CW Planner

'Tis the Season for Weddings

Eighteenth-century weddings often took place during the Holidays. Visit the Milliners and Mantua-makers as they make a festive gown suitable for an 18th-century bride.

(re)educate

This theatrical performance explores the agency of free and enslaved students of the Williamsburg Bray School and the legacies of their lessons.

A Christmas Remembered

Join a Nation Builder as they share memories of Christmastide and hopes for the coming year.

American Indian Interpretation

Explore the diverse cultures of Native peoples striving to preserve their traditional way of life and learn about their roles in creating a new country.

American Indian Life Series

Through stories and questions, this series of programs will examine a specific aspect of American Indian history, society, and role in the American story.

Christmas and the Constitution

Join Madison and Hamilton in the throes of writing the Federalist Papers to support the constitution over a hectic holiday season, as they balance public and personal duty.

Clothing Enslaved People in Colonial Virginia

This lecture will explore some of the complex relationships between apparel, labor, identity, and enslavement.

Cost of War

Colonel George Washington discusses the Seven Years' War and its high cost on combatants and non-combatants alike.

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.

Designing Virginia's Seal

Join George Mason and George Wythe as members of the committee to design the new seal of a free and independent Virginia.

Donor Visit with a Nation Builder

Donors who contribute $250 or more annually to the Colonial Williamsburg Fund are invited to visit with a Nation Builder.

Expert Insights: African American Quiltmakers

Join Kim Ivey, textile curator, as she offers an in-depth look at Black quilters in the Colonial Williamsburg collection and in the “I Made This” exhibition.

Expert Insights: Black Potters

Join Angelika Kuettner, ceramics curator, as she offers an in-depth look at the Black potters featured in the “I Made This” exhibition and other museum galleries.

Expert Insights: Cesar Chelor and Jethro Jones

Join Scott Merrifield, architectural historian, as he offers an in-depth look at the Black toolmakers, Cesar Chelor and Jethro Jones featured in the “I Made This” exhibition.

Faith, Hope, and Love

An uplifting story invites you to imagine what it costs to pursue love and freedom in an enslaved society.

Finding First Baptist Church

Join Meredith Poole, archaeologist, and Connie Harshaw, president of the Let Freedom Ring Foundation, for an update on findings at the First Baptist Church archaeological site.

First Baptist Archaeology Community Open House

Join us for a day of archaeology on the original site of the First Baptist Church of Williamsburg! Explore the site and check out recently uncovered artifacts from 10am to 4pm.

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.

From Freedom to Slavery

After making a free life for herself as an adopted Shawnee Indian, Methotaskee is brought back into slavery.

George and Martha and John and Abigail

Professor Peter Henriques explores the marriages of the Washingtons and Adams.

Good Progress

Meet Mrs. Wager, teacher of the Williamsburg Bray School, as she debates the nature of her school with Elizabeth DeRosario, a free Black woman.

How Did They Survive?

Join Ayinde Martin, Journeyman Carpenter, to discuss enslaved people in Colonial Virginia and their survival techniques and skills.

Keeping the Home Fires Burning

Kelly Kennedy shares tunes, recipes, tales, and lore from women through the centuries as they continue to keep the flame of holiday traditions alight.

King's Arms Wine Dinner with a Nation Builder

Dine in the company of a Nation Builder on a delightful combination of their favorite fare and international wines.

Legacies of African American History

These panels bring together distinguished scholars, historians, and Interpreters for discussions on how research on African American History has developed over the years.

Legacies of the History of Indigenous People

This panel brings together distinguished scholars, historians, and Interpreters for a discussion on how research on Indigenous History has developed over the years.

Lives Stitched Together

Join our modern milliners as they discuss what they have learned about the work and lives of the free and enslaved women who worked in the Millinery Shop in the 18th century.

Merriment and Measles

Join the Washingtons on the eve of Twelfth Night in 1760 as they reflect on the past year and their hopes for the future in the midst of a measles outbreak at Mount Vernon.

Midwinter Stories

Celebrate American Indian life and culture through stories and traditions.

