This place is pretty amazing even if you're not a history buff. Kids enjoyed the place. There's…read moreunmark parking available. Picnic tables available for a luncheon. They have a visitor center for all your questions. They offer ghost tours as well! If you're in the area definitely stop by and check it out!

Built in the 1600's. At one time the largest private dwelling in colonial America. One of 3 large…read moreplantations. 17 fireplaces, 33 bedrooms! Burned down in 1916. This house has been through a lot over the past centuries. A nice stop to see an interesting architectural feat. Stop by the visitor's center for admission and information about this mansions previous grandeur and storied history.

The largest living museum in the world is Colonial Williamsburg. Original 18th century homes and…read morebuildings (and many reconstructed) line blocks and blocks. There are taverns, a blacksmith, the governor's mansion, and more. With the tours and performances, you can spend the entire day here. You do need a ticket to go inside most of the buildings with the exception of the Bray School and a few others. However, it is free to wander through!

Walking around we came across this & figured why not check it out…read more U can grab tickets through their official site which is easier for the tours inside the building. This was nice, Informative it was a decent way to spend some time learning & checking out the history of this place.

Welcome to Ft. Nonsense!…read more I know, with a name like that it made me second guess myself also. But I recently and randomly happened upon this park on a trip to Tangier Island out of Reedville, VA. The park is as it states is a civil war era earthwork to prevent the Union invasion from the East. The fort has since been literally untouched for over 150 years and has not been restored but preserved as a monument to the determination of the citizens of Mathews to protect The Confederacy from attack. Though there was no battles fought during its time and the fort never used. A funny fact is all of the attacks in the area just so happened to be from the west of Gloucester and the fort was literally built and facing the wrong direction during the times of war in the area. The legend is that this caused a local citizen from the late 1860s to scratch his head and remark, "My what a piece of nonsense". And it's been called Fort Nonsense since. **Overall This is a really cool and small park to check out. They do also have a covered pavilion if you wish to have picnics there. I would defiantly bring some bug spray though if you do, as the skeeter's can be bad. Cheers!

Just a load of, well, nonsense? According to the men who built it back in the 1790s it was, but…read moretoday, it's a nice walk in the park when the sun is shining - a far cry from what it was actually built for, right? This fortified hilltop was built in 1777 by George Washington's Army, mainly to function as an observation and alarm post watching over Morristown and surrounding areas, it also doubled as a place of retreat for guards stationed in the town. The British never made an attack on Morristown... but it's 2018 and here I am - oh my gosh, i'm just kidding!!! The park is well kept, there's a great place to sit and have a bite to eat (just bring some food with you) and I should probably mention to watch out for the mozzies (mosquitos...) - oh they'll getcha good out here!

To set expectations, Yorktown Battlefield, like many battlefields in the U.S., is essentially a…read morefield. There isn't much to see, BUT the signs located throughout are helpful. They also have cannons and other items to help bring it to life. For me, the beauty of this battlefield is in the little museum in the visitor's center and the Nelson and Moore Houses. The Nelson House is a historic home that was struck by cannons during the siege. The Moore House is where the end of the war was largely negotiated. Once you arrive at the visitor's center, pay $15 for a pass that's good for a few days. It also gives you access to Historic Jamestown. Staff will give you maps and more info on the self-driving tour.

We had an incredible time exploring the battlefield and driving from location to location. My…read morehusband is a veteran so we got free admission which pleasantly surprised us that I also qualified as his wife. The staff was so nice and explained everything. We took the map and went to each site, read the plaques and paid our respect to those lost. The weather was perfect and everything was clearly labeled and well taken care of. We had a great time learning all about the battle and touring the grounds.

One of the eighty-eight originals structures in Colonial Williamsburg. The tavern was used for…read moreeating meals, different types of entertainment as well as educational talks. Of course it also served as a place to bed down for the night. The circa 1750 home was both the home and business of Henry Wetherburn, his family & slaves. It was one of the most successful taverns in town and catered to the wealthiest clientele. There are outbuildings in the rear which are also original. It is open for guided tours on selected days, but does not operate as a colonial tavern. Recommend!

