Great sunset tour on the James River! Our party of 10 friends had a really enjoyable sunset tour…read morewith Captain Corey and William this past week. The boat is clean with comfortable seat cushions and pop-up tables in each row for drinks and snacks, which you may bring on board. We enjoyed the wine and baked goods we brought with us. The ride is mostly pretty smooth since the boat is a pontoon boat. We had a short period of time with some rocking while watching the sun set, but it didn't last long. Captain Corey's commentary about the James River and Jamestown Island was fun and interesting. We saw wildlife such as eagles and great blue herons. When the boat was out on the James River, we saw the Jamestown-Surry Ferry. We then went close to the recreated ships at Jamestown Settlement. The sunset on the James is spectacular. Though we had some clouds, it was still lovely. As the sun sets, they play music, which adds to your enjoyment. The tour lasted an hour. I highly recommend for a couple, a family, and a group of friends!

This was just the funnest experience! The pier where the boost was docked was just lovely. The…read moreguide for the trip was friendly and funny and the scenic hour went too fast. We had a wonderful boat load of people and it helped that the guide engaged us all on several occasions, giving us the opportunity to get to know one another. We would definitely do it again.

This confusing setup has a bunch of national park land adjoined to a privately owned historical…read moresite. Focusing only on the national park site, I found a visitor center with an introductory movie. While I was perusing the exhibitions right outside the theater, they managed to close it and lock it without letting me know the movie was starting. Which is a little irksome, but may have worked out for the best as I got to the outdoor site and managed to get a run of it and take some pictures just as a weather front was heading in. Some people had traveled from Michigan to tour the area, which I think was a good decision for them as you don't get this kind of history up there. The national park site has some ruins and signage after crossing a boardwalk over the swamp. While not huge in scope; I spent maybe an hour on the site in total, it gives you a feel for the challenges that settlers would have faced. The signage provides compelling information for visitors of all ages, and the views of the waterfront and nearby ferry are majestic as well. You'll get a sense of historical nuance with a lot of players in the area, and an aesthetic experience as well. There is a wildlife drive and this place does have a parkway running to Yorktown, albeit currently not fully open due to major construction. I did not have time for everything the area has to offer on this passing visit, but there is a lot regardless of how much time you have.

September 2024- I visited the historic & original Jamestown , the colony was established there in…read more1607. Jamestown is remembered for its iconic historical figures like Pocohontas and Captain John Smith. In the Visitor Center, there is a small museum exhibit of Jamestown. The admission to explore all of Jamestown requires the purchase of two tickets since Jamestowne managed by two separate organizations, Preservation Virginia (Jamestown Rediscovery) and the National Park Service (Colonial National Historical Park). This can be very confusing when entering and getting admission inside Jamestowne. Entrance inside the visitor center & museum as well as the grounds are free for active military and their families, who get free passes to all the national parks. Standard fee is $15. An additional ticket of $15 is required to purchase by ALL (even with a free military entrance pass to all National Parks). It was worth it to me and a fair price to pay. Jamestowne was a fascinating visit to walk through the well maintained and reconstructed historical buildings & ancient ground of Jamestown. I like how they reconstructed Jamestown to show how it appeared during colonial times and showcased the ruins of the old church within its duplicated replica. I spent most of my time in the church, drinking in the views by the River, and walking through the grounds of Jamestowne. We ended our visit at Jamestown by going to the Archaearium, the archaeology museum, last. It covers the history of Jamestown 1607-1624. There was so much unknown information uncovered there about Pocahontas and the dark history of the colonists during times of famine. 1609 - 1610 was a dark and horrific time period of cold winter weather & starvation for the colonial settlers of Jamestowne. Many starved to death, some resorted to cannibalism of dead corpses or killing the living for food to survive. They reserved a room about this dark period and restrict the use of cameras & taking photography/ videos of that area in the museum out of respect for the remains of the dead in the room. Very macabre yet still fascinating. There were many areas we did not have time to explore due to time constraints and our travel agenda, yet we made the best of what little time we had there.

