CW Planner

Annual John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Concert

The Bruton Choirs and Orchestra, directed by Rebecca Davy, present their annual John D. Rockefeller, Jr. Memorial Concert.

Carriage Ride

Enjoy a leisurely ride through the Historic Area by horse-drawn carriage. Surround yourself with the sights and sounds of our unique city.

Chamber Recital - W&M Gallery Players

Come enjoy the Gallery Players of William & Mary, under the direction of Susan Via as they present an inspiring candlelight Chamber Recital.

Choral Evensong

Enjoy a choral evensong presented by the St. Michael's Episcopal Church Choir from Raleigh, NC and Schola Cantorum from the Diocese of East Carolina.

Christiana Campbell's Mother's Day Brunch

Join us at George Washington's favorite tavern to celebrate Mom on this special day. Enjoy a chef-curated, three-course pre fixe menu featuring seafood and traditional local fare.

Conversation: Farming with George Washington

Meet George Washington at our Ewing Field where you can discuss farming practices, innovation, and the importance of agriculture to society.

Conversation: Meet a Nation Builder

Find a Nation Builder, a significant figure of 18th-century Williamsburg, around Palace Green for some informal conversation.

DIY Craft: Quilting

Examine a quilt by maker Rita Mae Pettway, then enjoy a mini quilting project.

Evening Program: Capitol Concert

Join Colonial Williamsburg’s Governor’s Musick Ensemble for a special evening of chamber music in the live acoustics and visual ambiance of the Hall of Burgesses.

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.

Evening Program: Dancing at the Governor's Palace

"Virginians will dance or die" wrote an 18th-century diarist. What better time than the 21st century to learn a few "new" dance steps? Audience participation encouraged.

Evening Program: Haunted Williamsburg

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

Evening Program: In Defense of Our Liberty

Enlist in the Continental Army, become a recruit, and see what it was like to be a soldier in the 18th century. Minimum required age of 10 to participate.

Evening Program: Palace Concert

Colonial Williamsburg's early music ensemble, the Governor's Musick, offers an elegant evening of chamber music.

Evening Program: Revolutionary Points of View

Step back in time to the eve of the American Revolution, and there are just as many opinions about war and independence as we hear about politics and religion today.

Evening Program: To Hang a Pirate

Join us in a trial of a Blackbeard crew member that occurred in Williamsburg in 1719. Hear the evidence and make a judgment!

Event: Tales of Hoffmann by Opera in Williamsburg

Opera in Williamsburg presents Tales of Hoffmann by Jacques Offenbach. Live fully-staged opera with world-class singers and with orchestra, in French with English supertitles.

Father's Day Brunch at Traditions

Join us for a special buffet to celebrate Dad at Traditions in the Williamsburg Lodge!

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.

For Donors: Visit a Nation Builder

Donors who have access to the donor reception center in the St. George Tucker House as part of their giving advantages are invited to meet with a Nation Builder.

Garden Workshop: Floral Centerpieces

Celebrate summer with this hands-on class that shows you how to make a cheerful centerpiece perfect for your end table or mantel.

Garden Workshop: Flower Press

Celebrate the beauty of summer while learning about how to preserve the flowers that make the Historic Area gardens so special.

Goodwin Room Halloween Tea

Enjoy a spooky afternoon with your family and friends while indulging in the fine Afternoon Tea at the Williamsburg Inn with a Halloween inspired menu.

Goodwin Room Independence Tea

Enjoy a delightful afternoon with your family and friends while indulging in the fine Afternoon Tea at the Williamsburg Inn with an exciting Revolution inspired menu.

Hands-On: Archaeology

Here's your chance to get behind the scenes at the Custis site! Join archaeologists for an up-close look at the excavation!

Hands-On: Crack the Code

Investigate events of Revolutionary War through secret messages to see if you can Crack the Code.

Hands-On: Create Art!

Drop by the Goode Education Studio and create art inspired by an object on exhibit

Hands-On: Fire a Flintlock Musket

Fire live rounds at a target from two different reproduction 18th-century flintlock firearms used during the Revolutionary War.

Hands-On: Passport to a World of Goods

Drop by the exhibit "Revolution in Taste" exhibition and explore goods bought and sold in 18th-century Virginia as you collect information and stamp your passport.

