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(re)educate
This theatrical performance explores the agency of free and enslaved students of the Williamsburg Bray School and the legacies of their lessons.
Art Museums Admission
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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.
CW Admission
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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.
Art Museums Admission
Event Ticket
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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.
Art Museums Admission
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A Public Audience with the 1st President, George Washington
Meet with President Washington as he looks back over his long career in public service.
CW Admission
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A Public Audience with the 3rd President, Thomas Jefferson
Meet with President Jefferson as he looks back over his long career in public service.
CW Admission
Liberty Ice Pavilion
Experience the sights, sounds, and scents of the holidays with a few turns on the ice. November 18, 2022 through February 26, 2023.
Get Tickets-
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.
CW Admission
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A Taste of Freedom
This performance tells the story of Americus Weston’s journey to freedom during the Civil War, developed to commemorate Juneteenth.
Art Museums Admission
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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.
Art Museums Admission
Event Ticket
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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?
Art Museums Admission
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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.
CW Admission
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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.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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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.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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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.
CW Admission
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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 Admission
Free Event Ticket
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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 Admission
Free Event Ticket
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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.
Art Museums Admission
Free Event Ticket
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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.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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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.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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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.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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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.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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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.
Open to the Public
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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.
CW Admission
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Capitol Freedom Tour for Home Educators
Students and their families are invited on an engaging and interactive tour of Virginia’s second capitol building.
CW Admission
Event Ticket
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Chamber String Recital
Come to this beautiful 18th-century worship center and enjoy a candlelit concert by The Violin Studio of Loretta McCray.
Open to the Public
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Clothing Enslaved People in Colonial Virginia
This lecture will explore some of the complex relationships between apparel, labor, identity, and enslavement.
Art Museums Admission
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Conversation: Meet a Nation Builder
Find a Nation Builder, a significant figure of 18th-century Williamsburg, around the Palace Green for some informal conversation.
Open to the Public
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Conversation: Meet a Person of the Past
Find people of the past in front of the Raleigh Tavern for some informal conversation or activity.
Open to the Public
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DIY Craft: Inspired by the Collection
Celebrate National Craft Month at the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg.
Art Museums Admission
Event Ticket
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DIY Craft: Jane Austen
Explore objects on exhibit through the works of Jane Austen, then make an inspired bookmark to take home.
Art Museums Admission
Event Ticket
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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.
Art Museums Admission
Event Ticket
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DIY: Centerpieces
Celebrate spring with this hands-on class that shows you to make a cheerful centerpiece perfect for your end table or mantel.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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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.
Art Museums Admission
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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.
Art Museums Admission
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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.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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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.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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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.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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Evening Program: Haunted Williamsburg
Brave centuries of scares, from 18th-century colonial ghost stories to creepy modern-day encounters!
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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Evening Program: Palace Concert
Colonial Williamsburg's early music ensemble, the Governor's Musick, offers an elegant evening of chamber music.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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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.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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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!
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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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.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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Family Workshop: Brickmaker
Learn how to build a bread oven out of materials found in your backyard.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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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.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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Family Workshop: Foodways
Learn basic garnishing and food decoration skills to create an appealing dessert by sculpting and decorating their marzipan creations.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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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.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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Family Workshop: Tailor
Learn a variety of stitches and how they were used in the 18th century.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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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.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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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.
Event Ticket
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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.
Donor Exclusive
Free Event Ticket
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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.
CW Admission
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From Freedom to Slavery
After making a free life for herself as an adopted Shawnee Indian, Methotaskee is brought back into slavery.
Art Museums Admission
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From the Ashes
As the ashes settle on Washington D.C., James and Dolley Madison struggle to find a path forward.
Art Museums Admission
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God is My Rock
Gowan Pamphlet, an enslaved man and popular local preacher, offers his perspective on slavery, religion, and freedom.
Art Museums Admission
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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.
Art Museums Admission
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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!
CW Admission
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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.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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Hands-On: Shoulder Your Firelocks!
Engage in a military drill, learning the tactics and drill of the 18th-century soldier.
CW Admission
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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.
Open to the Public
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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.
Open to the Public
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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.
Open to the Public
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How Did They Survive?
Join Ayinde Martin, Journeyman Carpenter, to discuss enslaved people in colonial Virginia and their survival techniques and skills.
Art Museums Admission
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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.
Art Museums Admission
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Museum Discoveries: Crafting the Collection
Drop by the Education Studio and create a work of art inspired by an object on exhibit.
Art Museums Admission
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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.
