CW Planner

(re)educate

This theatrical performance explores the agency of free and enslaved students of the Williamsburg Bray School and the legacies of their lessons.

A Gown in a Day

Visit with the Mantua-makers at the Margaret Hunter Shop throughout the day to track their progress as they create a gown from start to finish in an eighteenth-century workday.

A Patriotic American For Home Educators

Elizabeth Braxton, the wife of one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence, reflects on her family's changes, challenges, and consequences during the Revolution.

A Public Audience with the 1st First Lady, Martha Washington

Join Mrs. Washington as she speaks about being the first President’s wife and the expectations placed upon her while the new Nation watches on.

A Public Audience with the 1st President, George Washington

Meet with President Washington as he looks back over his long career in public service.

A Public Audience with the 3rd President, Thomas Jefferson

Meet with President Jefferson as he looks back over his long career in public service.

A Public Audience with the 4th President, James Madison

Join President James Madison as he reflects on the invention of the executive branch of the United States.

A Taste of Freedom

This performance tells the story of Americus Weston’s journey to freedom during the Civil War, developed to commemorate Juneteenth.

A Taste of Freedom For Home Educators

This performance tells the story of Americus Weston’s journey to freedom during the Civil War, developed to commemorate Juneteenth.

All Things are Possible

On September 5, 1791, Robert Carter III recorded an extraordinary document. Why did the largest slaveholder in Virginia do what most of his peers consider impossible?

American Indian Interpretation

Explore the diverse cultures of Native peoples striving to preserve their traditional way of life and learn about their roles in creating a new country.

An Apprentice Founder's Workday

Learn about the daily routine of an apprentice at the Geddy Foundry by completing a pewter spoon to take home from start to finish.

An Evening with the Presidents

Join George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison for a discussion of their experiences as president. Hosted by Alvin D. Hall.

Armoury Activity Stations for Home Educators

Enhance your visit with our educational activity stations. Explore Anderson’s armoury compound and learn about the war’s demands on Williamsburg’s industry.

Art Museums Members: English Portraits

Art Museum Members are invited to join us for a private tour of our exhibition of English portraits with Kate Rogers, assistant curator of paintings, drawings, and sculpture.

Art Museums Members: Promoting America

Private tour for Art Museum Members of "Promoting America" with Katie McKinney, The Margaret Beck Pritchard Associate Curator of Maps and Prints.

Art Museums Members: Stitched in Time

Art Museum Members are invited to join us for a private tour of the exhibition Stitched in Time with Kim Ivey, senior curator of textiles.

Backstory

During this guided tour, explore the hidden stories behind the objects on display in our museums.

Beginner Workshop: Botanical Art

Learn methods to capture the botanical world in watercolor in this two-day workshop with Linda C. Miller, a local artist.

Beginner Workshop: Gunsmith

Join the Gunsmiths for the layout of sheet brass to make three pieces of a rifle. Participants will make a barrel loop, a ramrod thimble, and the finial of a patchbox.

Beginner Workshop: Tailor

Simple materials and skills produced a broad range of useful buttons and a very large industry in the 18th century. Join the Tailors and make two types of thread-covered buttons.

Beginner Workshop: Tin Plate Worker

Join the Tin Shop in exploring the unique properties of tin-plated iron by creating a practical lighting device, a cellar stick.

Bray School Preservation Launch

Please join us as we officially launch the preservation of the Williamsburg Bray School at its new, permanent exhibition site in Colonial Williamsburg's Historic Area.

Capitol Activity Stations for Home Educators

Enhance your visit with our educational activity stations. Learn about the founding principles of our government and your rights and responsibilities.

Capitol Freedom Tour for Home Educators

Students and their families are invited on an engaging and interactive tour of Virginia’s second capitol building.

Chamber String Recital

Come to this beautiful 18th-century worship center and enjoy a candlelit concert by The Violin Studio of Loretta McCray.

Clothing Enslaved People in Colonial Virginia

This lecture will explore some of the complex relationships between apparel, labor, identity, and enslavement.

