Estimated reading time: 10 minutes
I made two nonconsecutive trips to Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia; living close to Williamsburg does have its benefits. The first trip focused on seeing historic homes normally closed to the public as part of Virginia’s Historic Garden Week, while the second trip focused on seeing the remaining historic house museum that I had never been to before. Both visits work together to give an overview of what to do in Colonial Williamsburg, VA. At the end, I showcase the natural beauty of College Landing Park to complete your Williamsburg Virginia tour. This blog will serve as a companion to my first YouTube video so keep reading to the end.
Table of contents
Historic Houses in Colonial Williamsburg
Virginia’s Historic Garden Week was the reason for my first trip to Colonial Williamsburg. The two houses I managed to get a rare glimpse into were the Ludwell-Paradise house and the Coke-Garrett house. These two house are private homes that are normally closed to the public, but were opened for one day for this event. The Ludwell-Paradise house once was the home of the Ludwell family, of which several of its member converted to Eastern Orthodoxy. The Coke-Garrett house serves as the home of the Presidents of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, and had just finished a restoration only a couple of days before the event. I have no pictures of the insides, but it was interesting seeing modern kitchens inside 18th century buildings.
I also went to Bassett Hall, which was the home of the John D. and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller. This House is usually only open to the public on Thursdays-Saturdays, so I took a rare opportunity to visit. I also went to the Bray School, where enslaved children received an education in order to accept their lot in life.
Several weeks later, I decided to visit the remaining historic homes I’ve yet to see. I first went to the George Wythe House located besides the Palace Green. George Wythe was a signer of the Declaration of Independence and the first law professor of the United States. It had the typical grand 18th century Georgian interiors and a very beautiful garden.
Next, I went right down the street to see the Carter House, an incredibly long house that I could not fit entirely within the picture. The House is entirely bare on the inside, with zero furnishings and several holes in the walls exposing the wood and brick work. Our tour guide told the fascinating story of Robert Carter III, a man who turned from a dissolute playboy to a conscientious man who manumitted more of his enslaved people than anybody prior to the Emancipation Proclamation. The house is only opened on Tuesdays-Wednesdays.
I then walked down Nicholson Street to see the Peyton Randolph House. Peyton Randolph served as President of the First and Second Continental Congress. Our tour guide delivered a personable look at the lives of the Randolph’s and their enslaved people.
Duke of Gloucester Street
On both trips, I enjoyed strolling along to Duke of Gloucester Street, Colonial Williamsburg’s main thoroughfare. The street starts at William and Mary, goes through Merchant’s Square, and passes through 18th century Williamsburg. It turns out that Merchants Square is the oldest planned shopping center in the United States dating from 1927. The images below will show you Duke of Gloucester (DoG) Street (and accompanying side streets) in chronological order.
College Landing Park
A five minute drive from Merchants Square is College Landing Park. It’s a riverfront park with only a fishing pier, kayak launch, boat ramp, and a hill with stairs. Although it’s a small park, it will do just fine after a long day of exploring Colonial Williamsburg.
Conclusion
Overall, I greatly enjoyed my two visits to Colonial Williamsburg. Although I have been there many times before, there were still so many places and things I had yet seen. So whenever you visit Colonial Williamsburg, consider all of the places I’ve mentioned alongside the Governor’s Palace and Capitol building. Perhaps you could even visit the two private homes the next time Historic Garden Week happens in mid-April.
While it’s “free” to walk around Colonial Williamsburg (you need to pay for parking on an app), you would need to purchase a ticket to enter into many of the buildings. Single-day Tickets go for $33.75 online or $37.50 at site for people 13 and up; Multi-day Tickets go for $55.00 for people 13 and up. More information can be found here. Information about Historic Garden Week is found here.
Below is my YouTube video about my two trips to Colonial Williamsburg. Think of it as a wordless vlog, giving you the sights and sounds of Colonial Williamsburg. The video shows much more than this blog, such as the gardens of the two private homes, Bassett Hall, the Bray School, etc.
Colonial Williamsburg Restaurant Recommendations
It makes sense to recommend many different restaurants as Colonial Williamsburg is an all-day destination. I will go in order from fanciest to least fanciest.
Colonial Williamsburg has several dining establishments the replicate the experiences of eating at a tavern during the colonial era. The King’s Arms Tavern was founded in 1772 and has the waiters dress in period attire. I chose the King’s Arms Tavern in particular because I once had my birthday meal there.
The Blue Talon Bistro serves French cuisine, located on the parking lot behind Merchants Square. I also had a birthday meal here, and I would love to eat here again.
The Cheese Shop is a local institution located on Merchants Square. Its sandwiches are a favorite with my family. Head next door to Wythe Candy and Gourmet Shop for specialty candy.
Rick’s Cheesesteak Shop is located on Prince George Street. I’ve been there once and enjoyed their cheese-steak sandwich.
Precarious Beer Project is located in a building on the other parking lot behind Merchants Square. They have three little restaurants located inside, of which I enjoyed the birria tacos of Electric Circus Taco. I’ve only been inside a rainy Monday lunchtime and a Tuesday afternoon, so I bet the place is much livelier at nighttime.
If you wanted to go to explore more of the greater Williamsburg area, I can recommend many different restaurants. In order from closest to furthest from Merchants Square are: Bonanza Social Kitchen (Korean Fried Chicken), Anna’s Brick Oven Pizza-Pasta (Wood Fired Pizza), Honey Butter’s Kitchen (Breakfast Food), Maria Bonita Cantina (Mexican), and Pierce’s Pitt Bar-B-Que (a local institution). Also, I highly recommend going out of your way to get Duck Donuts, but make sure they’re open before you make the trek particularly if you go earlier in the week.