Making the Most of Your Colonial Williamsburg Itinerary

Follow these tips for what to do in Colonial Williamsburg

If you have even the tiniest bit of interest in early American history, I highly recommend a trip to Colonial Williamsburg and the Historic Triangle. Here are my top tips for making the most of your Colonial Williamsburg itinerary.

Virginia’s Historic Triangle is made up of Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown—three cities each with special significance in early American history and all within about 23 miles of each other.

You will have your eyes opened and your horizons broadened in unexpected ways.

Women standing in front of the governor's palace in Colonial Williamsburg and taking a photo with her phone. — *Make room for the Governor’s Palace in your Colonial Williamsburg itinerary. Photo: Plan, Ready, Go.*

The top visitor draw in the Historic Triangle is Colonial Williamsburg, the world’s largest living history museum and the capital of the Virginia Colony from 1699 to 1780 (when the capitol was moved to Richmond).

In the early 20th Century, W.A.R. Goodwin, rector of Bruton Parish Church, pitched to John D. Rockefeller Jr. the idea of restoring and preserving (and even reconstructing) the historic center of Williamsburg, Virginia.

Today, Colonial Williamsburg includes 85% of the area of the capital as it was in the 18th Century, including Bruton Parish Church.

I have to admit that I wasn’t sure what to expect from a visit to Colonial Williamsburg.

Would it be cheesy? Would it just be a giant tourist trap?

I was so happy to find that Williamsburg was beyond what I had even hoped.

It’s a wonderful combination of fun and eye-opening education that is immersive and engaging.

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Colonial Williamsburg tips

Wear comfortable shoes. Even though there is a shuttle service that operates between the Visitor’s Center and a number of stops around the perimeter of the historic area, you will still do a lot of walking and standing.
Do at least one special event or program.
Enjoy at least one meal at a Colonial Williamsburg historic tavern (see below).
The Colonial Williamsburg Historic Area is open to the public for free, but you do need a ticket to get into any of the historical sites or trade shops. Open sites have a flag posted out in front.
Make sure to refer to your map and schedule to help you plan your day.

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Colonial Williamsburg ticket options

Colonial Williamsburg offers several ticketing options, which you can review on their website.

If you only want to see Colonial Williamsburg, I’d suggest going for the multi-day ticket since it’s only $10 more than the 1-day ticket and includes admission for three consecutive days.

But if you’re in the area anyway, I do highly recommend taking the time to visit Jamestown and Yorktown as well as Colonial Williamsburg.

Seeing all of the Historic Triangle sites together helps to paint a more complete picture of early American history in this area.

Follow this itinerary if you have only one day at Colonial Williamsburg.

All of the typical Williamsburg sites and shops as well as some events and programs are included in your ticket.

There are some programs and events that do require the purchase of a separate ticket, but those are clearly indicated on posted and printed schedules.

Rear view of the Royal Governor's Palace in Colonial Williamsburg

Where to stay in Colonial Williamsburg

There are many accommodation options all within easy distances of the Visitor’s Center or historic area.

Options range from the official Colonial Williamsburg hotels and resorts (Williamsburg Inn, Williamsburg Lodge, Griffin Hotel, Woodlands) to colonial houses and budget motel chains.

We enjoy Marriott hotels and got a great rate at the Residence Inn Williamsburg for our trip. It’s just a short drive from the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor’s Center.

The rate comes with free breakfast and rooms have kitchens in case you want to eat in your room and save some money on your trip.

Other popular and highly rated hotels include:

Williamsburg Inn: This is the premier hotel for stays in Colonial Williamsburg, just steps away from the historic center. It’s the only Forbes Travel Guide Five-Star and AAA Five Diamond-rated resort in the Historic Triangle. Book your room today.

Williamsburg Lodge: This is a beautiful hotel in a great location in the historic center of Williamsburg. And they offer select dog-friendly rooms. Reserve your room today.

Williamsburg Woodlands Hotel: Comfortable rooms and conveniently located next to the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor’s Center. Book today.

