Fun things to do in Williamsburg

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Hartwell Perry owned and operated an "ordinary," as colonial taverns were sometimes called, on this site from the mid-1780s until he died about 1800. The sign out front is a "rebus." It depicts a deer, a well, and several pears. "Hart" is another name for a deer, and an alcoholic beverage made from pears is called "perry", so the sign stands for Hartwell Perry. The building is not open to the public.

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The open-air Play Booth Theater is located on the site of the first theater, which was active in the 1720s and 1730s. The theater is similar to theaters erected for fairs and race days in England. Although performances sometimes attracted a boisterous, rowdy audience, the gentry also frequented playhouses; both Thomas Jefferson and George Washington attended plays in Williamsburg. Today, actors at the Play Booth Theater present scenes from plays popular in Williamsburg before the American Revolution.

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Built in 1718 by the first keeper of Williamsburg's Magazine, John Brush's five-bay, timber framed, story-and-a-half house of hand-split weatherboard stands in modest contrast to its lofty next-door neighbor, the Governor's Palace. The Everard House is noted for its fine staircase with its elaborately turned balusters, sweeping handrails, and richly ornamented carving on the stair brackets. The yard between the house and the smokehouse and the brick kitchen – both original and restored – is paved with original brick discovered during archaeological investigation.

Today the home appears as it did in 1773, when it was inhabited by Thomas Everard, widower, and his two daughters Francis and Martha.

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he Kimball Theatre is home to current films and live performances and is at the center of Williamsburg’s community activities. Creative programming alliances with the College of William and Mary, community organizations, and Colonial Williamsburg link our past with the present.

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The Wren Building bears the name of the distinguished English architect, Sir Christopher Wren, who may possibly have influenced its original design. Construction began in 1695. The building sustained serious damage in fires in 1705, 1859, and 1862, but the massive exterior walls of the Wren Building are largely original. The Wren Building now has the outward appearance that it showed from early in the 18th century. It is located on the College of William and Mary campus.

The College of William and Mary’s Christopher Wren Building is the oldest academic structure still in use in America. Construction on the building began August 8, 1695, two years after the school was chartered; it is the signature building of the second oldest college in the nation (next to Harvard). Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, John Tyler, and John Marshall studied in its rooms. George Washington was once chancellor of the college, which is now a distinguished university.

In early 1729, contractor Henry Cary Jr. laid the foundations for a chapel at the south end of the west wall, turning the building’s shape into a U. The first services were conducted on June 28, 1732. Thereafter services were held in the chapel daily. A crypt below became the final resting place of Governor Botetourt, Sir John Randolph, Peyton Randolph, and other Virginia notables.

In addition to the grammar school, by 1729 the Wren Building housed classes in natural and moral philosophy and divinity. Total enrollment averaged less than 100. When fire destroyed the Capitol in 1747, the legislature moved back to the Wren Building until the reconstruction of its hall was completed in 1754.

In 1772, Governor Dunmore asked Thomas Jefferson, an amateur architect, to draft plans to close the quadrangle, and advertised for bids on September 3. The contract was awarded to John Saunders, and foundation work began in 1774. Jefferson’s design would have made a rectangle of the building, but the work ended with the approach of the Revolution. The foundations remain in the ground today.

Three times destroyed by fire, the appearance of the brick-walled Wren Building has often changed, but it stands today much as it appeared by 1732. It was the first major building restored by John D. Rockefeller Jr., after he began Williamsburg’s restoration in the late 1920s.

They have a student that gives a wonderful tour of the building. It is well worth the time to learn more about this wonderful historic buidling.

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Start your visit here by getting your tickets, making reservations for walking tours, carriage rides, lodging, dining, and evening programs. Rent a folding wheelchair at the Visitor Center. A limited number are available, rented on a first-come first-served basis. Browse the Williamsburg Booksellers for your favorite books and grab quick refreshments at Commonwealth Coffee and Tea. Purchase souvenirs and other Colonial Williamsburg products at Williamsburg Revolutions. Costume rentals for boys and girls are also available here. Enjoy the convenience of public restrooms located in the Visitor Center. See the newly restored film "Williamsburg: The Story of a Patriot." Since 1957, "The Patriot" has introduced guests to Williamsburg and America on the eve of the Revolution. Catch a free shuttle bus to the Historic Area (free for ticketed guests). When you're ready to begin your experience, the 500-foot pedestrian bridge connects Colonial Williamsburg's Visitor Center with a path that takes you to the Historic Area.

Wheelchairs are available here too, but limited. A bookstore, a tea & coffee refreshment store, custome rentals available for children, souvenirs store and a wonderful movie presentation. Restrooms are here too and this is where free shuttles buses that take you to the park and drop and pick up at various areas of the town.

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Coachmaker Charles Taliaferro purchased this property in the early 1770s and practiced his trade there. In the early 1880s, Jesse Cole acquired the shop and used it as a post office and general store. Today, Colonial Williamsburg's weavers practice their art in the Taliaferro-Cole Shop using 18th-century recipes for dyes.

Although the weaving trade has been interpreted in Colonial Williamsburg's Historic Area since the 1930s, evidence suggests that there were actually no weavers in business in the city of Williamsburg in the 18th century. Contrary to popular belief, the colonists were not isolated from the world, forced to produce everything they needed for everyday life. Indeed, most cloth was imported from England, China, and India, and it could even be said that colonial dependency on imported textiles began the day the English set foot on the new continent.

There was a weaver in nearby York County in the 18th century, and many plantations had their own weavers. The related trade of dyeing and coloring textiles did exist in Williamsburg, and it required a seven-year apprenticeship of its own. A gentleman could have the color of a suit changed, or a lady might need a ball gown cleaned or fancy pressing done on delicate items.&b

This museum has been moved to the Public Hospital Museum and DeWitt Wallace Museum.

The first museum in the United States devoted to American Folk Art . Has so many wonderful exhibits of whimsical paintings, sculpture, furniture, weather vanes and some pretty neat hands on toys to enjoy for all. I really enjoyed this exhibit for sure. There are two floors of exhibits, and wonderful covered walk way entrance to the back main door. A beautiful fountain in front and a wonderful garden in back.

What is folk art? It is described as "primative, country, naive, provincial, non-academic, and amateur." What a hoot huh? Well any-hoo, I love folk art. I think it represents much of Americana as well as Murals do.

Someone very important in our history said, " To me art is one of the great resources of my life. I feel that it enriches the spiritual life and makes one more sane and sympathetic, more observant and understanding, as well as being good for one's nerves." ~ Abby Aldrich Rockerfeller, January 7, 1928 ~