of the big attractions, but walking through really gives you the whole experience. We made the mistake of going on a 95° day in August and quickly realized there is little shade on property. Be prepared to be in direct sun most of the day. We had someone in our group who was hard of hearing using hearing aids, and it was quite hard to hear a lot of the tour guides in the buildings with the echoes. Emily in the governors mansion was the best tour guide by far. A must see attraction, but do your research and plan your trip before coming

Colonial Williamsburg should be so much easier to visit than it is…read more We visited as a family and were really looking forward to the experience, but left disappointed largely because the wayfinding is so poor. The printed map is surprisingly difficult to use, directional signage is inadequate, and it is often unnecessarily hard to work out where you are and how to get to the next attraction or program. And it wasn't just us. I lost count of how many visitors we saw standing staring at maps, apparently trying to figure out where to go next. This was especially frustrating because someone in our party has limited mobility following recent surgery. Walking several hundred yards in the wrong direction isn't just an inconvenience in that situation. In 2026, a major attraction covering an area this large should have proper smartphone navigation. You should be able to select "Governor's Palace," a particular program, restaurant, restroom, or bus stop and get GPS walking directions from your current location, along with distance, accessibility information, and estimated walking time. Better physical directional signs are badly needed as well. There is so much history here and clearly an enormous amount of work goes into preserving and interpreting it. The problem is finding it. Colonial Williamsburg could be a wonderful visitor experience. Unfortunately, today we spent far too much time trying to figure out where we were and where we were supposed to go. This is a very fixable problem, and I hope they fix it.

Tucked away by the entrance of Hampton University is this piece of history. Being an alum of an…read moreHBCU, this one is very special to myself. For those who aren't familiar (and I wasn't until recently), this oak tree is where President Abraham Lincoln stood to give the first Southern reading of the Emancipation Proclamation. And this was a place where newly freed slaves were taught at the Butler School which was built right by the oak tree, which was the beginning of Hampton University as we know it. Tip: There is a small parking lot (Lot 2) where you can park near the tree for free. There is a fence that covers the oak, but behind it is an opening where you can take some pictures up and close. Believe me, it's a sight to see.

If it was not for the Yelp Adventure Bingo challenge I would have never known about this slice of…read morehistory! I'm so glad this was on the bingo board as a place to visit. The location is very convenient there is a parking lot so you could see it. I love to seeing other people visiting the same location while I was there. It's a quick visit, so perfect if you are passing through. The tree is amazing along with the history.

This headquarters is connected to the Petersburg battle, but it's about 10 minutes away from the…read morebattlefield site. It's worth the drive over if you're already visiting the battlefield. It's a small house where you have to ring the doorbell to so the one employee knows to let you in, and then it's a tour on demand as it's not a high traffic site. The tour covers the history of the people who owned the house, the war and making the city a major port for goods, and how it was used by General Grant. There is a great map of the battlefield and some highly realistic and creepy mannequins to better illustrate the site. It's free, no gift shop, but an enthusiastic and informative tour guide. It's also got a nice view of the water.

When you get there, you'll watch a short film and then you can explore the small exhibit inside the…read morehouse. It's definitely worth visiting after you visit the battlefield.