Colonial Williamsburg Collage

In 1971 we visited Colonial Williamsburg for two days and decided we wanted to come back for a whole week. Well, here it is 2007 and we finally made it! A lot has changed in 36 years, but at Colonial Williamsburg a lot has stayed the same. For instance, at the Visitors Center you can still watch the same orientation movie! We selected the Freedom pass, which is for a whole year, but price wise was cheaper than buying multiple one day or two day passes. Your picture is taken and printed on the pass just like a drivers license so it is not transferable. There are several other benefits to this pass such as 50% off evening Colonial Performances and access to Colonial Explorer Activities. We liked the advantage of being able to intersperse our visits to the historic district with days off site at other attractions.

There is free parking at the Visitors Center. From there we boarded the Red Route bus to the Palace stop where we transferred to the Blue Route. On our first day we took that bus to the tavern stop and walked through the historic area from there. Another day we rode on to the museum stop and boarded at Merchants Square for our return trip. On a third day we just rode the Red Route to the Palace and returned from there also.

Three things we greatly enjoyed at Colonial Williamsburg are: First, the historic buildings; Second, the costumed interpretive guides; and Third, the food. Three things we would improve: First, the signage to find the proper entry to buildings; Second, have all the buildings open everyday; and Third, add more kiosks selling water and beverages…all that walking with out water is dehydrating. You have been warned, be sure to carry a water bottle with you.

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Chowning's has a great location in the historic district to be the mid-day meal stop for hordes of tourists. We knew from the guidebooks that this tavern was more for the common folk than the elegant Kings Arms. I had expected to be eating off pewter not paper plates. The garden venue offers a very casual, family oriented experience. I admit we were disappointed that during the day they didn’t also offer indoor service. We geezers prefer to sit on chairs rather than benches and prefer to be out of the heat.

When guests arrive they join a line at a counter where orders are placed. Bill ordered a pulled-pork BBQ sandwich, cornbread muffin, pop and chips. I ordered the Brunswick stew and Apple Betty. Betty was pretty darn good, despite her inelegant cardboard container. I had asked what was in Brunswick stew and the server told me corn, lima beans, potatoes, chicken and other vegetables. My carton of stew had only one piece of chicken. Traditionally it could have been squirrel or other "game meat". I settled for a little bit of chicken.

Once settled at a picnic table, I couldn’t help but admire the view of the courthouse framed by the overhead arbor. We even were treated with live music. A costumed young man wandered the dining area playing a lute. Nice touch!

After 5:00 pm the tavern service moves inside and after 9:00 pm Gambols, a rowdy 18th century entertainment takes over. There is a cover charge for that performance of balladeers, minstrels, etc.

If we return to Colonial Williamsburg we would probably just buy a snack lunch at the cider stand nearby rather than return to Chowning's. It would be cheaper and you still get fresh air. Lunch for two with one beverage was #23.66.

I have two words to share with you: Peanut Soup. The King’s Arms Tavern isn’t the only place in Virginia to serve this specialty but it the first place we had in 1971 and it’s the first thing I ordered when we ate here this trip. This tavern reflects the taste of the 18th century gentry that patronized it. The room we were seated in was elegantly appointed with cherry wood tables and chairs; marble mantled fireplace, deep red patterned wallpaper, and lovely colonial table service. This building is a reconstruction and is actually two or more buildings linked together. We noticed there was garden seating also, but I really liked being in one of the main dining rooms. I read in an old guidebook that King’s Arms was renamed Eagle Tavern after the Revolutionary War.

The menu was a delight of choices and I wish we had come back here every day we were in the village. I had Peanut Soupe and Vegetable Pye. Bill had East Maryland Fried Chicken with mashed potatoes, and biscuits. We split a piece of Triple Layer Chocolate Torte with Raspberry Sauce. I shared some of my vegetables with him and he gave me a drumstick from his generous serving of chicken. Everything was tasty and beautifully presented. Our waiter was courteous and attentive.