Art Museums Admission
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Music: Art Museums
Enjoy music that has come from distant shores to become our music.
Art Museums Admission
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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.
Open to the Public
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Music: Fife & Drum March
The Colonial Williamsburg Fifes and Drums, representing military field musicians, march from the Capitol to the Palace Green.
Open to the Public
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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.
CW Admission
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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.
Art Museums Admission
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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.
Open to the Public
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Musick in the Geddy House
Join members of the Governor’s Musick in the Geddy House as domestic music is performed on period instruments.
CW Admission
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Nation Builders Discuss the Rights of Women
Join two Nation Builders to discuss how they viewed and debated the rights of women.
Art Museums Admission
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Order in the Court for Home Educators
Participate in a local court session where lives, liberties, and property are contested.
CW Admission
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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.
Open to the Public
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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.
Open to the Public
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Organ Recital - Sarah Bland
Experience a candlelit recital by Sarah Bland, organist from Williamsburg, Virginia, in this 18th century worship space.
Open to the Public
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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.
CW Admission
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Palace Freedom Tour for Home Educators
How did evolving definitions of freedom cause conflict between Great Britain and America?
CW Admission
Event Ticket
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Patriots at Play
Participate in the daily activities of an 18th-century family at the Geddy House.
CW Admission
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Performance: A New Republic
This series of museum theater programs relate to the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and democracy.
Art Museums Admission
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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!
CW Admission
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Performance: Revolutionary Acts
This series of museum theater programs relate to the experience and meaning of the Revolution for the 18th-century Williamsburg community.
Art Museums Admission
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Performance: Street Theater
The Williamsburg community comes to life in this street theatre experience exploring the daily lives of ordinary people during extraordinary times.
Open to the Public
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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.
CW Admission
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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.
Art Museums Admission
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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.
CW Admission
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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.
Art Museums Admission
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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.
Art Museums Admission
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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!
Art Museums Admission
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Popular Science: Enlightenment for Home Educators
Engage in the 18th-century pastime of natural philosophy or scientific observation.
CW Admission
Event Ticket
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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.
Art Museums Admission
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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.
CW Admission
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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.
Art Museums Admission
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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.
Art Museums Admission
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Presentation: Good Stories about Great Stuff Kids
Calling all KIDS! Join us as we explore stories about objects chosen just for YOU!
Art Museums Admission
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Presentation: Historic Trades Talk
Join our experts from the Governor’s Musick ensemble or Historic Trade shops as they share their research with you.
Art Museums Admission
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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.
Open to the Public
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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.
CW Admission
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Public Auction
Take part in an exciting auction! Bid on selected items from Colonial Williamsburg stores as well as exclusive items not available elsewhere.
Open to the Public
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Public Hospital Visit
Tour the reconstructed Public Hospital of 1773 and chat with a historian about Mental Health Care in the 18th century.
Art Museums Admission
Free Event Ticket
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Salute to the Presidents
Fifes, drums, and cannons salute the Nation's presidents on Market Square, featuring Washington, Jefferson, and Madison.
Open to the Public
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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.
Art Museums Admission
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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.
Open to the Public
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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.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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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.
Open to the Public
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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.
Open to the Public
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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.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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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.
Open to the Public
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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.
Open to the Public
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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.
Art Museums Admission
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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.
Art Museums Admission
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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.
Art Museums Admission
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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.
Art Museums Admission
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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.
Art Museums Admission
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To Purchase a Likely Man
Join Colonel and Mrs. Washington as they discuss the intricacies and complexities of purchasing a pair of enslaved brothers.
Art Museums Admission
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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.
CW Admission
Free Event Ticket
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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!
CW Admission
Free Event Ticket
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Tour: Art Museums Overview
Join us on a 20-minute guided tour and enjoy some Museum favorites at a glance.
Art Museums Admission
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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!
CW Admission
Free Event Ticket
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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.
Art Museums Admission
Free Event Ticket
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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.
CW Admission
Free Event Ticket
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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.
CW Admission
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Tour: Meet the Gardener
Garden volunteers answer questions about growing flowers and vegetables in the Historic Area. Free reservation required.
CW Admission
Free Event Ticket
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Tour: Stables Behind-The-Scenes
Get a behind-the-scenes look at our modern stables and learn more about our carriages.
CW Admission
Event Ticket
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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.
CW Admission
Event Ticket
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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.
CW Admission
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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.
CW Admission
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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.
CW Admission
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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.
CW Admission
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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.
Art Museums Admission
Event Ticket
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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.
CW Admission
Event Ticket