DIY Craft: Inspired by the Collection

Celebrate National Craft Month at the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg.

DIY Craft: Jane Austen

Explore objects on exhibit through the works of Jane Austen, then make an inspired bookmark to take home.

DIY Craft: Quilting

Join us at the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg and learn about the quilt and the maker, then enjoy a mini quilting project.

DIY: Centerpieces

Celebrate spring with this hands-on class that shows you to make a cheerful centerpiece perfect for your end table or mantel.

Disaster Strikes! The Cost of Dressing in 1769

While using a 1769-70 merchant's account book, the milliners and mantua-makers demonstrate the layers of a woman's everyday outfit and discuss the other pieces of her wardrobe.

Domestic Diversions

Listen to musical pieces best suited for the intimate settings of an 18th-century home on the organized piano in the Leckie Gallery.

Evening Program: Almost Past Service

Join Mrs. Washington as she seeks advice from her enslaved woman, Doll, about the great decision ahead and the change it will bring to the entire family.

Evening Program: Cry Witch

Question witnesses, weigh evidence, and determine the guilt or innocence of "the Virginia Witch." Not appropriate for young children due to subject matter and intense emotion.

Evening Program: Ghost Walk Junior

Calling guests of all ages! Enjoy this 45-minute ghost tour of traditional spooky stories with a Colonial Williamsburg flavor. All children must be accompanied by an adult.

Evening Program: Haunted Williamsburg

Brave centuries of scares, from 18th-century colonial ghost stories to creepy modern-day encounters!

Evening Program: Palace Concert

Colonial Williamsburg's early music ensemble, the Governor's Musick, offers an elegant evening of chamber music.

Evening Program: Revolutionary Points of View

Step back in time to the eve of the American Revolution, and there are just as many opinions about war and independence as we hear about politics and religion today.

Evening Program: To Hang a Pirate

Join with us in a trial of a member of the crew of Blackbeard the pirate that actually occurred in Williamsburg in 1719. Hear the evidence and make a judgment!

Family Workshop: Apothecary

Have what it takes to be an Apothecary Apprentice? Participants will compound a medicine, identify medicinal ingredients, learn their uses, and practice applying bandages.

Family Workshop: Brickmaker

Learn how to build a bread oven out of materials found in your backyard.

Family Workshop: Cabinetmaker

Join us for an in-depth, hands-on tour and demonstration of hand planes–one of the traditional woodworker’s most indispensable tools.

Family Workshop: Foodways

Learn basic garnishing and food decoration skills to create an appealing dessert by sculpting and decorating their marzipan creations.

Family Workshop: Joiner

Craftspeople have used math to create works of art. With a simple straight edge and compass, we will demonstrate exercises used to create simple geometric forms.

Family Workshop: Tailor

Learn a variety of stitches and how they were used in the 18th century.

Family Workshop: Weaver

Learn about the importance of local fabric production in the years leading up to the Revolutionary War in this immersive, hands-on workshop.

Firearms Safety Seminar

The Colonial Williamsburg Firearms Safety Seminar is a workshop to train living historians and museum professionals on best practices used in running a historic weapons program.

For Donors: Visit a Nation Builder

Donors who contribute $250 or more annually to the Colonial Williamsburg Fund are invited to visit with a Nation Builder.

Freedom's Paradox for Home Educators

Learn about the evolution of slavery, and how the institution impacted Williamsburg, the Colony of Virginia, and both the master and enslaved people.

From Freedom to Slavery

After making a free life for herself as an adopted Shawnee Indian, Methotaskee is brought back into slavery.

From the Ashes

As the ashes settle on Washington D.C., James and Dolley Madison struggle to find a path forward.

God is My Rock

Gowan Pamphlet, an enslaved man and popular local preacher, offers his perspective on slavery, religion, and freedom.

Good Stories about Great Stuff

Discover who created the object, who owned it, and how it ended up in our collection. A curator, educator, or conservator will examine an object each week.

Hands-On: Archaeology

Here's your chance to get behind the scenes at the Custis site! Join archaeologists for an up-close look at the excavation!