Love that they saved these pieces of history. John was a very friendly and knowledgeable guide…read more Definitely worth a visit

I've been wanting to visit this for a while and was lucky to get tickets many months in advance…read more It's on a private property and is open only ~8 times in a year. There were different 2-hour times that you can choose from when I bought the tickets. A full day pass is also available that allows you to enter multiple times in a day. The organizers send emails containing directions to get to the place, tips and other reminders. When they tell you not to wear pretty shoes, listen. Even though it had not rained for the past week when we went, there were areas that were really muddy. Wear boots. Went here on a Saturday afternoon. There was a short orientation at the start near the registration area then we went to the heads of the presidents. It was a cool experience seeing all these huge busts of the presidents. Two brief talks during the visit were (1) trivia about the presidents and (2) history of the place/presidents' heads. A gift shop at the entrance/exit had magnets, postcards, tree ornaments, posters, etc. Had a great time here and was lucky to get those tickets ahead of time because they run out quickly.

Colonial Williamsburg is the perfect place to relive history. Don't worry about what time of year…read moreyou go ... there will always be plenty of people there to share your stay with! The docents in their historic garb doing things we don't do anymore will absolutely blow you away! Don't wait ... go now!

Let's bring this one up to the current:…read more Since my last drivel about the CW Brickyard a lot has changed. First and foremost is their location. Until two years ago they were preverbally down in the hole off of Nicholson Street over by the Cabinetmaker. Now, they are off of Botetourt Street next to the Carpenter (who has only been there a few years from when they got moved due to the closing of Great Hopes Plantation). Why the visit and what's the big deal? It's all about the kiln baby. Why is it worth seeing? Because you simply cannot see bricks fired this way in this country anywhere else except here at this time. Normally once a year, in certain years they have done it twice and at different times but this is normally the pattern, in mid-November they fire up the kiln that they spent approximately five weeks building to solidify the bricks which were made from late-spring to early-autumn. This year, depending on which person you talk to, they're firing around 18-19K. A few thousand will be used at The Magazine for part of a new outer wall they'll do next year (The Magazine is currently closed until '25 for archeology/renovation work), most will be used for the rebuilding of the First Baptist Church - www.colonialwilliamsburg.org/learn/research-and-education/archaeology/first-baptist-church/. Fwiw, if you got the dough, the bricks can flow. Part of the total are 800 for a private individual that is doing an outdoor hearth. Pricing is $5.25 per brick (faint). Also neat is that while all of the CW trades close for the day at 5pm, a random one or two at 4:30pm, during the kiln firing the brickyard stays open until 10pm. Yes, at 10 they very politely ask you to leave and yes, several staff members from different trades stay out all night long for the five days it takes the process to unfold. The staff that work here are arguably the best CW has to offer. Whether it's answering the same question for the millionth time or answering a very technical question from someone who knows something about bricks, they handle it professionally and some with a good sense of smart-ass humor. The rest of the year the brickyard open Wednesday-Sunday from 9am-5pm but if you can swing it, usually, the second week of November for a visit, it will be worth your time. (They also once every so often fire up the oyster shells they have on the property which are then used as mortar for in between the bricks once they're melted down. One of the guys said it was coming "soon" but I forgot to ask when "soon" is.)

Very cool historic site that has much more to offer than I was able to enjoy in a day. I'm not a…read morehuge historian, but it was quite remarkable to see the part of the country that has been preserved and restored to match the original colonies. We got to see a barrel being made, a cannon being fired (dry fired), a court session, and lots of buildings and other historical items. The person I was with has been here a few times and said they have options to stay on site and also there are several very good places to eat. Would be a great place for the family or yourself if you want a piece of Americas history.

Our favorite place to go here in Virginia! So many beautiful and historic buildings. The food and…read moreshops are fantastic. We always bring family here when they visit us. Favorite things in CW: - Walking down the historic downtown - Seeing the gardens and horses - Visiting the shops - Lunch at the cheese shop - The liberty lounge - Soups and snacks at the bakery (raleigh tavern i believe at the end of the street)

Great guided tour with a lot of history provided. The property and castle is under restoration. I…read morelove American history.

