Darling little post office in the tiny community of Morattico! As we were taking pictures, a guy…read morewalked up in what looked like pjs, seemingly hungover or just waking up and when I asked if he was the postmaster, he grunted yes. Well, I guess they're pretty laid back in the neck of the woods! There is nothing here but a museum and a post office in this historic fishing village. The post office is adorable and looks over the river. If the postmaster was more receptive and professional, this would have been 4 stars all the way!

If you're going to be in this historic little fishing town, you have to stop by and see the post…read moreoffice. Mainly, because there is nothing else to see, but it's a cool little place. Looks like a doll house with PO boxes. Nothing really to do other than marvel at how small the operation is.

A great place to visit and learn about Colonial America government history…read more Colonial Williamsburg is a wonderful place to visit that really brings American history to life. It offers visitors a unique glimpse into 18th-century America with real shops, people dressed in period costumes and buildings maintained as they would be in Colonial times. Located in Williamsburg, Virginia, this living history museum spans over 300 acres and includes restored buildings, interactive exhibits, and costumed interpreters. The site is an immersive experience where you can walk along cobblestone streets, interact with blacksmiths, shopkeepers, and even participate in colonial-era activities. I would recommend starting your experience at the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor Center but you can go directly to the city where there is plenty of parking in parking garages along the outer streets. You can see lots of different working places in the city like bookbinders, silversmiths, gunsmiths and the capitol building. This is at the East end of the Duke of Gloucester street. It is surrounded by a courtyard. We caught it just right and grouped up into a tour with about 20 people. The guide did a wonderful job of taking us through the building and discussing the various rooms and their histories. In each of the rooms there was seating and the guide encouraged us to sit while she told the story of the place using key people and events. It is an excellent tour. The guide was extremely knowledgeable and the tour was fascinating. I highly recommend this tour if you have an opportunity to take this tour.

The Colonial Capitol in Williamsburg has proved the test of time. It's reconstruction in the 1930's…read morehas now out lasted it's two period originals. The Colonial Capitol was moved from Jamestown in 1705 and remained the seat of colonial government until 1779. Thereafter the capitol was moved to its present day Richmond. There is one original item in the building that was home to the House of Burgess. A large wooden chair where a judge would have presided. Visitors can take pictures. Colonial Williamsburg interpreters are what really bring the building alive. All guest are provided a guided tour. I always enjoy the talk on how massive Virginia was in the mid 1700's. A period map is on display and the audience is asked to participate. It is a must tour when visiting Colonial Williamsburg.

Topping Post Office is tops with me! An unassuming little government building that is handicap…read moreaccessible. The postmaster,Cindy Carter, gave me a hearty welcome and gave me some history of this diminutive post office. According to her, it was built some 40 years ago and you can tell she takes pride in her job. The lobby was in tip top shape, with the shipping supplies well stocked. There was a note posted saying that customers with P.O. Boxes needed to use their keys to gather their mail, rather than going to the counter and asking for it. On the front desk, they were some rather worn but nifty thick zip code books! Also displayed were a wide variety of postage stamps! A good reminder of what constitutes media mail was posted on the wall. There used to be a copier in the lobby, but it's since been removed. This post office is open from 7:30-11:30, 1:30:4:30 M-F, 8:15-11:15 Sat. The hours are a bit unusual from other post offices. No passport service. This location serves approximately 1,400 residents.

Super clean post office! Well stocked and offers a greeting card kiosk, plenty of mailing supplies,…read moreand a variety of stamps! The service was slow, but it was a busy Friday. Located in a strip mall, the plain facade is nothing to "write home about". They have passport service here so that's a plus! The hours are M-F 8:15-4:30. Not open on Saturday? Really? Lightfoot P.O. might have some folks p.o.ed!

I always come to this post office. The staff are friendly and helpful. The one close to me is…read moreawful so I travel to this one.

My 9 y/o daughter, mom and I had a wonderful time at the Coffee House. We were lucky enough to meet…read moreand talk with Michael. He is friendly, knowledgeable and kind to children. Everyone should make a beeline to the Coffee House for free coffee and hot chocolate. Be sure to tip!

