Not that happy with this visit. Maybe it's early in the summer season but not that many places were open, and the period-characters were not as prevalent as before. One thing we did not know, before plunking down our 3-day pass money, was that you can visit the entire street for free. It costs just to entire the shops/stores and to hear all the "entertainment" (talks, tours, etc). I never went to anything because we took our dog, but my wife got to hear some. I could've saved some money. One thing that is very nice is that we can take our dog with us.... just not into any places...on the street only. What my wife saw was very good, but we were looking forward to more of why there was a Revolution and how it came about. This was not there this time. Very peaceful walking around the streets, especially off the main street. read more

See all

Colonial Williamsburg is one of my favorite places! I could easily move right into the houses on The Duke Of Gloucester Street. The admission price to be able to see inside the buildings is a bit expensive, $50 for an adult. I have been here many times and have been inside the buildings, but this was the first time taking my kids. We opted to skip the admission fee, part due to Covid and not all of the buildings being open and part due to the price. There is still plenty to do without going into everything. You can walk the streets, talk to the people, go into the bakery and get a treat. We had a great day. read more

See all

Staff throughout was super nice. Very educational, staff new their history. Great fun for family read more

See all

We have been going here for years. Great time especially if you appreciate history. Also this is a very romantic get away. Stay at the lodge or get one of the houses. This is our favorite. We've stayed at several. The Lighthouse is one of my favorites. Spend the day walking around and have a romantic dinner at a Tavern. Then stay in a house and there is no need to drive. It's great. Enjoy a late walk on a quiet street with lit torches. The hunted tour is fun too. We keep coming back! read more

This place has so much history. I loved everything about this place. All the people dressed up so you feel as if you went back into time. Everything is well kept and clean read more

Want to travel to the past of the colonial era with your family? This is the perfect place to do so! The amount of preserved 1700s buildings, beautiful antique furniture, the attire worn by the staff, and the history you get to learn by these wonderful and knowledgeable staff members makes this the perfect weekend trip. By paying for the tickets, you open yourself to learning about many of the historical buildings and the people who lived in them. The staff giving the tours were funny, friendly, and do not leave you feeling bored. Everywhere you look is a scenic area that gives you insight into the time period of Colonial Williamsburg. The Merchants Square has stores where you can buy souvenirs such as shirts and treats (including delicious wildflower honey!) that make perfect gifts to take back home with you. Of course, dogs are family too and I was happy to see that dogs appear to be welcomed outside. The 1 star taken away is due to the disappointment of the number of closed stores at Merchants Square. I will certainly increase to 5 stars once given the chance to explore more of the adorable shops! My personal favorite part of this trip was the maze. My family and I got stuck in it with another father and son and we had fun together trying to figure our way out, working together with the two strangers (who were which the funniest and most friendly people I have ever met). Through many turns, dead ends, and laughs, we finally got out. These moments are what I know I will cherish forever and I am very grateful to have paid this wonderful visit to Colonial Williamsburg and am looking forward to coming here again! read more

See all

What a beautiful day to be out and walking about. I've wanted to visit Williamsburg for YEARS and finally have it checked off my bucket list. Everyone was so friendly, pleasant and helpful throughout the day and answered endless questions with a continued joy and pleasantness. I was lucky to leave my hometown with 15" inches of snow and walk around Williamsburg with just a sweater on and enjoy the last of the leaves in the trees casting shadows across the streets. Beautiful. Unfortunately I ran out of time, but I will be back to enjoy the remainder of the houses/ buildings I didn't get to visit. All the tour guides that I came across were great with their presentations and answering questions. Just a perfect day read more

See all

Perfect place to go during covid. A lot is outside and you can socially distance over 6ft apart. My family has season passes. We like going there to walk around. They brought some of the experiences outside. Some places are closed. But, I appreciate they are doing giving all things covid. I love the gift shop in the Welcome Center. The staff remains in character which adds to the experience. The governors mansion is amazing! They limit the amount of people inside, so you may have a wait. Dress in layers, and wear good footwear. read more

