Me and my husband have a rule: if a destination offers a costume, we wear the costume. So when I found out Colonial Williamsburg rents actual colonial outfits — breeches, stays, tricorn hats, the works — the trip planned itself. I asked a man in a leather apron where the nearest coffee was and he directed me to a coffeehouse that has been "lately reopened" since 1766. He did not blink. Neither did I. That's the contract.
Can You Really Pretend It's 1776 for a Whole Weekend?
Yes — Colonial Williamsburg is staffed by hundreds of professional interpreters, tradespeople, and actors who stay in character all day, so the more you commit, the better it gets. These people are astonishing. I tested one by asking about my phone and I recieved a genuinely concerned lecture about "the small glowing box" and whether I'd seen a physician. The historic area covers 301 acres, the shops are real working trades (blacksmiths, wigmakers, an apothecary), and nobody is going to stop you from speaking exclusively in "good morrow." Your only limit is you're own shame, and you should leave that in the parking lot with the car.
Day 1: Arrival in the Past
8:30am. Check in at the visitor center, get your tickets, and — this is the entire point of this article — rent the costumes. Colonial Williamsburg has a costume rental program and it is embarassing how good we looked. Kids' rentals are common; adults can rent or buy pieces at the millinery shops in the historic area. Once you're dressed, tourists will start taking pictures of YOU, wich is a level of power I was not prepared for.
10:00am. Walk Duke of Gloucester Street — a mile of 18th-century everything, zero cars. Hit the trades in order: the blacksmith (real forge, real sparks), the wigmaker (they will explain 1770s wig economics untill you beg for mercy, it's wonderful), and the apothecary, where the remedies on the shelf will make you extremely grateful for the year you actually live in.
12:30pm. Lunch at Chowning's Tavern, alehouse-style, where the staff occasionally break into 18th-century songs. Order the Brunswick stew because that's what your character would of ordered.
2:00pm. Absurd-but-real detail number one: the street theater. Actors playing Founders and townspeople stage real arguments about revolution in the middle of the street, and you, a person in a rented costume, can just... join the crowd and boo the Stamp Act. I heckled a loyalist. It occured to me later that this is the most fun I've had at any attraction in years.
4:30pm. The stocks outside the courthouse. Yes, you can put yourself in them. Yes, everyone does the photo. No, there is no dignified way to get out of stocks in a hoop skirt.
8:00pm. An evening ghost tour by lantern light. The historic area at night, lit by actual flame, is legitimately transporting — the modern world just switches off.
Day 2: Revolution Before Checkout
9:00am. Militia muster on Market Square. Fifes, drums, musket volleys, a cannon if you're lucky. Standing in a crowd in costume while a fife and drum corps marches past is the closest a vacation has ever come to a movie scene for me.
11:00am. Tour the Governor's Palace and its absolutely unhinged entry hall, where the walls are decorated with hundreds of real muskets and swords arranged like wallpaper. It was a colonial power move and it still works.
1:00pm. Last tavern meal — Shields or King's Arms for the full candlelit treatment — then one final lap of the trades for souvenirs. A hand-forged nail is $5 and it is the best souvenir I own.
3:00pm. Costume return. The saddest wardrobe change in America. You will look at your normal clothes with contempt, this is normal and it passes. On the drive home we listened to fife and drum recordings by unanimous vote, and I caught my husband practicing "good morrow" at a toll booth attendant, who, to her eternal credit, responded "and to you, sir." Virginia understands.
Good morrow is a lifestyle now
What Does a Williamsburg Vacpack Cost?
Williamsburg timeshare preview packages generally run well under $100 for multiple nights, which matters because full commitment isn't free — tickets, costume rental, and two tavern meals add up. Here's the modern-habit-to-1776 conversion table we lived by:
| Modern Habit | 1776 Replacement | Commitment Level |
|---|---|---|
| Morning coffee run | Chocolate at the 1766 coffeehouse | Easy |
| Doomscrolling | Heckling a loyalist in the street | Medium |
| Selfies | Voluntary time in the stocks | Medium |
| Athleisure | Rented breeches and a tricorn | Full send |
| Saying "no worries" | Saying "good morrow" unironically | No going back |
If full-commitment time travel sounds like your kind of trip, check the current Williamsburg vacation deals for preview packages, browse other destinations if your century of choice differs, or see everything under $100 on the cheap deals page. The past is right there, and it's surprisingly affordable.