CW Planner

Hands-on: Daily Life

Participate in the daily activities of an 18th-century family at the Geddy House.

Special Event: Firing of the Brick Kiln

Fall is time to fire the bricks! Come see the kiln fires rage as the bricks reach a temperature of over 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit.

Tour: Custis Square Archaeology

Take a guided tour and talk with archaeologists in the field about the current archaeological investigations at John Custis IV’s four-acre home and early 18th-century gardens.

Film: Williamsburg – The Story of a Patriot

See the 1957 film, in its vibrant 70mm format, that tells the story of a Virginia planter deciding to join the patriot cause.

Performance: Visit with Colonel George Washington

Step into the past with George Washington, Colonel of the Virginia Regiment. Through stories and questions, explore the hopes, choices, and challenges he faced.

Presentation: Musket Demonstration

Military Programs staff will demonstrate the loading and firing of the musket. Experience the sounds and smells a soldier experienced during the Revolution.

Presentation: Order in the Court

After a short exploration of the Courthouse and its surroundings, participate in a local court session where lives, liberties, and property are contested.

Performance: Play House of Horror

Horror-as-entertainment was as popular in the 18th century as it is today, and in both centuries, it was fodder for fun as much as fear!

Tour: Good Stories about Great Stuff

Explore the galleries with a curator, conservator, educator, archaeologist, or a historian on this guided tour.

Performance: Visit with Marquis de Lafayette

Step into the past with the Marquis de Lafayette, French hero of two worlds. Through stories and questions, explore the hopes, choices, and challenges he faced.

Presentation: Two-Spirits in American Indian Life

Join a member of our American Indian Initiative as they explore the lives of two-spirit indigenous people who embody both female and male spirits.

Conversation: Meet a Person of the Past

Meet people of the past for some informal conversation or activity.

Tour: Art Museums Overview

Join us on a 20-minute guided tour and enjoy some Museum favorites.

Presentation: The Necessity of Order in Battle

Witness a demonstration of tactics that are crucial to success in combat.

Presentation: Firing of the Noon Gun

The noon gun signaled a cessation of morning drills and work parties and a start to preparing the midday meal.

Performance: Visit with Reverend Gowan Pamphlet

Step into the past with Gowan Pamphlet, revolutionary Black Baptist preacher. Through stories and questions, explore the hopes, choices, and challenges he faced.

Music: How to Play the (18th-Century) Violin

The violin was played by all classes and in all settings in 18th-century Virginia. Come hear how this instrument was played; it is easier said than done.

Tour: Stables Behind-The-Scenes

Get a behind-the-scenes look at our modern stables and learn more about our carriages.

Street Theater: A Right to Freedom and Education

Join our 18th-century community and engage with the residents of Williamsburg as we explore multiple different perspectives about freedom, community, and education.

Hands-On: Company of Comedians

Children of all ages! Join the Play House Players on the Duke of Gloucester Street to learn about Williamsburg’s theatre and participate in 18th-century entertainments.

Hands-On: Under Arms

Guests of all ages will step into the shoes of soldiers enlisting in the army during the American Revolution.

Music: Governor's Musick in the Wythe Parlor

Join members of the Governor’s Musick in the gentry setting of the Wythe House parlor as they illustrate domestic music on period instruments.

Performance: All Things Are Possible

On September 5, 1791, Robert Carter III recorded an extraordinary document. Why did the largest slaveholder in Virginia do what most of his peers consider impossible?

Performance: Two Steps Forward…

Hear different stories of the people and events that shaped America’s early history through their own actions and choices.

Music: Fife & Drum

Watch and listen to the Fifes and Drums as they demonstrate the music and drill of various military ceremonies from an 18th-century soldier's working day.

Special Event: Lighting of the Cressets

Join us on the historic Duke of Gloucester Street as we bring our 18th-century streets to life at night.

Evening Program: Haunted Williamsburg

Brave centuries of scares, from 18th-century colonial ghost stories to creepy modern-day encounters!

Evening Program: Cry Witch

Question witnesses, weigh evidence, and determine the guilt or innocence of "the Virginia Witch." Not appropriate for young children due to subject matter and intense emotion.