CW Planner

Art Museums Member Tour: Behind-the-Scenes

Join us for a behind-the-scenes tour of the Art Museums, including the Hennage Auditorium, to see our new spaces. Free reservation required. Exclusively for Art Museums Members.

Art Museums Member Tour: Conservation Labs

Join us for a private tour of Colonial Williamsburg’s modern conservation labs at the Bruton Heights Wallace Collections & Conservation Building. Free reservation required.

Art Museums Member Tour: Eddie Arning Exhibition

Join us for a private tour with the curators of the Eddie Arning exhibition that will open on May 6. Free reservation required. Exclusively for Art Museums Members.

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: 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.

Beginner Workshop: Weaver

Try your hand at weaving in this class for all levels of experience.

Chamber Recital: Sylvan Waters Duo

Come to this beautiful 18th-century worship center and enjoy a candlelit recital by the Sylvan Waters Duo, Dr. Tula Irving, harp & Raymond Irving, double bass.

Choral Evensong - University of Notre Dame

Join us in this beautiful 18th-century worship center for a candlelight concert by the University of Notre Dame Children's Liturgical Choir directed by Mark Doerries.

Concert: An Evening of Italian Madrigals

Enjoy an evening of Italian madrigals presented by sopranos Sarah Taylor & Claudia Kessel, tenors George Revill & Daniel Parks, cellist Brian Blair, and harpsichordist JanEl Will.

Conversation: Meet a Nation Builder

Find a Nation Builder, a significant figure of 18th-century Williamsburg, around the Palace Green for some informal conversation.

Conversation: Meet a Nation Builder at the Farm

Visit the farmers and a Nation Builder at the Historic Farming and Windmill site as they discuss how agriculture impacted everyone in Virginia society, both free and enslaved.

Conversation: Meet a Person of the Past

Find people of the past for some informal conversation or activity.

DIY Craft: Quilting

Discover the story of Susana Allen Hunter, quilter, and enjoy a mini quilting project.

Dining Event: Revel at Chowning's Tavern

Join us at Chowning’s Tavern for an evening of 18th-century merrymaking.

Evening Program: Capitol Concert

Join Colonial Williamsburg’s Governor’s Musick for a special evening of chamber music in the live acoustics and visual ambiance of the Hall of Burgesses.

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: Music at the Raleigh Tavern

Explore how music shaped identity in the newly independent United States through musical entertainment featuring songs and pieces enjoyed in post-Revolutionary America.

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: Cabinetmaker

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

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.

Garden Workshop: Grapevine Wreaths

In this hands-on workshop, participants will learn how to decorate a grapevine wreath with natural materials from Colonial Williamsburg's Landscape Designers.

Garden Workshop: Nosegay

This hands-on workshop will teach you the meaning of many herbs and flowers to create a personal nosegay to take home or give to someone.

Hands-On: Crafts

After exploring the galleries, drop by the Education Studio and create a work of art inspired by an object on exhibit.

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: Recruiting Party and March

Participate in a light military drill, then march down Duke of Gloucester St. to the Magazine for a final inspection.

Hands-On: Shoulder Your Firelocks!

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

Hands-on: Daily Life

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

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.

Home School Hands-On: Art

Explore the Galleries at the Art Museums, then drop by the Goode Education Studio and create art inspired by objects on exhibit.

Home School Hands-On: Crack the Code

Join us in the Hennage Auditorium as we investigate the Revolutionary War through secret messages to see if you can Crack the Code.

Home School Hands-On: World of Goods

Drop by the exhibit "Revolution in Taste" exhibition and explore goods bought and sold in 18th-century Virginia as you collect information and stamp your Passport.

Homeschool Hands-On: Capitol

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

Homeschool Hands-On: Palace

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

Homeschool Presentation: Order in the Court

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

Homeschool Tour: Capitol

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

Homeschool Tour: Palace

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

Lecture: Life and Character of George Washington

In this series of seven talks, Professor Henriques details what he views as the seven stages of George Washington's life to understand the United State's central figure better.

Lecture: Textbooks and Atlases of Emma Willard

Emma Willard, a groundbreaking educator of the 19th century, believed that history and geography were not just interdependent subjects, and were best learned visually.

Museum Discoveries: Musical Instruments

Join Colonial Williamsburg’s harpsichord makers as they demonstrate their work, explain various tools, and answer questions.

Museum Discoveries: Silvering a Frame

Visit the Art Museums and chat with conservators as they prepare a reproduction 18th-century frame for an original portrait of King William III.

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: A 4th of July Grand Military Sonata

Enjoy a musical celebration of this momentous day in American history with a 19th-century military keyboard sonata by James Hewitt, an American composer.

Music: Composed in Early America

Join Kyle Collins, Governor's Musick keyboardist, and discover lesser-known solo keyboard works composed in early America, performed on Colonial Williamsburg's Organized Piano.

Music: Early American

Enjoy music that has come from distant shores to become the music of Early America.

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: Governor's Musick at the Art Museums

Celebrate our nation's independence with music by our resident chamber ensemble, the Governor's Musick, featuring harpsichord, Baroque flute, Baroque violin, and viola da gamba.

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.

Organ Recital - Michael Gibson

Michael Gibson, organist from Williamsburg, VA, presents a candlelight organ recital.

Organ Recital - Stephen Henley

Stephen Henley, organist from Richmond, VA presents a candlelight recital.

Organ Recital: In Celebration of Creation

Dr. JanEl Will, organist at Bruton Parish, presents a candlelight organ recital in this beautiful 18th-century worship center.

Performance: A New Republic

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

Performance: Community Connections

This series of dramatic performances will introduce you to Williamsburg’s residents from all walks of life as they build, define, and challenge ideas about what makes a community.

