If there’s one place you should bring your family for the 4th of July holiday, it’s Williamsburg. Not Washington, DC. Not New York City. Not Virginia Beach.
Williamsburg.
Why? Naturally, it’s because of the history that permeates just about every nook and cranny of this town. After all, Williamsburg, founded in 1632 as “Middle Plantation,” was already here long before the signing of the Declaration of Independence. The community also has seen its share of Revolutionary War dignitaries pass through. Just imagine walking in the footsteps of, for example, Thomas Jefferson himself!
Colonial Williamsburg celebrates the 4th each year with fireworks, parades and a reading of the Declaration of Independence.
The 4th of July in 2013 happens to take place on a Thursday, and that means that Colonial Williamsburg’s festivities will take place on July 4. Celebrations will include a performance of fifes and drums, fireworks in the historic area, a terrific “all-American” picnic, music and dance performances, and much more.
One event not to be missed is the Governor’s Palace Picnic. This “all-American” picnic offers a gourmet box dinner of southern fried chicken, coleslaw, American-style potato salad and red velvet cupcakes (box dinners for vegetarians as well as children also are available).
Entertainment includes storytelling, a performance by the Colonial Williamsburg Fifes and Drums, musicians, and dance performances.
The Governor’s Palace Picnic runs from 7:30-9:00 p.m. on July 4 with tickets running $55 per person for adults and $25 per person for children. Your fee also includes a commemorative blanket.
Fireworks start at 9:15 p.m. Musical performances behind the Market Square courthouse lead up to the main event.
The best places to watch the fireworks are on Palace Green or on Merchant’s Square. The fireworks extravaganza is included in the ticket price for a day in Colonial Williamsburg.
You needn’t limit your 4th of July celebration with just a picnic and fireworks. Don’t forget to visit the 300 acres of Colonial Williamsburg with reconstructed shops, homes and other buildings that showcase the Colonial era’s way of life.
You also should step away – but just a bit – from Williamsburg and enjoy the area’s many golf courses, parks and wineries. Antique shops and art galleries abound, as do restaurants offering some of the best cuisine in all of Virginia.
Thrill seekers will enjoy Busch Gardens while those who appreciate great athletes of the four-legged variety should explore Colonial Downs for some terrific horse racing.
Colonial history fans also should make the short trip to the Jamestown Settlement as well as to Historic Yorktown. It’s here that you’ll learn more about the settling of Virginia by the British and learn more about how early settlers lived and thrived here.
Yorktown will give you a glimpse into historic homes and battlefields, while Jamestown allows you to explore a re-created colonial fort, learn more about Pocahontas (in the Powhatan Indian village) and learn more about the sheer effort it took to make the four-month voyage from England as you visit re-creations of the three vessels that brought Virginia’s first European settlers to the New World.
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