🏆 Things to Do · Williamsburg, VA
Things to Do in Williamsburg
62 real, currently-operating attractions across every category — the 301-acre Colonial Williamsburg Historic Area, Busch Gardens, and Historic Triangle day trips to Jamestown and Yorktown.
🏙️ The Historic Triangle
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🎢 Busch Gardens
⛵ Jamestown
🎖️ Yorktown
🏫 Museums & W&M
🌲 Outdoor & Nature
⛳ Golf
🖹️ Family Fun
🛍️ Shopping
👻 Tours & Experiences
🚗 Day Trips
Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area is the world’s largest living-history museum, with costumed interpreters and dozens of restored and reconstructed 18th-century buildings. Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Water Country USA sit a short drive east. And the Colonial Parkway connects the Historic Area to the rest of the “Historic Triangle” — Jamestown, site of the original 1607 English settlement, and Yorktown, where the Revolutionary War’s final battle was fought in 1781 — making both easy day trips from the same base.
14 Things to Do
Colonial Williamsburg Historic Area
The world’s largest living-history museum: a 301-acre restored 18th-century colonial capital with costumed interpreters and restored trade shops.
Governor’s Palace
Reconstructed residence of Virginia’s royal governors and its first two elected governors, built to display colonial power and wealth.
Capitol
Reconstructed seat of colonial government where Patrick Henry and other burgesses debated liberty and representation.
Bruton Parish Church
Active 1715 Episcopal church still holding regular worship services, one of the oldest continuously used churches in America.
Raleigh Tavern
Reconstructed tavern, established around 1717, whose Apollo Room hosted key Revolutionary-era political gatherings.
Wetherburn’s Tavern
An original, unreconstructed 18th-century tavern building operated by Henry Wetherburn in the 1750s.
Public Gaol
Reconstructed colonial jail that held debtors, runaways, and pirates associated with Blackbeard’s crew.
Powder Magazine
Original 1715 octagonal building that stored the colony’s gunpowder, and site of a pre-Revolutionary confrontation with royal troops.
George Wythe House
Home of the Declaration of Independence signer and America’s first law professor.
Peyton Randolph House
Original 18th-century house that interprets the lives of the 27 enslaved people held there alongside the Randolph family.
James Geddy House
Home and shop of a colonial silversmith, used to interpret colonial trades and family life.
Bassett Hall
18th-century home used by John D. Rockefeller Jr. and his wife while overseeing Colonial Williamsburg’s restoration.
Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg
Combined museum complex (DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum & Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum) holding the largest collection of British and American decorative arts and American folk art.
Williamsburg Bray School
Recently restored building that housed one of the earliest schools for Black children in North America, 1760-1774.
2 Things to Do
Busch Gardens Williamsburg
European-themed amusement park with roller coasters like DarKoaster and Pantheon, animal encounters, and seasonal events like Howl-O-Scream.
Water Country USA
Virginia’s largest water park, 1950s surf-themed and adjacent to Busch Gardens; open seasonally, roughly late May through early September.
4 Things to Do
Jamestown Settlement
State-run living-history museum with replica 1607 ships, a re-created James Fort, and a Powhatan Paspahegh Town.
Historic Jamestowne
The actual archaeological site of the original 1607 English colony, jointly run by the National Park Service and Preservation Virginia.
Jamestown Glasshouse
Reconstruction of America’s first industry, 1608 glassmaking, with live glassblowing demonstrations at Historic Jamestowne.
Jamestown-Scotland Ferry
Free VDOT-operated car ferry crossing the James River between Jamestown and Scotland Wharf, in service since 1925.
7 Things to Do
American Revolution Museum at Yorktown
State museum with immersive galleries, a re-created Continental Army encampment, and a 4D film on the Revolution.
Yorktown Battlefield
NPS-managed site of the final major battle of the Revolutionary War, where Cornwallis surrendered to Washington in 1781.
Yorktown Victory Monument
95-foot granite column erected by Congress in 1881 to commemorate the American victory at Yorktown.
Nelson House
Colonial home of Thomas Nelson Jr., a signer of the Declaration of Independence, damaged by cannon fire during the siege.
Riverwalk Landing
York County-owned waterfront shopping, dining, and boat-docking district on the Yorktown riverfront.
Yorktown Trolley
Free seasonal trolley connecting Yorktown’s historic sites, waterfront, and battlefield.
Watermen’s Museum
Small museum on the York River dedicated to the history of Chesapeake Bay watermen; open seasonally, April through late December.
2 Things to Do
William & Mary Historic Campus / Sir Christopher Wren Building
The oldest college building in America still in use, construction begun 1695, centerpiece of the second-oldest U.S. university.
Check William & Mary Historic Campus / Sir Christopher Wren Building →
Muscarelle Museum of Art
William & Mary’s academic art museum with rotating exhibitions and a permanent collection.
7 Things to Do
York River State Park
Virginia state park along the York River/Taskinas Creek estuary with 40+ miles of trails and kayaking.
Freedom Park
James City County park with reconstructed sites related to some of America’s earliest free Black communities, plus hiking and biking trails.
