Portal to the past

The sky was crazy blue and the weather unseasonably warm the day we decided to step through the portal and take another visit back to a simpler time.

We have visited Colonial Williamsburg several times before. For whatever reason, we just can't get enough of this place and its Colonial "mojo," so there we were again the day after Christmas ready to take in the sights and sounds of Christmastide in the late 1700s!

The Governor's Palace

For those of you who might not know, Colonial Williamsburg is a 301 acre living history site within the town of Williamsburg in the historic triangle of Virginia that includes the Yorktown and Jamestown settlements.  Williamsburg was the capital of colonial Virginia (pre-independence). Later, during the Revolutionary War, the capital was moved to Richmond, where it has remained ever since.

The Capitol Building

Starting in the early 1900s, the Rockefellers and others led a concerted effort to preserve historic Williamsburg.  They began buying up and restoring properties with a goal of recreating life in the 18th century.

It was 64 degrees on our first day there, which made it easy to covet the quaint and idyllic simpler life!

The first thing you notice when you enter the historic site is that there are NO CARS.  The preferred methods of transportation are walking or horse-drawn carriage (ignore the 21st century jogger/photo bomber in the photo below!).

Most of the merchant shops, craft shops, taverns, residences, government and community buildings are open for touring and commerce, and the interpreters who live and work there assume the character of someone from the 18th century . . . some are famous, and some are just everyday folks going about their daily lives.

One of the most entertaining things about being at Colonial Williamsburg is "discoursing" with the local citizens.  The boys enjoyed hearing Patrick Henry address the citizenry to share his ideas about the move for colonial independence (supposedly several years before he uttered the famous words "Give me liberty or give me death.").

Afterwards, Owen got to ask Mr. Henry one of his burning questions, and they posed for a quick "portrait."



Mr. Innes, the Usher at the College of William & Mary, was also quite the conversationalist.

Gregarious Owen met his match, though, with Mrs. (Thomas) Jefferson and her escort.  She was certain that Owen was some famous military general, and her determined inquisition left him completely flummoxed and speechless . . . a first for him.

But perhaps our favorite thing about Colonial Williamsburg during the holidays are the decorations.  There are wreaths, wreaths, WREATHS . . . gorgeous wreaths adorn every door that are made of things you'd never think of putting on a wreath.

A few of us were detained for a bit, having been accused of imbibing too much rum punch in the tavern!

While we wouldn't want to live in 18th century Colonial Williamsburg, it's a great place to visit and learn first-hand about history.



Lucky for us we took advantage of a buy-one-get-one deal at Christmas and became annual pass holders, so save us a spot by the fire, Williamsburg, we'll be back!