Slowing Down In Colonial Williamsburg

On Thursday we drove across Virginia following the James River (via the highway) from the mountains to the coast (at least near the coast). We arrived at the Williamsburg Lodge late in the afternoon, unloaded the car, and made our way (albeit a little slower than previous days) into Revolutionary City for the evening. A little weary from our travels, I didn’t take many pictures that night. At least none that are worth posting. It was a temporary mental block as I wasn’t even conscious of the camera strapped across my chest for much of the evening.

However, with season passes in hand (an extra bonus included with our rooms), a good night sleep behind us, and an over the top complimentary breakfast in our bellies, we spend the next day and a half exploring the living history that is Colonial Williamsburg. In addition to the numerous old…

…and new shops…

…lining the streets there we also numerous places where we were able to learn a little bit about colonial life.

One of those I wrote about yesterday but there were also other locations were people specialized in woodworking and brick making.

Of course, being a tourist destination, there were also other amenities available to us including a spa across the street from the lodge where I sent my mom and my wife during our last morning in town. Although modern, the structures still seemed to fit in.

However, the majority of our time was spent walking around enjoying the lacework of picket fences... 

...the flowering summer gardens…

...open spaces...

…trees…

…and the interplay between nature and architecture.

Anyone who has been here before, and it has been a long time since I last walked these streets (at least two decades), knows that there is always something going on, there is always some kind of event or activity taking place. This times around, especially given the heat and humidity, we simply wanted to enjoy our time there and soak in the atmosphere. It was a nice change from the packed schedule earlier in the week which allowed us to take our time, look around, and watch as the air cleared…

…the street lights turn on…

…and the sky slowly change from blue and white…

…to orange reflecting off the wood houses…

…to the amber and gold blanket welcoming the warmth of the night.

We couldn’t have asked for a better way to end our only complete day at Colonial Williamsburg and, while not as interesting as our previous activities, it was a much needed respite from the constant activity. At this point, with one more night and a long drive remaining, we are all looking forward to our final stop of the vacation. With that said, there are a lot of things that I wasn’t able to see that will certainly keep me from waiting such a long time before our next visit. Given the ties to our family history, maybe we will even add Yorktown and Jamestown in the future.