The Town Where History Lives
Women played important and, at times, unexpected roles in Colonial Williamsburg. Join us each March for special programming as we celebrate and examine these women's experiences, lives, and relationships.
Women's stories, often hidden in the historical record, illuminate their rich contributions to eighteenth-century Virginia's social, economic, and political life.
Adventure Back
to America’s Birthplace
Adventure Back
to America’s Birthplace
Imagine
a bustling 18th-century city. The ping of the anvil in the blacksmith shop. People discussing the news outside the courthouse. The market in full swing. This is Williamsburg, the thriving capital of Virginia, where a revolution took hold.
Experience
Colonial Williamsburg today. This is the world's largest living history museum, where you can see, hear and touch this influential city as it once was.
Stay & Play
With 301 acres of colonial experiences, it can take much more than a day to explore our world.
Come Together
Host your group event in one of our magnificent meeting venues. From a conference or nonprofit gala, to your wedding or family reunion, make it memorable with help from our professional events team.
New Discoveries Every Day
The restoration and preservation of Williamsburg began in 1926 and has been ongoing ever since.
Research, conservation and historic preservation lie at the heart of Colonial Williamsburg’s mission to present the stories of America’s origins. Every day, these investigations of the past reveal new facts that facilitate our understanding of this nation’s beginnings.
Williamsburg Bray School
The Williamsburg Bray School is the oldest extant building dedicated to the education of Black children in the United States, located in Williamsburg, Virginia. Established in 1760 by the Associates of Dr. Bray, an Anglican charity based in England, the school’s faith-based curriculum justified slavery and encouraged those that who were enslaved to accept their destinies.
New Exhibition: Worlds Collide
Materials such as German stoneware, Spanish silver, Chinese porcelain, and cowrie shells from the Indian Ocean show the global nature of Williamsburg’s world of goods and the people who used them. Here potters created ceramics from local clays, buttons were manufactured from animal bone, and crops like tobacco were exported across oceans. This exhibition explores how these things – global and local – came together in the town of Williamsburg.
Baptist Meeting House
In collaboration with First Baptist Church and the Let Freedom Ring Foundation, archaeologists conducted excavations to uncover two buildings, the remains of the mid-19th century First Baptist Church and a smaller building that preceded it. The earlier building, referred to as the Baptist Meeting House in an 1818 tax document, is thought to have housed the congregation prior to the construction of the church. That structure was replaced in 1856 by the brick church that stood on the corner of Nassau and Francis Streets until the congregation relocated in 1956.
Our Path to 2026
The year 2026 marks two notable anniversaries: the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States of America and the 100th anniversary of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation.
“That the future may learn from the past." The mission of The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation has never been more important. We invite you to learn more about our path to 2026 and celebrate the many milestone achievements along the way.
Education & Research Resources
From archaeology to documentary analysis, research underpins the entire Historic Area experience.
Resource Hub
Dive deeply into the past with our multimedia resources, including games, videos, interactive timelines, and more.
Teacher Resources
Bring history to life in the classroom with multimedia tools, and in-person at Colonial Williamsburg.
Art Museums
In our expansive galleries, you'll find wonderful examples of American and British antiques and decorative art from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries as well as bold and imaginative pieces of colonial and contemporary folk art.
The Revolution Needs You.
Your tax-deductible gift to Colonial Williamsburg will directly support our mission: That the future may learn from the past. Your generosity advances our preservation, education and civic engagement priorities, ensuring our impact across the nation and around the globe.