See all

If you have any desire to know the history of our country, i suggest a visit. It's free unless you want to see more of the inner workings. Good for a nice walk, tree lines streets. All the people I ran into were very polite. Once you done there are a good number of places to relax and have a beer. AND Yorktown and Jamestown are a short drive away. Personally I'd suggest a extended weekend hitting those three and Bush Gardens. There is shopping in the newer market area. read more

Today we finally arrived at this location making the tri-fecta to America's Historic Triangle. Of course it's different during the pandemic. Not everything is open, but enough to fill your day and to get the Colonial Williamsburg experience. There were very few tourists and masks were required in all buildings. The few buildings one can go inside (Governor's Palace is self guided, Courthouse, the Magazine where the King's gun power artillery & ammunition were stored, and Capitol have docents giving a talk) limit the number of people dramatically. There were many shops on and off the Duke of Gloucester one was able to go inside or in the back to see such as the blacksmith, the cook and tinsmith. Altogether it was a nice experience and we didn't have to wait long for tour since it wasn't crowed but we would like to come back when things are fully open to get the full experience. read more

See all

Words can't even begin to describe how incredible my time at CW was. First off, I went in completely blind, I did not know a single thing about CW other than the employees dress in the full garb. Luckily, an old friend of mine who frequents CW gave me the low down. There is so much to do and see here, I don't understand how one could possibly do it all in one day, Overall, I found the trades to be the most interesting thing to view. From the blacksmith, book binders, printing shop, wig making, gardening, armory, etc, it's all fascinating. However, I enjoyed visiting the coffee shop the most. I fell in love with the dipping chocolate, if only I could have it everyday. Overall, CW is a wonderful experience for all ages and it was such a great historical lesson. read more

See all

It's hard to review Colonial Williamsburg as a whole because there are so many aspects that skew to both the positive and negative, but overall,I think this is a great place to visit for a weekend. The first negative I can think of is that they offer either 1 day or 3 day passes for the Colonial area. You definitely need more than 1 day to see everything since the hours of buildings and tours vary by day, but 3 days is overkill. Two days is ideal. We saw everything we wanted to see in the Colonial area in about 1.5 days. We started the first day at the visitor center to pick up our passes and the schedules for the days we would be there. Definitely make sure you get a schedule so you can plan to see specific buildings and tours accordingly. A majority of the buildings had individuals in period clothing talking about the building or what that shop did during colonial days. The buildings that had free tours with them had particularly knowledgeable individuals leading the groups-those were our favorite. There are ample opportunities to purchase beverages and some small snacks as you walk down Duke of Gloucester Street. The street is about a mile long and is the main street of the colonial area. Be sure to make time for the opportunity to dine at one of the historic taverns. It is definitely more about the atmosphere than the food or service. There are some shaded areas but much of the colonial area is out in the open and gets very, very hot in the heat of the summer. Make time for the daily parade down the main street too. There are plenty of children's activities, but I'd recommend waiting until at least age 5 or 6; however, by the amount of little babies and toddlers, many others feel differently. I can't speak to the parking because we stayed at a bed and breakfast just outside the colonial area and walked there in less than 5 minutes each day. I would say that is the way to go if you are visiting as a couple, but I imagine with children, a car and larger hotel room would be ideal. I'm not sure I'd return to visit too soon. Frankly, it's not like the colonial area changes so it'd be more or less seeing the same stuff. We did not get an opportunity to visit Jamestown or Yorktown, so I would like to go back to see those areas. Tickets are not cheap but they are also not Disney-level outrageous either. I'd highly recommend visiting at least once since Colonial Williamsburg holds such a historic significance. read more