Hands-On: Shoulder Your Firelocks!

Engage in a military drill, learning the tactics and drills of the 18th-century soldier.

Hands-On: Stories on Stage

In this interactive family program, tell the tale of brave St. George and the Dragon! Learn about items in the Art Museums collection connected to the story & then take the stage.

Hands-on: Daily Life

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

Historic Organ Recital - Norman Elton

Norman Elton, organist at Williamsburg Presbyterian Church, gives a recital on the Historic English Chamber Organ, one of Colonial Williamsburg's 18th-century instruments.

Historic Organ Recital with Thomas Marshall

Enjoy this Historic Organ Recital in the Wren Chapel at the College of William & Mary performed by Thomas Marshall, organist at Williamsburg United Methodist Church.

Juneteenth at Sweet Tea & Barley

Sweet Tea & Barley special offerings for Juneteenth.

King's Arms Tavern Mother's Day Brunch

Join us at King's Arms Tavern for a three-course prix fixe menu as we celebrate and honor mothers past and present.

Museum Café Brunch

Start your weekend off right by exploring the Art Museum’s exhibits and dining with us at the Museum Café for Saturday brunch!

Museum Discoveries: The Public Hospital of 1773

Explore the Public Hospital of 1773 for a discussion about 18th-century mental health and the history of the reconstructed mental hospital.

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.

Music: Fife & Drum March

The Colonial Williamsburg Fifes and Drums, representing military field musicians, march down Duke of Gloucester Street.

Music: Governor's Musick at the Art Museums

Learn how the evolving and bombastic battle sonata helped shape an American musical identity separate from Britain.

Music: Governor's Musick in the Geddy House

Join members of the Governor’s Musick in the Geddy House as they illustrate domestic music on period instruments.

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.

Music: Harpsichord Battle Sonatas

Learn how the evolving and bombastic battle sonata helped shape an American musical identity separate from our British ancestors.

Music: Mind the Music and the Step

Join members of the Governor’s Musick for an exploration of the political lyrics set to popular tunes at the time of the American Revolution.

Music: Viola da Gamba, From England to Virginia

Join Governor’s Musician Brady Lanier in exploring the musical journey of the viola da gamba from England to Virginia.

Music: When Nancy Geddy on the Spinet Plays

The Governor's Musick delves into the life of a young woman in Williamsburg who studied music to elevate her societal position.

Music: Women in Early Music

Explore the lives and elegant accomplishments of the women who turned the domestic skill of music-making into successful careers.

Performance: A Taste of Freedom

Developed to commemorate Juneteenth, this performance tells the story of Americus Weston’s journey to freedom during the Civil War.

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: Before Revolution: Fairfax Resolves

Join George Mason in 1774 as he reflects on the philosophies, conversations, and circumstances of others and witness how he uses these to create The Fairfax Resolves.

Performance: Cost of War

Colonel George Washington discusses the Seven Years' War and its high cost to combatants and non-combatants alike.

Performance: Dance of Dissolution

In May 1774, the Washingtons must decide where their family will stand publicly and privately when the government of Virginia is dissolved.

Performance: Entertainments at the Play House

Join members of the Jug Broke Theatre Company as we celebrate the season and play and talk about the stories behind some of our favorite music of the Revolutionary Era.

Performance: Fashioning a Future

Jane is getting married! Join the Hunter sisters through disagreement, sisterhood, and a little magic. The Jug Broke Theatre Company presents: Fashioning A Future!

Performance: Finding Jane Vobe

A sneak peek behind the scenes into the research behind Colonial Williamsburg's newest Nation Builder Jane Vobe.

Performance: From Freedom to Slavery

After making a free life for herself as an adopted Shawnee Indian, Methotaskee is brought back into slavery.

Performance: God is My Rock

Gowan Pamphlet, an enslaved man and popular local preacher, offers his perspective on slavery, religion, and freedom.

Performance: Gulliver's Travels

Join us in a humorous retelling of Jonathan Swift's 18th-century novel Gulliver's Travels, which has been read all over the world since 1726.

Performance: Kayewla: The Marquis and the Oneida

Join the Marquis de Lafayette, known as a friend of the Native Americans, in 1824 as he recounts his history with the Oneida Indians during his time in America.

