Laura and I decided to take the kids down to Williamsburg back in August, but decided against it because of the pandemic. We thought it would be less busy in November (it was) but still pleasant weather. Were we ever right! We had perfect weather, great accommodations at a Hampton Inn/Hilton (really clean) quite close to Colonial Williamsburg, and the opportunity to visit, if even for short time, with one of my former fifth graders, Emily Doherty, who now has the dream job of being a docent/writer/presenter at Colonial Williamsburg.
We drove down on Sunday, arriving before dark to check in and find an outdoor venue to eat dinner. We found the perfect place, a wonderful pizza place at the end of the mile-long central strip of Colonial Williamsburg, Mellow Marshmallow. We enjoyed it so much that we decided to eat there again on Tuesday night. Great food, wonderful wait staff, we loved it.
First thing Monday morning, we met up with Emily outside the Governor's Palace. She hasn't changed one iota, what a sweetheart. She even gifted us with free tickets for our two-day stay. She says it's one of the perks of employment, and she hasn't had the opportunity to give many away this year!
Our first "tour" was of the governor's palace, which was super enjoyable. I spent a week here on a Teacher Education Opportunity back in 2001, and remembered some of the places here so fondly. During that week we saw so much behind-the-scenes and gleaned a huge knowledge of how to share this incredible place with kids. I remembered the entrance to the palace, full of swords, knives, and firearms. Tristan sure enjoyed it!
Even though inside touring was limited, small groups got to see a dozen or so of the authentic settings. Docents were more than happy to answer questions, including those relating to working there. We learned about blacksmithing, silversmithing, brickmaking, millinery, and the two different courts of law available to the residents of Williamsburg back in "the day." It was laid-back, engrossing, and so much fun. Both kids enjoyed it greatly.
We spent Monday morning and Tuesday morning at Williamsburg.
On Monday afternoon we went to Jamestown, one part of the Colonial National Historic Park "triangle." Unfortunately, the movie and museum were (of course) closed, which lessened the information for the kids greatly. Next time...
On Tuesday afternoon we headed to Yorktown. Again, no museum or movie, but interesting. Kids got to hike around both places, but Williamsburg was the super hit of this trip.
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| Mellow Mushroom |
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| We felt like we had the entire place to ourselves! |
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| Fall in Colonial Williamsburg |
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| Inside the courthouse |
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| Masks the whole time, of course |
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| Walkway bridge with benches at Jamestown. |
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