Ornamental Separator

You can question history anywhere.

Here, it answers back.

Come visit a history museum like no other. Where you can speak face to face with Nation Builders, notable men and women in history, like James Armistead Lafayette, whose courage helped secure victory over the British. And where your knowledge of the nation we share expands with every step you take.

Have you ever met a revolutionary spy?

Meet James Armistead Lafayette

James infiltrated the British army as a servant for Cornwallis. He reported to the Marquis de Lafayette that Cornwallis moved British forces from Portsmouth to Yorktown, valuable intelligence that helped pave the way for the siege of Yorktown that effectively ended the war. He also supplied Cornwallis with false information provided by Lafayette as misdirection.

Learn More

Do you Know the Frenchman of Our Revolution?

Meet The Marquis de Lafayette

Lafayette’s leadership helped turn the tide toward American victory. Besides his battlefield prowess, he was instrumental in persuading France to join the American cause.

Learn More

A Revolutionary Offer

Buy Tickets

Save 25% on a Single Day ticket (regularly $49.99 Adult and $28.99 Youth).

Visit a selection of guided sites, historic trades, and gardens, as well as staged performances on the Charlton Stage and in the Hennage Auditorium and Art Museums collections.

* 25% off Single-Day tickets is available July 9- August 31, 2024. Offer is available online only and not available at any onsite ticket location.

Discover People of the Past

Dive into the stories of both well-known members of the founding generation and people whose contributions have been long overlooked in accounts of American history.

Where America's Founding is Still Being Found

Patches of ordinary ground. But beneath them, new chapters in our understanding of what life was like at the time of our nation's founding. Here, history is never finished.

Archaeological Research

Williamsburg Bray School

First Baptist Church

Engage with History

The ideas. The people. The endlessly fascinating true stories of our nation’s founding. All brought unforgettably to life in the place where it all begins.

Subscribe to Learn More

Keep up with what’s happening behind the scenes, get tips on the best things to see and do now, and delve into surprising stories of life in the time of America’s founding.