We were blessed to be able to spend three days in Colonial Williamsburg, and it was so. much. fun! For me personally, I think my favorite part was watching the kids learn by interacting with the people and participating in the activities. I hope you'll enjoy sharing our adventures with us! :)
Day 218.We arrived in Williamsburg a little before noon, and after getting all of our paperwork, tickets, etc. from the hotel, we began exploring.
We attended a "Bits and Bridles" tour which allowed us an opportunity to learn about how they care for their horses and the unique construction of the carriages.
It also gave us an opportunity to see some of the horses up close. :)
From the very beginning, Abby was
fascinated by the horses. If there was a horse within view, she could not be distracted from it!
After the tour, we made our way to Duke of Gloucester Street,
and discovered that our services were needed to win a tug of war. :)
Hannah and I both loved visiting the milliner! :) Everyone throughout Williamsburg was so friendly and happy to answer questions and explain what they were doing.
The boys really enjoyed visiting the brick maker. :)
They learned about the entire process of creating a brick wall ... from the materials and process of creating the bricks, to how they were dried, and then how the wall was constructed!
Afterwards we watched the militia march to the courthouse.
We enjoyed a lovely dinner at Christiana Campbell's Tavern where George Washington preferred to take his meals.
The service and food were wonderful. :)
Day 219. Friday morning we participated in "RevQuest" ... an extremely well designed, interactive "spy" game. Our mission was to gather information and break the code to discover where the British planned to attack and how large their force would be!
Time for some sleuthing!
And while Mommy and the big kids worked on breaking codes,
Abby and Daddy wandered a bit and took really cool pictures ...
Our clues led us all throughout Williamsburg, so along with the fun of our spy mission, we also got to visit more tradespeople, including the blacksmith,
and the locksmith. It was
so interesting to see the internal workings of their locking mechanisms!
We also visited the cobbler.
And finally made our way over to the Governor's Palace where we completed our mission.
Miss Abby was a little worn out by all that sleuthing, so she took an afternoon siesta with Mommy ...
While her siblings learned what it took to be a part of the militia. :)
We joined back up after her nap for another behind the scenes tour. And some horse watching. ;)
All of us really enjoyed "Behind the Field Musick" where we learned about the Fifes and Drums program. Every single one of these musicians is a local student, age 10-18, who gives two hours, two days a week (plus practice time!) to recreate the militia environment for the guests of Williamsburg. They memorize over 800 songs throughout their time in the program!
We certainly had a new appreciation for the music we were hearing!
This evening was very exciting because as new recruits, our crew got to march through the town in preparation for the cannon salute and the officer's review of the troops. :)
General Lafayette gave quite the stirring speech!
We enjoyed another special dinner at Shield's Tavern. While it would not be our first recommendation to others,
Abby really enjoyed the music. :)
We found these scalawags hanging about afterwards! Ay', Matey!
Day 220. Time for some further training!
Our crew joined the "Call to Arms" on Saturday morning, and they learned how to stand ...
And turn ...
And march.
Of all of the tradespeople we visited, the weaver was probably our favorite.
Aren't the thread colors beautiful!?!
This particular woman was so patient and answered all of our crew's questions. :)
She even let them participate in the process of preparing the cotton for spinning!
Abby, however, still claims horses as her favorite. ;)
Today we took the opportunity to tour the Governor's Palace.
The map of that day was quite interesting ...
As were the decorations in the entry way. I'm feeling the love here ... ;)
Kitchens functioned a bit differently back then ... and this one had the latest gadgets!
One of the last tradespeople we visited was the printer.
The kids
loved being able to print their own copy of the Declaration of Independence!
And finally, we enjoyed a bit more fun on Gloucester Street.
Including the opportunity to play hoop and stick ...
Join in another round of tug of war ...
And run some races!
And thus ended our tour of Williamsburg.
So thankful for the opportunity we had to visit. :)
