Venturing to Colonial Williamsburg is something of a right of passage for every family in the mid-Atlantic. The “Revolutionary City” is a great immersive experience with almost limitless options for customization. You want politics? Done. Architecture? Yep. Slice of everyday life? That too. Archaeology and the science of investigation and preservation? You see where I”m going here.
And yet, I think a lot of people shy away from taking their young families, waiting instead for the older elementary grades, when kids typically study this period in school. Partly this is out of fear that little ones won’t appreciate the significance of the moment in time that Williamsburg represents. But you know what? That’s alright. We went to Williamsburg with a four-year-old and a six-month old and everyone had an absolute blast. Did my pre-schooler appreciate the world-changing idea of a colony overthrowing its imperial power? Absolutely not. But he did come away with a great frame of reference for what the passage of time has meant in terms of technology and overall lifestyle.
A big part of the trip’s success came from preparation before we left. We watched a few videos on the official YouTube channel by way of basic introduction so he knew what to expect. We talked about the idea that America wasn’t always its own country; that when we a colony we weren’t treated the same as other areas were and thought it wasn’t fair; that we had to fight a war and win to become our own country. We found a way to connect this moment in time with something he already was comfortable with — This is what a city was like at the time that pirates were sailing on their ships (that kid loves him some pirates). We also browsed the website to find a few things we knew would be hits: Viewing the 18th-century fire engine and talking about what looked familiar and what was very different; A pair of museum exhibits that focused on toys through history; cute animals; vegetable and flower gardens, since he had been learning about plants in school.
Another legitimate reason that families hold off is that the experience can be an investment — a single-day adult ticket runs north of $40. That’s nothing to sneeze at, even if you are a family who is really into history. But the good news is there are a few family-friendly ways to get the most bang for your buck.
First, if you’re local then you’re in luck. Residents of the Williamsburg are eligible for steeply discounted tickets: Unlimited admission for $10 per year, with kids under 12 free. If you’re outside the immediate zip-code but still a Virginia resident, you are eligible for a great deal: if you buy one full-price single-day admission by May 31, you can return for the rest of the calendar year for free. There’s also an annual pass (365 consecutive days as opposed to a calendar year) that is only $16 more than a single-day ticket, making it a great option if you will be in the area for more than the three days covered by a multi-day ticket, which falls at a corresponding mid-point.
There are two limited-access ticket options, but neither strike me as exceptional unless you are very confident of your constraints. You can gain access to just the outstanding Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg, but (and perhaps this is the DC resident who can roam in and out of Smithsonians without paying any admission fee any time at all talking) that does not make sense for an out-of-town visitor. There’s also a sampler ticket that will let you into four shops, gardens, homes, etc. That might be great if you are seriously crunched on time, but I would be wary of disappointment should someone gets very interested at the end of the window. If you just want to taste the flavor of the place, as it were, you can wander the streets of the historic area without entering any buildings for free.
Instead, the secret I’m here to advocate is the Off Season. That trip I mentioned? We went over MLK Weekend in January and took advantage of some fantastic discounts on on-resort lodging and admission. Not only was our room more than 50% less that we would have paid in the summer, even on a holiday weekend, but a multi-day entry pass was just $32.99 for adults. Yeah, it was cold, but we got to take our time and explore in bursts over three days for just 80% of what coming for a single day in April would have cost.
Other than the temperature, the main drawback was that not everything was open. The biggest annoyance on this front was when it came to food. Only one of the historic taverns was open, but Chowning’s was great and it’s the one I would have chosen given our group. And while breakfast at the Woodland’s hotel was unaffected, the on-site restaurant for dinner was shuttered and that was a bummer as we definitely would have ended up there one evening. There were active preservation projects going at a few sites, which was cool to see. None of the trade shops or other historic buildings we were interested in were impacted, and flags clearly indicated what was or was not open, so there weren’t surprises. Part of me did wish that Great Hopes Plantation had been operational, but I know we will be able to get an overview of historic agriculture closer to home by visiting Mount Vernon. On balance, I was frankly impressed by how much was open.
Other than cost savings, there were other arguments in favor of the winter trip too. First, no crowds whatsoever. Nobody was waiting for carriage rides, so we got an extra-long journey. We were seated immediately for lunch Chowning’s Tavern. And when the baby was fussy, prompting our sweet server to tell me to make myself at home upstairs to get him asleep, there was not a single soul to be seen.
Rather than feel like a ghost town, the interpreters made this feel like some sort of exclusive access. The gentleman tending the garden on DoG street spent about 20 minutes with our son, letting him help with his chores, answering questions no matter how silly. Our little guy got a ride in a period wheelbarrow and a shell to take home, after assessing in crushing others to use filling in paths. When he went back to school, he was bursting with pride and full of interesting information he could share with his teachers.
Final verdict: Bundle up and embrace Winter in Williamsburg. Just check the website to see when the Christmas Season, which is definitely not part of this laid-back period, ends.