See all

Went here for a high school field trip. We had the best tour guide ever, I think his name was Brandon. He was very knowledgeable and funny, and all the staff overall were very very nice and helpful with all the questions we had. The town is beautiful and the tour has a lot of really interesting stuff, exploring the different lifestyles of different business people in the 18th century. They didn't let us eat the food that was cooked from 18th century cookbooks however. Governor's mansion was beautiful. Ghost tour was amazing, we saw the mysteriously glowing windows in that one house that is built over a Native American graveyard. Gracie, our tour guide, was truly amazing. She had us act out certain stories and it was a hoot. I would 100% do it all again. Worth it. Also they let me play the harpsichord :) read more

Colonial Williamsburg - Authentically cooked food from 18th century cook books - Tours Near Me - Williamsburg, Virginia

My husband and I had a nice time touring historic Williamsburg, although there were some disappointments. If it weren't for the excellent (and included in admission) tours provided by interpretors at the Palace and Capitol, I would have probably knocked my rating down to the 3 stars. First, the good - it really is a cool place to explore and walk around. Some of the interpretors do an excellent job when you walk in. For instance, we went to the tailor and the man talking there had so many interesting things to say and fielded plenty of questions. Getting to tour the Palace and Capitol was great, and I would recommend doing these early - we unknowingly managed to catch the last tour of the day at the Palace, 3:15. You can surprisingly spend the entire day here, between trying to hit events listed in the app and just wandering around. Also, I appreciate how interpretors were transparent about the negative aspects of the country's past, especially in regards to slavery. I found the way that people talked about this on-site was responsible and honest. The not-so-good - many activities or places required and additional ticket. The garden. Afternoon music. The stables. This would have been less annoying if we could easily buy tickets in the app, but you can't for everything. It also meant that we would see a flag to indicate a building was open and walk over to check it out, only to discover we needed some kind of extra ticket for entry. All of this, combined with the fact that so many of the buildings just seemed to be stores to buy souvenirs, did have me wondering why we paid admission. Food options in the historic area were sparse and didn't offer much for vegetarians. Only one restaurant was open during our visit, and the host told us she was no longer accepting names for lunchtime. We ended up walking to the nearby Mellow Mushroom instead. Last, we purchased tickets to the ghost tour and I would advise against this. I'm a fan of ghost tours and have taken them in many other cities (like Savannah and Venice), and it just didn't feel like there were enough compelling stories for an hour. We ran into a group that had done an outside ghost tour and they had similar things to say about their tour, so I wonder if it's simply that the location doesn't have the type of stories that make a great ghost tour. Overall, I'm glad I had the experience here and I think anyone interested in history will enjoy it. read more

Very disappointing. Only about 10% of buildings open(they promote 25%) but not accurate. 2 re-enactors gave misleading history slanted towards "white privilege" which were uncalled for and clearly were their own personal "social" statement. I love historic sites, but so little was actually open that $25 was way too much. Is that the regular Covid: multiple times asked to pull my mask even higher over my nose. Made to wait in line, thus forcing us to stand together when nobody was in the particular outdoor space(said as a means to space out visitors). Ironic. Not very welcoming, very standoffish. Many seemed like they didn't want to be around people. Some of the buildings, like the print shop, have re-enactors, but you cannot go in. There are no open windows or doors. You just look thru the window. Weird. The blacksmith shop was an exception. The guys there were super knowledgeable and took unlimited questions about making tools and other items. They knew their history and practical application. If not for them, this would have been a 2 star review. Horse crap covered the road from the carriage rides. No attempt to clean up. First night was so dark that I actually tripped over it because I didn't know it was there. Pro tip: stay on the sidewalks to avoid poop. Colonial Williamsburg Stores mostly overpriced tourist junk. I would not recommend going here until Covid restrictions over. I get there are Covid restrictions, but the people here were not even very friendly. read more