My Dear Madam

Mrs. Washington reflects on her life in the public eye and how her friendship with Mrs. Adams has shaped the role of the president’s lady.

My Story, My Voice - Joseph Martin, Indian Agent

Joseph Lynch Martin, agent of Indian Affairs, returns home to Virginia and is confronted by his teenage son about his new Cherokee wife.

My Story, My Voice - Sam's War

Sam, a formerly enslaved soldier, tells us his heroic story of self-liberation, encounters with the Shawnee, his supposed enemy, and those who enslaved him.

Nation Builder at the Encampment

Visit an interpretive camp of a small American Indian delegation, and a Nation Builder discussing their relationships and interactions with Indigenous peoples.

Nation Builder on Palace Green

Meet a Nation Builder for a conversation on Palace Green.

Nation Builders Discuss War and Conflict

Join two Nation Builders as they discuss war and conflict.

Pictures of West Africa

Join Harold Caldwell, apprentice carpenter, as he shares a pictorial of the connected 18th-century African and Virginian history, while tying it to a modern understanding.

President George Washington's Thanksgiving Proclamation

Hear from President Washington on the 233rd anniversary of this day of Thanksgiving.

Private Family Tour

Your group's private guide will lead your family through town to learn more about what it was like to live in the 18th century.

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.

Same Space, Different Place

Meet Rachel Whitaker, a recently widowed tavern owner, and her enslaved servant, Milly, to discover how the Christmastide season differs for these two mothers.

Silent Night

From the Revolutionary War to Vietnam, travel through time as women in various wartime roles struggle to experience a silent night in the midst of the sounds of war.

Socials and Songs

The American Indian Initiative and the Jug Broke Theatre Co. share the timeless universality of music.

Teach them Diligently

Journey with Ann Wager, a lifelong teacher in Colonial Virginia, as she experiences what it takes to run the Williamsburg Bray School.

The Soldier and the Widow

Experience the first conversation between Colonel George Washington and Martha Custis that set them on the path to becoming the iconic couple that history remembers.

Thomas Jefferson and John Hemings: A Collaboration

After his retirement, Jefferson returned to Monticello, where he relied on his African American joiner, John Hemings, an enslaved woodworker, to build and decorate Monticello.

Tools Tell Stories: The Planes of Cesar Chelor

Join the Cabinetmakers as they construct a raised panel door using planes reproduced from originals made by free Black plane-maker Cesar Chelor.

Tracing Adam Waterford

Discover what we know and what we don't know about Adam Waterford, a free Black man who worked as a cooper in Williamsburg during the time of the American Revolution,

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.

Visit a Nation Builder- General George Washington

Step into the past with George Washington, Father of the Country.

Visit a Nation Builder- George Wythe

Step into the past with George Wythe, teacher, lawyer, judge, and revolutionary.

Visit a Nation Builder- James Madison

Step into the past with James Madison, Scholar Statesman.

Visit a Nation Builder- Marquis de Lafayette

Step into the past with the Marquis de Lafayette, French Hero of Two Worlds.

Visit a Nation Builder- Martha Washington

Step into the past with Martha Washington, our Nation's first First Lady.

Visit a Nation Builder- Reverend Gowan Pamphlet

Step into the past with Gowan Pamphlet, Revolutionary Black Baptist Preacher.

Visit a Nation Builder- Thomas Jefferson

Step into the past with Thomas Jefferson, The Rebellious Philosophe.

Voices of Their Hands

Discuss the lives of enslaved tradespeople on this walking tour. Hear from our historic tradespeople discussing their experiences interpreting skilled laborers and their work.

Washington and the American Indians

Join George Washington throughout his life as he discusses his experiences with and views of various American Indian nations, and hear some of their opinions.

Women at Work!

Join us for a walking tour discussing the often-surprising realities of women’s labor, skills, and rights in 18th-century Williamsburg and the Colonial Atlantic World.

Works By Black Artists and Artisans

Tour the museum galleries including the “I Made This” exhibition to explore decorative arts and folk art made by Black artists and artisans. Free reservation required.