our williamsburg vacation, part 3 - colonial williamsburg

Since Mr. Q's mom is a Club Wyndham member, we were able to get three-day passes to Colonial Williamsburg.  We started our day at the Governor's Palace.  There was a short wait for the tour of the palace, and since temperatures had already begun to rise, we were thankful that the buildings are not 100% period accurate - hooray for air conditioner!  The current programming theme at Colonial Williamsburg is "The Revolutionary City," set in 1775.

Because I am a nerd, I tried to dress in colonial colors for our visit.  My necklace is Lia Sophia's "Glacial," and my tank and shorts are Merona from Target.

In the Governor's Palace, we learned that Lord Dunmore, his wife Charlotte, and their seven children fled the palace in June 1775 out of fear that the people of Williamsburg would revolt against him.  The original palace burned down in 1781 and was rebuilt in the 1930s based on a copperplate engraving from the time period along with archaeological evidence.

I loved the colors in the Palace!  The Prussian blue painted wallpaper in the ballroom, along with the vividly colored carpet, was probably my favorite.

I also loved the pops of emerald green throughout the Palace.  Doesn't the rug in the dining room remind you of a Vera Bradley pattern?  Also, did I nail my colonial colors or what?

After our tour of the Palace, we took some time to explore the tiered gardens.

We also visited Bruton Parish Church, which still holds Episcopal services.  Inside the church, the pews are inscribed with the names of historical figures who worshipped there, such as Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry.

From there it was time for one of the day's scheduled events, a local court session in the courthouse built in 1771.  The mock trial is based on audience participation, and Mr. Q volunteered to be one of the defendants.  The man has never known embarrassment and I love him for it.

The last scheduled event we attended on our day in Colonial Williamsburg was the one I was most excited about - a public audience with Mr. Thomas Jefferson.  As a University of Virginia alumna, I get pretty psyched about the founder of my school.

The actor playing TJ did a fantastic job and really knew his material.  It was so inspiring to imagine myself as a colonist in the 1770's listening to Jefferson share his views about the importance of a free press, universal education, and separation of church and state.  I try not to get too political on this blog, but it frustrates me to no end to hear people attribute their own beliefs to "our Founding Fathers;" often beliefs that run completely counter to the values held dearly by Jefferson, Madison, and the other patriots on whose vision the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were built.  Listening to Mr. Jefferson speak in the garden behind the Governor's Palace was, for me, a perfect way to celebrate Independence Day.

Linking Up:

 

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