Hands-On: Fire a Flintlock Musket

Fire live rounds at a target from two different reproduction 18th-century flintlock firearms used during the Revolutionary War.

Hands-On: Shoulder Your Firelocks!

Engage in a military drill, learning the tactics and drill of the 18th-century soldier.

Historic Organ Recital - Norman Elton

Norman Elton, organist at Williamsburg Presbyterian Church, gives a recital on the Historic English Chamber Organ, one of Colonial Williamsburg's 18th-century instruments.

Historic Organ Recital - Rebecca Davy

Rebecca Davy, Music Director at Bruton Parish Church, gives a recital on the Historic English Chamber Organ, one of Colonial Williamsburg's 18th-century instruments.

Historic Organ Recital with Thomas Marshall

Enjoy this Historic Organ Recital in the Wren Chapel at the College of William & Mary performed by Thomas Marshall, organist at Williamsburg United Methodist Church.

How Did They Survive?

Join Ayinde Martin, Journeyman Carpenter, to discuss enslaved people in colonial Virginia and their survival techniques and skills.

Loquacious Lucy, Queen for a Day

When Lucy, a loquacious enslaved child, learns that her friend has been sold, her father must teach her hard lessons about slavery and instill in her the pride of her ancestors.

Museum Discoveries: Crafting the Collection

Drop by the Education Studio and create a work of art inspired by an object on exhibit.

Museum Discoveries: The Public Hospital of 1773

Visit the Public Hospital of 1773 for a discussion about 18th-century mental health and the history of the reconstructed mental hospital.

Music: Art Museums

Enjoy music that has come from distant shores to become our music.

Music: Fife & Drum

Watch and listen to the Fifes and Drums as they demonstrate the music and drill of various military ceremonies from an 18th-century soldier's working day.

Music: Fife & Drum March

The Colonial Williamsburg Fifes and Drums, representing military field musicians, march from the Capitol to the Palace Green.

Music: In the Wythe Parlor

Join members of the Governor’s Musick in the Wythe House Parlor as domestic music is performed on period instruments.

Music: Phillis Wheatley and the Music of Freedom

Join the Governor’s Musick in a musical exploration of the paradox of freedom as seen through the poetry of Phillis Wheatley, an enslaved person and well-known poet.

Music: The Art of Fifing & Drumming

Join the Colonial Williamsburg Fifes & Drums as they demonstrate the many musical tasks and ceremonies that occurred throughout a revolutionary soldier's day.

Musick in the Geddy House

Join members of the Governor’s Musick in the Geddy House as domestic music is performed on period instruments.

Nation Builders Discuss the Rights of Women

Join two Nation Builders to discuss how they viewed and debated the rights of women.

Order in the Court for Home Educators

Participate in a local court session where lives, liberties, and property are contested.

Organ Recital - Cheryl Van Ornam

Experience a candlelit recital by organist Cheryl Van Ornam from First Baptist Church in Richmond, Virginia, in this 18th-century worship space.

Organ Recital - Dr. Carl Haywood

Experience a candlelit recital by Dr. Carl Haywood, Organist and retired Professor of Music at Norfolk State University, in this 18th century worship space.

Organ Recital - Sarah Bland

Experience a candlelit recital by Sarah Bland, organist from Williamsburg, Virginia, in this 18th century worship space.

Palace Activity Stations for Home Educators

Enhance your visit with our educational activity stations. Step into the palace gardens and participate in an interactive spotlight on loyalists.

Palace Freedom Tour for Home Educators

How did evolving definitions of freedom cause conflict between Great Britain and America?

Patriots at Play

Participate in the daily activities of an 18th-century family at the Geddy House.

Performance: A New Republic

This series of museum theater programs relate to the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and democracy.

Performance: Family Theater

The Jug Broke Theatre Co. present from their repertoire of plays, ballad operas, and music bringing the spirit of 18th-century theatre to you!

Performance: Revolutionary Acts

This series of museum theater programs relate to the experience and meaning of the Revolution for the 18th-century Williamsburg community.