See all

We parked at the visitors center and took the shuttle over. We didn't know you could park much closer and walk. That would have been preferred as so many not wearing masks made us uncomfortable. We purchased tickets excited to visit all the sites but were disappointed to find out most were not open at all and others only let you look in from a doorway over a rope. We would not have spent $70+ for that when we can walk the streets for free. I will say all of the actors were friendly and informative in the capital and outdoor trades we did get to see. read more

Save yourself the entrance fee because you don't need to pay to walk the streets. To get into any of the buildings is a wait. You aren't allowed to just go in and see the places, they're all mandatory guided tours so you have to wait in the queue until the next tour time. Colonial style restaurants were expensive too. It's worth it to go and walk around, but don't waste your money on tickets. read more

Customer service member in Visitor Center was miserable. Asked her if there was any discounts, she said miliary and first responders only. I asked about senior, aaa or aarp discounts, she said 62 for seniors, and we had to print out aaa form for discount of 10%. She finally owned up to discount online. We ended up with $13 discount each, thus way. We were then told to walk to main area. This was a very long walk. When we got there it was all about selling more stuff. No schedule for re-enactments. We stumbled on Governors mansion tour, the host spoke real fast, abd not at our level. He sent us in to a room and when we got out he hadn't waited for us, was almost finished talking about next room. Weaver talk was good. Then long walk back to car. Back at Visitors Center, we saw a sign for "Shuttle Service". Extreme poor communication, Waate of time and money. read more

My friend Bill bought a Big Mac. I swiped it and ate it. Yes, I stole Williamsburger. This town is named after that travesty. Williamsburg is a beautiful and historical city which most people have already heard of, and a lot of people have visited. If you haven't visited then you should. It's basically like a costume reenactment paradise. The entire place is in a permanent stage of reenacting cannoli all times. That's pretty amazing. Well it would be amazing if it were reenacting cannoli, but it's not. Battles, colonial times, but not cannoli. You can blame voice dictation for that one. It's otherworldly, and as much as I don't like periods... I mean period stuff... I mean you know what I mean... I was transported and amazed at how well this place works, not to mention it's FREE TO ENTER and you can wander around for hours FOR FREE and I can't imagine you can get better entertainment than this FOR FREE anywhere in America (except with me, tonight, ahem). Did I mention it's FOR FREE. read more

Colonial Williamsburg - This way to the old people - Tours Near Me - Williamsburg, Virginia

Such a beautiful place. I enjoy art and history. Just to stroll by for a nice walk it truly is relaxing. read more

See all

Am absolute must in the Richmond area. I've been here dozens of times from childhood to now. It's been a staple I'm the area for a long time. It's a great way to be interested in the history of the area while enjoying the food, shops and experiences. You can purchase a pass to the whole area for the day and enjoy. There are some areas you can access without the pass, but I recommend it so you can do the tours and learn from the employees playing various historic roles. There are a few hotels on the main road, one of which is suppose to be haunted. There pricier but very fun. Definitely eat at one of their restaurants. Make reservations. Overall: A++ A wonderful immersive historic experience. Worth every penny. read more

Colonial Williamsburg always slaps! The tickets are worth it to get the tours and inside shoppe looks! Jackie at the Capitol was incredible! So enthusiastic and had us hooked the whole tour! Anne at the Bruton Parish had every date on lockdown and could answer every question!! Great day of touring for the whole fam! read more

Colonial Williamsburg - Governor's Palace Gardens - Tours Near Me - Williamsburg, Virginia

See all

We loved the To Hang a Pirate evening show. Educational and thought provoking. The pirate wanted an attorney but didn't have the money to pay one, I was reminded that an attorney wasn't a right in colonial America. read more

Wife and I stopped to refresh our history knowledge. So glad we did. Unfortunately we only spent one day here. Definitely recommend a minimum of two days. Linda at the information desk was extremely helpful. Highly recommend. read more

