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For Green Thumbs & Garden Enthusiasts

Cool green spaces, flower gardens, big shade trees, and more. See why people keep coming back to our gardens!

Visit Historic Sites

Colonial Garden

Get your hands dirty in this garden filled with vegetables and perfumed by heirloom roses and herbs. Garden historians demonstrate 18th-century techniques and encourage guests to explore and ask questions. Meet a gardener and handle the specialty tools used in the 1700s for planting and harvesting crops. Learn about the herbs and vegetables that were commonly grown for food and the flowers that ornamented the landscape.

Great Hopes Plantation

During this self-guided tour, glimpse the daily life of a plantation and discover how most Virginians lived.

Governor's Palace

Enter the years immediately before the Revolution and experience the grandeur of royal government in Virginia just before its collapse. Feel the tension between the rulers and the ruled in this revolutionary time as the British government's authority was increasingly questioned. Home to seven royal governors and the first two elected governors in Virginia, the Palace was meant to project British authority and wealth. From the large display of period swords and guns to the elegant décor and grand ballroom, the Palace was built to impress.

Meet our Tradespeople

Apothecary

What was it like to be sick or injured in colonial times? What could you expect when you went to visit the doctor, or he came to visit you? Discover how much, and how little, medicine and surgical practice has changed since the time of George Washington.

Cooper

Barrels were the shipping containers of the 18th century. They could be made "slack" or watertight, suited to contain everything from flour to fine wine. They were remarkably rugged, and even very heavy ones could be rolled from place to place. Watch coopers transform flat boards into precisely shaped staves and join them - all by eye - into buckets, piggins, firkins, and hogsheads.

Anderson Blacksmith Shop and Public Armoury

The Revolutionary War wasn't won through battles alone. To keep pace with the might of British industry, Virginia desperately needed a new armoury. Watch our blacksmiths take red-hot iron from the fires of their forges and hammer it into a variety of tools, hardware, and weapons.

Tour the Town

Bassett Hall Garden Walk

Come stroll through the Rockefellers' garden at Bassett Hall! An interpreter shares stories about the family's visits in the 1930s and '40s, the flora and fauna they loved, the landscape architect who designed the gardens, and the events that unfolded under the Great Oak.

Meet the Gardener

If you've ever wondered about 18th-century gardening techniques, this program is for you. Join one of our garden volunteers and get the answers to your questions.

Arboretum and Gardens

The Colonial Williamsburg Arboretum is a Level 1 certified arboretum comprised of 18th-century tree and woody shrub varieties. The collection features 25 period species of oak trees and more than 30 historic gardens.

Dig Deeper

 

Land of Opportunity

Each season brings harvests of our gardens’ varieties.

Forgotten Fruit

Nutritious and easy to grow, the pawpaws that Colonists loved may be poised for a culinary comeback.

That Beets All!

Today the nutrition-packed beet is considered a “super food.” While the attention being paid to this colorful vegetable is new, beets themselves are not; beets were found in Colonial kitchen gardens in America.

The Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg

The distinctive collections of the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum and the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum are located under one roof.

EVENING PROGRAMS

The fun doesn't end just because the sun sets. Whether you're looking for some drama or to be spooked, there's something to entertain you.

Dine With Us

With a mixture of restaurants, bars, lounges, and cafés located in and around the Historic Area, you’ll find the perfect place for a historically-inspired family meal or an intimate evening of creative cuisine.