*ON LOCATION* FEATURE Trip to Williamsburg

Elizabeth and I were so excited to go back home to Williamsburg.  We first arrived at the Visitor’s Center and couldn’t contain our excitement at the familiar carriages and clothing.  I must confess, we crept under the rope and climbed into the carriage, just like old times.  I don’t think anyone saw us.  

After we bought our tickets, we headed to the Governor’s Palace.  

It was amazing, but when we walked into the foyer, we saw hundreds of weapons—rifles, muskets, swords—oh, my!  We were a bit frightened, but the lady taking us on the tour told us not to worry.  We were safe. 

In the George Wythe (pronounced With) house on the Palace Green, we saw a bed that George Washington, our first President, slept in!!!  George Wythe was a leader of the patriot movement in Virginia, a delegate to the Continental Congress, and Virginia’s first signer of the Declaration of Independence.  General George Washington once used this house as his headquarters.

In one of the bedrooms, we found a beautiful doll.

 Elizabeth got up very close to her and reported that she was made of wood.

 My favorite part of the Palace grounds was the little hide away tunnel of grape vines we found in the garden.  Elizabeth and I slipped inside and rested on the benches while we watched tourists come and go outside. It was such a cozy, magical place, I never wanted to leave.

 In a building on the grounds, a man demonstrated cooking in Colonial times.  We were hoping to get a taste of the delicious apple fritters he was cooking, but that didn’t happen.

Although we didn’t get a taste of the food, the man did show us how cooks in Colonial times washed their cooking pots.

In the Market Square, Elizabeth found a Christmas shop and was quite taken with the little fox in a Christmas stocking.

  In a Scottish shop, we found a HUGE bear, and best of all, a little puppy named Haggis.  Haggis let us pet him while his Mom and the big bear looked on.

And outside that shop, we found the author of the Declaration of Independence AND our third President, Thomas Jefferson.  We huddled in close to get a photo with him.

By this time of the day, we were getting tired.  We had had an exciting day visiting places that were familiar to us and finding some new places.  Colonial Williamsburg will always be special to Elizabeth and me because it is home!

I am still amazed that American Girl doesn’t corner the market on selling Felicity and Elizabeth in Williamsburg.  They offer AG wannabees for $99 and the clothes are ridiculously expensive—$45 for an apron.  If I’m going to spend that kind of money, I’ll buy the real thing.  The shops also don’t offer the Madame Alexander dolls they once sold.  So for doll shopping, I was very disappointed.  (But the doll gods were smiling on me.  At a doll event when we returned, I found a Colonial boy and girl by Madame Alexander—James and Sophia—and I was thrilled.)

Hugs,

Karen