Historic Williamsburg

A visit to Williamsburg is a visit to the past. Williamsburg is a city full of history dating back to the 17th century, established close by Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement. Williamsburg was founded in 1632 as Middle Plantation and would become the capital of Virginia and be renamed Williamsburg in 1699. Williamsburg and Jamestown join Yorktown (the site of the British surrender during the Revolutionary War) as the three cities that compose Virginia’s Historic Triangle. To learn more about the history of Williamsburg and the Historic Triangle, click here.

Colonial Williamsburg today seeks to give visitors a genuine look at the atmosphere of a colonial city and its inhabitants. Reenactors go about their professions in clothing from the era in restored historic area of Colonial Williamsburg. As Colonial Williamsburg is the destination for many tourists and right by a college, it has many good restaurants and stores. The most popular area of Colonial Williamsburg for hungry or bored students at William & Mary is Merchant’s Square, which is home to everything from the College Bookstore to Kimball Theatre to the Cheese Shop (home to arguably the best sandwiches in the ‘Burg, get the house dressing!). To learn more about Merchant’s Square and its venues, click here