You can read about history in school. You can meet it at Colonial Williamsburg.
Some field trips are just a break from the classroom. A visit to the Historic Area of Colonial Williamsburg allows students to step into the past. Here, history isn’t trapped between the pages of a textbook—it’s on display in a living, breathing, 18th-century community, where bold ideas of revolution are afoot. From exploring the ways of life in early America to learning about the trials and tribulations of forging a new nation, students will be immersed in an experience that will stay with them long after they return to their classrooms.
A Living Classroom
From the moment students arrive, they are no longer passive learners. They’re active participants. The Historic Area becomes a classroom, an 18th-century city alive with debate, innovation, and social change.
They will encounter members of the Williamsburg community discussing concepts of freedom and liberty throughout the streets of town. They’ll meet modern-day tradespeople—such as blacksmiths, printers, tailors—who keep the city running, and practice 18th-century trades today, just as they did in the colonial era. They’ll stand inside one of the first schools for Black children in America and hear stories of resilience and hope. They will learn that history isn’t just a timeline of famous names; it’s a complicated tapestry woven from the lives and experiences of the community.
As your students encounter our interpreters throughout town, encourage them to ask questions and engage in conversation. Everything that students encounter, from chats with tradespeople to staged performances and the careful preservation and restoration of the museum, is grounded in research. We are happy to share what we know with curious minds.
Engagement Beyond the Expected
Colonial Williamsburg programming is designed to do more than entertain—it challenges students to think critically and make connections between past and present.
Through interactive programs and cross-curricular investigations, students learn not only about government and revolution but also economics, science, and the social dynamics of a society on the brink of change. Students can debate with Patrick Henry in the Capitol building, explore concepts of law with Thomas Jefferson’s teacher George Wythe, and take part in a public trial at the Courthouse. Your students will leave with a newfound curiosity about the world they live in.
History Through Every Lens
What makes a Colonial Williamsburg experience especially powerful is a commitment to telling a fuller, richer story of life in 18th-century America. Students will hear from the men and women of the nation’s founding generation, including stories and perspectives of those who were often overlooked—free and enslaved Black Americans, Indigenous communities, and women.
This inclusive approach helps students understand that America’s founding was complex, incomplete, and continues to evolve. It sparks the kind of questions that can’t be answered by memorizing dates alone—What does freedom really mean? Whose voices shaped our nation? And how do we continue the work they began?
As your students explore, they need to be able to ask, “But how do you know?” Throughout their visit, students will encounter active archaeological sites, buildings under construction, rare breed animals traversing the city, and more that may spark their interest. While we know a great deal about the past, each day, Colonial Williamsburg’s experts uncover new information that helps inform our programming, the stories we share, and the experiences we offer. Every day, we learn something new about American history.
Why It Matters
In an era where the past can seem distant, Colonial Williamsburg offers something rare: the opportunity to experience history in context, to understand the choices and contradictions of those who came before us. Students leave not just knowing more about the 18th century but seeing its direct links to today.
They return to the classroom with a deeper sense of civic engagement, citizenship, and responsibility. They realize the ideals of the Revolution weren’t the endpoint—they were the starting line.
An Invitation to Teachers and Schools
As America approaches its 250th anniversary, there has never been a more important time to reconnect with the ideas, struggles, and diverse stories that have shaped our nation. A visit to Colonial Williamsburg helps the next generation understand not only where we’ve been, but where we are going.
A Colonial Williamsburg experience isn’t just a history lesson. It’s an opportunity to inspire curiosity, critical thinking, and civic understanding in a way no classroom can match.
So don’t just teach your students history. Let them walk through it. Let them debate it. Let them see it through the eyes of the people who lived it.
Bring your students to Colonial Williamsburg. Step into the past—and watch their future take shape. The Revolution is here. Plan your field trip today!
The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation advances its mission “that the future may learn from the past” through educational programming, preservation, and ongoing research. By researching and sharing the fascinating stories of those who built America, including people of all backgrounds, we can better understand history and shape our future. And in so doing, continue our nation’s unending work to build a more perfect union.
For more than 70 years, Colonial Williamsburg has provided a premier school field trip destination, offering schools assistance in addressing educational standards and individually tailoring an experience that fits unique classroom needs. Once your students step into the Historic Area, they are fully immersed in 18th-century Virginia’s colonial capital city. Our interactive programs and cross-curricular investigations will engage students’ minds.
CONTACT:
The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation
Jorja Smith
(757)565-8344
https://www.colonialwilliamsburg.org/
