Tours in Williamsburg

Tacky Lights from property owners that have received National attention over the year, some have been doing this over 30 years. We will visit some of these unique properties as well as holiday lights around the town. Is it a competition or a deep passion for the season? Just how far will they go to win or share the love this Holiday Season. Sit back and leave the driving to us as we share some information about some of the properties we see as well a little bit of history.

Wacky Walks scavenger hunt of Williamsburg, takes you on an adventurous walk around the city. To play Wacky Walks, you'll use an app to collect points by finding items around the city using an app on your phone. You can also perform challenges to gain points. Check out the rankings in the app when you're done to see your score compared to other teams across the nation. All our Scavenger hunts have a live remote host to help along the way. Come out and explore with us in Williamsburg.

Our very unique, immersive adventures are the only ones of their kind. We, unlike other companies, provide your very own remote, interactive, live host to assist and encourage you along through your phone. We are an Austin, TX-based global custom event design company offering scavenger hunts and other events in 300+ cities in North America and beyond. Our specially hand-crafted adventures are equal parts tour, creative challenge, detective hunt, and social experiment! Guests get to discover in an alternate reality our favorite hidden gems off the beaten trail and creatively interpret fun art, history, and culture clues - for points! They get to enjoy fame and glory while appearing on our website’s international leaderboard, no matter what their score. They get to essentially race other teams in other cities, even if they don’t have competitors who have signed up in their city that day. Get ready to discover unusual oddities, laugh out loud, and make the experience your own!

Survive an apocalypse in Williamsburg today with Zombie Scavengers! An app will provide you with a list of items needed to survive the zombies. Find these items in any order you'd like and perform fun zombie themed challenges for points. Come up with a system to get the most points in order to survive the zombie apocalypse. Your friendly remote host will help you throughout the game via chat. Get enough points to survive the zombie apocalypse in Williamsburg today!

During this one-hour walking tour, discover how a sleepy southern town was restored to its former colonial splendor through the dream of Dr. W.A.R. Goodwin and the backing of Mr. John D. Rockefeller, Jr. We will take you through the restoration of Colonial Williamsburg from its conception through to the continuing restoration efforts. We encourage questions and conversation so all guests can better understand why this place was, and is, so important not only to Dr. Goodwin and Mr. Rockefeller but also to future generations. Please note: Due to staff participation in other events, tours may be unavailable on some days. Please see our website for information. *Shades of Our Past is not affiliated with Colonial Williamsburg therefore this tour does not include entrance or admission into Colonial Williamsburg-owned buildings. Since the tour is through the streets of Colonial Williamsburg it is weather contingent. Please be prepared for all weather conditions.

This is a private tour (your group) to an exceptional tour to visit Monticello, a World Heritage Site, home to our 3rd President, Thomas Jefferson, primary author of our Declaration of Independence and founder of the University of Virginia. Monticello provides in-depth tours of the historic house, gardens, views of the plantation, and, sometimes, an opportunity to engage in a lively presentation by Bill Barker, who portrays Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson enslaved over six hundred people throughout his life, and there are hourly slave tours to learn about the enslaved men, women, and children who labored on the plantation, including the Hemmings family and many others, like the Fosset family. The Monticello tour concludes with an opportunity to visit Thomas Jefferson's gravesite which is still owned by the family today. After leaving Monticello, guests may choose to have lunch at a nearby restaurant before returning to Williamsburg. Approx: 4 hours travel, 3.5 hours touring, 1 hour lunch.

Williamsburg’s Winter Wonderland: A Historic Holiday Stroll” offers a festive journey through the historic streets of Williamsburg. Begin this seasonal adventure at the Visitor Center, festooned with holiday decorations. Next, visit the St. George Tucker House, an elegant example of local architecture, often adorned with Christmas cheer. Continue to Bruton Parish Episcopal Church, resonating with centuries of holiday traditions. Enjoy the holiday spirit along W. Duke of Gloucester St., where the season’s joy is palpable. Conclude with a warm and delightful stop at the Raleigh Tavern Bakery, perfect for tasting traditional holiday treats.

Virginia's oldest ghost tour has added a twist of everyones favorite tour The Original Ghost of Williamsburg. Scroll the the streets of historic Williamsburg as you hear all the famous ghost stories that make The Ghost Tour the #1 Ghost Tour in Virginia. We will bring you to the most haunted places in Colonial Williamsburg.

The only ghost tour in the world based on the first ever photo-study of ghosts! Real ghost photos, featured in the books Haunted Historic Colonial Williamsburg Virginia with Breakthrough Ghost Photography, Parts 1 & 2, are shown at each stop on a large computer notebook (Samsung Galaxy). Guides will point out the exact location around or in the house or building where the photo was taken and encourage travelers to take their own photos. Tour guides will give relevant historical information pertaining to the haunting as well as personal stories encountered by the book's author and others, including interpreters and security guards from Colonial Williamsburg. Travelers will be given choices about where they would like to stop based on their interests--no tour is ever the same! The West Tour starts at the Cheese Shop in Merchants Square and continues to various buildings in Colonial Williamsburg to the last stop--Williamsburg's most haunted: the Peyton Randolph House.

