American Heritage Attractions

Scores of original buildings, hundreds of homes, shops, and public buildings are reconstructed over 301 acres - most on their original foundations. Rare animal breeds, trades, and gardens add layers of authenticity to the recreated town. Walk the soil and the paths where the giants of American History met, discussed, and argued their way in history! Enjoy fine meals in the very same taverns where the likes of Washington and Franklin planned our future. You’ll even have a chance to meet them face to face during your meal, as the staff are all dressed in period costumes, and marvel at the wonderful actors portraying our American heroes. Don’t miss a Fife and Drum parade, a ride in a beautiful carriage, or a visit to the blacksmith, the exterior kitchens, and watch the making of iron tools and trinkets, as well as candles and bread.

Alongside the giants of American history, meet preachers, servants, farmers, and craftsmen and hear their stories. Don't just walk the same streets as Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, and Patrick Henry— walk alongside them. Costumed interpreters undertake years of study to render the founding fathers in first person every day. See them in Revolutionary City's street-theater scenes, or ask your questions during "Conversation With a Founding Father" programs. Meet people who lived in the shadows of America's historical giants, whose faces you won't find on coins or bills. The everyday people you'll encounter in the Historic Area made contributions as momentous as the founding fathers'. Without money, title, property or power, many remarkable individuals influenced the course of America's experiment in self-governance. Meet these preachers, servants, farmers, and craftsmen and hear their stories.

Discover

Visit the farm and the stable where hoofs and horns have as large a role in making the Historic Area authentic as human hands. The Rare Breeds Program populates Williamsburg's pastures and pens with animals that would have been here 200 years ago: the sheep, cows, horses, oxen, chickens and fowls that scratched the dirt and loped the lanes. Plants and blooms authentically native to Virginia in the 18th century unfurl with the seasons in Historic Area gardens. Take a walking tour of gardens both decorative and functional, or stroll at your own pace to see what's blooming.

And There Is So Much More. Visit the Colonial Williamsburg website: www.cw.org to plan your step into history!