Ignite Your Holiday Season: Grand Illumination in Colonial Williamsburg

Friday

Arrive and check into your lodging, then stroll along Duke of Gloucester Street, perhaps stopping by some of the fascinating trade shops, where skilled interpreters demonstrate 18th-century crafts using authentic tools, including:

• The Silversmith’s Shop, for a glimpse of artisans at work.

• The Weaver’s Shop, with its colorful looms and spinning wheels, where you will learn the revolutionary role of making one’s own fabric.

• The Printer, where reproduction printing presses to produce colonial newspapers, political notices, pamphlets, and books.

Dinner idea

Enjoy the King’s Arms Tavern, where servers in full colonial attire present dishes inspired by 18th-century recipes, and tavern performers bring the spirit of Colonial Williamsburg toundefinedlife.

Saturday

Tour the Governor’s Palace, the grandest home in 18th-century Williamsburg and official residence of seven royal governors. Completed in 1722, it housed up to 30 servants and enslaved people, with lavish rooms, formal gardens, and even a bowling green.

Then move to the Capitol Building, the heart of early Virginia leadership, where guides bring the revolutionary debates of Virginia’s House of Burgesses to life. Keep your energy up with a meal at one of the colonial offerings: Shield’s Tavern, Raleigh Tavern Bakery, or Chowning’s Tavern Garden

The Grand Illumination

As night falls, get ready for the Grand Illumination festivities.

• Fife-and-drum parades and musical performances on stages around the Historic Area

• Thousands of braziers and candles lighting the streets

• Fireworks from three locations across the historic area

It’s an unforgettable evening that perfectly captures the holiday spirit.

Sunday

Start your day at Aromas Cafe in Merchants Square, the perfect location to kick off a morning of relaxed shopping. Or, join a worship service at Bruton Parish Episocipal Church, built in 1715.

Don’t miss your chance for lunch at The Cheese Shop and their famous house dressing!

Afternoon

In the afternoon, it’s a short walk from Merchant’s Square to the Wren Building at the College of William & Mary, the oldest university building in the US, constructed between 1695 and 1700. Thomas Jefferson and James Monroe studied here, and the tour highlights its role in educating America’s founding generation.

From there, explore the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg—a treasure trove of folk art, portraits, and artifacts that tell the stories of everyday life in early America.

Extra day

Have an extra day? Extend your trip with a visit to Jamestown Settlement or Yorktown Battlefield to complete your journey through the Historic Triangle.