How many times have you heard of a barrel, bucket, or cask being made by hand. Well it's just not…read moredone much anymore, but at CW the spirit of doing it the 18th Century way is kept alive. Located off the side street of Nicholoson across the street from the cabinetmaker. There are no demonstrations given, they are doing real work, with real orders. There are no formal tours, but the Cooper will stop what he is doing and show you some work that they are currently doing. They work done by the Cooper is Cooperage. The word itself for the trade of bucket/barrel making derives from the Middle Dutch, or Middle Low German meaning Kopper, or copper from kupe cask, in turn from Latin cupa tun. The gentlemen James I talked with had over 35+!yrs experience at the art of Barrel, bucket, cask and other items making. He was super friendly and led our group through the process woods used etc. Is this a lost art, close to it. Very few shops in the world produce hand made work. The local Craft Beer maker Hardywood took delivery of some CW barrels recently. As in all of the CW trades I have a lot of respect for the skill it takes to continue this old world tradition of making things by hand.

Well, I figured for review #1000 I needed to pick somewhere special and for me that is the cooper's…read moreshop at Colonial Williamsburg. While my reviews for CW will attest to the fact that I'm very down on how the place is run as a whole, I am 100% fascinated by what goes on at this shop. The art (and to me it is an art) of cooperage has more or less not changed in centuries and to me something about that is uniquely awesome because while cardboard boxes and metal containers have replaced wooden casks, if you for example need a cask made, the old school way of making it is still the best way. The one fallacy that you hear is that some people refer to coopers as barrel makers but that's not the full story as a barrel is only one size of cask. If you're lucky enough to visit at a time when James is in he'll be more than happy to talk with you about a barrel, a rundlet or a hogshead just like the difference between wet coopering and dry coopering plus a whole lot more than I can remember. Getting back to James, he's been coopering at CW since the early 70's and before that he got his start in England in a shop that dated back to 1742. He's the real deal in every way about the process and is always extremely generous with his time to answer no doubt the same question a thousand times a day or even questions where in his head he's probably rolling his eyes yet his answer is always gracious. My favorite quote of his which I've heard him say two or three times when asked what he or any of the coopers do is that they make circles. That I suppose while true, is a huge understatement of how difficult the trade actually is. (Only a small handful of people have completed a cooper apprenticeship at CW over the last forty plus years.) For me personally what it boils down to is that watching what the coopers do here is history in its most pure form. You have a trade being done the same way it was done three hundred years ago being taught by people who learned from the prior generation who learned from the prior generation, etc. Those experiences are what make coming to CW worthwhile and they're at the core of what makes the cooper's shop at CW 100% authentic.

Such a cool place. I mean, who's ever heard of a Sunken Garden before!? Great place to meet…read morefriends for a game of soccer or frisbee. My kids LOVED coming here on a visit so they could work their way into a game with students. It's also just beautiful, surrounded by boxwood and stately brick buildings.

At the heart of the College of William and Mary's old campus lies this gorgeous lawn. A remaining…read moreproject from the work relief programs from the Great Depression it lies several feet lower than the campus around it. Free for anyone to visit it is intended for students and community members to come and relax. It exists to beautify the campus and remind those who visit of the strength our country had coming out of the Great Depression, it serves both of these purposes well. Having visited earlier this week I could not imagine giving the Gardens any lower of a rating. It ties the campus together and is an integral part of the William and Mary that exists today.

It's a statue of a teenage Pocahontas. My kids are obsessed with Disney. But whose kid isn't lol…read more Since we were in the area we definitely had to stop by! It's a statue that is located in front of the court house. There's no designated parking. We parked on the street and walked over. There's really nothing around so you would be just going for Pocahontas.

