A few weeks ago, we loaded up the family van and took off on an epic road trip to spend a 3-day weekend in Colonial Williamsburg. For the unfamiliar, the historic 18th-century capital of the Virginia Colony has been painstakingly restored and given a second life as the nation’s largest living history museum. And they do mean living in the most literal sense of the word—over 1,500 costumed re-enactors roam the city streets and tend the shops, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. Talk about never breaking character!

I have to admit, I was a bit skeptical that a historical reenactment could hold the interest of my two youngest children (Noah, 4, and Charlotte, 7) for three full days. In the end, they were actually clamping for more. The fully immersive nature of the reenactment is a unique and completely captivating experience. It’s something you really just have to experience firsthand to fully appreciate.

In the 18th century, DIY wasn’t a choice—it was a way of life. You definitely get a sense of this exploring Colonial Williamsburg. Step inside the weaver’s shop and you’ll find them busy making richly-colored textiles using 18th-century recipes for making natural dyes (all safe enough to drink). The cotton, of course, is spun from the rare historic breed of sheep grazing out back, one of the many animals in Colonial Williamsburg’s Rare Breeds Program. It’s hard not to be mesmerized by the various leathers and tools hanging in the Shoemaker’s Shop, where shoes are made using techniques rediscovered in a study of 18th-century shoes.

You’ll find over one hundred journeymen and journeywomen working throughout Colonial Williamsburg, practicing everything from basketmaking and bookbinding to blacksmithing, silversmithing, watchmaking, and more. Many of them served six-to-seven-year apprenticeships learning their18th-century trades. To say that watching them work is inspiring would be a major understatement.

The historic gardens sprinkled throughout Colonial Williamsburg were worth the trip alone. The symmetry and minimal beauty of the flowerbeds, sheds, and vegetable gardens are living proof that form does indeed follow function.

So how did the little ones fare on the trip? On the car ride home, they were already asking when we could go back—a surefire sign of a perfect family trip. A trip to Colonial Williamsburg belongs at the top of every family’s bucket list :)

Visit Colonial Williamsburg for more details or to book a trip of your own!

Brought to you by Colonial Williamsburg. With so much to do, stay and make some history. Book your trip at colonialwilliamsburg.com.