School, Youth & Adult Group Visit Information

Just as easily as they walked into the 18th century, your group can quickly and conveniently return to modern-day life in Colonial Williamsburg’s comfortable lodgings. Our group-friendly hotels are the closest accommodations to our 18th-century city and feature impeccable service, modern amenities, and recreational activities. Each hotel offers a variety of recreational options, an on-site gift shop, and nearby dining along with easy access to the town. Some include daily continental breakfast.

Note: Due to COVID-19, staff is currently limited. All requests for hotel accommodations and admission tickets for school /adult groups, please:  

• Email all requests to sales@cwf.org and copy Dana Lupan at dlupan@cwf.org

Learn More about Colonial Williamsburg Hotel Accommodations.

There’s nothing like a candlelit dinner in an 18th-century tavern to take you away from 21st-century concerns. Enjoy a true “taste of history” during your visit by having a meal at one of our historic dining taverns, where the favorite foods of the colonists are still on the menu along with some modern interpretations. A meal at one of Colonial Williamsburg’s historic dining taverns will be the delicious centerpiece of your group’s visit, as it was for many a pre-Revolutionary traveler. Costumed wait staff will bid you welcome, and wandering balladeers may serenade you. You may even enjoy a tableside visit by one of our tavern proprietors. Dining at a Colonial Williamsburg historic tavern captures all your senses—especially your sense of fun.

You can also enjoy a light fare at the Museum Cafe, or have a delicious refreshment at the Raleigh Tavern Bakery. There’s something for every taste in Colonial Williamsburg’s restaurants.

Note: Due to COVID-19, staff is currently limited. All dining reservations, that do not include hotel accommodations for school/adult groups, please contact:

• Email all requests to sales@cwf.org or call1-800-228-8878.
• Groups not staying on Colonial Williamsburg property cannot make dining reservations until 60 days prior to your groups arrival.
  

For rate and menu options, please call to inquire.

You can choose a variety of activities ranging from drama and dance to music and evening walking tours. Put your best foot forward as you learn why dance was "the dearest diversion" of colonial Virginians. Discover the arts and mysteries of the trades, march with the soldiers preparing for war, hear a story and learn a moral or two, or find clues and treasures in the ground.

Call 1-800-228-8878 Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-5 p.m. (ET) or email groupsales@cwf.org to make a reservation.

On-Site Evening Program manager cell number is 757-880-2831. Secondary number is 757-229-1000 ext. 2213 or 2219. Please feel free to contact our after-hour numbers from 5:00pm - 10:00pm should you need assistance with direction to an evening program location, running late, or not able to make the program. The after-hours number does not permit changes/cancellations on a reservation. All changes/updates must be made at the Group Arrivals Building.

• $200.00 deposit is required, per program
• Group minimum is required to book each program
• For the safety of your students, Colonial Williamsburg requires 1 adult accompany every 12 students for an evening program
• Evening Programs are based on availability
• Deposits are required within 14 days of receipt of confirmation. The deposit will be applied to your bill at the time of payment.
• The deposit is fully refundable if written cancellation is received 7 days prior to your group's arrival.
• Full payment is required two weeks prior to groups arrival.
• Program changes/ cancellations for the guaranteed final number of attendees will be accepted up to 7 full business days prior to the group's arrival date, Monday through Friday 8:00AM - 5:00PM.
• If a complete cancellation is received in less than 7 business days of the arrival date, the group will forfeit their deposit.
• Evening programs are conducted in all weather. Please come prepared for seasonal changes.
• If a group does not show up for its program, the group is required to pay for program in full.

Programs and prices are subject to change without notice  

For more information, call 1-800-228-8878 or email groupsales@cwf.org

Pricing effective from January 1 - December 31, 2023.

Check the website for maps and accessibility information.

Pick up your tickets at the Group Arrivals Building directly behind the Visitor Center. If you are touring with Colonial Williamsburg guides, the group ticketing representative will let you know where to meet with your guide. Since each guide can lead a maximum of 26 people through the town, please have subgroups identified on the buses based on the number of guides contracted.

Once in the Revolutionary City, buses may “stand” in designated areas only long enough for dropping off at the beginning of the tour and picking up at its conclusion. Buses may return to the Group Arrivals Building bus parking area or take advantage of the nearby Penske Bus Service Center while your group enjoys the city. Upon request, our group ticketing representative can provide a bus map for your driver with designate drop-off and pick-up points. Once you have disembarked from the bus, you will not see it again until the end of your tour.


What to take? What to leave?
You will want to travel lightly. Bring money for souvenirs and lunch. While cameras are welcome, please leave any other miscellaneous electronics on the bus. Chaperones, teachers, and group leaders may want to have cell phones for communication purposes, but please do not use them inside the sites or during interpretations.

You will be exploring the colonial capital on foot. The Historic Area is nearly a mile in length and nearly half a mile wide. The tour will be both inside and outside. Your group will be walking on surfaces that are uneven and include dirt, brick, wood, shells, and asphalt. Encourage all members of your tour group to wear comfortable walking shoes with socks.
Be prepared for touring in all weather conditions
Make sure all group members have the following: rain gear, such as ponchos and umbrellas for wet weather; an extra sweatshirt or sweater for cooler conditions; sunscreen; a hat or cap; and water. (Keeping hydrated in the heat is extremely important.)

Please help us preserve this historic town.

• Please refrain from eating gum, candy, or foods of any kind inside any of theHistoric Area sites.
• Please look with your eyes only, unless an interpreter invites you to sit or touch. Your interpreter knows the best places to provide opportunities for you to touch objects and take part in activities.
• Please refrain from using cell phones or other communication devices inside buildings or during presentations.
• While photographs are permitted, please be courteous when using your camera. Take care that you do not disrupt any presentations.

Enjoy, explore, and embrace the sights and sounds of an 18th-century town with us. We look forward to sharing our capital city with you and your group!

It is helpful for us to know in advance if any of your group participants have special physical or educational needs.

For a small fee, a limited number of wheelchairs are available at the Visitor Center. Please allow extra time for making arrangements and pick up and drop off of wheelchairs. Many of our sites are accessible via wheelchair ramp or lift. Most of the restored and reconstructed buildings in the Revolutionary City have entrance steps, but most interior doorways are wide enough to accommodate a wheelchair. Many of the exhibition buildings have second floors that are interpreted, and stairs are often steep and narrow. Photographic interpretations of many exhibition buildings are available upon request.

There are a limited number of trained sign language interpreters available for the hearing impaired. While we cannot guarantee this service, we require a minimum of four weeks advance notice.

Wheelchair-accessible restroom locations:

• Colonial Williamsburg Regional Visitor Center
• Williamsburg Lodge
• Merchants Square Ticket Office
• The Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg
• Bassett Hall Reception Center
• Adjacent to the Magazine on Francis Street
• Between the Capitol and Waller Street
• On Botetourt Street between Duke of Gloucester St and Nicholson St.
• On the Palace grounds

The King's Arms Purdie Kitchen, Shields, and Chowning's Taverns have ramps and ADA- accessible restrooms.

Touring the Historic Area

Please consult the individual descriptions of Colonial Williamsburg's historic buildings, restaurants, hotels, shops, and other facilities when planning your visit. Most colonial evening performances take place in the historic buildings. Please check accessibility before purchasing separate tickets for these performances and other special events.

For more information please check our online accessibility information or call 1-800-228-8878.