Last year, Colonial Williamsburg changed entry to this museum from requiring a paid ticket to free…read moreaccess. The free access now makes this museum a terrific value for locals and visitors. The museum has excellent exhibits in furniture, textiles,18th- and 19th- century clothing, folk art, clocks, and so much more. In addition, the museum houses a comfortable theatre for lectures, music, and plays. Sometimes the shows have a fee, but many are free. There also is a counter service museum cafe that provides soups, chili, salads, sandwiches, desserts, and beverages with a large open seating area. In addition, the gift shop sells upscale Colonial Williamsburg merchandise and jewelry. Free parking can be found on the side street or in a small lot across the street. Paid parking is available in nearby lots, many of which provide the first hour or two free.

Wow, what a place. If you go to Williamsburg you have to include this in your trip. They have a…read moredizzying variety of colonial and American items, weapons, clocks, furniture, clothing, toys, art. Really every aspect of life. I'm not a big fan of the layout, it is hard to tour in a methodical way, you have to backtrack to see every room and I think you'd want to see every room.

We absolutely loved our trip to this museum! Not only is it free admission, but the collections…read morewere exceptional! It is one of the most well thought out, museums in terms of information and some sort of interactive aspect that I've seen for an art museum. We got there quite early on a Sunday, and was able to snag a street parking spot. That being said, there are plenty of lots around although you do have to pay to park at certain points of the day. We also truly enjoyed the interactive opportunity to talk to "Thomas Jefferson;" what a neat concept and truly educational!

The museum itself is lovely, many unique pieces; from the quilts to the folk art to the toys, it…read morewas a wonderful collection. We highly enjoyed the string performance, which made the experience extra special. The security guards also were helpful and kind. However, the woman running the Goode area doing crafts offered no apology after sending us downstairs when our family arrived at 1:25 for the 1:30 event. She told us to go to the story performance. My 80 year old mother had to trudge to the lower level only for everyone to be leaving the performance to head back to where we were to do the craft. We missed all the instructions due to this and were not caught up or as stated offered an apology by the woman who sent us away. The security guard who had helped us find our way down there did apologize and that was appreciated however the experience with the woman was incredibly off putting. It soured the whole experience as her attitude was so ugly as well. The museum itself is fine but some employees shouldn't be interacting with the public.

A good place to start on the tour of the battlefield sites that defined America…read more The Yorktown Visitor's Center is the perfect starting point for exploring several of the most pivotal sites in American history. The drive from the main road to the center is scenic, offering glimpses of Virginia's historic landscape before arriving at the center. Getting to the actual center seemed a little confusing as there are arrows describing the car tours to visit various sights when leaving the center. The center is not very large. The exhibits inside are well-organized and interactive, showcasing artifacts from the Battle of Yorktown, maps, uniforms, and weaponry from the era. There is a short film that provides an good overview of the battle and its significance in the history of our American independence. The center also features a gift shop with books, souvenirs, and historical memorabilia. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable and offered suggestions regarding various tours that you could take when driving around the area. There are several well-marked signs leading visitors from the center to the surrounding area sites. The driving tours take visitors through key historic sites connected to the Siege of Yorktown (1781) and the broader Colonial National Historical Park. Overall, the Yorktown Visitor's Center is an great stop, providing an introduction to this historic battlefield and its role in shaping the nation.

Colonial NHP is spread out over Jamestown, Yorktown and a road connecting them. We went to the…read morevisitor center in Yorktown and thought it was great. It did a great job of explaining what led up to the British surrender and how it happened. I especially liked the part of a ship that was built into the visitors center. Walking through it really was like walking through an 18th century ship - very cool. The visitors center did a great job of explaining the surrounding area and helping us decide where to go. I enjoyed it and would definitely recommend checking it out when visiting Yorktown.

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.)

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!

This is a great museum. Our family throughly enjoyed their recent family day. Staff were very kind…read moreand helpful. Exhibits are great! Only caveat in regard to the family day is more volunteers would have been better. There was one volunteer in an area with two crafts and multiple parents had no idea what to do in regard to the craft.

This was a splendid looking building from the outside that exceeded my expectations for a…read morecollege-affiliated art gallery, of which I have visited many. On the inside, it had a set of local exhibitions and an upper floor of rotating thematic exhibits. While the museum was free to enter, they had a paid exhibition that frankly took up a large portion of the museum so I felt a little misled. I dodged in mainly because the weather was rough outside, but fortunately the rain passed. I didn't spend a ton of time here, but I did appreciate the college's commitment to art.

What a terrific place. Music lovers, and lovers of cool machines should definitely see this place.read more

The Virginia Musical Museum is an outstanding semi-hidden gem of a half-day attraction in…read moreWilliamsburg and well-worth a stop if you are an audiophile of any sort. Came here recently with my parents since it had been on our list of spots to try ever since they moved to the area. You might think you're in the wrong place when you walk in and see a ton of pianos for sale, but nope: the manager comes right over, escorts you to where the museum itself starts, and sets you on the path. He was very personable and was a veritable museum of musical knowledge himself, great intro to a great experience. This place is nothing short of a mesmerizing medley of some of the strangest musical instruments you have ever seen, along with an incredibly cool collection of memorabilia from esteemed Virginia musicians, some recent and many from days long departed. I thought the automatic banjo machine was particularly cool, never seen one before and probably never will again. The entire thing took us about three hours to work our way through and it was quite an education. It is mostly reading though they have a few interactive exhibits on the top floor, and they seem to be actively planning even more which is always nice to see. If you have a passion for music both old and new, I definitely recommend stopping by! Overall: 5.0 stars ---- Pros: - Very cool museum with some one-of-a-kind pieces and truly fascinating historical tidbits. - Extremely nice manager with a clear passion for maintaining and expanding this collection. - Good value for the admission price. Cons: - While I can't imagine this place being overly busy, parking is limited so I can imagine this could be an issue, albeit a small hypothetical one.

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.