Here is a follow up to my reviews of the Golden Horseshoe Gold and Green courses in Colonial Williamsburg. The Historic Area near the courses definitely deserves an individual mention.
Horse and buggy cruises down Duke of Gloucester Street
The Historic Area at Colonial Williamsburg has a wealth of historic buildings and museums to visit, each with very interesting stories to tell.
The area is a trip back in time to the 1700’s, where everything is as it was at that time. Walking the streets of the historical area is as close as a person could get to traveling back in time.
The buildings, the tools, the wardrobes of the townspeople, the plates… all authentic and original. If a building needs to be repaired or rebuilt, or some sort of work needs to be done, workers use the same tools and techniques which were used in the 1700’s.
Milling about town is a blast. The townspeople greet you as they would have 230 years ago. The town is full of shops, taverns and historical buildings. The inhabitants of those places tell stories or reenact events which educate you about them.
Punished for playing such bad golf on the Green course...
The courthouse was intriguing and i was sentenced to 10 days punishment for my misdeeds. I was put in the head block as punishment for bad golf on the Green course (picture right). They knew i wasn’t from their town because i had a strange hat which they’d never seen.The magazine or armory was very interesting.
The round and highly fortified building pictured below is the Magazine, where all the weapons and ammunition were stored. In the background left is the courthouse.
Magazine front, Courthouse rear - click to view larger version
I really enjoyed the old fashioned candy shop. I sampled many treats and even stocked up on them for home.
Fife and Drum - click image for larger versin
In my top two favorite attractions is the fife and drum. In this reenactment of history, the army recruits visitors and swears them in to the army. Then the whole town marches to a historical meeting where it votes to declare independence from the “wretched Brits.”
Ghost Tours
The second of my two favorite attractions is the ghost tours. At night a guide takes you though town by candlelight, to various buildings. Within those buildings the inhabitants, either dead or alive, tell ghostly stories or reenact what happened there hundreds of years ago.
Williamsburg Lodge - click to view larger version
Williamsburg Lodge
I had the pleasure of staying at the Williamsburg Lodge. The Lodge is a warm and comfortable place with rooms decorated inn authentic colonial flare.
The restaurants at The Lodge serve great food, including a very nice seafood buffet.
The customer service at The Lodge, from the bellman to the front desk was terrific. All the employees were very polite and helpful.
One of the best parts about The Lodge is the location. From my room it was a 30 second walk to the Historical Area and a ten second walk to the golf course!
Spa
Unfortunately my time was limited, so I didn’t get to experience the spa first hand. I did get a full tour however, and the spa will be on my list for next time.
Within the spa is everything one would want, from hair and nail specialists to workout facilities to the main offering of massages and body treatments. The spa also has steam rooms, an indoor lap pool and outdoor pool.
Conclusion
Colonial Williamsburg is a very fun and educational pace to visit on many levels. The historic area is terrific as well as the supporting amenities, food and lodging. Don’t forget there are 45 holes of great golf at the Golden Horseshoe golf club as well.
Related Links
Colonial Williamsburg web site
Golden Horseshoe Gold Course review
Golden Horseshoe Green Course review
Colonial Williamsburg photo gallery
HOGWire – Golf Industry News
I’ll never forget our family visit to Colonial Williamsburg during 4th of July when we stayed in a historic little colonial home, watched the fire works while having a picnic on the lawn — and then see hundreds of fireflies — we had never seen fireflies before. Spectacular!
your right on with your review of the things to do other than golf .We’ve been going there since th early sixties for sightseeing and golf . Try and get there at xmas time its beautiful, and take a short drive to see Yorktown.
I’m going again for the third time this summer. I absolutely love that place. For me it’s way better than disneyworld. I liked the Indian village at Jamestown where theirs a guy who makes arrow heads and tools out of a local white stone similar to flint. All so the governors mansion was beautiful.