Getting to Know Williamsburg, VA
Williamsburg, VA is a fascinating step back in time to our Colonial heritage. Colonial Williamsburg is a living-history museum presenting part of a historic district. This district is an interpretation of a colonial American city. You will see exhibits of dozens of restored or re-created buildings.
There is much to experience and learn at Colonial Williamsburg. However, the surrounding areas offer many other exciting, fun and educational opportunities for the whole family. Peruse our suggestions and plan your next visit to Williamsburg, VA!
Arts & Culture
Muscarelle Museum of Art
The Muscarelle Museum of Art, which is a part of The College of William & Mary. It is a dynamic environment for exploring art at all ages and all levels of experience and interest. By combining traveling exhibitions and strong collections, the Muscarelle offers diverse programs. Some of these include gallery talks and lectures focused on current exhibition. Art classes and workshops and collection research opportunities are also available.
Art Galleries
Art is alive and well, as evidenced by the 30+ art galleries dotting its streets and corners. Enjoy a day enjoying the works of artisans near and far in beautiful Williamsburg, VA.
Outdoor Activities
Ziplining with GoApe
Just just minutes from downtown Williamsburg, VA awaits a most unique adventure in the treetops! Upon arrival at the Go Ape cabin, participants are outfitted with all the necessary equipment and given training before being set free into the forest canopy to soar 40-50 feet above the floor!
Lakewood Trails
Enjoy a good old fashioned horseback ride on one of several riding trails offered by Lakewood Trails. Experience the traditional English style of horseback riding, much as it was done in Colonial Virginia
Alliance Tall Ship Cruise
Set Sail for Adventure aboard the Yorktown schooners Serenity and Alliance and return to the by-gone days of old sailing ships. The knowledgeable crew will harmonize past with present as you sail down the York River past the battlefield where our country won its independence. You may see dolphins or osprey, working watermen, or perhaps sail past a naval warship or submarine!
Attractions
Jamestown Settlement
Experience a journey of historic proportions when you visit the Jamestown Settlement and the Yorktown Victory Center. They are two living-history museums that recreate the story of America’s beginnings, from the founding of America’s first permanent English colony in 1607 to the Revolution and the establishment of a new nation almost two hundred years later.
Jamestown Glasshouse
No visit to Historic Jamestowne is complete without a visit to the Jamestown Glasshouse. American manufacturing began here with a “trial of glass“. In 1948, glass furnaces were re-discovered, excavated and reconstructed at “glass point” near Jamestown. Today, in and interpretive facility, glassblowing is again performed at Jamestown. To create an authentic experience, the artisans don period clothing and produce glass objects much in the same way they were produced 400 years ago
Yorktown Battlefield
See the place where American independence was won at the Yorktown Battlefield. Here on October 19, 1781, British forces under Lord Charles Cornwallis surrendered to the combined American and French armies led by General George Washington. This concluded the battle that signaled the beginning of the end of the fight for American independence
Check out the rest of our “Off The Beaten Path” blog series: Orlando & Las Vegas