Wow, wow, WOW! What a fascinating place! So much history!…read more My friend and I went for a ghost tour on a Saturday night. The woman who ran our tour is named Sarah and she is a direct descendant of one of the original families that lived there. Also assisting with the tour was a man named Kenny from a paranormal research group in Richmond. Kenny considers himself a sceptic. His organization (I can't remember the name), works to document data, analyze the data, and try to come up with a scientific reason for the "paranormal" incidents. Both Sarah and Kenny have LOADS of knowledge! They shared a lot of history and stories with our small group. They also provided K2 meters that detect energy fluctuations. The stories were absolutely fascinating, first-hand, and some very recent (including with Kenny the sceptic). While we were finishing our tour, we heard a loud thunk on the wooden floor of the landing where we were, as if it had been struck with a boot or solid-heeled shoe. Then the floor was vibrating in a progressing manner as if someone was walking across the floor. One of the light-up cat toy balls on the floor was lighting up like crazy and several of the K2 meters were lighting up. So how about that?! A tour WITH paranormal activity! What a fun experience! I cannot wait to go back!

We booked a custom private tour with Trish and had a great time. She has a ton of historical…read moreknowledge on everything from Thomas Jefferson's experience at William & Mary to how different bricks were made in the Colonial era. If you want something more in depth than the standard Colonial Williamsburg script, this is it!

Thoroughly enjoyed our walking tour. We learned so much. This was an efficient way for us to visit…read moreWilliamsburg and learn by a local expert who obviously loves Williamsburg, loves history and loves to educate. Highly recommend.

Great tour guides friendly and personal great deals. They know what their talking about with the…read morehistory of Williamsburg enjoyed my self and the ghost tours and staff tremendously

I expect a little more spook than basic stories. It was a nice tour, but definitely not what I…read moreexpected. The stories told weren't even spooky just basic someone died here and now people hear or see things. I guess if your just wanting to find out basic who did where and who maybe haunting places this would be the perfect tour.

It was only this year (2024), did I realize that Williamsburg has a haunted river cruise. It…read moredeparts at the James City County Marina, which I also did not know existed. It's a one hour haunted river tour on a clean 28 passenger pontoon boat, which has a bathroom on board. Our tour guide (Carter?) was a great storyteller, which is crucial when it comes to haunted tours. He brought the macabre stories back to life & his humor added to my enjoyment, without being cheesy or overly peppy. It was a nice hour on the James River while we listened to ghostly & historical tales (many I had not heard). While it was not scary (honestly, what haunted tours ever are?) , it was very entertaining & peaceful and rather nice to cruise the river at night. It was great that they tastefully decorate the boat, setting the tone & mood for a hauntingly good evening! While you are not permitted to take video of the tour itself, you are encouraged to take as many photos as you wish. I would say that this is one of the best ghost tours I've been on in a long time. Also the only haunted tour I ever experienced on a boat, which was cool! Meet at the marina 15 minutes prior to the tour, they will have a sign. There is a bathroom at or near the Billsburg Brewery which is directly across from the marina. Parking can be challenging if there's an event at the brewery. Tours can be canceled due to inclement weather or not enough participants.

It was fantastic! The story teller was one of the best we've ever heard, thanks Theo! Love the…read morelighting and decor too!

Just came back from a tour with the BEST guide. She was simply adorable…read more Her name is Liv and she is a student at William and Mary college. Therewas a pub walk where we saw the Wren building, a pub called Precarious that had a glorious fire pit outside. It was so cold and windy but Liv kept us warm with her stories. Then we went to Burton Parrish and in between she regaled us with stories about the area adding her own personal touches. This was such a fun event to do in a super awesome location. The only downside was the rest of our tour who were super cheap in tipping our guide. She was very pleasant with everyone and worked very hard in the cold to make sure we had a great time. I wish people understood how hard these kids work. We gave a generous tip and thanked her profuseyfor such a wonderful evening. I highly recommend!!!

The Williamsburg ghost tour is a fun, spooky experience with enjoyable stories and fascinating…read moretales of the city's haunted history. The atmosphere is perfect for a ghostly adventure.