Art isn't something I thought of when visiting Colonial Williamsburg, but I ended up spending more time here than at the actual living museum. Here's why. 1) Admission: It's free to anyone regardless whether or not you have a ticket. Park in the nearby lot (don't forget to pay via the app or QR code) and walk right in. Staff are more than willing to guide you to where to start. 2) Art: The building itself houses this museum and another one. It's hard to tell which is which, but I recommend visiting every gallery. Each gallery comes with helpful signs that bring the art to life and explain about preservation. 3) Space: It's very big so you can easily spend 2-3 hours visiting. There are restrooms and places to rest throughout. read more

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Last year, Colonial Williamsburg changed entry to this museum from requiring a paid ticket to free access. The free access now makes this museum a terrific value for locals and visitors. The museum has excellent exhibits in furniture, textiles,18th- and 19th- century clothing, folk art, clocks, and so much more. In addition, the museum houses a comfortable theatre for lectures, music, and plays. Sometimes the shows have a fee, but many are free. There also is a counter service museum cafe that provides soups, chili, salads, sandwiches, desserts, and beverages with a large open seating area. In addition, the gift shop sells upscale Colonial Williamsburg merchandise and jewelry. Free parking can be found on the side street or in a small lot across the street. Paid parking is available in nearby lots, many of which provide the first hour or two free. read more

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Wow, what a place. If you go to Williamsburg you have to include this in your trip. They have a dizzying variety of colonial and American items, weapons, clocks, furniture, clothing, toys, art. Really every aspect of life. I'm not a big fan of the layout, it is hard to tour in a methodical way, you have to backtrack to see every room and I think you'd want to see every room. read more

DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum - Noah's ark. - Art Galleries Near Me - Williamsburg, Virginia

An interesting choice as part of the Colonial Williamsburg museum pass, I enjoyed my time here at the DeWitt Wallace. A lot to see and a tremendous amount of reading involved. Lots of history and background along with the exhibits and artifacts. There's a happy medium between too little and too much, I found this to be leaning over towards too much. But that's just my preference. Music, clothing, lots of furniture, paintings, firearms even a display dedicated to firefighting during Colonial times. Interesting, for sure. Easy to spend half a day here, I was a bit tired of it after 90 minutes. [Review 12168 overall, 1952 of 2019.] read more

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This is a CAFÉ review. It was awful. Club sand which was cold, dry and seemed to have been in a fridge unwrapped. Cheese dried out and roll was dry as dust. Had to ask them to make it fresh. read more

We thought this was a beautiful and well done museum. We opted out of the tour guide and took an hour and a half to browse. My wife really enjoyed the Musical instruments display and the China and Silver displays. I liked the music and the archeological displays. I was really fascinated by the above ground mental hospital portion, the rest of the museum is huge and appears to us to be underground (you don't even know it's there until you take the steps or elevator down to it). Well worth a visit. read more

DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum - Best original portrait of George Washington I have ever seen. Sorry for shadow it was covered in glass. - Art Galleries Near Me - Williamsburg, Virginia

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I was in need of a relaxing 3 hour museum stroll and finished part of the first level. The collections were fascinating. The cafeteria is open until 3pm - I walked twenty minutes after the cafe closed. Admission prices are fair. Mask requirements are in place. read more

What a fantastic place I did not have time to check in yesterday So much to see and so little time I took my aunt and we went on three different tours in the museum First - decorative arts highlights given by Barbara Smith a volunteer (all three ladies that gave us the tours where volunteers) Very nice and informative Second - Introduction to folk art Abby Aldridge Rockefeller museum located inside the Dewitt Wallace I believe the lady's name was Amanda That also was very informative and interesting Third- Focus on furniture The material world of the early south Lovely lady by the name of Ann took us around and gave us information on restoration where a lot of the pieces were acquired or on loan from different families and homes So many things to see and a nice little cafe inside the museum for lunch Definitely worth the $12.99 admission price read more

My one day pass entitled me to two museums. I choose the Dewitt Decorative Arts Museum. Incorporated in the same building is the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum and Public Health Hospital circa 1773 Museum. These three museums are considered one museum. For my other museum I choose Basset Hall which was John D. Rockefeller's Retreat. My visit was in late April and the museum did not open until 10 am and closed at 7 pm. They have a museum café )sandwiches, soup, beverages and desserts) which is nice for a break. There is a lot of reading. The DeWitt Wallace has a lot of American and British antiques. Furniture, metals, ceramics, glass, paintings, prints, firearms and textiles from the 17th, 18th and 19th century. The museum store has items which reflect the museum's collection, as well as, music and books. I particularly enjoyed Mapping America's Roads from the Revolution to Independence, Silver Mine to Masterpiece with Paul Revere silver, keyboard instruments (1700-1830) with Spinets, and Military and Civilian Weapons. The Hennage Auditorium has a lecture series but you have to check the daily schedule for time and subject. Their online site has an interactive showcase of various objects in their collection with picture and full descriptions so bring you smart phone. This museum is really worth the time spent and ideal for a rainy day. The Colonial Williamsburg free shuttle makes a stop right in front of the museum. If you are going to see a museum, see this one. The museum is handicapped accessible. Show less read more

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Wonderful museum. Something for everyone. Must see. Admission included in most colonial Williamsburg tickets or get a separate pass. Regular updates to the exhibits. We come here several times a year and always see something new. read more

