The Visitor Center will be your first stop in Colonial Williamsburg. Grab a map with a weekly program guide, and look for the yellow child icon for kid-friendly programs. Check for any programs requiring reservations and the purchase of additional passes. If you want background information, stay for the overview video.

To make the most of your visit, take part in the Historic Area’s special programs, some of which require additional fees or an upgraded admission ticket. Participate in a trial at the courthouse, listen to Patrick Henry plead for revolution, witness Benedict Arnold and the British occupy Williamsburg, march with the militia, or learn about the town’s spooks on an evening ghost tour (more of a good show than scary tale).

Much of the fun for children at Colonial Williamsburg is encountering historic personalities. Dressed in breeches and tri-corn hats or long dresses and bonnets, these characters put the “life” in living history. Our favorites are those who talk and act as if it really is the 1770’s. By chatting with the shoemaker, apothecary, wigmaker and other tradesmen, kids learn about Colonial life.

Allow time to visit some museums. The Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Museum houses a superb collection of folk art. Young kids will enjoy “Down on the Farm,” with its funky weather vanes and colorful carousel animals. Kids are invited to draw their own scenes using the crayons and paper provided for them. Check the schedule for Wee Folk, stories and activities for kids ages 4 to 7. The DeWitt Wallace Museum presents fine furniture, furnishings and period paintings — not the most exciting stuff for children. To interest ‘tweens and teens in both museums, the facilities created “Teen Takes: A New Angle on Art.”

For more information on Colonial Williamsburg attractions visit our Colonial Williamsburg destination page.