So we decided to come visit Williamburg for a family trip and as someone who enjoys learning about history, the good, bad and the ugly, we all thought visiting Colonial Williamsburg would be an informative trip as it takes place in the 18th century, which of course was not all good considering what happened during the 1700's-1800's to Native Americans and Africans. I thought by visiting this place and exploring it for a few days, we might get an overall unbiased view of everything that happened during the Colonial period by those actors-historians here, however that could be nothing from the true. First, my family is Interracially mixed and because of that I see stuff that the majority of the population does not see, or chooses to ignore. After spending about one hour here my wife and I noticed no one looked like her. Strange, not a single black person visiting here, except for my family. Then all of a sudden we saw a black guy who was working here and we asked him. It turns out that Colonial Williamsburg no longer talks about slavery and the negative history that occurred here during that time because some "people" started to become uncomfortable with it. Okay, so lets hide something horrible here and ignore it because people get uncomfortable and no longer want to spend their money here. That is terrible. Visit Charleston, South Carolina and there they actually talk about the slave trade industry and how the whole government in the city was envolved with it, they do not hide from it. Yet, Colonial Williamsburg likes to sweep many things under the rug and hope it guests are to ignorant to know better. It is sad, but after talking to another local resident in town she told me the same thing, and then some. I cannot and will not support a place that sugarcoats American history all because it is too difficult for some individuals to discern its true outlines. People were oppressed, enslaved, segregated and lynched. I would not support this place with their outrangous ticket costs of $41 adult tickets and $21 kid tickets. If you want to learn about Colonial Williamsburg, ask the locals, you were learn more than you can possibly imagine. [Review #512] (97th Review of 2017) read more

See all

It's a really fun experience, any history buff would enjoy it. Make sure you plan several days or you're going to miss a lot.

It was fun and interesting though not worth the price of admission. You can walk around for free but cannot get into certain buildings without a ticket. It wasn't worth the money. read more

Maybe the worst historical tour I've ever experienced. Virtually zero information about what you were looking at. Zero context whatsoever. The individuals dressed in period costumes had almost no personality and showed no interest in their character. The bus system that was supposed to get your around made little sense and the App to download was useless. read more

Colonial Williamsburg - Briton Parish Williamsburg VA - Tours Near Me - Williamsburg, Virginia

I've been here a couple of times and I've always enjoyed myself. I've done the week long passes which get you into all the buildings and tours and include Busch Gardens and their waterpark (which I'm sure is seasonal) but that's a lot of stuff to do if you spend a few days at CW and one each at the other locations. There are a LOT of buildings, private residences and a lot of skilled laborers who know their craft and can answer a lot of specific questions (blacksmiths, cabinet makers, wig maker, weavers, brick makers, etc) and regular townsfolk interpreters and some historical interpretors who give speeches (only made it to James Madison who was great but they also have Thomas Jefferson and George Washington tours) Now at Christmas time, there are a lot of holiday events which cost extra but are really unique to this place. I went to a Civil War Christmas concert and those singers were really great and it was a mix of holiday time period songs and some history on what else soldiers would have sang. A new feature is you can shoot a musket! Like a real one! It's a little pricey, but where else can you shoot with old timey weapons? They are slightly modified so it doesn't take so long to load and you don't get that annoying possibility of exploding in your face if done incorrectly. I think for history fans this place is fun and informative and is great for adults and children. I would definitely recommend trying this place. read more

Colonial Williamsburg - Muskets! - Tours Near Me - Williamsburg, Virginia

Loved our trip to Colonial Williamsburg. Enjoyed all the tours and the shops and restaurants. Had an excellent dinner at Christina Campbells. Wish we would have had more time there. The history of this city was so interesting. read more

Dave Matter at the visitor center information desk was lovely and provided age-appropriate details and ideas for our family's visit. He was the best ambassador for CW that we met today. read more

Great place to walk around and see the architecture and creative Christmas wreaths. Very well maintained.