DeWitt Wallace is one of the museums located inside the Art Museums building at CW. If you have a CW ticket (single day pass or annual) you have free admittance to the museums too. They're worth checking out, and a really cool complement to the living history of CW itself. If you don't have a CW ticket, it costs $14.95 for the art museums - probably worth it if you're into this kind of thing, and/or are facing a rainy day in Williamsburg. We came to DeWitt Wallace primarily to check out the fashion exhibit - they have a really cool selection of clothing pieces from colonial America on display, well balanced with information and other visuals (like pieces of fabrics and other components) to help you understand what you're seeing and put it in context. 100% recommend. If you're interested in learning more about the seemingly subtle meaning communicated by various artistic choices in Colonial America, this museum is definitely worth checking out. The exhibit on pottery/china, for instance, got me really fascinated by the trajectory of pottery finishing and decorating techniques and how that impacted food storage and the wealth/luxury conveyed by particular pieces. It deepened my understanding of china I saw on display in CW houses - which I have to say I had literally never considered before. DeWitt Wallace is kind of wrapped up and around the Folk Arts Museum, which would be confusing except it doesn't really matter which one you're in at any given moment - they're both cool and accessible with the same ticket. The food hall is really top notch for a museum - arguably better than most (all?) the food options in central CW itself. The gift shop is also pretty cool, and has a more varied selection than most of the CW shops. Swing by both if you're at the museum. read more

This is a great little museum, housed in the same building as the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum, which also happens to be the former public hospital for Colonial Williamsburg. And by "publick hospital" they mean looney bin. The hospital itself is worth a visit, too. Your Colonial Williamsburg pass will get you into the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum. If you're not into rooms of furniture or silverware -- like you're one of those people who falls asleep in the Met's or the Smithsonian's -- you might want to skip DeWitt. I happen to geek out over this kind of thing, tho, so I happily visited after wandering through the AARFAM. The DeWitt collection is truly beautiful and truly extensive. The focus is on American decorative arts, and we certainly have a fantastic legacy here. My favorites are all those beautiful cabinets/secretaries, some with intricate inlay, others more simple and folksy. No matter the piece, however, the craftmanship on display at the DeWitt is awesome. Also on display are silverware (not just forks and knives) and china, and the few odds and ends hard to categorize. Like the 18th century barometer. Very cool. Kids probably won't go crazy in this half of the museum, but adults will really enjoy it. The DeWitt, along with the AARFAM, is a little gem you shouldn't overlook on your trip to the 'Burg. read more

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Plan to spend 2-3 hours at the DeWitt Decorative Arts Museum--it's part of Colonial Williamsburg, free if you buy the ticket. This museum had a small museum upfront with a special exhibit on mental health care history (it changes) and local art, attached to a huge two floor museum with the regular collection of colonial American arts and crafts including jewelry, silverware and pewter, ceramics and imported porcelain, musical instruments, glass works, and items excavated from the Williamsburg old town area. There were many fascinating tidbits of lore and about people. Bathrooms were readily available. read more

This one of the Colonial Williamsburg museums. It includes items from the colonial period particularly furniture, silver, pottery, glass, and tableware. Most of the items have Williamsburg or nearby Virginia origins, but include items from other colonial areas particularly the South. One could easily spend hours or days in this museum. One hour tours are available where guides point out and describe highlights and representative items of interest for those unable to spend extensive time viewing the exhibits. Admission to the museum is included with an admission to Colonial Williamsburg. I would recommend that Colonial Williamsburg visitors include this museum in their visit. read more

This museum is a part of Colonial Williamsburg and is included in your day ticket. I would skip the guided tours that are offered every few hours and just explore the museum yourself. We joined one of the guided tours and left the tour after five minutes when we found something more excited to explore. Make sure to explore the hospital that is connected to the museum - it is quick and only takes about 5 minutes. read more

By far the highlight of my Williamsburg trip. Great museum, reasonably priced and an incredible collection of Revolutionary furniture and other furnishings. We missed the guided tour and I think that is the only thing that could have improved our experience. Take the time and visit. read more

I, like many a dork, enjoy a good museum. This museum, however, is mostly furniture and silverware without too much in the way of explanation regarding the cultural significance of the pieces. I don't mind a museum with these types of items, but I really do prefer to know why they are important instead of having to guess. read more

My favorite museum in Williamsburg! I love the variety of ever-changing exhibits - something for everyone. And always very well done, in true CW style. read more

I love colonial style furniture and this museum has a great collection, along with a huge assortment of silver and pewter pieces and pottery. It is so important to save these pieces of the colonial era, and the museum has done a wonderful job...well worth spending time here. There is a cafe in the building, but we had just finished lunch, so did not stop in. read more

This is a beautifully done museum, but I will not return simply because of how rude the staff is. And if you have a child, don't be fooled by the children's area in the museum....they do NOT welcome children. I had one woman glare at me for a good five minutes and then make rude comments about me out loud for bringing my child into the building. Also, the woman at the front desk has been rude to me the last 4 times I have visited. Even telling me I was going to break things in the museum with my purse. I've even had multiple employees glare at my daughter, who was holding my hand and not making a sound. I definitely won't be visiting anytime soon, or donating any more of my money. read more