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(re)educate
This theatrical performance explores the agency of free and enslaved students of the Williamsburg Bray School and the legacies of their lessons.
Art Museums Admission
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A Gown in a Day
Visit with the Mantua-makers at the Margaret Hunter Shop throughout the day to track their progress as they create a gown from start to finish in an eighteenth-century workday.
CW Admission
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A Public Audience with the 1st First Lady, Martha Washington
Join Mrs. Washington as she speaks about being the first President’s wife and the expectations placed upon her while the new Nation watches on.
Art Museums Admission
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A Public Audience with the 1st President, George Washington
Meet with President Washington as he looks back over his long career in public service.
CW Admission
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A Public Audience with the 3rd President, Thomas Jefferson
Meet with President Jefferson as he looks back over his long career in public service.
CW Admission
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A Public Audience with the 4th President, James Madison
Join President James Madison as he reflects on the invention of the executive branch of the United States.
CW Admission
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A Quilter's Story
Join us at the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg and learn about the quilt and the maker, then enjoy a mini quilting project.
Art Museums Admission
Event Ticket
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A Taste of Freedom
This performance tells the story of Americus Weston’s journey to freedom during the Civil War, developed to commemorate Juneteenth.
Art Museums Admission
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All Things are Possible
On September 5, 1791, Robert Carter III recorded an extraordinary document. Why did the largest slaveholder in Virginia do what most of his peers consider impossible?
Art Museums Admission
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American Indian Interpretation
Explore the diverse cultures of Native peoples striving to preserve their traditional way of life and learn about their roles in creating a new country.
CW Admission
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An Apprentice Founder's Workday
Learn about the daily routine of an apprentice at the Geddy Foundry by completing a pewter spoon to take home from start to finish.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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An Evening with the Presidents
Join George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison for a discussion of their experiences as president. Hosted by Alvin D. Hall.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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Archaeology Behind the Scenes
Visit the Archaeological Lab for a guided tour and learn about a century of the archaeological discoveries of Colonial Williamsburg!
CW Admission
Free Event Ticket
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Armoury Activity Stations for Home Educators
Enhance your visit with our educational activity stations. Explore Anderson’s armoury compound and learn about the war’s demands on Williamsburg’s industry.
CW Admission
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Art Stop
Drop by the Education Studio and create a work of art inspired by an object on exhibit.
Art Museums Admission
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At a Glance
Join us on a 20-minute guided tour and enjoy some Museum favorites at a glance.
Art Museums Admission
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Backstory
During this guided tour, explore the hidden stories behind the objects on display in our museums.
Art Museums Admission
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Behind Closed Drawers
Drop in and examine antique textiles, including clothing, accessories and household textiles.
Art Museums Admission
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Capitol Activity Stations for Home Educators
Enhance your visit with our educational activity stations. Learn about the founding principles of our government and your rights and responsibilities.
CW Admission
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Capitol Freedom Tour for Home Educators
Students and their families are invited on an engaging and interactive tour of Virginia’s second capitol building.
CW Admission
Event Ticket
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Clothing Enslaved People in Colonial Virginia
This lecture will explore some of the complex relationships between apparel, labor, identity, and enslavement.
Art Museums Admission
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Cry Witch
Question witnesses, weigh evidence, and determine the guilt or innocence of "the Virginia Witch." Not appropriate for young children due to subject matter and intense emotion.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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Disaster Strikes! The Cost of Dressing in 1769
While using a 1769-70 merchant's account book, the milliners and mantua-makers demonstrate the layers of a woman's everyday outfit and discuss the other pieces of her wardrobe.
Art Museums Admission
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Domestic Diversions
Listen to musical pieces best suited for the intimate settings of an 18th-century home on the organized piano in the Leckie Gallery.
Art Museums Admission
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Fire a Flintlock Musket
Fire live rounds at a target from two different reproduction 18th-century flintlock firearms used during the Revolutionary War.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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Freedom's Paradox
Explore the paradox of the institution of slavery and the movement for independence in a 60-minute walking tour that begins and ends at the Randolph Yard.
CW Admission
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Freedom's Paradox for Home Educators
Learn about the evolution of slavery, and how the institution impacted Williamsburg, the Colony of Virginia, and both the master and enslaved people.
CW Admission
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From Excavation to Interpretation
Join a Nation Builder and a Colonial Williamsburg Archaeologist as they discuss important sites in Williamsburg from the 18th century to today.
Art Museums Admission
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From Freedom to Slavery
After making a free life for herself as an adopted Shawnee Indian, Methotaskee is brought back into slavery.
Art Museums Admission
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From the Ashes
As the ashes settle on Washington D.C., James and Dolley Madison struggle to find a path forward.
Art Museums Admission
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God is My Rock
Gowan Pamphlet, an enslaved man and popular local preacher, offers his perspective on slavery, religion, and freedom.
