Various Dates: 7 – 8pm & 8:30 – 9:30pm
Price: 13.00 per person
Departs: Lumber House Ticket Office
Booking: Smart to book ahead and reserve you and your family’s spot
Children: I believe they are allowed, however I would advise against bringing smaller children. Topics on my tour ranged from public hangings to cannibalism/murder.
Before leaving for my Semester living and studying in Dublin I wanted to do something strictly Americana, and, growing up forty minutes from Colonial Williamsburg has it perks. With that in mind my family (three people that night – 21, 51, 51) and I have always been interested in going on one of CW’s Ghost Walks. We deliberated between two different tours, “Ghosts Among Us” and the “Tavern Ghost Walk.” It came down to my decision due to the fact that it was my last night so I chose the “Ghosts Among Us” tour since it sounded like it involved a few actual scares instead of modern day sightings. Paranormal occurrences are great but I’ll take the stories actually told in Williamsburg any day. The “Tavern Ghost Walk” focuses on contemporary sightings. We saw that tour taking place as we exited past the King’s Arm Tavern. Guides were wearing Polos and tennis wear. Strollers and four year olds comprised the majority of the group. (We decided we had made the right choice).
We strolled around Duke of Gloucester for a bit and enjoyed a cool August evening and then headed over to the Lumber House to pick up our tickets and then take our places. During Peak Summer Season these tours can get huge – our hour had at least fifty people – however the group is split up into two or three smaller tours so that the experience becomes a bit more personal. This is done for comfort and safety reasons, more on that later.
At the top of the hour our tour guide in full colonial costume lit her lantern (I want one) and began with a short introduction to Williamsburg and began to weave a few quick stories about apparitions in and around the area. She then explained to us that this tour isn’t about the seen, but the spoken word. The tour focuses on stories told during the height of British Rule in Williamsburg. These stories are all told by costumed interpreters who are connected in some way to the stories they are telling (don’t want to give anything away though). You are led into three different buildings surrounding the Palace Green, and the groups rotate through these buildings. We were rotated through the Geddy House and then two gate houses connected to the Governor’s Palace. The rooms are tight even with smaller groups and are only lit by candlelight, which obviously lends a great atmosphere to the storytelling. Being in the homes and quarters at night isn’t a common occurrence, so simply being inside these perfectly recreated homes is worth the price of admission. We couldn’t get over the fact that we were actually listening to these stories in the very houses where they may have been initially told. In addition, you must know that many if not all reconstructed CW buildings are built to the specifications set forth when they were originally built, so the rooms are musky, dry, creaky, and literally the greatest stage on which these stories could be acted out upon.
[TIP: Choose the later tour time so that the Sun is sure to be set. Moving from place to place in complete darkness with only a lantern to guide you adds a whole new level of immersion.]
Each story is told by a different interpreter, some more macabre than others. The audience ranges from calm, to uneasy about a character lurching about an almost pitch black room, or to screaming at the top of their lungs – it happened, and in a tiny, very possibly haunted room. The stories are different each night so each time is a different experience. You finish the stories outside followed by a quick recap of each and a bit more explanation of the context which makes it all the more real and creepy. You then are allowed to continue ambling through the open public spaces of CW in the dark of night.
It’s a fantastic and well-done tour. It immerses you in the history of the area while simultaneously scaring the bejeezus out of you every so often. The interpreters are fantastic and obviously the setting is top notch. No matter the time of year, it makes for a fantastic evening. It might even be smart to book an early dinner and then finish the night with the tour. Overall it’s a fantastic experience and well worth the price. With that said, I’m so excited to get back out to Williamsburg to participate again and see the darker side of the Old Capitol.
Official Colonial Williamsburg page for the tour.
Price: 13.00 per person
Departs: Lumber House Ticket Office
Booking: Smart to book ahead and reserve you and your family’s spot
Children: I believe they are allowed, however I would advise against bringing smaller children. Topics on my tour ranged from public hangings to cannibalism/murder.
Before leaving for my Semester living and studying in Dublin I wanted to do something strictly Americana, and, growing up forty minutes from Colonial Williamsburg has it perks. With that in mind my family (three people that night – 21, 51, 51) and I have always been interested in going on one of CW’s Ghost Walks. We deliberated between two different tours, “Ghosts Among Us” and the “Tavern Ghost Walk.” It came down to my decision due to the fact that it was my last night so I chose the “Ghosts Among Us” tour since it sounded like it involved a few actual scares instead of modern day sightings. Paranormal occurrences are great but I’ll take the stories actually told in Williamsburg any day. The “Tavern Ghost Walk” focuses on contemporary sightings. We saw that tour taking place as we exited past the King’s Arm Tavern. Guides were wearing Polos and tennis wear. Strollers and four year olds comprised the majority of the group. (We decided we had made the right choice).
We strolled around Duke of Gloucester for a bit and enjoyed a cool August evening and then headed over to the Lumber House to pick up our tickets and then take our places. During Peak Summer Season these tours can get huge – our hour had at least fifty people – however the group is split up into two or three smaller tours so that the experience becomes a bit more personal. This is done for comfort and safety reasons, more on that later.
At the top of the hour our tour guide in full colonial costume lit her lantern (I want one) and began with a short introduction to Williamsburg and began to weave a few quick stories about apparitions in and around the area. She then explained to us that this tour isn’t about the seen, but the spoken word. The tour focuses on stories told during the height of British Rule in Williamsburg. These stories are all told by costumed interpreters who are connected in some way to the stories they are telling (don’t want to give anything away though). You are led into three different buildings surrounding the Palace Green, and the groups rotate through these buildings. We were rotated through the Geddy House and then two gate houses connected to the Governor’s Palace. The rooms are tight even with smaller groups and are only lit by candlelight, which obviously lends a great atmosphere to the storytelling. Being in the homes and quarters at night isn’t a common occurrence, so simply being inside these perfectly recreated homes is worth the price of admission. We couldn’t get over the fact that we were actually listening to these stories in the very houses where they may have been initially told. In addition, you must know that many if not all reconstructed CW buildings are built to the specifications set forth when they were originally built, so the rooms are musky, dry, creaky, and literally the greatest stage on which these stories could be acted out upon.
[TIP: Choose the later tour time so that the Sun is sure to be set. Moving from place to place in complete darkness with only a lantern to guide you adds a whole new level of immersion.]
Each story is told by a different interpreter, some more macabre than others. The audience ranges from calm, to uneasy about a character lurching about an almost pitch black room, or to screaming at the top of their lungs – it happened, and in a tiny, very possibly haunted room. The stories are different each night so each time is a different experience. You finish the stories outside followed by a quick recap of each and a bit more explanation of the context which makes it all the more real and creepy. You then are allowed to continue ambling through the open public spaces of CW in the dark of night.
It’s a fantastic and well-done tour. It immerses you in the history of the area while simultaneously scaring the bejeezus out of you every so often. The interpreters are fantastic and obviously the setting is top notch. No matter the time of year, it makes for a fantastic evening. It might even be smart to book an early dinner and then finish the night with the tour. Overall it’s a fantastic experience and well worth the price. With that said, I’m so excited to get back out to Williamsburg to participate again and see the darker side of the Old Capitol.
Official Colonial Williamsburg page for the tour.