What to do in Colonial Williamsburg

Make sure you visit the official Colonial Williamsburg website to check out the weekly schedule of open sites, trade shops, programs and activities.

To help with those who like advanced planning, they also post the schedule for the week coming up as well as the current week. You can pick up printed copies of the daily schedule at the Visitor’s Center.

If you do purchase the Historic Triangle tickets (covering Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown), consider visiting the sites in this order:

I found that by visiting the sites in this order, the information presented at each one built upon the other. You can do both Jamestown sites in one full day, but I would recommend at least two days in Colonial Williamsburg. Both Yorktown sites can be done in one day, but we could have easily spent more time at both the museum and battlefield.

Colonial Williamsburg Historic Area

Your first stop at Colonial Williamsburg will be at the large Visitor’s Center.

This is where you will park (for free), buy your tickets (if you haven’t bought online already), and catch the shuttle to the Historic Area.

You can also walk to the Historic Area. It’s a pleasant walk of about a third of a mile.

The Visitor’s Center includes two gift shops (yay!) and restrooms.

Unless you are staying at one of the official Colonial Williamsburg accommodations, plan to allow 30 minutes to get from your hotel to the Visitor’s Center parking and then on to the Historic area on foot or by shuttle.

The Historic Area of Colonial Williamsburg is approximately one mile long and about half to three-quarters of a mile wide.

Make sure you pick up a map from the Visitor’s Center; it will help you tremendously in planning out your visit and also shows all of the shuttle stops.

Must-see/must-do sites in the Historic Area

There are literally dozens of sites and trade shops in the Historic Area and we were able to experience the bulk of them during our time at Colonial Williamsburg.

Here are what we consider to be the “must-see” sites.

Governor’s Palace

The Governor’s Palace is the first major building you’ll encounter once you hit the Historic Area if you walk from the Visitor’s Center.

We encountered the palace while it was open for self-guided visits.

It’s a beautiful building with lovely gardens and was home to several of the colony’s royal governors as well as a couple of elected Virginia governors.

Capitol

Colonial Williamsburg’s impressive capitol is a replica building.

All of the previous capitols burned down for one reason or another, but they were able to save some of the furnishings and artwork.

Entry to the Capitol was by guided tour only on our trip. We actually did the tour twice.

The first time we ended up on the last tour of the day, which meant the light in the building was quite limited since the sun was going down.

When we returned on Christmas Eve morning, we were the only ones there and ended up with a nice private tour.

Both tour guides were excellent.

Peyton Randolph House

Entry to this house very near the palace is also by a short, guided tour.

Our guide did an excellent job of outlining how the lovely Randolph house was different from the average Virginian’s home and also what life there may have been like for an enslaved person.

Charlton’s Coffeehouse

Our guided experience at Charlton’s coffeehouse included a chat with Colonel George Washington in the main room.

While it was interesting, I do have to admit that since hubby and I were the only ones there it was a little awkward.

We weren’t sure if we were supposed to engage in conversation with him or just let him talk. And what do you say to George Washington anyway??

We had a lovely, quick tour of the coffeehouse followed by a sample of drinking chocolate. Guests can also choose a coffee or tea.

Three replica 18th Century documents on display. — *Learn about 18th Century book binding, printing, wigmaking and more when you visit the trade shops in Colonial Williamsburg. Photo: Plan, Ready, Go!*

Trade Shops

Stop in as many of these shops as you can fit into your day.

Not all of them are open every day, but shops that are open will have a flag out front and often a staff member to point you in the right direction.

You don’t need to take long at each one, but you can learn a lot about 18th Century American life (colonial life?) just from asking a few questions.

We highly recommend the armory, the blacksmith, the wig maker, the silversmith, the cabinet shop, the cobbler, the printing press, the bindery and the apothecary.

Also keep in mind that not all of the sites and shops are right on Duke of Gloucester Street that runs through the heart of the Historic Area.

Refer to your map to make sure you don’t miss anything that’s a little off the main path.

