Colonial Williamsburg Self-Led Smartphone Audio Walking Tour

From
USD1500

Free cancellation

A full refund will apply if you cancel more than a day before the activity start time.

Guide LanguageEnglish
Good To KnowE-voucher
21 reviews

About

Travel back in time more than 300 years—and learn all about Williamsburg’s wealth of history—on this flexible, self-led smartphone tour. Upon booking, download the app; after arriving at Colonial Williamsburg (tickets own expense) set off at your own pace. Thanks to the app’s offline capabilities and GPS maps, you can navigate with ease as you discover the park’s top landmarks and hear the stories behind the sights.

Highlights

This smartphone walking tour offers a flexible, affordable way to explore
Enjoy lifetime access to the app, and use as often as you’d like
Offline GPS maps make getting around easy
This tour is perfect for history buffs and independent-minded travelers

Itinerary

The tour of this beautifully preserved slice of Colonial America begins at the Visitor Center, where you can get your first taste of the nation's largest living museum.
Your first stop is at the doorstep of the Peyton Randolph House, the former home of a fiery revolutionary and one of the oldest buildings in Williamsburg! You might not have heard of William Randolph, but he was a trusted ally of folks like Thomas Jefferson
Keep your ears open at our next stop for the iconic fife and drum parade which marches through the town regularly. Here, you'll also learn about the military significance of these old-timey instruments
A simple two-story 18th-century white frame farmhouse nestled on 585 acres of lawn, garden, and woodlands, Bassett Hall once was the Williamsburg home of John D. Rockefeller Jr. and his wife Abby Aldrich Rockefeller .Philip Johnson, a member of the House of Burgesses from King and Queen County, Virginia, is believed to have built the 18th-century frame house sometime between 1753 and 1766.
Purchased by Burwell Bassett around 1800
Union cavalryman George Armstrong Custer guest in home during the Civil War
Built between 1701 and 1705, the first Williamsburg statehouse served the colony of Virginia until fire destroyed the building in 1747.The first floor of the west building was for the General Court and the colony's secretary, the first floor of the east for the House of Burgesses and its clerk. Arched windows marched across the facades. Stairs on one side led to the Council Chamber, a lobby, and the Council clerk's office
stairs on the other side led to three committee rooms. A second-floor conference room connected the classically corniced structures, and a six-sided cupola on the ridge of the hipped and dormered roof crowned it all. Though the west wing was completed by July 1703, it took Cary until November 1705 to finish all the work.
Next is the unassuming little Secretary's Office, where all the documents needed to reconstruct Williamsburg's colonial days were stored
After that, you'll arrive at the Raleigh Tavern, where rebellious Virginians met to plot a possible revolution against their British rulers. These meetings even welcomed famous names like Thomas Jefferson!
Then you'll come to the Colonial Williamsburg Magazine, the site of a tense standoff between American patriots and British soldiers trying to steal all the gunpowder from the town before it could fall into rebel hands
Directly opposite the Magazine, you'll find the old courthouse, where residents of Williamsburg heard the Declaration of Independence read aloud for the very first time
Up next is the Play House Stage, a recreation of one of America's first theatres. The original may have failed terribly, but this one still puts on shows on a regular basis!
Then you'll see the extravagant Governor's Palace, and maybe start to get a sense of why the residents of Williamsburg didn't particularly care for their British royal governors!
Up next is the house of George Wythe, a signer of the Declaration of Independence who stands out from most of his compatriots because of one simple fact: he was an abolitionist. In Virginia, a state which used a huge amount of slave labor, this didn't exactly make him a lot of friends!
Continuing on, you'll arrive at the oldest building in Colonial Williamsburg: the Bruton Parish Episcopal Church. Here, you'll learn not just about the church's surprising history, but also about how it's the whole reason Colonial Williamsburg exists in the first place
After that is the Bowden-Armistead House, the history of which showcases some of the deep divisions which cut through Williamsburg around the time of the Civil War. See, the owner was a northerner, and you can probably imagine how his Virginian neighbors felt about that...
Your route takes you next onto the campus of William & Mary College, the oldest college in the United States
The final stop on your tour is the Wren Building, an impressive structure which isn't just the oldest building on the William & Mary Campus, but the oldest college building in the entire United States!

Inclusions

Easy to use: Stories play automatically by GPS. Hands-free. Get HELP all day: Call, Chat, or Email.
Don’t miss a thing: Full itinerary, travel tips, professionally narrated, videos, text, hidden gems.
Offline use: No cell signal or wifi required. Offline GPS Map & route. Stop-to-stop direction.
App on your phone: A link to download the Tour Guide App by Action and Password for your tours.
Flexible schedule: Use any day, any time. Travel over multiple days or on next trip. Never expires.

Exclusions

Transportation, parking fee, food/drinks
National Park/attraction Passes, entry tickets, or reservation

Additional Information

  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • How it works: Once you book a tour, you’ll get a text/email with instructions. Download the app (while in good wifi/signal) and use your unique password to access your tours. To begin touring, go to the Starting Point and launch the app. The audio starts automatically. Stick to the tour route & speed limit for the best experience. Please note that no one will meet you at the starting point.
  • Good value: Purchase one tour per person. If you are a couple and prefer to share, purchase one tour and remember to bring headphones you can split.
  • Flexible Schedule: Once the app/tour is on your phone, you can use it any day and at any time. You can use it over multiple days. And, also use it on your next trip here. This tour never expires.
  • Preview the tour: You can use it before the trip at home (highly recommended), use it during the trip, and use it after you come back.
  • Don't miss a thing: You will get everything with the app - a complete itinerary, travel tips, professionally narrated audio stories, story script, images, videos, deep dives, hidden gems, exciting locations, recommendations for hikes, adventure, activities, treks, and stop-by-stop direction.
  • Private tour: You can use it in your car or rental car. No worries about groups or crowds. Start the tour app on your phone. And it will direct you step by step. You can stop for as many breaks as you like. Take a break for Instagram photos, and take a break for lunch/snacks. Go on a hike. The tour will wait for you and start when you start again. You can even do the tour over multiple days. Go at your own pace.
  • Easy to use: The stories play themselves as soon as the GPS is activated. It requires no use of your hands at all. You can get HELP by calling, chatting, or emailing any time of the day.
  • Offline: There is no need for a cell signal or Wi-Fi while touring. App’s GPS map works offline.
  • Expiration/go again: The tour will last for the rest of your life on your phone. It is available for use on any day of your next trip.
  • Use pictures for a photo book: Create a photo book using clean (no crowd) app images of each spot to make a memorable trip. All the significant photos and the correct sequence is ready in the app for you to use.
  • Social media: Share clean (no crowd) images with friends/family.
  • Devices supported include iPhones with iOS 13 & above, Android phones with version 9 & above and all cellular-enabled tablets & iPads.

Guide Languages

  • English

Cancellation Policy

  • A full refund will apply if you cancel more than a day before the activity start time.

  • No refund is possible if you cancel less than a day before the activity start time.