Using an app on your smartphone, you'll be given nearly 60 objects to find in Williamsburg during your scavenger hunt. You'll then explore the downtown area searching for the items. Once you've found the object, you'll send a photo in to score points. Along the way, you will perform challenges for even more points. You'll have 13 categories of objects you can find in this scavenger hunt, with each object varying in points depending on the difficulty. Don't worry, you won't be alone. You'll have a remote guide that will be chatting with you during your game if you need help or have a question. They will also encourage you and give you hints along the way! The objective of the game is to have fun, rank #1 on the leaderboard, and try to get as many points as possible by finding all of the objects!

Colonial Williamsburg is often times associated with the Revolutionary War era,, but the old capital city is home to many civil war related sites as well. On May 5, 1862, approximately 70,000 union and confederate soldiers clashed at the Battle of Williamsburg. Remnants of that bloody struggle linger to this day. A nighttime stroll along Duke of Gloucester Street will reveal headquarters, Barracks, arsenal’s, hospitals, morgues and some say even Ghosts!

Embark on the “Williamsburg Family Explorer: An Outdoor Historical Adventure,” a tour tailored for families to experience the rich history of Williamsburg entirely outdoors. Begin your exploration at the Kimball Theatre, appreciating its historical facade. Then, view the George Wythe House from the outside, imagining the life of this influential patriot. Stroll through Market Square, soaking in the lively atmosphere of this historic gathering place. Observe the Colonial Williamsburg Courthouse, a symbol of 18th-century law and order. Conclude at the Peyton Randolph House, where the stories of its past residents are told through its architecture and surroundings. This tour is perfect for families looking to enjoy a day of historical discovery and outdoor enjoyment in Williamsburg.

Embark on a romantic journey through Williamsburg, a city rich in history and love stories. Your tour begins at the Williamsburg United Methodist Church, where you’ll be captivated by its stunning architecture and the heartwarming love stories it has witnessed. Next, cross the enchanting Crim Dell Bridge, a symbol of eternal love. It’s said that a kiss at its crest with your beloved ensures a lifelong bond. Discover the serenity of the Natural Wildflower Refuge, established in the 1970s. This tranquil spot is home to an array of ferns, wildflowers, and native plants, providing a perfect backdrop for romantic moments. Conclude your tour at the College of William and Mary, the second-oldest university in America. Stroll through its historic grounds while unraveling the romantic story of its namesakes, William and Mary.

Death in Williamsburg Tour Join us for a unique experience as we explore the darker side of Williamsburg's history. This walking tour will take you on a journey to experience the history of death, murder, burials, and epidemics that took place right here in Williamsburg! Tour Highlights: - Learn about the deaths and burials of Pocahontas and her father. - Hear the chilling story of the Colonial Parkway Killer. - Bring to light the secrets hidden beneath Williamsburg's parking lots. - Discover what happens to convicted pirates in Williamsburg! - Explore a family cemetery hidden in plain site! - Uncover the mysterious death of a founding father! Don't miss out on this one-of-a-kind adventure that will leave you with a new perspective on Williamsburg's history. Grab your friends and family and get ready for a night you won't soon forget! Please note: - This is NOT specifically a ghost tour it is a history tour about death & murder - We DO NOT enter any of the buildings on tour.

Independence from Mother England was not a foregone conclusion as we've been taught. Many questioned what American Independence would mean. For the colony of Virginia, it was a very difficult decision. During this one-hour walking tour discover how and why the men of the House of Burgesses finally decided to declare independence for Virginia and how their decision influenced the Continental Congress in Philadelphia. Please note: Due to staff participation in other events, tours may be unavailable on some days. Please see our website for information. *Shades of Our Past is not affiliated with Colonial Williamsburg, therefore this tour does not include entrance or admission into Colonial Williamsburg-owned buildings. Since the tour is through the streets of Colonial Williamsburg it is weather contingent. Please be prepared for all weather conditions.

Be transported back to Williamsburg in 1943 in this 1-hour character tour. Learn how the citizens of the town are dealing with rationing, blackout drills, and all the new servicemen in town during the Holiday season. Please note that each tour is unique, so the advertised routes may vary. You will be guided through town by either a USO Hostess or an Air Raid Warden. However, for evening tours, the guide will solely be an Air Raid Warden. Shades of Our Past is not affiliated with Colonial Williamsburg; therefore, this tour does not include entrance or admission into Colonial Williamsburg-owned buildings. Since the tour is through the streets of Colonial Williamsburg it is weather contingent. Please be prepared for all weather conditions. Please be aware that due to staff participation in other events, tours may be unavailable on certain days. For details about these programs, please visit our website.