A weekend away...

... was just what Emily and I needed this past weekend.

My congregation had been telling me we needed to take a Sunday off, so we did! We drove 190 miles up the road to Williamsburg, which was the colonial capital of Virginia for about 100 years before it was moved to Richmond during the Revolutionary War. I went to Williamsburg with my family as a child, but I didn't remember a lot about it. In the next few posts, I'll share some details of our wonderful trip there last weekend.

We were only going to be in the area for a couple of days, so we wanted to stay somewhere that was within walking distance of both Colonial Williamsburg and the College of William & Mary. Turns out the Bed & Breakfast options are really pricey for the most part. But we managed to find a very reasonable B&B called Autumn Leaves. It was right across the street from William & Mary and only an 8-minute walk from the historic city!

The story of how the old historic district was rescued and restored is a fascinating one. I read about it in a book I picked up on Saturday, but the Wikipedia entry seems to get it mostly right. The part of town commonly called "Colonial Williamsburg," which has the old buildings (some original and others reconstructions), people in period costumes, and historical reenactments, is actually run by a private foundation. What you can go and see today is the fruit of an effort led by Rev. W.A.R. Goodwin in the early 20th-century to preserve the colonial site as an educational and heritage legacy of American history. Goodwin was a man of uncommon vision who attracted the support of John D. Rockefeller, Jr., as a way to fund the beginnings of the non-profit foundation.

Williamsburg is designed for all ages of people, from kids up to adults. I'd highly recommend it for 2 days or a whole week. Emily and I bought the year-long pass and intend to go back at least one more time. There's way too much to see for just a weekend. And besides, I've got a conversation with Thomas Jefferson to finish.