Performance: Street Theater

The Williamsburg community comes to life in this street theatre experience exploring the daily lives of ordinary people during extraordinary times.

Performance: Visit a Nation Builder

Step into the past with a Nation Builder. Through stories, discussion, and questions, explore the hopes, choices, and challenges they faced.

Performance: Voices of Freedom

This series of museum theater programs relate to the theme of freedom — its meaning, denial, and the risks people take for it.

Performance: Voices of the Past

This series of museum theater programs explores the lives of people, both free and enslaved, who walked these streets in the 18th century.

Phillis Wheatley and the Music of Freedom

Join the Governor’s Musick in a musical exploration of the paradox of freedom as seen through the poetry of Phillis Wheatley, an enslaved person and well-known poet.

Pictures of West Africa

Join Harold Caldwell, apprentice carpenter, as he shares a pictorial of the connected 18th-century African and Virginian history, while tying it to a modern understanding.

Pop-Up Archaeology!

Stop by the Art Museums for a special pop-up exhibition of artifacts from Custis Square, First Baptist Church, and Powder Magazine archaeology sites!

Popular Science: Enlightenment for Home Educators

Engage in the 18th-century pastime of natural philosophy or scientific observation.

Presentation: 250 Years of Eastern State Hospital

Join us for a discussion about 18th-century mental health treatments and the history of the reconstructed mental hospital.

Presentation: American Indian Life

Through stories and questions, this series of programs will examine a specific aspect of American Indian history, society, and role in the American story.

Presentation: Audience with Author Alvin Hall

Join Alvin Hall, an award-winning broadcaster, on a journey through America’s haunted racial past using The Green Book as your guide.

Presentation: Excavation to Programming

Join a Nation Builder and a Colonial Williamsburg Archaeologist as they discuss important sites in Williamsburg from the 18th century to today.

Presentation: Good Stories about Great Stuff Kids

Calling all KIDS! Join us as we explore stories about objects chosen just for YOU!

Presentation: Historic Trades Talk

Join our experts from the Governor’s Musick ensemble or Historic Trade shops as they share their research with you.

Presentation: Musket Demonstration

Military Programs staff will demonstrate the loading and firing of the musket. Experience the sounds and smells a soldier experienced during the Revolution.

Presentation: Order in the Court

After a short exploration of the Courthouse and its surroundings, participate in a local court session where lives, liberties, and property are contested.

Public Auction

Take part in an exciting auction! Bid on selected items from Colonial Williamsburg stores as well as exclusive items not available elsewhere.

Public Hospital Visit

Tour the reconstructed Public Hospital of 1773 and chat with a historian about Mental Health Care in the 18th century.

Salute to the Presidents

Fifes, drums, and cannons salute the Nation's presidents on Market Square, featuring Washington, Jefferson, and Madison.

She Had on When She Went Away

Explore the material culture and lives of self-liberated Black women in the 18th century and the society they inhabited.

Special Event: A Salute to the Fallen

A lone bagpiper plays selections from the Governor's Palace in tribute to those men and women who gave their lives to our nation while serving in America's Armed Forces.

Special Event: CW Lights

Explore our family-friendly evening experience in the Governor's Palace Gardens. This magical glow event will transform our world-class gardens.

Special Event: Drummer's Call

Join the Colonial Williamsburg Senior Fifes and Drums plus a special guest as they perform 18th-century military field music at the Charlton Stage.

Special Event: Grand March and Review

Join Colonial Williamsburg's Fifes and Drums lead visiting corps from around the country in a Grand March from the Capitol down Duke of Gloucester St. to Market Square.

Special Event: Idea of America Seminar

The Idea of America Seminar explores how shared values have shaped our American identity and how you can apply them to the fundamental issues facing our nation today.

Special Event: Memorial Day Commemoration

Join us on Palace Green as we honor the men and women of the United States military who sacrificed their lives in defense of our nation with a traditional wreath-laying ceremony.

