Exhibition and Trade Sites

Your group will visit four to seven of our restored, reconstructed, and historically furnished buildings and sites in our 300-acre Historic Area. Your interpreter will select one or two government sites, a domestic site, and two or three trade sites that complement the theme and grade level.

Capitol
The fundamental liberties that Americans cherish today were debated in this colonial seat of government, resulting in the creation of a new government founded on ideas that endure today.
 

Thomas Everard House
Visit the home and learn about the lives of Thomas Everard – court clerk and mayor of Williamsburg – his two daughters, and the 19 slaves who served the family.
 

James Geddy House & Foundry
Learn about the domestic and business life of the middle class Geddy family of Williamsburg. In the foundry behind the Geddy house, observe skilled craftsmen casting objects in bronze, brass, pewter, and silver.
 

Governor's Palace
Tour the elegant and imposing residence of seven royal governors of Britain's wealthiest colony. From the weaponry display in the entrance hall to the royal portraits in the ballroom, the Governor's Palace was meant to impress the colonists and visitors with the prestige and power of the king's representative in Virginia.
 

Magazine & Guardhouse
This arsenal is the site of "the gunpowder incident" of April 1775, an event which led the southern colonies into the Revolutionary War. A replica of a 1750 Newsham Fire Engine is on display at the adjacent Guardhouse.
 

Pasteur and Galt Apothecary Shop
Do you suffer from fever? broken bones? headaches? Visit the apothecary of Drs. Pasteur and Galt to receive 18th-century treatment for your ailments.
 

Benjamin Powell House
Enjoy the family environment of Benjamin Powell’s home. Visit this property and participate in various 18th-century household and leisure activities.
 

Public Gaol
Pirates, murderers, thieves, runaway slaves, suspected loyalists, and debtors were held behind these bars. Leg irons, handcuffs, and chains are a grim reminder of crime and punishment in colonial America.
 

Raleigh Tavern
Visit the tavern that served as the hub of the Williamsburg community on the eve of the revolution. Meet "people of the past" as interpreters portray 18th-century tavern staff and guests.
 

Peyton Randolph House
In the years leading up to the American Revolution, Peyton Randolph, speaker of the House of Burgess and president of the Continental Congresses, led Virginia's patriot movement. Witness how his political views divided his family – both free and enslaved. In the kitchen, reconstructed by Colonial Williamsburg trades people, urban slave work and life is interpreted.
 

Wetherburn's Tavern
Visit Henry Wetherburn's Tavern and learn how Wetherburn, his family, and slaves made this tavern one of the most successful in the 1750s.
 

Wren Building
Located on the campus of the College of William and Mary, the oldest academic building in use in America was designed by renowned architect Christopher Wren. Construction of the building began in 1695.
 

George Wythe House
Explore the house and grounds where a prominent attorney and signer of the Declaration of Independence lived with his family and slaves. Experience the work and play of those who lived here. In the Wythe Kitchen, you'll see 18th-century cooking techniques and smell the delightful aromas created there. Colonial dining customs are practiced and discussed.
 

Duke of Gloucester Street

Palace Green

Play Booth Theater

Windmill, Cooper, and Rural Trades

Great Hopes Plantation
Watch the re-creation and evolution of an 18th-century plantation. Learn about enslaved African Virginians and their masters and how they lived and worked on a typical middle-sized farm in rural Virginia.

Locate these sites on Tour the Town.