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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 Admission
Free Event Ticket
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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 Admission
Free Event Ticket
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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.
Art Museums Admission
Free Event Ticket
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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.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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Beginner Workshop: Tailor
Simple materials and skills produced a broad range of useful buttons and a very large industry in the 18th century. Join the Tailors and make two types of thread-covered buttons.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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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.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
Map & Program Guide
Download our printable map and guide to help plan your path around the largest outdoor educational living museum in the country.
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Beginner Workshop: Weaver
Try your hand at weaving in this class for all levels of experience.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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Chamber Concert - York River Concert Band
Come to this beautiful 18th-century worship center and enjoy a candlelit concert by the York River Concert Band from Hampton Roads directed by Jeff Haney.
Open to the Public
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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.
Open to the Public
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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.
Open to the Public
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Clarinet Ensemble Concert: Richmond Clarinet Choir
Come to this beautiful 18th-century worship center and enjoy a candlelit concert by the Richmond Clarinet Choir directed by Anne Coldiron, with guest Dr. Michael Pendowski.
Open to the Public
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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.
Open to the Public
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Conversation: Meet a Nation Builder
Find a Nation Builder, a significant figure of 18th-century Williamsburg, around the Palace Green for some informal conversation.
Open to the Public
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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.
CW Admission
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Conversation: Meet a Person of the Past
Find people of the past for some informal conversation or activity.
Open to the Public
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DIY Craft: Quilting
Discover the story of Susana Allen Hunter, quilter, and enjoy a mini quilting project.
Art Museums Admission
Event Ticket
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Dining Event: Revel at Chowning's Tavern
Join us at Chowning’s Tavern for an evening of 18th-century merrymaking.
Open to the Public
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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.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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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.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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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.
Open to the Public
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Evening Program: Haunted Williamsburg
Brave centuries of scares, from 18th-century colonial ghost stories to creepy modern-day encounters!
Open to the Public
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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.
Open to the Public
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Evening Program: Palace Concert
Colonial Williamsburg's early music ensemble, the Governor's Musick, offers an elegant evening of chamber music.
Open to the Public
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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.
Open to the Public
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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!
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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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.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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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.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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Family Workshop: Foodways
Learn basic garnishing and food decoration skills to create an appealing dessert by sculpting and decorating their marzipan creations.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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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.
Donor Exclusive
Free Event Ticket
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Garden Workshop: Botanical Art
Learn methods to capture the botanical world in watercolor in this two-day workshop with Linda C. Miller, a local artist.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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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.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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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.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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Hands-On: Crafts
After exploring the galleries, drop by the Education Studio and create a work of art inspired by an object on exhibit.
Art Museums Admission
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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.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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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.
Open to the Public
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Hands-On: Shoulder Your Firelocks!
Engage in a military drill, learning the tactics and drill of the 18th-century soldier.
CW Admission
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Hands-on: Daily Life
Participate in the daily activities of an 18th-century family at the Geddy House.
CW Admission
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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.
Open to the Public
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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.
Open to the Public
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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.
Open to the Public
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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.
CW Admission
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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.
CW Admission
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Homeschool Hands-On: Public Armoury
Enhance your visit with our educational activity stations. Explore the Public Armoury complex and learn about the war’s demands on Williamsburg’s industry.
CW Admission
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Homeschool Presentation: Order in the Court
Participate in a local court session where lives, liberties, and property are contested.
CW Admission
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Homeschool Tour: Capitol
Students and their families are invited on an engaging and interactive tour of Virginia’s second capitol building.
CW Admission
Event Ticket
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Homeschool Tour: Freedom's Paradox
Learn about the evolution of slavery, and how the institution impacted Williamsburg, the Colony of Virginia, and both the master and enslaved people.
CW Admission
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Homeschool Tour: Palace
How did evolving definitions of freedom cause conflict between Great Britain and America?
CW Admission
Event Ticket
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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.
Art Museums Admission
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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.
Art Museums Admission
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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.
Art Museums Admission
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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.
Art Museums Admission
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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.
Art Museums Admission
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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.
Art Museums Admission
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Music: Early American
Enjoy music that has come from distant shores to become the music of Early America.
Art Museums Admission
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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.
Open to the Public
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Music: Fife & Drum March
The Colonial Williamsburg Fifes and Drums, representing military field musicians, march from the Capitol to the Palace Green.
Open to the Public
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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.
Art Museums Admission
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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.
CW Admission
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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.
Art Museums Admission
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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.
Open to the Public
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Organ Recital - Michael Gibson
Michael Gibson, organist from Williamsburg, VA, presents a candlelight organ recital.
Open to the Public
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Organ Recital - Stephen Henley
Stephen Henley, organist from Richmond, VA presents a candlelight recital.
Open to the Public
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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.
