This is a great historical attraction, but you have to know how to navigate it. The signs around…read morethe historical section are not great at all. We stayed a few miles away, so we drove in and parked at the visitors center (paid parking). Go inside the visitors center to get your passes & maps (make sure you get the clip passes as every person manning the doors at the different houses will ask). Go down to the bottom of the visitors center and catch the WATA bus to go into the historical section. We started at the governor's mansion and walked from there. You'll easily get 10,000 steps if you see the whole property, if you have mobility issues you definitely should rent a scooter (there are quite a few rental spots around the visitors center). You can take the WATA bus to most of the big attractions, but walking through really gives you the whole experience. We made the mistake of going on a 95° day in August and quickly realized there is little shade on property. Be prepared to be in direct sun most of the day. We had someone in our group who was hard of hearing using hearing aids, and it was quite hard to hear a lot of the tour guides in the buildings with the echoes. Emily in the governors mansion was the best tour guide by far. A must see attraction, but do your research and plan your trip before coming

Colonial Williamsburg should be so much easier to visit than it is…read more We visited as a family and were really looking forward to the experience, but left disappointed largely because the wayfinding is so poor. The printed map is surprisingly difficult to use, directional signage is inadequate, and it is often unnecessarily hard to work out where you are and how to get to the next attraction or program. And it wasn't just us. I lost count of how many visitors we saw standing staring at maps, apparently trying to figure out where to go next. This was especially frustrating because someone in our party has limited mobility following recent surgery. Walking several hundred yards in the wrong direction isn't just an inconvenience in that situation. In 2026, a major attraction covering an area this large should have proper smartphone navigation. You should be able to select "Governor's Palace," a particular program, restaurant, restroom, or bus stop and get GPS walking directions from your current location, along with distance, accessibility information, and estimated walking time. Better physical directional signs are badly needed as well. There is so much history here and clearly an enormous amount of work goes into preserving and interpreting it. The problem is finding it. Colonial Williamsburg could be a wonderful visitor experience. Unfortunately, today we spent far too much time trying to figure out where we were and where we were supposed to go. This is a very fixable problem, and I hope they fix it.

The Outlander Exhibit was an experience that we will remember forever. What an amazing production…read morethat they have set up. Absolutely a must see for any fan! The museum is very beautiful, and we look forward to returning to see the rest of it!

What a real treat for the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown to host an exhibit on Outlander…read morecostumes. The exhibit mostly included costumes from Seasons 1-4, with a piece to from 5 and 6. Wow! The museum did a wonderful job presenting the exhibit--costumes, video clips from the showing the costumes being worn -- and lots of background information about how the designed planned and prepared them. This is a must-see exhibit for both Outlander fans and those who appreciate period clothing. The exhibit also includes a few pieces of clothing that are crested on sight for use by the living history interpreters at Yorktown.

We had a BLAST!! My family visited hoping to have a little fun and kill some time and this place…read morewas SOOOOO MUCH FUN!! We paid for the 3 activity combo deal and it was definitely worth it. This allowed us to walk through the museum, go through the mirror maze and play miniature golf. We spent about 2 hours here overall and the staff member we interacted with was really nice and helpful. We took lots of pics and laughed so much. There were really interesting exhibits in the museum and some cool interactive stuff too. We loved the Face Swap. Well worth the money.

This is the coolest most underrated unique place to stop in and spend a few hours whether local or…read moreon vacation you will have a blast!!!

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.