Performance: Music of Queen Anne's World

The Jug Broke Theatre Co. explores tunes and songs that wove themselves through the fabric of this important transitional time in the early 18th century.

Performance: My Dear Madam

Mrs. Washington reflects on her life in the public eye and how her friendship with Mrs. Adams has shaped the role of the president’s lady.

Performance: Nation Builders Discuss the Rights of Women

Join two Nation Builders to discuss how they viewed and debated women's rights.

Performance: Pursuing Happiness

Witness imagined conversations between Thomas Jefferson, John Locke, and King George III to discover the ghosts behind Jefferson’s drafts of the Declaration of Independence.

Performance: The Frolic

The Jug Broke Theatre Co. captures the spontaneity and energy of multiple musicians who happen to be playing in the same space at the same time.

Performance: The Soldier and the Widow

Experience the first conversation between Colonel George Washington and Martha Custis that set them on the path to becoming the iconic couple that history remembers.

Performance: Two Steps Forward…

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

Performance: Visit a Nation Builder

Step into the past with a Nation Builder. Through stories, discussion, and questions, explore the hopes, choices, and challenges they faced.

Performance: Visit with Ann Wager

Step into the past with Ann Wager, Educator of free and enslaved children. Through stories and questions, explore the hopes, choices, and challenges she faced.

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.

Performance: Visit with General George Washington

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

Performance: Visit with George Mason

Step into the past with George Mason, father of American rights. Through stories and questions, explore the hopes, choices, and challenges he faced.

Performance: Visit with George Wythe

Step into the past with George Wythe, teacher, lawyer, judge, and revolutionary. Through stories and questions, explore the hopes, choices, and challenges he faced.

Performance: Visit with James Armistead Lafayette

Step into the past with James Armistead Lafayette, Enslaved Revolutionary Spy.

Performance: Visit with Jane Vobe

Step into the past with Jane Vobe, keeper of the tavern "where all the best people resorted". Through stories and questions, explore the hopes, choices, and challenges she faced.

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.

Performance: Visit with Martha Washington

Step into the past with Martha Washington, our Nation’s first First Lady. Through stories and questions, explore the hopes, choices, and challenges she faced.

Performance: Visit with Patrick Henry

Step into the past with Patrick Henry, the Revolution’s son of thunder. Through stories and questions, explore the hopes, choices, and challenges he faced.

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.

Performance: Visit with Thomas Jefferson

Step into the past with Thomas Jefferson, The Rebellious Philosophe.

Performance: What Goes Up

Take flight with the first passengers in a hot air balloon in 1783!

Presentation: Deed Without a Name

Discover the tale of this musical theater playwright, who lost his career due to public exposure of his homosexuality. Mature subject matter, audience discretion advised.

Presentation: Excavation to Programming

Join a Nation Builder and a Colonial Williamsburg Archaeologist as they discuss important sites in Williamsburg from the 18th century to today.

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.

Presentation: Good Stories about Great Stuff

Join a curator, conservator, educator, archaeologist, or historian to discover who created the object, who owned it, and how it ended up in the Colonial Williamsburg Collection.

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.

Presentation: Preserving the Millinery Trade

Join the Milliners and Mantua-makers as we share the story of the millinery shop at Colonial Williamsburg through its 70-year journey.

Presentation: Rare Breeds

Learn about the rare breeds of livestock that live at Colonial Williamsburg.

Presentation: Rediscovering the Bray School

Discover how our interpreters and scholars are making history by exploring the untold and ongoing story of the Williamsburg Bray School.

Presentation: The Necessity of Order in Battle

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

Presentation: The Path of Valor

Discover your Revolution in this immersive, theatrical experience that thrusts you into the role of a townsperson on the Eve of the Revolution.

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.

Public Auction

Take part in an exciting auction! Bid on selected items from Colonial Williamsburg stores as well as exclusive items not available elsewhere.

Social Terrace Derby Day

Bring your biggest hat, seersucker suits and get ready for Mint Juleps! Watch the most exciting 2 minutes in sports at 6:45pm on the landmark 150th running of the Kentucky Derby.

Social Terrace Fall Bash

Bring your fall scarves, boots, and warm-up around the fire pits on the Social Terrace. We will have fall inspired food and cocktails and live music.