Art Museums Admission
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Good Stories about Great Stuff
Discover who created the object, who owned it, and how it ended up in our collection. A curator, educator, or conservator will examine an object each week.
Art Museums Admission
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How Did They Survive?
Join Ayinde Martin, Journeyman Carpenter, to discuss enslaved people in colonial Virginia and their survival techniques and skills.
Art Museums Admission
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Let's Get Crafty
Celebrate National Craft Month at the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg.
Art Museums Admission
Event Ticket
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Loquacious Lucy, Queen for a Day
When Lucy, a loquacious enslaved child, learns that her friend has been sold, her father must teach her hard lessons about slavery and instill in her the pride of her ancestors.
Art Museums Admission
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Nation Builders Discuss the Rights of Women
Join two Nation Builders to discuss how they viewed and debated the rights of women.
Art Museums Admission
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Order in the Court
After a short exploration of the Courthouse and its surroundings, participate in a local court session where lives, liberties, and property are contested.
CW Admission
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Order in the Court for Home Educators
Participate in a local court session where lives, liberties, and property are contested.
CW Admission
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Palace Activity Stations for Home Educators
Enhance your visit with our educational activity stations. Step into the palace gardens and participate in an interactive spotlight on loyalists.
CW Admission
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Palace Freedom Tour for Home Educators
How did evolving definitions of freedom cause conflict between Great Britain and America?
CW Admission
Event Ticket
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Patriots at Play
Participate in the daily activities of an 18th-century family at the Geddy House.
CW Admission
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Phillis Wheatley and the Music of Freedom
Join the Governor’s Musick in a musical exploration of the paradox of freedom as seen through the poetry of Phillis Wheatley, an enslaved person and well-known poet.
Art Museums Admission
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Pictures of West Africa
Join Harold Caldwell, apprentice carpenter, as he shares a pictorial of the connected 18th-century African and Virginian history, while tying it to a modern understanding.
Art Museums Admission
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Pop-Up Archaeology!
Stop by the Art Museums for a special pop-up exhibition of artifacts from Custis Square, First Baptist Church, and Powder Magazine archaeology sites!
Art Museums Admission
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Popular Science: Enlightenment for Home Educators
Engage in the 18th-century pastime of natural philosophy or scientific observation.
CW Admission
Event Ticket
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Public Hospital Visit
Tour the reconstructed Public Hospital of 1773 and chat with a historian about Mental Health Care in the 18th century.
Art Museums Admission
Free Event Ticket
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Revolutionary Points of View
Step back in time to the eve of the American Revolution, and there are just as many opinions about war and independence as we hear about politics and religion today.
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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Salute to the Presidents
Fifes, drums, and cannons salute the Nation's presidents on Market Square, featuring Washington, Jefferson, and Madison.
Open to the Public
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She Had on When She Went Away
Explore the material culture and lives of self-liberated Black women in the 18th century and the society they inhabited.
Art Museums Admission
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The Art of Politics and Dining
Join Mrs. Washington as she discusses the art of dining and how influential a woman could be in a man’s world.
Art Museums Admission
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The Art of the Stuff Maker
Discover the popular fashions and typical construction techniques of late 18-century women's shoes that made women’s shoemaking a separate branch of the trade.
Art Museums Admission
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The Only Unavoidable Subject of Regret
Join Mrs. Washington in December of 1799 as she comes to terms with the General’s Last Will and Testament, and hear from George Washington on his evolution on slavery.
Art Museums Admission
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Thomas Jefferson and John Hemings: A Collaboration
After his retirement, Jefferson returned to Monticello, where he relied on his African American joiner, John Hemings, an enslaved woodworker, to build and decorate Monticello.
Art Museums Admission
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To Hang a Pirate
Join with us in a trial of a member of the crew of Blackbeard the pirate that actually occurred in Williamsburg in 1719. Hear the evidence and make a judgment!
Open to the Public
Event Ticket
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To Purchase a Likely Man
Join Colonel and Mrs. Washington as they discuss the intricacies and complexities of purchasing a pair of enslaved brothers.
Art Museums Admission
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Visit a Nation Builder
Step into the past with a Nation Builder. Through stories, discussion, and questions, explore the hopes, choices, and challenges they faced.
CW Admission
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Voices of Their Hands
Discuss the lives of enslaved tradespeople on this walking tour. Hear from our historic tradespeople discussing their experiences interpreting skilled laborers and their work.
CW Admission
Event Ticket
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Women at Work!
Join us for a walking tour discussing the often-surprising realities of women’s labor, skills, and rights in 18th-century Williamsburg and the Colonial Atlantic World.
CW Admission
Event Ticket
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Works By Black Artists and Artisans
Tour the museum galleries, including the “I Made This” exhibition, to explore decorative arts and folk art made by Black American artists and artisans. Free reservation required.
Art Museums Admission
Free Event Ticket