Open to the Public
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Performance: A New Republic
This series of museum theater programs relate to the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and democracy.
Art Museums Admission
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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.
Art Museums Admission
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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!
CW Admission
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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.
CW Admission
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Performance: Revolutionary Acts
This series of museum theater programs relate to the experience and meaning of the Revolution for the 18th-century Williamsburg community.
Art Museums Admission
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Performance: Street Theater
The Williamsburg community comes to life in this street theatre experience exploring the daily lives of ordinary people during extraordinary times.
Open to the Public
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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.
CW Admission
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Performance: Visit with Colonel George Washington
Step into the past with George Washington, Colonel of the Virginia Regiment. Through stories and questions, explore the hopes, choices, and challenges he faced.
CW Admission
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Performance: Visit with General George Washington
Step into the past with George Washington, father of the country. Through stories and questions, explore the hopes, choices, and challenges he faced.
CW Admission
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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.
CW Admission
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Performance: Visit with James Madison
Step into the past with James Madison, Scholar Statesman.
CW Admission
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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.
CW Admission
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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.
CW Admission
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Performance: Visit with Oconostota
Step into the past with Oconostota, the Great Warrior of Chota. Through stories and questions, explore the hopes, choices, and challenges he faced.
CW Admission
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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.
CW Admission
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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.
CW Admission
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Performance: Visit with Thomas Jefferson
Step into the past with Thomas Jefferson, The Rebellious Philosophe.
CW Admission
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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.
Art Museums Admission
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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.
CW Admission
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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.
CW Admission
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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.
Art Museums Admission
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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.
Art Museums Admission
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Presentation: Good Stories about Great Stuff Kids
Calling all KIDS! Join us as we explore stories about objects chosen just for YOU!
Art Museums Admission
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Presentation: Historic Trades Talk
Join our experts from the Historic Trade shops or Governor’s Musick ensemble as they share their research.
Art Museums Admission
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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.
Open to the Public
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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.
CW Admission
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Presentation: Pride not Prejudice
Join members of the Gender and Sexual Diversity Research Committee to explore some of the exciting research they have uncovered.
Art Museums Admission
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Presentation: Rare Breeds
Learn about the rare breeds of livestock that live at Colonial Williamsburg.
CW Admission
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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.
Art Museums Admission
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Presentation: The Necessity of Order in Battle
Witness a demonstration of tactics that are crucial to success in combat.
CW Admission
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Public Auction
Take part in an exciting auction! Bid on selected items from Colonial Williamsburg stores as well as exclusive items not available elsewhere.
Open to the Public
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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.
Open to the Public
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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.
Art Museums Admission
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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.
CW Admission
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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.
Art Museums Admission
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Special Event: A Veterans Day Salute & Procession
Join us this Veterans Day weekend for a march and ceremony honoring America's veterans.
Open to the Public
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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.
Open to the Public
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Special Event: An Evening with the Presidents
Join George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison to discuss their experiences as presidents.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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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?
Open to the Public
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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.
Open to the Public
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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.
Open to the Public
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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.
Open to the Public
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Special Event: Declaration of Independence Reading
Thomas Jefferson begins a day of pageantry, celebration, and reflection.
Open to the Public
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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.
CW Admission
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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.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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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.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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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.
Open to the Public
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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.
Open to the Public
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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.
Open to the Public
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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.
Open to the Public
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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.
Open to the Public
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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.
Open to the Public
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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.
Open to the Public
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Tour: Arboretum Central Historic Area
Learn about some of Colonial Williamsburg's most asked-about trees, how the colonists used them, and why they continue to be important today.
CW Admission
Free Event Ticket
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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.
CW Admission
Free Event Ticket
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Tour: Archaeology Behind-the-Scenes
Visit the Archaeological Lab for a guided tour and learn about a century of archaeological discovery at Colonial Williamsburg!
CW Admission
Free Event Ticket
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Tour: Art Museums Overview
Join us on a 20-minute guided tour and enjoy some Museum favorites at a glance.
Art Museums Admission
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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!
CW Admission
Free Event Ticket
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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.
Art Museums Admission
Free Event Ticket
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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.
CW Admission
Free Event Ticket
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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.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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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.
CW Admission
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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.
CW Admission
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Tour: Meet the Gardener
Garden volunteers answer questions about growing flowers and vegetables in the Historic Area. Free reservation required.
CW Admission
Free Event Ticket
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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.
CW Admission
Free Event Ticket
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Tour: Stables Behind-The-Scenes
Get a behind-the-scenes look at our modern stables and learn more about our carriages.
CW Admission
Event Ticket
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Youth Choir Concert: Crossroads Youth Choir
Come to this beautiful 18th-century worship center and enjoy a candlelit concert by the Crossroads Youth Choir from Bartlett United Methodist Church in Bartlett, Tennessee.
Open to the Public