What more could you want? Well to lend even more atmosphere to this historic restaurant, Dr. Robert Carter visited us. This costumed character actor told us he likes to drop into the tavern to talk and likes to meet out of towners. His presence was a little distracting to the meal, but it was good fun. The King’s Arms Tavern was our best food experience and most costly at Colonial Williamsburg. Lunch for two with one beverage, one dessert and tip was $50.07. Reservations are needed for the evening meal.

They were very smart to place a café in the tri-museum complex. Because we could pause for lunch after visiting the Public Hospital and the Abby Rockefeller we became reenergized to stay for the DeWitt Wallace.

Frankly I wasn’t expecting much from the cafeteria-style café. However we were surprised to get a tasty lunch at a reasonable price. Bill had a welcome change of fare with a plain hot dog with cheese, chips and a piece of coconut cream pie. I had a BBQ pulled pork sandwich with slaw and a banana. When we arrived we were the only customers, which helped when we had to make a decision going through the line. The dining area was comfortable with a view of the lower lobby. Before long the rest of the area filled up and we noticed a tour group had one large table reserved and their own serving station. Lunch for two with one beverage and two desserts was $21.17.


Down the hall is the gift shop. I wish they had books for sale with pictures of things from the two art museums. There weren’t even many postcards. They did have a lot of nice pottery pieces and I bought some note cards. The unpleasant aspect was two clerks were in a heated argument. The senior clerk was berating the newby. It was an awkward situation that should have been taken care of elsewhere.

Abby Aldrich Rockefeller and her husband John D. Rockefeller, Jr. are largely responsible for the reconstruction and restoration of Colonial Williamsburg. In addition Abby had a large collection of American Folk Art. Her husband established this museum in 1957 to honor Abby and donated the collection. We have been to other museums and seen items on display that were on loan from this collection. It has an excellent reputation. Abby’s collection of over 400 pieces has now grown to 4,000. With this much inventory they probably can change displays often.

Americana is a broad title into which falls primitives, paintings, advertising art, toys, musical instruments, furniture, pottery, crockery, silver, quilts, portraits and more. One gallery had a theme about farm animals; it was a clever display of many forms of art. We liked in particular what I call the "Cigar Store Indian" form of art. We also appreciated the painted trunks and other heirloom pieces of furniture.

The first thing we thought about when planning this trip, was the opportunity to see the architecture of the era and the sites where history took place. Colonial Williamsburg has a wealth of carefully researched, restored, and rebuilt buildings that capture the pre-revolutionary era of Virginia. The planners not only saved for us the historic Capitol and Governor’s Palace, they lavished over the details of shops, taverns, residences, public buildings and simple things like a well or a dovecot. Not only buildings were restored, but also gardens and some of the most beautiful trees have been preserved. At the east end of Duke of Gloucester Street tourists can observe an archeological dig taking place at the site of a coffeehouse.

The Governor’s Palace and its dependencies are strikingly beautiful. The entry hall would be impressive enough with its marble tiled floors and rich paneling. But you can’t help but be overwhelmed by the collection of muskets, pistols, and swords covering the walls. To the left is the estate manager’s office/butler’s pantry where they kept among other things a crystal service for 60. To the right of the entry is a parlor and family dining room. Upstairs are large bedchambers and the ladies parlor. From the entry hall going north is the ballroom and a garden view formal entertaining room. Baroque and Rococo details are found in the chandeliers, wallpaper, sconces, picture frames and hardware touches. This contrasts to the style of buildings throughout the rest of the village. The dependencies housed the kitchens, laundry and other service areas. Reflecting the English influence are the formal gardens and boxwood maze to the rear of the house.

The Capitol building housed the House of Burgesses, Council and Court prior to the Revolutionary War. In this building in 1776 Virginia’s legislators adopted a resolution declaring Independence from England. The first colony in the south to do so, this helped unite the 13 colonies to sign the July 4th Declaration of Independence. This building also was a victim of fire, refurbishing and then neglect and another fire. The H shaped structure is a reconstruction.

Taverns were a big business in Williamsburg. They housed and fed the legislators and visitors. Many were located close to the Capitol. Some have been restored for use as eating establishments. Raleigh Tavern has been restored to tour. They look good from the outside, but the sleeping accommodations are overcrowded and none too private. It makes one yearn for a Motel 6.