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: Resolved, An American Experiment

This interactive, funny, and poignant play celebrates the moment Virginia said yes to Independence while exploring the dynamics of race, class, and gender.

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: Visit with George Wythe

Step into the past with George Wythe, teacher, lawyer, judge, and revolutionary. Through stories and questions, explore the hopes, choices, and challenges he faced.

Performance: Visit with James Madison

Step into the past with James Madison, Scholar Statesman.

Performance: Visit with 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.

Performance: Visit with 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.

Performance: Visit with 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.

Performance: Visit with 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.

Performance: Visit with Thomas Jefferson

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

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.

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: 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

Join a curator, conservator, educator, archaeologist, or historian to discover who created the object, who owned it, and how it ended up in the Colonial Williamsburg Collection.

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 Historic Trade shops or Governor’s Musick ensemble as they share their research.

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.

Presentation: Pride not Prejudice

Join members of the Gender and Sexual Diversity Research Committee to explore some of the exciting research they have uncovered.

Presentation: Rare Breeds

Learn about the rare breeds of livestock that live at Colonial Williamsburg.

Presentation: Students of Brafferton Indian School

Join Fallon Burner, historian, on an Indigenous tour of 18th-century Williamsburg while introducing the legacy of four centuries of Indian School projects in North America.

Presentation: The Necessity of Order in Battle

Witness a demonstration of tactics that are crucial to success in combat.

Public Auction

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

Special Event: A Community Salute to America

Celebrate our nation's 247th birthday with The United States Air Force Heritage of America band performing patriotic favorites in a concert on the Art Museums' Lawn.

Special Event: A Patriotic Celebration

Celebrate Independence Day with the Governor’s Musick members as they play the music that saw our transition from English colonies to American states.

Special Event: A Summer Gown in a Day

The Mantua-makers are making a gown in a day! See the dress take shape, learn about summer fashions, and chat with Mrs. Wager about the hopes and dreams of her Bray School.

Special Event: A Taste of Freedom

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

Special Event: A Veterans Day Salute & Procession

Join us this Veterans Day weekend for a march and ceremony honoring America's veterans.

Special Event: Albert Durant Photography

Join us for a vodcast at the Lane Auditorium at Bruton Heights School that documents the photographic production of Williamsburg's first black city-licensed photographer.

Special Event: An Evening with the Presidents

Join George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison to discuss their experiences as presidents.

Special Event: Answer the Call

Much of African Music is based on call and response. The drum announces itself first to the community, then waits for a response back to the drummer. How will you answer the call?

Special Event: Constitution Day

Colonial Williamsburg celebrates the signing of the U.S. Constitution with a free event, "To Support and Defend," on the Art Museums Lawn.

Special Event: Custis Square Community Open House

Join us for a day of archaeology at Custis Square! Free flow exploration all day and conversations with George and Martha Washington.

Special Event: Darryl Reeves Master Blacksmith

Join us on Juneteenth at the Public Armory for talks and demonstrations by Master Blacksmith Darryl Reeves, a third-generation metal worker from New Orleans' Seventh Ward.

Special Event: Declaration of Independence Reading

Thomas Jefferson begins a day of pageantry, celebration, and reflection.

Special Event: Firing of the Brick Kiln

Fall is time to fire the bricks! Come see the kiln fires rage as the bricks reach a temperature of over 2000 degrees Fahrenheit.

Special Event: Foods that Define American Cuisine

Commemorate Juneteenth with a cooking demonstration and stories. Discover the origins and flavors of dishes that tell America’s story.

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: Juneteenth Sunrise Service

Join us at the Compton Oak on Market Square to commemorate Juneteenth with a Sunrise Service on Sunday morning, June 18, at 6 a.m. Special keynote address by Tina Lifford.

Special Event: Lighting of the Cressets

Join us on the historic Duke of Gloucester Street as we bring our 18th-century streets to life at night.

Special Event: Lights of Freedom

Celebrate the words and music of the American Revolution, culminating in a grand fireworks display at 9:30 p.m. above the Governor's Palace.

Special Event: Noon Reading of the Declaration

Residents of the 18th-century Williamsburg community read the Declaration of Independence from the steps of the Courthouse and surrounding area.

Special Event: Salute to the Heroes

A lone bagpiper plays from the Governor's Palace in a heartfelt tribute to honor those men and women who have served in the United States Armed Forces.

Special Event: Salute to the States

Join the Colonial Williamsburg Fifes & Drums and the Virginia Military Garrison as they present musket volley salutes to the original 13 states of the Union.

Special Event: Veterans Day Proclamation

Our Veterans Day begins at 10 a.m. with a ceremony on Palace Green honoring the men and women who have served in the United States Armed Forces.

Tour: Arboretum Central Historic Area

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

Tour: Arboretum Griffin Campus

Learn about Colonial Williamsburg’s Arboretum and the native and exotic trees and shrubs that make up its collection, some of which are uncommon in commercial landscapes.

Tour: Archaeology Behind-the-Scenes

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

Tour: Art Museums Overview

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

Tour: Bassett Trace Nature Walk

Take a leisurely stroll on Bassett Trace Nature Trail 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: Designer in Residence

Explore the interior of the oldest frame house in Virginia (circa 1695) and discover how Designer Heather Chadduck Hillegas reimagined these spaces for today.

Tour: Follow a Young Archaeologist

Follow a young Public Archaeology Institute (PAI) participant on a walking tour of Custis Square and the Public Hospital site.

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: Robert Carter House

Explore the life and history of the Robert Carter family and the enslaved and free individuals who worked and labored here.

Tour: Stables Behind-The-Scenes

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