Frequently Asked Questions for Locals
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New Evening Performances and Activities
Colonial Williamsburg comes alive after dark this fall with new plays and the return of the popular Cry Witch. Experience the Historic Area in a new way, by candlelight and with strolling musicians. Or perhaps get in the Halloween spirit with one of our ghost tours. Click here for information on our fall evening programs.
Celebrate the Season with Colonial Williamsburg
Our new Holiday Planner has just arrived, and it is full of amazing dining, music, and holiday programs. Take advantage of living near Colonial Williamsburg and celebrate the season this year with festive events. This year, Grand Illumination is scheduled over three weekends in December and on Friday and Saturday nights! Check out the planner here.
Parking
Colonial Williamsburg modestly charges for parking in select lots to ensure that spaces are not occupied unnecessarily for extended periods of time and to generate funds to maintain and improve parking facilities in order to provide the best possible experience for local residents and guests visiting Colonial Williamsburg, Merchants Square and the downtown area. In addition to hundreds of free parking spaces in downtown Williamsburg, the foundation offers 30 minutes to two free hours of parking at most parking lots. Additional time is $1 to $2 per hour. Paid use of parking lots is available via the Passport Parking App, which is the same online payment system the city uses at the Prince George Parking Garage. The Passport Parking App is a widely used system across the nation. Click Here to learn more.
Historic Area Paving
Historic Area street paving by the City of Williamsburg is done in two phases to allow the surfaces to cure between applications. City contractors first apply a standard paving material, which appears black and makes the streets look like a traditional road. A brown aggregate topcoat is then applied. The topcoat must be able to withstand the metal banded carriage wheels on Colonial Williamsburg carriages as the wheels would pulverize traditional aggregate topcoat as they travel along Duke of Gloucester and adjacent streets. Although paving began last year, complications arose during a test of a possible aggregate topcoat and further evaluation is needed by Colonial Williamsburg and the city before it can be applied throughout the Historic Area. We know that the aesthetics of the brown aggregate complements the Historic Area experience and look forward to applying a suitable material as soon as possible.
Colonial Williamsburg Regional Visitor Center
The Colonial Williamsburg Regional Visitor Center is open for ticket purchases, information, parking, and shuttles to the Historic Area. In addition, there is a small gift shop.
Looking toward the future, the City of Williamsburg, James City and York counties as well as other stakeholders, determined that repurposing a section of the Colonial Williamsburg Regional Visitor Center campus for a regional sports complex is in the best interest of the Greater Williamsburg community and the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. The addition of these new facilities does not mean that the Visitor Center is closing. The campus has ample room to accommodate new facilities in addition to the current Visitor Center building. City-commissioned economic impact studies have come back very positive and funding for the publicly financed and operated facility is secured. The proposal aligns with the city's vision to reimagine Williamsburg's shared spaces while maintaining the traditions and history that shape our community. We are optimistic that it will benefit the region in new and exciting ways.
Restaurants and Taverns
We are pleased to see that so many are eager to enjoy our wonderful restaurants and taverns. There is currently a nationwide and regional shortage of hospitality/restaurant workers. Colonial Williamsburg’s hospitality group is hiring restaurant staff, but is confronting the same challenges as others in the region. When combined with the economic impact resulting from COVID-19 health and safety restrictions, the Foundation has temporarily reduced operating hours at some of our facilities to ensure that we provide a high-quality guest experience. We are actively recruiting talented restaurant staff in anticipation of a return to normal operations in the coming months as the world emerges from the pandemic.
