During the 18th century, Virginia was home to a large population of people of African descent. Enslaved people were considered chattel property, while free blacks were disenfranchised from the political process. Throughout the month, special programs will be offered in the Historic Area and the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum that explore various stories of the people and culture.

Colonial Black Virginians struggled to become recognized as Americans, but their active efforts in seeking freedom and equality serve as a model of citizenship. Join us on this journey to explore the story of a people who challenged the political and societal norms to affect a better future for themselves and the next generation.

Program details will be added to the calendar as they become available.

Enjoy changing exhibitions of American folk art, the colonial and contemporary artists and craftspeople who work outside the mainstream of academic art to record aspects of everyday life. Attend lectures and musical performances in the Hennage Auditorium. Visit the Museum Store and the Museum Café.

View Current Exhibits

See an extensive collection of American and British antiques. See furniture, metals, ceramics, glass, paintings, prints, firearms, and textiles from the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries and the Public Hospital of 1773. Attend lectures and musical performances in the Hennage Auditorium. Visit the Museum Store and the Museum Café.

View Current Exhibits

The DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum gratefully acknowledges support for programs from The DeWitt Wallace Endowment Fund.

Designed to help guests plan their visit. Our volunteers and costumed staff lead the 30-minute walks and provide guests with the latest information on programming, dining, and shopping options. Guests also get an overview of the 18th-century community and learn about the restoration of Williamsburg.

Included in all Historic Area or Museum admission passes. Thirty-minute tours depart at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., 12 p.m., 2 p.m., and 3 p.m.

The Green Room is a place for actors to gather, talk, and share the latest theatrical news while waiting to go on stage. Come join members of our Performing Arts Department for an informal discussion of 18th-century theatre. This is your opportunity to voice your questions, comments, and curiosities.

Included in all Historic Area admission passes.

Come and participate in a local court session where lives, liberties, and property come into contest. Our guests may take on roles as justices, attorneys, litigants, petitioners, or defendants. See how the rights of Virginians were maintained in open court.

Offered Tuesday through Saturday mornings at 10:30 a.m. Program is approximately 30 minutes long.

Included in all Historic Area admission tickets.

Drop in and create a work of art to take home that is inspired by objects in the collection.

Guests may enter and leave at will. Included in all Historic Area or museum admission tickets.

The DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum gratefully acknowledges support for programs from The DeWitt Wallace Endowment Fund.

Guided tours by knowledgeable museum volunteers introduce you to some of the masterworks on exhibit, such as paintings, ceramics, textiles, furniture, and silver.

Included in all Historic Area or museum admission tickets.

The DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum gratefully acknowledges support for programs from The DeWitt Wallace Endowment Fund.

Hear the compelling story of Elizabeth, an enslaved African American woman forced back into slavery after living free with the Shawnee Indians on the western frontier.

Presentations last approximately 25 minutes and begin at 11 a.m., 11:30 a.m., noon, and 12:30 p.m. Free reservation required along with any Historic Area admission pass.

This program is part of Colonial Williamsburg's celebration of Black History Month.

Reservations or additional tickets required.

Drop by to enjoy music played by a member (or two) of Colonial Williamsburg’s resident performing ensemble, The Governor’s Musick. This informal program showcases music for a “chamber” or parlor where good conversation and music were often enjoyed. The program is ongoing. Seating is limited.

Included in all Historic Area admission passes.

Guests may enter and exit any time during the program.

Hear the compelling story of Elizabeth, an enslaved African American woman forced back into slavery after living free with the Shawnee Indians on the western frontier.

Presentations last approximately 25 minutes and begin at 11 a.m., 11:30 a.m., noon, and 12:30 p.m. Free reservation required along with any Historic Area admission pass.

This program is part of Colonial Williamsburg's celebration of Black History Month.

Reservations or additional tickets required.

Guided tours by knowledgeable museum volunteers introduce you to the whimsical and fascinating paintings, sculpture, textiles, and more from Mrs. Rockefeller's original collection, for which the museum was founded.

Thirty-minute tours begin at noon and 2 p.m. Included in all Historic Area or museum admission tickets.

The DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum gratefully acknowledges support for programs from The DeWitt Wallace Endowment Fund.

Hear the compelling story of Elizabeth, an enslaved African American woman forced back into slavery after living free with the Shawnee Indians on the western frontier.

Presentations last approximately 25 minutes and begin at 11 a.m., 11:30 a.m., noon, and 12:30 p.m. Free reservation required along with any Historic Area admission pass.

This program is part of Colonial Williamsburg's celebration of Black History Month.

Reservations or additional tickets required.

Hear the compelling story of Elizabeth, an enslaved African American woman forced back into slavery after living free with the Shawnee Indians on the western frontier.

Presentations last approximately 25 minutes and begin at 11 a.m., 11:30 a.m., noon, and 12:30 p.m. Free reservation required along with any Historic Area admission pass.

This program is part of Colonial Williamsburg's celebration of Black History Month.

Reservations or additional tickets required.

The world is familiar with the accomplishments of America’s historical giants, men like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Patrick Henry. The efforts of these great men were essential to the overthrow of tyranny and the establishment of the United States as a self governing republic. But their contributions were made possible only by the often overlooked people of history on whose shoulders these first line patriots stood.

