Celebrate America’s 250th Birthday At Colonial Williamsburg

A few months ago, I wrote here that the nation’s upcoming semiquincentennial — that’s our 250th birthday, for those unfamiliar with formal naming conventions — provides an excellent time to “visit a national park or historical site” to learn more about the American founding. And with summer vacation season in full bloom, it provides a perfect opportunity to suggest returning to some of the sites where our nation began.

Having visited Colonial Williamsburg for the first time in decades last fall, the experience proved far different than my first trip as a middle schooler. But the area still provided an enjoyable and educational getaway and a timely reminder of our nation’s history.

A Great Deal for Families

My week of travel imparted two noteworthy lessons. First, at a time when Disney continues to raise prices at its theme parks to eye-popping levels, a trip to Williamsburg won’t wreck a family’s budget. Visitors can roam the grounds of the colonial capital completely free of charge, but even an admissions pass to enter the historical buildings remains surprisingly affordable.

A weekly pass that provides admission to all the major sites in Colonial Williamsburg, along with nearby Jamestown (site of the first permanent British settlement in continental America) and Yorktown (site of the British surrender in 1781) costs a mere $123. That’s less for a comprehensive 7-day pass than what most Orlando visitors must pay to get into a single Disney theme park for a single day. (Some evening programs at Colonial Williamsburg are separately ticketed and cost extra.) 

Because Virginia’s Tidewater region is within a few hours’ drive from much of the mid-Atlantic and Southeast, and because the area features affordable hotels and dining options, families can fund a quality vacation for a fraction of what it would cost to visit Disney parks — or even historical sites located in major (and expensive) cities such as Philadelphia and Boston. And if the kids still want to spend some of their vacation on roller coasters and water slides, families can instead buy an unlimited 7-day admission pass that covers Busch Gardens, Water Country USA, and Colonial Williamsburg — and also costs less than some one-day Disney tickets.

Experiential Learning 

Beyond the reasonable prices, visitors will find history that all ages can embrace. Jamestown, Yorktown, and Colonial Williamsburg all have spacious museums that provide detailed context on the background of settlement in America, and events leading up to and through the battle for our nation’s independence.

But while visitors can spend days perusing the exhibits in each museum, the sites themselves provide something far more valuable. For all my love of history, I spent little time in the Jamestown and Yorktown historical museums and none at all in the art museums at Colonial Williamsburg.

In this Historic Triangle, people can learn by watching and talking far more than by reading plaques on a wall, via hands-on exhibits that visitors of all ages can engage with. Jamestown promotes its archeological discoveries, including the story of how researchers rediscovered the ruins of the original Jamestown fort from 1607 — a site thought to have washed into the James River — three decades ago. I scheduled my visit to Yorktown to coincide with the anniversary of Lord Cornwallis’ surrender, which was commemorated with a festive parade and special tours of historic buildings.

The sites spread throughout Colonial Williamsburg provide ample opportunities to interact with historic reenactors and learn more about life in Revolutionary times — and how the reenactors adhere to colonial practices amid 21st-century technology. Strolling down the streets and in the shops allowed me to learn about how the kitchen staff at the Governor’s Palace slaughter a hog over the Christmas holidays, the painstaking work necessary for the cabinet-maker to handcraft harpsichords, and the hundreds of hours it will take the silversmith to design and hammer out a new ceremonial mace for the colonial Capitol building, to celebrate Colonial Williamsburg’s centenary.

Engaging for Children and Adults

Colonial Williamsburg, like many other historic sites, will never achieve 100 percent accuracy. Many of the buildings (including the Capitol and Governor’s Palace) are reconstructions, some have modern conveniences such as electricity and air conditioning, and the area’s parklike atmosphere probably seems too clean and tranquil to meet historical standards. Other 21st-century realities can also intrude — for instance, the Board of Health forbids workers at the Governor’s Palace from letting visitors sample dishes made in the 18th-century kitchen. (The kitchen reenactors consume some of the goods themselves.)

But the historic district provides guests of all ages with an opportunity to learn more about life in Revolutionary times. It may also give children the realization that not all jobs involve sitting in front of screens. Then, as now, tradesmen perform important roles in their communities, and in both the 18th and 21st centuries, people can make a good living by working with their hands.

One might think our nation’s 250th birthday will prompt more Americans to visit Williamsburg, to witness life in Virginia’s colonial capital on the eve of the Revolution. Here’s hoping they do and that they come away with a newfound understanding of, and appreciation for, the lives of the people who sacrificed so much to help create the freedoms we celebrate today.