How to Savor Summer

Still catching up on activities and travel after a quieter year? Eager to get out there and reconnect with nature, people, stories, and our history? There’s still time to make summer memories!

Colonial Williamsburg is the perfect place to get the most out of the last few weeks of summer. There’s something for everyone to enjoy in our 300-acre colonial city, plus resort amenities for a comfortable weekend getaway or family vacation. Book your stay now and check out these six things to in Williamsburg to check off those summer-musts:

Here’s an improvement on the age-old question “What did you do last summer?” How about “What did you learn last summer?” Stoke your family’s curiosity in historic trade shops, where expert modern-day practitioners use 18th-century tools and techniques to apprentice in — and eventually master — blacksmithing, woodworking or gunsmithing, just to name a few. Use your ticket to visit these makers practicing more than 20 trades, learn something new, and make unforgettable memories.

There’s nothing like the search for treasure! And there are oh so many treasures in the newly expanded and updated Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg. Discover colorful and whimsical folk art made by amateur artisans in the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum as well as objects that are useful as well as beautiful in The DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum. Stop by the front desk and as for one of our guides — from a Children’s guide to animals in the museum to works made by African American hands — to search for these highlighted works in the galleries.

Whether you’re a local, a regular Colonial Williamsburg visitor, or you’ve never set foot in the colonial capital, there’s always something new to discover here — a new perspective through which to understand the decorations in the Governor’s Palace or a new-to-you story of a household member whose records were recently researched and brought to light. Visit our iconic and important historic sites for guided tours from our costumed experts.

Meet rare breeds of horses, oxen, sheep, and fowl that thrived in 18th-century colonial British America. From carriage rides with our horses to greeting sheep in pastures around the Historic Area, you’ll discover how these animals contribute to the living history.

Explore the 18th-century through our meticulously cared for grounds, from great period-appropriate oak trees to the formal Governor’s Palace Gardens (included in your admission ticket).

It’s a rite of passage: late summer nights past bedtime. Take your family on a Haunted Williamsburg ghost tour, or for younger visitors, try Ghost Walk Junior! Check out our current offering of evening entertainment here.

There you have it, six ways to soak up summer and make the most out of time with family and friends at Colonial Williamsburg. To plan your day trip, weekend getaway, or family vacation, click here.

Colonial Williamsburg is the largest living history museum in the world. Witness history brought to life on the charming streets of the colonial capital and explore our newly expanded and updated Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg, featuring the nation’s premier folk art collection, plus the best in British and American fine and decorative arts from 1670–1840. Check out sales and special offers and our Official Colonial Williamsburg Hotels to plan your visit.