Fifes and Drums

Make sure you don’t miss your chance to see the Williamsburg Fifes and Drums on your visit.

We were fortunate enough to be there for the “Firing of the Christmas Guns” program just as the sun was going down on Christmas Eve.

I don’t think you can experience anything more “colonial” in Williamsburg than those Fifes and Drums.

Courthouse

Colonial Williamsburg offers a variety of programs in the Courthouse that are definitely worth adding to your itinerary.

At least some of the evening programs require the purchase of a separate ticket, but those are clearly marked on posted and printed schedules.

If any of these had been on the schedule during the week we were there, I would have definitely wanted to do this.

The “Order in the Court” free program we attended on Christmas Eve did call for volunteer participation, but it became quite obvious that what they were looking for is for the participants to play along so everyone learns a little something about what the 18th Century Virgina justice system was like.

It’s not a murder mystery dinner party.

They don’t want you interrupting the proceedings to point out any “clues” you think you’ve uncovered or to render your own verdict.

Other things to do in Williamsburg

There are other tours you can do in Colonial Williamsburg.

If you’re looking for a ghost tour, you might enjoy this highly rated one.

If you’re interested in hearing stories about pirates as well as ghosts, you might like this guided tour.

Interested in doing a day trip to Washington DC? Try this full-day tour of the United States capital including bus transportation from Williamsburg. It comes with free cancellation up to 24 hours before tour departure.

Historic tavern dining

There are four “historic taverns” in the heart of Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area: Chowning’s Tavern, King’s Arms Tavern, Christiana Campbell’s tavern and Shields Tavern.

We did one lunch at Chowning’s Tavern and enjoyed a dinner at Christiana Campbell’s during our trip.

Both had good vegetarian options and gladly helped hubby with gluten-free options. If you can, make a point to do at least one meal at one of these taverns.

Chowning’s Tavern does not take reservations and is a little less expensive than the others, so it’s a good lunch option. Plan to arrive as soon as it opens to be seated quickly.

Otherwise you can do what we did and put your names in for a table and take a nice break from all the walking on a nearby bench while you wait for your table.

Expect to wait 45 minutes to an hour on busy days.

Christiana Campbell’s, which apparently was once a favorite spot of George Washington, is only open for dinner, and I strongly recommend making reservations especially if you are planning your trip for during busy season.

Christiana’s Campbell’s offered us a three-course meal plus their delicious sweet potato loaf. The price of the meal was based on entrée selection.

For the record, the sweet potato loaf was one of the best things I have ever put in my mouth, and because my gluten-free hubby couldn’t have any I got it all to myself. Bliss.

Dear Christiana Campbell’s Sweet Potato Loaf,

I love you forever. Please be mine.

Love,

Darcy

We enjoyed our meals at both taverns.

Christiana Campbell’s was quite a bit more expensive, but you do get A LOT of food.

We also enjoyed live music and “Christiana Campbell’s daughter” came around to chat and tell us a bit about tavern keeping.

Overall it was really a great experience and perfect way to spend the last evening of our trip.

People walking through an 18th century style shopping area. — *Enjoy shopping and great dining options at Merchants Square in Colonial Williamsburg. Photo: Plan, Ready, Go!*

Shopping and Dining at Merchants Square

Just beyond the Colonial Williamsburg Historic Area, the shopping and dining area called Merchants Square features more than 40 restaurants and retail shops.

During our trip we enjoyed a lovely dinner at Blue Talon Bistro.

There is A LOT to see and do at Colonial Williamsburg. We spent two and a half days in the historic area and still didn’t see everything.

I would have gladly spent a third day there poking around into all of the corners we missed, not to mention to their two art museums.

Bottom line, it’s well worth the time to make a trip there and to learn more about life was like during key formative years in U.S. history.

Final thoughts on your trip to Colonial Williamsburg

There are so many great things to do in Colonial Williamsburg and the Historic Triangle.

After you explore the world’s largest living history museum you can end your day with some great food at one of the amazing restaurants.

What’s your favorite thing to do in Colonial Williamsburg?