Special Event: Williamsburg Military Tattoo

The Colonial Williamsburg Fife and Drum Corps is joined by guest units from across the nation in a thrilling torch-lit march down Duke of Gloucester Street.

The Art of Politics and Dining

Join Mrs. Washington as she discusses the art of dining and how influential a woman could be in a man’s world.

The Art of the Stuff Maker

Discover the popular fashions and typical construction techniques of late 18-century women's shoes that made women’s shoemaking a separate branch of the trade.

The Doctrine of Representation

Meet Hannah Corbin and her brother Richard Henry Lee as they explore the future of voting rights and the meaning of representation.

The Only Unavoidable Subject of Regret

Join Mrs. Washington in December of 1799 as she comes to terms with the General’s Last Will and Testament, and hear from George Washington on his evolution on slavery.

Thomas Jefferson and John Hemings: A Collaboration

During this lecture explore how after his retirement, Jefferson returned to Monticello, where he relied on John Hemings, an enslaved woodworker, to build and decorate Monticello.

To Purchase a Likely Man

Join Colonel and Mrs. Washington as they discuss the intricacies and complexities of purchasing a pair of enslaved brothers.

Tour: Arboretum Central Historic Area

Learn about some of Colonial Williamsburg's most asked-about trees, how the colonists used them, and why they continue to be important today.

Tour: Archaeology Behind-the-Scenes

Visit the Archaeological Lab for a guided tour and learn about a century of the archaeological discoveries of Colonial Williamsburg!

Tour: Art Museums Overview

Join us on a 20-minute guided tour and enjoy some Museum favorites at a glance.

Tour: Bassett Hall Trace

Take a leisurely stroll on Bassett Hall Trace and learn about Virginia’s wildlife and native habitats. If you like nature and enjoy being outdoors, this walk is for you!

Tour: Black Artists and Artisans

Tour the museum galleries, including the “I Made This” exhibition, to explore decorative arts and folk art made by Black American artists and artisans. Free reservation required.

Tour: Custis Square Archaeology

Take a guided tour and talk with archaeologists in the field about the current archaeological investigations at John Custis IV’s four-acre home and early 18th-century gardens.

Tour: Freedom's Paradox

Explore the paradox of the institution of slavery and the movement for independence in a 60-minute walking tour that begins and ends at the Randolph Yard.

Tour: Meet the Gardener

Garden volunteers answer questions about growing flowers and vegetables in the Historic Area. Free reservation required.

Tour: Stables Behind-The-Scenes

Get a behind-the-scenes look at our modern stables and learn more about our carriages.

Tour: Women in Trades

Join us for a walking tour discussing the often-surprising realities of women’s labor, skills, and rights in 18th-century Williamsburg and the Colonial Atlantic World.

Visit a Nation Builder- James Madison

Step into the past with James Madison, Scholar Statesman.

Visit a Nation Builder- Marquis de Lafayette

Step into the past with the Marquis de Lafayette, French hero of two worlds. Through stories and questions, explore the hopes, choices, and challenges he faced.

Visit a Nation Builder- Martha Washington

Step into the past with Martha Washington, our Nation’s first First Lady. Through stories and questions, explore the hopes, choices, and challenges she faced.

Visit a Nation Builder- Patrick Henry

Step into the past with Patrick Henry, the Revolution’s son of thunder. Through stories and questions, explore the hopes, choices, and challenges he faced.

Visit a Nation Builder- Reverend Gowan Pamphlet

Step into the past with Gowan Pamphlet, revolutionary Black Baptist preacher. Through stories and questions, explore the hopes, choices, and challenges he faced.

Visit a Nation Builder- Thomas Jefferson

Step into the past with Thomas Jefferson, The Rebellious Philosophe.

Visit a Nation Builder-Oconostota For Home ED

Step into the past with Oconostota, the Great Warrior of Chota. Through stories and questions, explore the hopes, choices, and challenges he faced.

Voices of Their Hands

Discuss the lives of enslaved tradespeople on this walking tour. Hear from our historic tradespeople discussing their experiences interpreting skilled laborers and their work.