Interpretive programming is one of the highlights of a visit to Colonial Williamsburg. My family had the chance to listen to General George Washington speak just before the Yorktown Battle. The man we’ve seen in pictures our entire lives gracing school room walls came to life. Fiery, commanding and no-nonsense Washington answered audience questions. Sometimes audience members had a tough time remembering that the Washington before us was the man preparing for battle at Yorktown in the fall of 1781. One audience member used the term “founding father” in her question. Washington curtly replied, “I do not know the term you refer to, Madam.”

Later we somehow scored a front row seat (in front of the Capitol) for Benedict Arnold’s passionate speech. Actors and actresses positioned in the audience hurled insults at the traitor and the traitor yelled right back at them. Don’t miss an opportunity to see any of the top-notch interpreters including Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson.