On our first day in Williamsburg we got up early and stopped at Dunkin Donuts for breakfast. This was very exciting because we don't have a Dunkin Donuts within a reasonable distance here in Texas. Delicious coffee!
Next we headed to Colonial Williamsburg, a place I've wanted to go ever since my friend went there in fourth grade! It was a beautiful day to walk around outside.
Patrick Henry giving a speech
The royal governor's mansion!
The kitchen
The entryway (and our dressed-up tour guide!)
Bedroom
Ballroom
(this is the first of many pictures that Dan jumped into at the last minute...haha)
Hedge maze!
The best part of Colonial Williamsburg is the many little shops where workers are making various things. Williamsburg's "off-season" doesn't end until April 1st, so not everything was open, but we did get to see quite a few!
Blacksmith
Carriage-maker
Weaving and dyeing shop
the shoemaker!
Of course, we had to make a stop at one of the little markets to try out the colonial attire...
The armory
Printing press!
Jeff and Kristen were being "too mature" to take this photo. Dan and I ran excitedly and forced them to take the picture of us. Just one of the many reasons why it's good to travel with another couple. :o)
The courthouse
The court clerk's office
The cooper's shop (barrels and buckets)
The cooper himself!
The cabinet-maker
The book-binder
We were planning on having lunch in Colonial Williamsburg, but only one of the four taverns was open (again, we were technically there during their off-season), and it didn't have any non-meat dishes on the lunch menu (which didn't work because it was a Friday during Lent). So we walked to a nearby shopping/restaurant area and ate at a cute little place called Seasons. Then we went back to the 1700s!
In the afternoon, Colonial Williamsburg puts on a whole program where the employees/actors announce the Declaration of Independence, tell stories of news from the war, and get invaded by the British. It was a little hokey, but still kind of cool.
Reading the Declaration of Independence
While most of the visitors were busy watching the redcoats invade, we took advantage of the smaller crowds to see a few other buildings.
The public jail
Poor husband! Haha.
The Capitol building (hello, Dan!)
the legislature chambers
That big chair is actually from the 1700s! It had scorch marks on it's legs from a close call with a building fire a long time ago.
This is where the legislature would meet...
This is where the royal governor and other royally appointed people would meet...
The governors fancy chair!
Another courtroom.
Yay Williamsburg! It was pretty cute, but honestly, I was a little disappointed. I had pretty high expectations for this place, and it just didn't live up to them. I think it was mostly because we were there during the off-season (the taverns were closed, many other buildings were closed, and even some of the open ones were in temporary spaces because the actual buildings were being renovated).
I was expecting it to be like you had travelled back in time into the 1700s, but a lot of the employees weren't "playing along" and were just talking like they were from present-day, but dressed in old clothes. Some of the employees were totally into it, and others just weren't. It was weird. Also, there are actually a lot of private residences in Colonial Williamsburg (something like 80 families), so you see cars coming and going, and you have to walk past a lot of non-attraction houses to get to the stuff you actually want to see. Also, some of the shops (like the "post office" and the "millinery") were really just souvenir shops, which made it feel a little tourist-trap-ish. But I'm still glad we went, and it was a fun day!
When we got back to the condo, we decided to take a walk around the resort. There was a 250+ year-old manor house on the property, and they had it filled with period-accurate furniture and open for tours. We walked through the house (which was so pretty!) and then took a stroll through the pretty gardens.
These two are so, so cute. I can't wait for their wedding!
There were pretty daffodils everywhere in Virginia. I just love daffodils!
We even got to play on the playground! Haha.
We had spotted a cute little wine & cheese shop close to the restaurant where we ate lunch, so we went back to grab some stuff for dinner. We left with three bottles of wine, two baguettes, and 1/4 pound of four different cheeses, and we sat on the patio of our condo and had that for dinner. It was just lovely! Then we watched National Treasure (my DVD-collecting husband had brought a collection of D.C.-themed movies along with him), and went to bed!
Up next - our last day in Williamsburg!
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