Waller Mill Park
City of Williamsburg park with a reservoir, hiking and mountain-biking trails, disc golf, and boat rentals.
New Quarter Park
545-acre York County park with kayak launches, disc golf, mountain biking, and nature trails along Queens Creek.
Williamsburg Botanical Garden
Free, volunteer-run botanical garden and arboretum located within Freedom Park.
Colonial Parkway
23-mile scenic National Park Service parkway connecting Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown along the James and York Rivers.
Jamestown Beach Event Park
James City County riverfront park with a sandy beach area on the James River, picnic shelters, and a fishing pier.
7 Things to Do
Golden Horseshoe Golf Club
Colonial Williamsburg’s own golf club with two Robert Trent Jones-designed courses, the Gold and Green Courses.
Kingsmill Resort Golf
Three courses including the Pete Dye-designed River Course, longtime host of PGA/LPGA tour events.
Ford’s Colony Country Club
Private club with three courses; limited public tee-time booking is available on two of them.
Stonehouse Golf Club
Public golf course in nearby Toano designed to preserve the natural woodland and wetland terrain.
Royal New Kent Golf Club
Mike Strantz-designed Irish links-style public course in Providence Forge, about 25-30 minutes from Williamsburg.
Two Rivers Country Club
Private, member-owned course in a gated community near Jamestown; not open to general public play.
Colonial Heritage Golf Club
Golf course within an active-adult community with public tee-time access.
5 Things to Do
Go-Karts Plus
Long-running family entertainment center with multiple go-kart tracks, kiddie rides, batting cages, and an arcade.
Great Wolf Lodge Williamsburg
Indoor water park resort kept at 84 degrees year-round, with an arcade and family activities.
Escapology Williamsburg
Branded escape-room franchise location with multiple themed rooms.
Room Escape Williamsburg
Independent local escape-room venue.
3 Things to Do
Williamsburg Premium Outlets
Simon-owned outlet shopping center with 90+ name-brand stores.
Merchants Square
Colonial Williamsburg’s adjacent open-air shopping and dining district with 40+ shops and restaurants.
Williamsburg Pottery
Discount home-goods retail landmark since 1938, reimagined in 2012 into three curated marketplaces.
4 Things to Do
Colonial Ghosts
Locally based evening ghost-tour company operating candlelit walking tours through the Historic Area.
Alewerks Brewing Company
Williamsburg’s original craft brewery, with a taproom near the Premium Outlets.
Precarious Beer Project
Independent craft brewery and beer hall in downtown Williamsburg near Merchants Square.
Williamsburg Winery
Virginia’s largest winery, offering tours, tastings, an on-site restaurant, and a boutique hotel.
7 Things to Do
Virginia Living Museum
Newport News nature center, science museum, aquarium, and zoo focused on Virginia wildlife, about 25 minutes away.
The Mariners’ Museum and Park
America’s National Maritime Museum in Newport News, with a 550-acre park including the Noland Trail.
Virginia Air & Space Center
Official visitor center for NASA Langley Research Center in Hampton, with 30+ historic aircraft and a 3D theater.
Berkeley Plantation
James River plantation in Charles City, birthplace of Benjamin Harrison V and William Henry Harrison, open daily with guided tours.
Chippokes State Park
Virginia state park on the James River in Surry County with an 1854 antebellum mansion and trails.
Bacon’s Castle
Oldest documented brick dwelling in English North America, 1665, in Surry County, open for seasonal tours March through December.
Smith’s Fort Plantation
1751 house on land once part of a fort John Smith ordered built, associated with Pocahontas’s dowry land.
Planning Tips for This Area
- Budget a full day for Colonial Williamsburg alone. There’s far more to see than most visitors expect — trade shops, historic homes, and two art museums, on top of the reconstructed government buildings.
- Combo tickets save money. Colonial Williamsburg and the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation both sell multi-site passes if you’re visiting more than one attraction.
- Check seasonal hours before you go. Water Country USA, several Historic Triangle day-trip sites, and some smaller attractions operate on reduced or seasonal schedules outside summer.
- The Colonial Parkway is a scenic drive in its own right. The 23-mile route connecting Jamestown, Williamsburg, and Yorktown has no commercial development along it, so allow extra time if you’re stopping for photos.
What’s the single must-do thing in Williamsburg?
A day inside the Colonial Williamsburg Historic Area — it’s free to walk through, though many buildings and programs require a ticket, and it’s unlike anything else in the country at this scale.
Are Jamestown and Yorktown worth the extra day trips?
Yes — both are about 15-25 minutes from downtown Williamsburg via the Colonial Parkway, and each covers a different, non-overlapping chapter of early American history than Colonial Williamsburg itself.
How does NME choose which attractions to feature?
We verify each attraction directly against its own official site and current operating status rather than relying on aggregator lists, and we exclude anything we can’t confirm is still open. Read more on our methodology page.
Know Something We Missed?
If you know a great Williamsburg activity or attraction we’re missing, email us and we’ll take a look.
Heading to Williamsburg?
See the full trip guide — where to stay and where to eat, organized the same way, by category.