Another CW visit in the books which equals another chance to expound on experiences plus talking…read moreabout what if anything has changed. This time it would be three visits to the coffee house over three days which equaled three different presentations. #1 - The employee out front miscounts the number of people initially when everyone is led inside so they are short two chairs. (They're supposed to stop at 15 instead of 17 in this case) They grab two chairs from the room next door and then we begin. This visit they have a guy in character playing Mr. Charlton from the year 1765. He mostly focuses on making jokes and talking about how good his products are while bantering with another in character person who sings a Christmas song with him and then we move to the next two rooms uneventfully. #2 - For this visit the guy playing Charlton is there except today it's 1766 and he only talks about the recent repeal of The Stamp Act. Totally different group of people working there and no song like the day prior. #3 - The guy playing Charlton is off today and things in the serving room and in Mr. Charlton's office are beyond boring. The person leading us through the rooms has the personality of a cardboard box but things get salvaged in the end. In the last room we are met by Young Thomas Jefferson from the year 1766 and he was nothing short of amazing. Funny. Engaging. Witty. Smart. It truly may have been the best five minutes I have ever had at CW! He engaged almost the entire group staring with the children and had a short Q&A which delved into his views on slavery, adultery, tyranny, philosophy and the sciences. CW needs to get this guy into more places or they needs to do more things like this. It was very much an old school touch of things that they did more of in the past but have gotten away from. I remember the guy playing Charlton from prior visits when he used to play a role in their end of day program about marching to Yorktown. Always loud and over the top which has its place but the experience with Jefferson was very much the real thing. If you like the chocolate (I don't) or the coffee they sell it everywhere in town and if you are coming for the tour note that they start every twenty minutes at :00, :20 and :40.

How many times have you heard of a barrel, bucket, or cask being made by hand. Well it's just not…read moredone much anymore, but at CW the spirit of doing it the 18th Century way is kept alive. Located off the side street of Nicholoson across the street from the cabinetmaker. There are no demonstrations given, they are doing real work, with real orders. There are no formal tours, but the Cooper will stop what he is doing and show you some work that they are currently doing. They work done by the Cooper is Cooperage. The word itself for the trade of bucket/barrel making derives from the Middle Dutch, or Middle Low German meaning Kopper, or copper from kupe cask, in turn from Latin cupa tun. The gentlemen James I talked with had over 35+!yrs experience at the art of Barrel, bucket, cask and other items making. He was super friendly and led our group through the process woods used etc. Is this a lost art, close to it. Very few shops in the world produce hand made work. The local Craft Beer maker Hardywood took delivery of some CW barrels recently. As in all of the CW trades I have a lot of respect for the skill it takes to continue this old world tradition of making things by hand.

Well, I figured for review #1000 I needed to pick somewhere special and for me that is the cooper's…read moreshop at Colonial Williamsburg. While my reviews for CW will attest to the fact that I'm very down on how the place is run as a whole, I am 100% fascinated by what goes on at this shop. The art (and to me it is an art) of cooperage has more or less not changed in centuries and to me something about that is uniquely awesome because while cardboard boxes and metal containers have replaced wooden casks, if you for example need a cask made, the old school way of making it is still the best way. The one fallacy that you hear is that some people refer to coopers as barrel makers but that's not the full story as a barrel is only one size of cask. If you're lucky enough to visit at a time when James is in he'll be more than happy to talk with you about a barrel, a rundlet or a hogshead just like the difference between wet coopering and dry coopering plus a whole lot more than I can remember. Getting back to James, he's been coopering at CW since the early 70's and before that he got his start in England in a shop that dated back to 1742. He's the real deal in every way about the process and is always extremely generous with his time to answer no doubt the same question a thousand times a day or even questions where in his head he's probably rolling his eyes yet his answer is always gracious. My favorite quote of his which I've heard him say two or three times when asked what he or any of the coopers do is that they make circles. That I suppose while true, is a huge understatement of how difficult the trade actually is. (Only a small handful of people have completed a cooper apprenticeship at CW over the last forty plus years.) For me personally what it boils down to is that watching what the coopers do here is history in its most pure form. You have a trade being done the same way it was done three hundred years ago being taught by people who learned from the prior generation who learned from the prior generation, etc. Those experiences are what make coming to CW worthwhile and they're at the core of what makes the cooper's shop at CW 100% authentic.