Attractions in Williamsburg

Gateway to one of the most popular historic regions of the U.S., Williamsburg lies at the apex of the Historic Triangle that includes Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in America, and Yorktown, the scene of the final battle of the American Revolution. Visitors to the region are treated to an entertaining and educational experience of colonial America unlike any other in the country.

The story of colonial Jamestown is told through Jamestown Settlement, a living history site run by the state, and Historic Jamestowne, the remains of the original settlement run by the National Park Service. Jamestown Settlement features a Native American village of the period, a re-creation of Jamestown and replicas of the three ships that brought the colonists to the New World. At nearby Historic Jamestowne, guests visit the archaeological excavation of the original James Fort, and Voorhees Archaearium, a museum built over the last statehouse located in Jamestown.

A short drive up the bucolic Colonial National Historical Parkway lays the town of Williamsburg and, at its center, the historic village of Colonial Williamsburg. A project of the Rockefeller family to preserve early American life, Colonial Williamsburg houses almost 300 restored or reconstructed buildings from the 18th century when Williamsburg served as Virginia’s second capital. Many buildings are open to the public and feature contemporary exhibits or costumed interpreters who portray actual people of the time.

After a pleasant 30 minute drive on the Historical Parkway, travelers finish their trip to the Historic Triangle at the tiny village of Yorktown which hosts the living history park, Yorktown Victory Center, run by the state, and Yorktown Battlefield, run by the National Park Service. The Victory Center offers a re-creation of a 1780s farmhouse and a Continental Army encampment. The Battlefield features a walking tour of the original town and auto tours of the battlefield and encampments along with the Yorktown Victory Monument commemorating the defeat of British forces that ended the Revolutionary War.