The Everard property is home to three of the original 88 buildings at CW (house - kitchen -…read moresmokehouse). Note that I referenced buildings, because sometimes you will see people reference 88 homes but most of the originals at CW are not homes, but instead are outbuildings. Like my fellow CW loving friend JD pointed out in his superb review, the story of Thomas Everard is a one that for the times in which he lived was no more unlikely than it would be today. Basically he did two things right. 1. He married well. 2. He really hustled his entire life. Not to say that the wealthier contemporaries of the day in town such as Geddy, Wythe, Carter or Randolph didn't hustle, but with some of them there was the presence of inherited wealth and of already having a path set for them whereas with Everard did it all himself. www.history.org/features/orphan/ On the 20+ minute tour we took the volunteers were very knowledgeable about not only Mr. Everard's life but the history of the house. In short form, he had been living there until his death in 1781 after which time the house changes hands multiple times until the CW foundation buys it. The last occupants were two older sisters who had left a lot of the original fabric of the house in tact. They were still using the original detached kitchen as their kitchen. Certain changes took place like removing a 2nd floor porch, a small fenced in front yard/porch and a brick office building next to the house. Also the name of the house by this time was The Audrey House. If you're going to see the house it is not one that is open daily. We were told that the house is only staffed by volunteers and it's Tu-Th-Fr in season and Tu & Fr shoulder season with it being closed in winter. While small, the volunteers we had were great and it is always interesting to know that you're standing in a 300+ year old house that was actually inhabited by the guy who it's named after. Well worth a stop. Brick Office building to the right of the house. https://s3.amazonaws.com/omeka-net/3854/archive/files/2963ed1326d8460a879df207d9cccddb.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAI3ATG3OSQLO5HGKA&Expires=1555545600&Signature=Sc103cDX7WzG8rUmj5jHPDdC2h0%3D House is the 1st on the left from 1928. https://s3.amazonaws.com/omeka-net/3854/archive/files/518d5e43d920e124c8044899eb560053.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAI3ATG3OSQLO5HGKA&Expires=1555545600&Signature=EUke%2FzGxad%2BPZsRYsyTM8AxA0K8%3D Pre-restoration https://s3.amazonaws.com/omeka-net/3854/archive/files/2a5dd81989f2a9cd3a8dc4f994b12586.jpg?AWSAccessKeyId=AKIAI3ATG3OSQLO5HGKA&Expires=1555545600&Signature=hSHs%2B2B2soFcdYV1BhstObOai9A%3D Some other pix of the house www.dailypress.com/features/history/dp-the-restored-thomas-everard-house-colonial-williamsburg-20180228-photogallery.html

The Thomas Everard House reflects the name of the most prominent owner during the 18th century. Its…read moresometimes referred to as the Brush-Everard House. Everard's background is one of a rags to riches. The home is one of the 88 originals on Colonial Williamsburg property. Tours are available for ticketed visitors on selected days. John Brush built the modest story and a half home of split weatherboard in 1718 for himself. He created what is known as a center passage plan in the home that would be later improved upon by Everard. Brush was the Keeper of the Magazine, his profession was of gunsmith and armourer. Brush passed in 1727. The story of Thomas Everard begins in London where he hailed and was an orphan child at Christ Hospital that's still in operation today. The young boy of 10 learned bookkeeping skills that would prove to be the primary reason for his success later in life. Everard moved to Williamsburg Virgina and apprenticed for 7 years. He received his own clerkship for York County Court that he held until he passed in 1781. Everard was also Secretary of the Colony of Virgina. Everard's position and wealth in the community grew after his marriage into the prominent family of Diana Robinson. In the day he was considered a wealthy man with salves and over 1,500 acres of property. Thomas was also a Patriot and public servant. He helped select those that would attend the Continental Congress. Its true as much today as it was then regarding location. The residence just off the Palace Green and beside the Governors Palace was magnificent. The structure was expanded & embellished to reflect Everard's high standing in the civic community around 1770. The home is best known for its elaborate staircase, turned balusters and sweeping handrails. Other decor of imported paint and carpeting. The house as you see it today reflects Everard's 18th century taste for impressing his his guest. The fancy green paint above the parlor fireplace and wall is period after research was completed using paint samples. Wallpaper samples were also used in order to be as correct as possible when the home was restored in the 1940's. The furnishings are both period and actual 18th century pieces of Everard/Brush day. The enlarged home and grounds presents beautifully. There are also original outbuildings including a kitchen and slave quarters in the rear. These can be viewed on the tour. It's interesting to note that the original brick pavers that Everard/Brush would have walked on were excavated in the front of the structure and are seen today. The Everard home had never been a priority of mine to tour, as well as it was never open on days touring. The location beside the Playbooth Theater may have you overlook it, but try not to. The cool story of the man and the unique structure are important to Williamsburg's founding history.