A Wet (Yet Still Gorgeous) Day in Williamsburg

Tour Schedule for Tuesday, April 24

 Well, we're halfway through the week, and there are some great touring locations beckoning for your attention today. What's on the agenda? We've got:

Fredericksburg-Spotsylvania

Great Falls-McLean-Vienna

James River Plantations (last day!!)

Lynchburg (always lovely)

Petersburg-Dinwiddie County; and, last but certainly not least…

Williamsburg

Focus on Williamsburg

Because my parents live here and I love it so much here, I'm going to focus on Williamsburg as today's tour destination. The fact that my mother (with her trusty assistant, here!) was fortunate enough to have been asked to create several arrangements for a gorgeous house may also have played a small role in my choice to focus on Williamsburg. Full disclosure is always best, right? So let's get to it...

The Williamsburg tour this year will focus on two areas: the Historic Williamsburg area and the lovely Governor's Land, a waterfront and golf community that boasts both James River and Chickahominy River views.

Colonial Williamsburg Tour

The Colonial Williamsburg tour will feature the Lightfoot House (c. 1730-1750), the Tayloe House (c. 1750-1760) and a beautiful (and award winning!) garden located at the Matthew Whaley Elementary School.

This garden was a gift from the Williamsburg Garden Club to Williamsburg for the 300th anniversary of the City. Dedicated in 1999, the garden allows children to learn about and participate in caring for several types of gardens and ecosystems. With gardens ranging from an alphabet garden to a water garden to a colonial herb garden (and the more common flower and vegetable gardens in between!), the children get valuable hands on lessons in horticulture, which also includes learning the why and the how of composting and the importance of wildlife to the natural environment.

Governor’s Land Tour

The Governor's Land portion of the tour features four private homes, and if there are any non-locals on the tour, I'd be willing to bet that they may just want to move to Williamsburg after having seen these beautiful homes. Governor's Land is wide open and beautifully landscaped with crepe myrtle trees (and cherry trees, if I remember correctly) lining the main roads. Two Rivers Country Club, where pre-ordered box lunches can be picked up, enjoys expansive views of the water. Although as I write this, the forecast doesn't seem as though it will cooperate in terms of highlighting those views--so please be sure to make a point of actively seeking out the water views, because they truly are spectacular, even in the rain. Please check your Guidebooks for detailed descriptions of all of the houses on the Williamsburg tour. They contain all sorts of interesting details about things unique to each home, including references to art and antiques, mentions of custom millwork and, particularly with respect to the Colonial Williamsburg houses, history, with which I cannot compete. The WGC really did outdo themselves in terms of thoroughly setting the stage for each property. Enjoy Williamsburg, but bring your umbrellas along...just in case the forecast proves correct. But trust me...you won't even really notice the rain!!

xobetsy

PS—Here are a couple of photos from the house that my mother and I were assigned…