THE GOVERNOR'S PALACE

    Colonial Williamsburg is hardly alone among America’s historic attractions in being a reconstruction, rather than a rehab, of an original site. Fraunces Tavern in New York, Front Street and the Boot Hill Museum in Dodge City, Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts, and parts of Old Salem in Winston-Salem are all recreations on abandoned sites.  Still, some sticklers sniff that the creators of Williamsburg somehow “Disney-fied” American history by recreating an impeccable colonial village complete with hotels, restaurants, carriage rides and cooking demos.

    It is a charge with no merit. For one thing “CW” pre-dates Disneyland by three decades, conceived in the late 1920s and supported by the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities (now called Preservation Virginia), the Colonial Dames and the Daughters of the Confederacy, with the principal benefactors including John D. Rockefeller Jr., and his wife, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller, whose idea was to make CW a living museum, not a theme park. (In fact, Walt Disney World’s The American Adventure attraction in Florida owes its inspiration to CW.)

    As part of the Historic Triangle of Virginia, which includes Jamestown and Yorktown (I will be reporting on these at another time), CW was designated a National Historic Landmark District in 1960. The village derives its name from King William III (as does the nearby College of William and Mary), but after nearly a century as the center of Virginia’s government, political and economic activity shifted to Richmond, so that by World War I the town was seriously derelict and most of its colonial buildings beyond repair.

    When restoration came, more than 700 post-18th century structures were razed and 500 buildings were reconstructed, including 88 that were salvageable. After World War II, CW became one of the primary historic destinations for Americans and foreigners, hosting the first World Economic Conference in 1983.

    Further blunting the charge of artificiality was CW’s focus from the beginning on rigorous historical research, which today includes the Teaching Institute in Early American History, and constant interaction with school groups.  A good deal of emphasis in recent years has been on black history via the “African-American Experience,” and there are numerous craft demonstrations in book binding, cabinet making, cooking and gardening.

    The food has steadily been improved at the taverns—especially the King’s Arms (dating to 1772) and Christiana Campbell’s (supposedly one of George Washington’s favorites)—utilizing fruits and vegetables from local gardens and offering dishes typical of 18th century cooking, like peanut soup, a seafood fricassée and rum cream pie.  The estate’s most expensive restaurant, the Rockefeller Room, in the luxurious Williamsburg Inn, has a more eclectic menu and has been undergoing some updating in service, though my meal indicated that the kitchen has a ways to go to be called contemporary fine dining.

    There are several CW ticket packages, with a single day ticket $40.99 for adults and $20.49 for children, which includes shuttle service, interpreter-led tours of the Governor’s Palace, Capitol Building and all Government Buildings, admission to two art museums and seasonal tickets on carriage rides.  One of the problems at CW is that it is an open, un-gated village, meaning anyone without a ticket can just stroll through.

    Tourist visits have been down since their peak in the 1980s, and operating deficits have plagued the foundation, causing a sell-off of some properties; in 2017 CW President and CEO Mitchell Reiss admitted there’d been too much dipping into the foundation’s endowment, which for the 2016 fiscal year reportedly dropped from $713 million to $663.6 million. With a $317.6 million debt, Reiss was forced to outsource management of the operation of the hotels, golf courses and several retail stores.

    Key to CW’s continuance is to convince tourists to spend more time in and around the area, rather than the one or two days typical of a family visit.  Increasing that to three or more days by exposing people to nearby attractions, including Jamestown and Yorktown, is critical. 

    On a recent trip to the area, aside from enjoying the breadth and depth of CW itself, I was also able to visit the Copper Fox Distillery in Williamsburg, opened by Rick Wasmund  (right) in 2016 at what was previously the Lord Paget Motel.  He makes applewood-smoked single malt whiskey, a rye and gin, and the quickly expanding distillery is open to visitors.

    There is also the Silver Hand Meadery (left) in a nondescript strip mall, which makes a number of limited quantity meads with beguiling names like Dream by the Fire, All Blues and Ginger Me Slowly. Tastings of the meads are free, along with a tasting of six honeys  for $6. 

    Then there is the Williamsburg Winery at Wessex Hundred, which, in addition to producing some very good wines, offers hotel packages, wine tastings, and delicious food at The Gabriel Archer Tavern, with a lunch that ranges from crab cakes and a pork sandwich to artisanal Virginia cheeses and charcuterie.

    The Williamsburg area is rife with all levels of accommodations, and there are a dozen golf courses designed and landscaped by the likes of Pete Dye, Rees Jones, Robert Trent Jones Sr., Arnold Palmer, Curtis Strange, John LaFoy and Nicklaus Design Associates. One of the most highly regarded is Kingsmill Resort & Spa (above), with two golf courses—the River Course and the Plantation Course—and a range of AAA Four Diamond condos available. The resort is under new management that plans needed upgrades of the rooms and restaurant.

In a few weeks the full flourish of springtime will reveal the Virginia coast and countryside at its loveliest, just as it was three centuries ago when Williamsburg was truly a colony and the center of political clout in the South.