Take one of the many tours available in the Williamsburg area. You can see this colorful historic area by land, sky, day, night. You might even meet "otherworldly" folks when you go on a ghost tour.
Axwild Tours
Ghostly Tours of Historic Williamsburg
For reservations call: (757) 209-3059
Providing guided lantern tours of Historic Williamsburg, filled with historic
facts of life and times in the eighteenth century. These walking tours are enriched
with tales and legends of ghostly experieneces. Call for reservations or visit
our website: http://staff.wm.edu/axwild.
$10 adults, $5 children 12 & under.
The Original "Ghosts of Williamsburg" Candlelight Tours
This wonderful, fun-filled tour has been Williamsburg's No. 1 Ghost Tour 12 years in a row. For reservations, call 565-4821 or toll-free at (1-877) 62GHOST, or pick up tickets at Williamsburg Attraction Center at Prime Outlets at Williamsburg. To charge tickets by phone, call 253-1058.
Historic St. Luke's Church c.1632 14477 Benn's Church BoulevardSmithfield, VA 23430
(757) 357-3367
www.historicstlukes.org
Historic St. Luke's Church, circa 1632, affectionately known as "the Old Brick," is our nation's only original Gothic building and the oldest church of English foundation in America. Originally Anglican, the church was consecrated as St. Luke's Episcopal Church after the Revolutionary War. The church was used until the 1830's when the congregation moved into the town of Smithfield. Historic St. Luke's underwent a complete restoration, aided by a nation wide response, during the 1950's. The church is home to a collection of many 17th and 18th century artifacts including an organ dating to1630 and believed to be the oldest intact English chamber organ in the world. Historic St. Luke's now stands as a shrine to the colonial Virginia settlers and is a Registered National Historic Landmark. The Locrian Early Music Consort will perform in period costumes during a concert to benefit the old organ on June 5th at 3:00 p.m.
Hours are Tuesday through Saturday 9:30a.m. to 4:00p.m. and Sunday from 1:00p.m. to 4:00p.m. We are available for weddings and have a gift shop.
PLANTATION TOURS
Berkeley Plantation is the home of Benjamin Harrison, signer of the Declaration of Independence, and the ancestral home of two U.S. presidents. It is recognized as the site of the first official Thanksgiving in 1619, and "Taps" was composed here in 1862. The handsome Georgian mansion dates to 1726. Open daily 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Call 829-6018.
Chippokes Plantation in Surry is among the oldest continuously worked farms in the nation, retaining its original 1619 boundaries. The grounds include dependencies of slave quarters, overseer's house, tenant homes, and barns, showing the changing lifestyles of four centuries in rural Tidewater. Grounds are open year-round and the mansion is open weekends mid-April through November from 1-5 p.m. Group tours can be scheduled year-round. Operated by Chippokes Plantation State Park. Call (757) 294-3625.
Edgewood Plantation, Victorian in style and decor, this Gothic home is typical of Virginia homes built in the 1870s. The plantation features 12 large rooms with 10 fireplaces, a kitchen collection of country primitives and its own ghost, heard by generations of occupants. Call 829-2962 or visit www.jamesriverplantations.com
Evelynton is part of the original 1619 grant of Westover Plantation and is named for one of Westover's daughters, Evelyn Byrd. It is the family home of Edmund Ruffin, who fired the first shot of the Civil War. The Georgian Revival Manor House is part of a 2,500-acre farm still worked by the Ruffin family. Evelynton is halfway between Richmond and Williamsburg on Route 5. Call 800 473-5075.
Hewick, located on Route 602 in Urbanna, was built in 1678 and is the ancestral home of Christopher Robinson Esq., a member of the Virginia House of Burgesses. The home is operated today as a bed & breakfast by 10th generation descendants. Tours available. Conveniently located 2 miles off Route 17. Call 800 484-7514 (ext. 1678), or 758-4214.
North Bend, a Federal Period Greek Revival Style home, was built in 1819 by John Minge, a wealthy landowner, for his wife, Sarah Harrison. She was the sister of William Henry Harrison, the ninth president of the United States. Call (804) 829-5176 or visit the Web site www.northbendplantation.com.
Piney Grove at Southall's Plantation was established in the 18th century as a seat of Virginia's prominent Southall family. The earliest portion of Piney Grove was built ca. 1790 and is a rare survival of early Virginia log architecture. Self-guided gardens and grounds tours can be taken daily. The interiors of Piney Grove, Ladysmith (1857), Ashland (1835) and Duck Church (1917) are also open for special event tours and by appointment, and historic B&B lodging is available. For information, call (804) 829-2480 or visit www.pineygrove.com.
Shirley Plantation, settled in 1613, is the oldest plantation in Virginia and has been the home of the Hill-Carters for 11 generations. Shirley has descended to each heir with family portraits, silver and furniture. An architectural treasure is the famous staircase that rises for three stories with no visible means of support. Shirley was the home of Ann Hill Carter, mother of Robert E. Lee. Open daily 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Call 800 232-1613.
Westover Plantation is America's premier example of Georgian architecture. It was built in 1730 by William Byrd II, diarist, colonial leader and founder of Richmond. The grounds include an expansive view of the James River, boxwood gardens, elaborate 18th century gates made in London, and plantation dependencies. The gardens and grounds are open daily for a self-guided tour. The house is open during Garden Week. For information, call (804) 829-2882 or visit their web site www.jamesriverplantations.com.