clarification

ok, so maybe the closing words of my last post -- about colonial williamsburg not being worth the price of admission -- were a bit harsh. but here is the deal. you actually don't need a ticket to walk around the historic area, to visit a handful of shops full of williamsburg crafts, and enjoy an overpriced meal at the taverns. the folk in costume are wandering about and are working in the shops and eateries and so you will see them as well. and, if you are so inclined, you can attend a choral concert in the chapel for free.

with a $34 adult ticket you can do all that, as well as tour a few of the houses and observe the blacksmith, the brickmaker, the cabinetmaker, the bookbinder and the basketweaver at work. we managed to visit the blacksmith who wasn't working but talking to a group of schoolchildren. and we visited the bookbinder who also wasn't working but having a conversation with another family. the line outside the basketweaver's was too long, and we were too tired by the time we reached the brickmaker and cabinetmaker.

with a $48 two day adult ticket you can tour the governor's mansion and observe several historical re-enactments. the governor's mansion was definitely impressive, mostly because the walls are completely covered with hundreds of rifles, muskets and various sabors. not that i like weapons, but it was a site to behold. and the historical re-enactments were educational and entertaining, i admit. but try to sit through them amongst a crowd of hundreds in 98 degree summer weather with 100% humidity. ugh.

but were i to do it all over again, i would not buy a ticket. with a somewhat bored, hot and exhausted eight year old, we could have done just as well walking around the historic village for free, popping into the shops and watching the folk in costume pass by. colonial williamsburg is a a very good living museum and reconstruction of the historic capital, and you can enjoy that simply by walking through. and there are some really pretty gardens.

if you're really into this kind of thing, i would highly recommend greenfield village in detroit. different era, but equally impressive if not more so. you get to see edison's workshop, henry ford's childhood home, glassblowers and woolspinners, working farms and historic inns, and robert frost's childhood home amongst much much more.

the good thing is that our visit to colonial williamsburg was practically free for us since dan and i scored tickets through the time-share session. if you can bear an hour and a half of sales talk, and you are as cheap as me, you should try to do the same when next you are here!