Special Event: A Revolutionary Friendship

Frank Cogliano, University of Edinburgh, will discuss his newly released book, A Revolutionary Friendship, the first book-length study of Washington and Jefferson's relationship.

Special Event: A Salute to the Fallen

A lone bagpiper plays selections from the Governor's Palace in tribute to those men and women who gave their lives to our nation while serving in America's Armed Forces.

Special Event: A Sound Mind

Unleash the transformative power of music and explore its multifaceted influence on the human mind, emotions, and overall mental well-being.

Special Event: A Summer Gown in a Day

The Mantua-makers are making a gown in a day! See the dress take shape and discover the summer fashions that helped keep Williamsburg’s diverse families cool on a hot Virginia day.

Special Event: An Evening with the Presidents

Nation Builders discuss their experiences as presidents.

Special Event: Answer the Call

Much of African Music is based on call and response. The drum announces itself first to the community, then waits for a response back to the drummer. How will you answer the call?

Special Event: Building Washington's Army

Join in a light military drill with members of the VA State Garrison accompanied by Colonial Williamsburg Fifes & Drums corps. Final inspection of troops by Colonel Washington.

Special Event: Conservation in Action

Arms conservator Isabelle will be on hand to discuss her work on the Magazine Project and the conservation of firearms.

Special Event: Darryl Reeves Master Blacksmith

Stop by the Public Armory for talks and demonstrations by Master Blacksmith Darryl Reeves, a third-generation metal worker from New Orleans' Seventh Ward and apprentice Karina Roca

Special Event: Declaration of Independence Reading

Thomas Jefferson begins a day of pageantry, celebration, and reflection.

Special Event: Dye Day at the Weaver

Join us as we recreate natural dyes and dye recipes of the 18th century to achieve a spectrum of dazzling colors.

Special Event: Essential African Threads

From “Anansi the Spider” to “Brer Rabbit,” traditional slave tales have hidden meanings that educate us about African American history.

Special Event: Freedom Making in Williamsburg

The Williamsburg Bray School Initiative will host a conversation to explore how which individuals made freedom for themselves in Williamsburg, past and present.

Special Event: Grand March and Review

Join the Colonial Williamsburg Fifes and Drums as they lead visiting corps from around the country in a Grand March from the Capitol to Market Square.

Special Event: Juneteenth Sunrise Service

Join us at the Compton Oak on Market Square to commemorate Juneteenth with a Sunrise Service. Special keynote address by world-renowned poet and writer Nikki Giovanni.

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.

Special Event: Lights of Freedom

Celebrate the words and music of the American Revolution, culminating in a grand fireworks display at 9:30 p.m. above the Governor's Palace.

Special Event: Master Blacksmith Panel Discussion

Join us for a special panel discussion featuring Master Blacksmith Darryl Reeves, his apprentice, Karina Roca, and New Orleans Master Crafts Guild Co-Founder and CEO Jonn Hankins.

Special Event: Memorial Day Commemoration

Join us on Palace Green as we honor the men and women of the United States military who sacrificed their lives to defend our nation with a traditional wreath-laying ceremony.

Special Event: Mr. Jefferson and The Giant Moose

An amazing tale in which Jefferson obsessed over a very large, very dead moose that he believed could help quash early French arrogance toward the fledgling American republic.

Special Event: Noon Reading of the Declaration

Residents of the 18th-century Williamsburg community read the Declaration of Independence from the steps of the Courthouse and surrounding area.

Special Event: Permission to Be Free

Join Sheila Arnold on an extraordinary storytelling journey as she invites you to embrace the power of hope, resilience, and the unyielding desire for freedom.

Special Event: Portraying the Ancestors

Join us for an insightful panel discussion where we delve into the complexities and challenges of portraying enslaved women in historical narratives. Moderated by Sheila Arnold.

Special Event: Salute to the States

Join the Colonial Williamsburg Fifes & Drums and the Virginia State Garrison Regiment as they present canon salutes to the original thirteen states of the Union.

Special Event: Secrets of the Chocolate Maker

Enjoy a demonstration of 18th-century methods of making chocolate.

Special Event: Successful Campaign

Join the Colonial Williamsburg Senior Fifes and Drums, plus a special guest, as they perform 18th-century military field music at the Charlton Stage.