Shops are found throughout the village. They meet the needs of the day such as tailors, apothecary, saddle maker, printer, milliner, silver/pewter foundry, bakeshop, and general merchandize. Some of these are open purely for demonstration but others give you the opportunity to shop colonial.

Residences such as the Peyton Randolph house also are found throughout the village. Often these are in tandem with a shop.

Other public buildings such as the Courthouse, Bruton Parish Church, magazine, and Public Gaol round out the needs and activities of the community.

One of the most rewarding experiences a tourist can have at Colonial Williamsburg is conversation. Throughout the village costumed interpretive guides are stationed.

Some are the tour guides who show you through a building. At the Raleigh Tavern a young Black maid showed us to our rooms and told us about the work required of her and who the guests were. Downstairs two actor guides gave a running dialogue about life in Williamsburg when the Revolutionary War had American and British armies encamped nearby. They welcomed conversation and questions from the tourists.

Another type of interpretive guide could be found in the shops and trade buildings. I had long conversations with a tailor, cap maker, bookbinder, silversmith, apothecary clerk, and weaver/spinner. These guides continue to give you information and "gossip" as long as you remain interested. They were all quite good at staying in character. One man at the gunsmith shop even told me that I might need to take the cover off that "strange image capturing devise" that I was pointing at him!

A third type of guide took on an actual personality of a historical person. We didn’t get to see him, but we were told that the man playing Thomas Jefferson was excellent. We did have the opportunity to meet Dr. Robert Carter. He dropped into the Kings Arms Tavern while we were having lunch. He wanted to know what colony or territory we were from and if we brought any news from beyond Virginia.

Other shop clerks and tavern waiters dress the part, but they do not mentally live in the 18th century. Some of the craft areas let us actually see work being done. We watched the blacksmith, the metal foundry silversmith, and a spinner producing hard at work. All these fine people made our visit much more enjoyable and gave us a better understanding of the era.

The DeWitt Wallace collection of decorative art was overwhelming. He did have a few interesting pieces of a type of object…he had a plethora. Before we visited here I had never seen a nutmeg grinder. Now I can say I have seen dozens, all of them different. There are eleven galleries where more than 8,000 objects are displayed. Bill was very interested in the huge collection of guns, muskets, pistols, rifles and his favorite a blunderbuss. He also mentioned one gun that had an enormous caliber. I loved the yellow slipware display, the Toby jars, the silver punch strainers, and coffee and tea sets. A large gallery of Colonial furniture is arranged by colony and that was interesting to see how styles varied. While this was a well-stocked museum, it wore us down trying to read everything there was almost too much on display. We should have gone back to the Museum Café for a coffee break!

Red bus to the Palace Stop. Blue bus to the Museum Stop. That’s how easy it is to get to three museums included in the price of the Colonial Williamsburg entrance ticket. We arrived at the Public Hospital a few minutes before it opened. That gave us time to admire the huge magnolia tree on the lawn at the corner of Francis and South Henry Streets. I had seen magnolias in bloom before with their big showing white blooms and deep dark green leaves. In the fall the trees are covered with huge clusters of red berries attached to a cone-like pod. It was almost as beautiful as the white blooms.

Inside the Public Hospital of 1773 we had to put our carry-bags and water bottles in a locker. Then we were permitted entry into the hospital museum and after that we could take the elevator to a lower level where we walked a wide corridor with gift shop to the side toward the museum café and the elevators that would take us to the other two museums (Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum and the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum).

This was the first public institution for the mentally ill built in colonial America. Known in 1773 by the politically incorrect name of "Hospital for Lunaticks", it went through several revisions of use during the Revolutionary and Civil Wars. It also burned down and has just recently been reconstructed. We saw two rooms that represented the way patients were housed in 1773 and 1845. The earlier version was more like a prison cell, the later version looked to be more humane. While we looked in the cells we listened to the words of patients who might have lived there. There were displays of implements used to treat the patients. One looked like a coffin with wire mesh sides used to confine particularly violent ones.