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Dining and shopping highlights

Beer and Banter! Eighteenth-century taverns like the Raleigh Tavern, King’s Arm Tavern, Shield’s Tavern, Chowning’s Tavern and Christiana Cambell’s Tavern bustle with servants, animated conversation and the rollicking songs of strolling musicians, not to mention a full offering of Colonial fare. Reservations are suggested.

If distinctive foods and wines in an atmosphere of graceful elegance are what you want, try the Williamsburg Inn’s award-winning restaurant, the Regency Room.

The Golden Horseshoe and Green Course clubhouses and the Williamsburg Lodge’s Cafe Garden Lounge or Bay Room also offer more modern fare.

For your sweet tooth, try McKenzie’s, where a sampling of sweets, coffees, teas and spices are for sale, or the Raleigh Tavern Bakery, which offers gingerbread cakes, ham biscuits, root beer, apple cider and other treats.

If salt is what you crave, ham it up at M. Dubois Grocer, the place to buy Virginia hams, preserves and other foods before you head home.

SHOPPING:

With period shops, craft houses that sell goods made on the premises and over forty specialty stores in Merchants Square, almost anything relating to the 18^th-century can be purchased here.

Too much sun on your head? Want to blend in with the locals? Try an authentic tri-cornered hat, decorative bonnet, or even petticoats, short gowns, cloaks and caps from the Mary Dickenson Shop, Tarpley’s Store or the Williamsburg Marketplace.

Check out the reproduction furnishings, bedding and collectibles and tabletop accessories at the Craft House on Merchants Square or at the Williamsburg Inn.

For a more contemporary look, check out Everything Williamsburg, which stocks apparel for children and grownups, gift items, toys and games. The Golden Horseshoe and Green Course pro shops have a large selection of ladies’ and men’s apparel, gift ideas and essentials for the avid golfer.

Don’t know what you want? Shops like the Greenhow Store along Duke of Gloucester Street offer 18^th-century goods while Williamsburg Pure, Simple, Today, blends the inspiration of Colonial times with a modern lifestyle.

For the eggheads among you, the Learning Resource Center and Williamsburg Booksellers have a complete selection of teacher, student and parent educational videos, books, internet classroom materials, CDs and audio tapes relating to the American Revolution.

For the home, try the Dewitt Wallace or Abby Aldrich Rockefeller museum shops for folk art decor, reproductions, furnishings, publications and recordings that reflect museum exhibitions and programs. For the garden, the Colonial Nursery has everything from herbs, flowers, seasonal greens and wreaths along with clay flowerpots, bird bottles and watering cans.

The Colonial Post Office sells reproduction prints, maps, letter-writing supplies and more -- they’ll even hand-cancel your letters and postcards using the original Williamsburg postmark!

When you’ve finished shopping all day, sparkle all night wearing gold and sterling silver jewelry sold at the Golden Ball or handcrafted leather belts and shoes purchased from the Prentis Store.

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