Special Event: The Arts and Mysteries of Brewing

Enjoy this enlightening demonstration of the brewing process as it was practiced in the 18th century.

Special Event: The Big Bang of Country Music

Henley Fork re-imagines classic country music from Virginia and North Carolina recording artists from the late 1920s performed on mandolin, fiddle, banjo, guitar, and bass.

Special Event: Williamsburg Military Tattoo

Guest units join the Colonial Williamsburg Fifes and Drums for a thrilling torch-lit march down Duke of Gloucester Street.

Street Theater: 1776

Gather with the people of Williamsburg to discuss and consider the front-page news of July 26, 1776.

Street Theater: A Way Forward

Join the people of Williamsburg while they navigate an uncertain time in our Nation’s history and witness the original call that united 13 individual colonies under one banner.

Street Theater: Witnessing History

Discover where you fit within the lives and times that shaped our history by engaging directly with the people of our 18th-century city.

Sweet Tea & Barley Labor Day Patio Celebration

Join us for music, games, and great food on the Patio of at Sweet Tea & Barley to celebrate Labor Day and the end of the Summer.

Sweet Tea & Barley Memorial Day Patio Celebration

Join us on the patio of Sweet Tea & Barley to celebrate Memorial Day! Food, games, and plenty of fun for all.

Sweet Tea and Barley Seafood Boil

Join us for a seafood boil at Sweet Tea and Barley. Reservations are required.

Terrace Room Mother's Day Brunch

Celebrate Mother's Day in style with the Williamsburg Inn! Treat Mom to a delightful prix-fixe brunch that showcases her favorite dishes.

Terrace Room Mother's Day Tea

Treat mom, loved ones, and friends to the fine tradition of Afternoon Tea at the Williamsburg Inn with a spectacular Mother's Day Spring inspired menu.

Terrace Room Spring Tea

Enjoy a delightful afternoon with your family and friends while indulging in the fine Afternoon Tea at the Williamsburg Inn with a Spring-inspired menu.

Terrace Room W&M Graduation Dinner

Enjoy a Green and Gold limited menu to celebrate your new graduate!

Tour: Arboretum Central Historic Area

Learn about some of Colonial Williamsburg's most asked-about trees, how the colonists used them, and why they continue to be important today.

Tour: Arboretum Griffin Campus

Learn about Colonial Williamsburg’s Arboretum and the native and exotic trees and shrubs that make up its collection, some of which are uncommon in commercial landscapes.

Tour: Art Museums Overview

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

Tour: Backstory

During this guided tour, explore the stories behind the objects on display.

Tour: Bassett Trace Nature Trail Walk

Stroll the Bassett Trace Nature Trail and learn about Virginia’s wildlife and native habitats. If you like nature and enjoy being outdoors, this walk is for you!

Tour: Black Artists and Artisans

Enjoy a guided tour of the exhibit “'I made this,' Works by Black Artists and Artisans."

Tour: Bray School Community

Join our interpreters as they help you explore and discover the communities connected to the Williamsburg Bray School on this one-hour walking tour.

Tour: Custis Square Archaeology

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

Tour: Favorite Family Pets

Join us on a family-friendly tour as we explore the galleries for animals of all shapes and sizes.

Tour: Good Stories about Great Stuff

Enjoy "Good Stories about Great Stuff" as you explore the galleries with a curator, conservator, educator, archaeologist or a historian.

Tour: Meet the Gardener

Join Master Gardener volunteers as they answer questions about growing flowers and vegetables in the Historic Area.

Tour: Nassau Street, Past, Present, and Future

Join us for a walking tour and learn how a century of archaeology contributes to a dynamic past, present, and future on Nassau Street.

Tour: Stables Behind-The-Scenes

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

Tour: Williamsburg Lost & Found

Explore the history of Williamsburg through objects on exhibit during this guided tour.

Traditions Fourth of July Dinner

Join us for a spectacular dinner buffet to celebrate Independence Day at the Williamsburg Lodge.

Traditions Mother's Day Brunch Buffet

Join us for a Celebration Buffet for at Traditions in the Williamsburg Lodge!

Youth Harp Recital - Williamsburg Harp Society

Enjoy a special harp recital by Williamsburg Harp Society with Cynthia Campbell, Director.