These people, preachers and house servants, enslaved and free, who lived their lives, some heroically and some humbly, were nation builders no less than the Washingtons, Jeffersons and Henrys of history. Have a conversation with Nation Builders as they discuss the "Revolutionary" events that helped to inspire and influence the ideas of their American dream.

Guests may enter and exit any time during the program.

Guided tours by knowledgeable museum volunteers introduce you to some of the masterworks on exhibit, such as paintings, ceramics, textiles, furniture, and silver.

Included in all Historic Area or museum admission tickets.

The DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum gratefully acknowledges support for programs from The DeWitt Wallace Endowment Fund.

Ticketed event.

An original production presented by the Institute for Dance Community Programs. Join us on this magical journey that begins with a very, very hungry caterpillar. The plight of the chrysalis can only be determined by our fairy doctor and fashionable assistant. There are pixies, a few fabulous fairies, and the melodious lark bringing the luna moth to the stage. The arrival of our monarchs is imminent as our fairies and butterflies prepare. We promise music, unique choreography, and eye-popping costumes and sets.

Free ticket required. Unclaimed ticketed seats will be given away 10 minutes before showtime.

Reservations or additional tickets required. Call 1-800-HISTORY for prices and reservations.

Guided tours by knowledgeable museum volunteers introduce you to the whimsical and fascinating paintings, sculpture, textiles, and more from Mrs. Rockefeller's original collection, for which the museum was founded.

Thirty-minute tours begin at noon and 2 p.m. Included in all Historic Area or museum admission tickets.

The DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum gratefully acknowledges support for programs from The DeWitt Wallace Endowment Fund.

The theater of the colonial era was often advertised as a "Moral Academy" where the audience could learn from the characters on stage. Not all of the characters, however, were role models. 

The 18th-century stage is full of scheming, backstabbing, and intrigue. You might be surprised to see how little things have changed in the last 250 years.

Included in all Historic Area or museum admission passes.

Drop by to enjoy music played by a member (or two) of Colonial Williamsburg’s resident performing ensemble, The Governor’s Musick. This informal program showcases music for a “chamber” or parlor where good conversation and music were often enjoyed. The program is ongoing. Seating is limited.

Included in all Historic Area admission passes.

Guests may enter and exit any time during the program.

Is the theater a moral academy or the devil’s chapel? It’s the church vs. the stage! Hear sermons and letters from both sides of the argument brought to life as fiery rhetoric and comic quips meet head to head. Join members of the Performing Arts Department as they take a look at the debate over theater’s place in society, focusing on audiences in London and Virginia, the Church of England, and the famous Methodist preacher, George Whitefield.

Included in all Historic Area admission tickets.

Ticketed event.

History tells us they were here in the 18th century; our guests and employees tell us they’re still present. 

Join us for Tavern Ghost Walks and learn of the ghosts that still haunt the taverns and historic buildings of Colonial Williamsburg. This family friendly program is a unique ending to a tavern meal or simply a fun way to spend an hour or so of your evening. Suitable for all ages, tours leave from Shields Tavern. Tickets $12 adults, $7 children under 12.

This one-hour guided walking tour does not go into any buildings. Ghost Talks are offered during severe weather. Tour types are seasonally adjusted as necessary. Schedule and pricing subject to change without notice.

Additional times may be available on the day of your visit. Call 1-800-HISTORY to purchase a ticket for this tour.

Reservations or additional tickets required. Call 1-800-HISTORY for prices and reservations.

Ticketed event.

Rated: R

Haunted by painful memories and suffering from increasing anxiety, Martha escapes an abusive cult and returns home to live with her older sister, Lucy (Sarah Paulson), and Lucy’s husband, Ted. With no other family to lean on, Martha tries desperately to assimilate into Ted and Lucy’s upper-middle-class lifestyle. But nightmares of the cult that brainwashed her into living as Marcy May prevent her from connecting with the only people who may be able to save her. As Martha’s isolation grows, her severe paranoia escalates. Ultimately, she descends into a dizzying state of panic as the growing fear that she is being hunted grips her every move.

Giving a breakout performance as Martha (Marcy May), Elizabeth Olsen subtly commands the screen in this stunning follow-up to writer/director Sean Durkin’s 2010 Cannes award-winning short, Mary Last Seen.

Feb. 2-5, 8 screening room. 102 mins.

Reservations or additional tickets required. Call 1-800-HISTORY for prices and reservations.

Ticketed event.

The very popular annual Broadway and standards Gala fundraiser concert by the W&M Botetourt Chamber Singers. Dr. Jamie C. Bartlett, conductor, promises once again to dazzle the crowds. This year’s theme, “A Swingin’ Affair,” features songs made famous by Frank Sinatra and will showcase not only the very talented singers from the Bots, but also includes performances by the W&M Jazz Ensemble, directed by Paul Bhasin; the Wham Bam Big Band; and the ever-popular Harris Simon playing both piano and harmonica. All proceeds from the concert go directly to support the W&M Choral International Tour Fund. Be sure to get your tickets early so you don’t miss out!

All seats $15 with $10 student rush tickets available on the day of the performance.

Reservations or additional tickets required. Call 1-800-HISTORY for prices and reservations.