We visited Jamestown Settlement on Aug 14, 2025. It had free parking, which was a plus. From where…read morewe parked, we crossed the zebra crossing and walked through Quadricentennial Plaza to get to the museum. Erected in 2007 to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown, the Quadricentennial Plaza's dual files of state flags was remarkable. When looking from the north side - facing the trio masts with the United States flag in the middle - the state flags were arranged in order of ratification starting from the right file with the flag of Delaware, moving state by state to the south side, then making a U-turn and continue on in the other file (with the flag of Michigan), and arriving back to the north side with the final state flag (Hawaii). A plague at the base of each mast briefly described the state's founding. A photo is included showing that of the Tar Heel state. Jamestown Settlement should not be confused with Historic Jamestowne (spelled with an extra "e"). The former is a museum located in Williamsburg while the latter is an archeological site located in Jamestown. When we arrived at Jamestown Settlement at 11:20am, the sky was cloudy; by 2:25pm, it was sunny and clear. The museum had a wide facade. When seen from an aerial view, it is shaped like an obtuse angle. Even through we went during the summer vacation, it wasn't crowded that day. If you're not interested in attending the museum, there plenty of benches to hang out by the lawn area. The first thing we did after purchasing the tickets was to watch a movie. We went to the rotunda (amazing ceiling view), and followed the directions to Gallery Theater where we saw "1607: A Nation Takes Root". This docudrama traces the founding of Jamestown from the point of view of the colonists, the Powhatans and the Africans, with the colonists being the main protagonists (no-brainer). If I had known that the film was already available on YouTube, I'd have skipped it altogether. After the film was over, we proceeded down Great Hall to the Galleries. There were three entrances to the Galleries. We took the first one cloest to the rotunda, called the "Before Jamestown" section. Before Jamestown, life was peaceful for the Africans and the Powhatans as shown by their life-sized dioramas. Then came the stars of the Galleries: British colonists. The layout and decor for their exhibits evoked a colonial marketplace. It included a partial model of a ship. The "1607" doorway to the right of "The Virginia Company of London" exhibit led to more exhibits. More Powhatans, including one devoted to Pocahontas. In addition, there were exhibits about women's contributions during the early years of Jamestown. "From Africa to Virginia" was a particularly interesting treat. In front of visitors were artifacts and written displays, behind them was a long, large screen showing clips of Africans' encounter with the colonists and the subsequent development of the slave trade. Next were additional colonist exhibits. They weren't as impressive as what came next: recreated homes from that time period (early to mid 1600s). Some of them were colonist dwellings and some slave dwellings. Hard to tell which was which as they all looked similar. At one of the homes, a video clip - played periodically on an exterior wall - showed a slave describing what life was like back then. He seemed happy, like Song of the South's Uncle Remus happy. Across from that home was a doorway leading to Great Hall. By the doorway were written displays encouraging visitors to "Turn Legacy Into Action". To the left of the doorway was an exit that led outside to the gazebo and an area called the Mall. The Mall had a walkway surrounding a larger lawn. At the end of the lawn towards the gazebo was the Commemoration Tower. Review continues in the attached image. More photos and videos can be found at https://www.youtube.com/@1Somber. Look for the playlist "2025-3: Jamestown Settlement Museum".

Very well maintained, interactive learning activities for kids are always a hit. Kids love it…read more I find that it gets pricier, with kids now paying, but it was still totally worth it from educational and fun point of view.

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.

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.

Great exhibits. There are interesting inside exhibits that explore transportation through time…read more Included are numerous interactive activities. Outside includes numerous vehicles, boats and trains.

A secret gem of a museum hidden in FT Eustis!…read more We had so much fun and there was a ton to do at this Ft Eustis museum! It was awesome seeing all the trains,planes and automobiles in the Army's history! This was extremely well put together and was fantastic to go through! It is located on the base itself, so access is limited to being able to get onto the base.

If you haven't been to Colonial Williamsburg, you need to drop everything and go. So rich in our…read morehistory, and so entertaining. And in the fall they often run specials allowing you a membership for little more than the cost of an activity. I purchased the membership allowing us unrestricted access and a carriage ride where we were given the roles of the richest people in town! Ate in a local pub...that was interesting. Food was "authentic" and ale was good. There are many little stores interspersed in the town where we got some interesting period pieces. Even Orange Blossom water, which the food network site told me how to use! I could have spent a week here, but we had limited time. Someday I will get back and allowed a full week to satisfy my curiosity!

I have lived in Virginia for about 6 years and I passed by Williamsburg. I have seen the signs, but…read moreI have never really taken the time to visit Williamsburg My fiancée is a civil war fanatic so we always try to find a place to go to satisfy his need to history. So he can have more historical fun facts to share with friends at game night gatherings. Haha. This place was very pleasant. We walk thru the Williamsburg old town and it was for sure and amazing adventure. The employee walk around with outfits from the 1800 and all the old buildings and history. It's a small town and each little building has a background and a story. They have backyard gardens that look fruitful and just stunning. Then they had a little park with bond fires. It great to a nice end while it being cold.