Review #235 - 2019 We showed up at around 2:30 PM on Saturday, August 31st. We walked around the gift shops a bit & decided to visit the historic sites around 3 PM, which was 2 hours before closing. I kind of expected a small discount considering it was close to closing, but we were still charged full price--which is why I deducted 1 star. The place is huge so we didn't make it through more than 1/4 of the place before we had to leave around 4:15 since we had to meet a group of friends for dinner at 5:30 PM. Considering that we paid for the tickets, it was a little disappointing since we didn't make use of the any of the things that were offered since we were short on time. We just walked around and people watch & took pictures. Even then, I could still tell that they put a lot of effort into the landscaping & keeping the place in its close to "original conditions" as they possibly could. Many of the businesses were actually still open so you can buy snacks at the grocery store, which we ended up buying some soft serve ice cream & it definitely kept us cool while walking in the heat. If we had more time, it would've been well worth every dollar we paid for the tickets, I'm sure! read more

Colonial Williamsburg - 08/31/2019: Just a few things that caught my attention... - Tours Near Me - Williamsburg, Virginia

See all

Definitely a sub par experience. The streets are nice to walk however there were hardly any towns people to talk to and even when you went by them they didn't seem overly interested in engaging I'm so happy I read another Yelp review and didn't purchase tickets. You definitely DO NOT need to buy tickets. Most of the houses that you need a ticket for were closed. With a family of 5 I saved myself $250 I would have expected it to be more decorated for Christmas and more bustling with activity. Nice time for a stroll but that's about it. read more

This place is a shadow of itself . There were few midday options to eat . There were few re-enactors and the entire place was sparsely staffed . It depends on the day of the week what is staffed . Most people just walk down the street for free. The guides talk to the visitors as if they were middle school students , Colonial Karens . Do yourself and your bank account a favor and take a pass on this place . read more

Colonial Williamsburg is a living history museum and private foundation presenting a part of the historic district. We explored the 301 acre restored or re-created buildings from the 18th century. First built in 1699, it is a US National Register of Historic Places. Enjoyed the costumes employees and the tours which were very safe during this Covid time. read more

See all

Paid nearly $70 pp months in advance to wait in long lines all day because last minute they announced last minute that all is free to the public. They would not issue a refund. Regret coming to this place, should've went to Jamestown instead. read more

First visit to Colonial Williamsburg post Covid and it's good to see everything open again. All interpreters wear masks and non vaccinated guests are likewise required to wear masks when entering any building. In order to see the craftsmen at work you must have a ticket and they are still limiting group size since most of the workshops are very small. We enjoyed watching the silversmith at work particularly and learned a lot about why handmade work is so expensive. We also visited the milliner and the tin smith and enjoyed the gardens and shops. We've been before so when it started to get hot we decided to head out and get some lunch. A beautiful spot, with engaging and well informed interpreters. This place brings to life early American history in a wonderfully authentic and immersive atmosphere. It's a little expensive but well worth the price - and combo tickets with Busch Gardens or one of the other Historic Sites nearby help to reduce the cost if you have more than one day to spend in the area. Highly recommend! read more

See all

Super cute activity to do with friends and family. Very educational. We didn't buy the $50 pass per person to go inside some of the houses but we still found it to be a fun experience and worthwhile. read more

Colonial Williamsburg - Family selfie - Tours Near Me - Williamsburg, Virginia

We were in Virginia for another reason but figured it was a must to visit some sort of historic site. I'll start with the ample parking and pleasant staff providing lots of info on what there is here. We were able to walk around and take in the historic buildings. It's interesting to note that many of these are used as just regular homes. It different detract from the historic vibe though. You can see so much including actors dressed in period pieces and firing a cannon. There are cool shops to pick up souvenirs and restaurants to enjoy. You can also upgrade your visit like we did to include ghost tours and a mock witch trial. It was a great way to spend the day, and trust me, it was pretty much the whole day. We did quite a bit of walking around and luckily we had beautiful weather. Really glad we were able to experience this. read more

See all