Spring Vacation Part 1: Colonial Williamsburg

 Hey everybody! It's spring break and you know what that means. . . road trip!

  

To celebrate the peak of spring, Stephanie and I took a well awaited trip down to Colonial Williamsburg. When we arrived, we were met with what can only be described as a wall of pollen...I kid you not! Pollen was everywhere you looked. But that didn't stop us. Nope! We checked into our hotel, got dressed in our 18th century gowns, and went into the historic area to meet up with my friends Kelly and Emily for a picnic on the Palace Green.


Afterwards, we took a walk around Duke of Gloucester Street and visited the new and improved shops (Tarpley's and Greenhow), as well as check out the exhibits and programs. One Exhibit in particular was called "Revealing the Priceless: 40 years of African American Interpretation". 

Inside the Raleigh Tavern, the whole back room is displayed in a way that I'd highly recommend that you'd go see it for yourself to get the full effect. On a personal level, this exhibit really hit home; seeing all of the names of individuals who were enslaved in Williamsburg during the 18th century, right there on the wall, and to touch each name... I wanted to learn more about them aside from the fact that the majority of Williamsburg's population was African American and were predominately enslaved; these were people with souls and ambitions and dreams of being free and equal that sadly could not come into fruition due to the institution of slavery. To be able to touch these names gave me a connection, most importantly, 2 of my ancestors whose' names I located on the wall.

On the other side of the room was a wall that showed photos of interpreters who currently work or have worked at Colonial Williamsburg. It was amazing to see photos of close friends and family. I cannot be any prouder.

Finally in the back room of the exhibit, was a video of the controversial slave auction that happened in the early 90's. I have heard so much about this event and the impact it had on US history, museum education, black history, you name it- there was an impact. But what really made me drop my jaw was a young woman who was one of the actors whom I recognized as a family member. Again, I cannot be more proud and at the same time stunned that I did not recognize her from the start. (As you can tell, my family is from Williamsburg.)

  
 

Later in the evening Stephanie and I went to this neat restaurant in Market Square called DOG Street Pub where we had really good food. Not only was the food great, but the service was excellent; this may just be our new favorite dinner spot.

  


On Friday, we ventured back out into town and did some shopping before heading back to Maryland. I really cannot wait for my next visit in the early summer. While I'm still unpacking, here are more photos that I took. Next week is Part 2: Fort Frederick Market Fair. Stay tuned.

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Feeling cute today...may start a revolution, I don't know....



After our photo at the Palace we spotted Martha and George Washington


Gardens near the Nursery



Finally after a year of finding the pieces, my whole collection of "Delft" is complete <3

Comments

  1. flintlock21May 31, 2019 at 1:04 AM

    Love your blog. All three of your vacation spots are just the best.

    ReplyDelete

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