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The Atlas Obscura Guide To Williamsburg

8 Cool, Hidden, and Unusual Things to Do in Williamsburg, Virginia

Updated July 18, 2022

Unusual Attractions in Williamsburg

Williamsburg, Virginia

President Heads

Giant busts of 42 U.S. presidents are sitting in a field in Virginia.

Williamsburg, Virginia

Eastern State Hospital

America's first public mental health facility.

Williamsburg, Virginia

The Archaearium

This museum explores the grim reality of life in the earliest British colonies in America.

Williamsburg, Virginia

The King’s Arms Tavern

Dine like an American revolutionary at Colonial Williamsburg.

Williamsburg, Virginia

Lord Botetourt

Affectionately known as "Lord Bot," this historic statue has a cult social media following and rightly claims to be “the most metal inhabitant of the Wren Yard.”

Williamsburg, Virginia

Chowning’s Tavern

Enjoy dishes that founding fathers once ate at this Colonial Williamsburg pub.

Williamsburg, Virginia

Virginia Musical Museum

Home to the organ played at General MacArthur's funeral.

Williamsburg, Virginia

Presidential Pets Museum

The "first cat," "first dog," and even a presidential pygmy hippo all get their due in this museum.

Cool Places to Eat & Drink in Williamsburg

Williamsburg, Virginia

The King’s Arms Tavern

Dine like an American revolutionary at Colonial Williamsburg.

Williamsburg, Virginia

Chowning’s Tavern

Enjoy dishes that founding fathers once ate at this Colonial Williamsburg pub.

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Guided Tours of Williamsburg

Explore Williamsburg, Virginia

Colonial America 3

Unique Restaurants & Bars 2

Museums And Collections 2

Medical Museums 1

Mental Health 1

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Stories About Williamsburg

At Colonial Williamsburg, a 'Landscape of Resistance' Is Thriving Once Again

The gardens of enslaved people left a lasting legacy.

November 9, 2021

Podcast: President Heads

Join us for a daily celebration of the world’s most wondrous, unexpected, even strange places.

by The Podcast Team

The Colonial Tavern Dishing Up 18th-Century Vittles

A new menu at Williamsburg's living-history museum offers carrot puffs and hunters game pye.

by Kayla Stewart

Excavating a Queer History of Colonial Williamsburg

A new committee digs into the lives of 18th-century colonists who may have lived outside the norm.

by Sabrina Imbler

December 18, 2019

How Museums Make Their Fake Foods Using Real Recipes

At Colonial Williamsburg, creating historic food scenes is a team sport.

by Stephanie Burt

August 12, 2019

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