Experience Colonial Williamsburg from the mundane to the grand. Stroll along Duke of Gloucester Street to several historic trade shops and take the pulse of mercantile life, humming now as it did more than 200 years ago. Fine and varied shops serve Colonial Williamsburg’s guests-visitors from afar or local residents.

Sit on the straight-backed benches at the reconstructed Capitol, still ringing with the echoes of Patrick Henry's defiant speeches and the fiery debates leading to the American Revolution. Put yourself in the place of the courageous Virginia planters and tradesmen who risked all for principle, to triumph or perish together. It's not difficult when you're practically standing in their shoes in the Hall of the House of Burgesses or warming in the taverns where much of the real ferment of the Revolution occurred, helped along by generous tankards of ale. You can quaff one today and ponder the ever-present frustrations of taxation and representation.

The Governor's Palace is just one of the attractions in the 301-acre Historic Area, which The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation began reconstructing in 1926. Today, the Palace and other major edifices stand on their original foundations or have been rebuilt and refurbished inside and out to original specifications or scrupulously researched estimates.

Probably the largest program of diversified 18th-century trades in the world can be found in the busy shops scattered throughout the colonial capital. Here you can find such artisans as the blacksmith, shoemaker, gunsmith, printer, cabinetmaker, and wigmaker plying their trades and handicrafts just as they did in colonial times.
Guests can observe these skilled workers using colonial period tools to fashion articles of beauty, utility, and character. At the same time, you’ll learn much of the daily activities of the "middling sort"-men and women who operated respectable small businesses. These shops are open year-round on rotating schedules.

Colonial Williamsburg's landscape and gardens grow gloriously-ranging from the sumptuously formal to the charmingly natural. Each reflects characteristics of the 18th-century penchant for order, practicality, and beauty and incorporates architectural features and outbuildings, such as the kitchen, well, or dovecote. Arbors and shaded walks serve as cool outdoor retreats in the summer. (smokehouses and dairies are rare-only really applies to Peyton Randolph in Historic Area and the archaeologists have decided the dairy on the site is from a later period!)

Some gardens are laid out along a central path with crosswalks, others around a rectangle, an oval, or a square. Each is different. There are also varieties of patterns for the gateposts and fences that enclose each lot, as the original law of 1705 requires, with "Wall, Pales or Post and Rails." Most guests come with questions: "What was everyday life in 18th-century Williamsburg like?" What would I have done for work, recreation, and entertainment if I had lived here?" and "What types of people would I have known?"

Colonial Williamsburg offers year-round programs that focus on the answers. Whether discussing the roles of women and African Americans; exploring the conduct of business, commerce, and government;, or offering insights into entertainment and leisure, Colonial Williamsburg's tours and programs provide windows into the culture of 18th-century Williamsburg.

Programs are offered throughout the year-some during the day, others only at night; some are available during specific seasons. To feel the true spirit of Williamsburg and those who lived, worked, and played here, it is recommended that you participate in a Colonial Williamsburg tour or program. Besides great learning experiences, the programs are just plain fun!

Begin your Colonial Williamsburg experience at the Visitor Center. There you will learn about the various programs and special events throughout the Historic Area and take advantage of shuttle service that circles the Historic Area. Colonial Williamsburg is open year-round. Hours for the Historic Area are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Evening programs include musical and dramatic events. A variety of admission passes is available at the Visitor Center and ticket offices in the Historic Area.