Enjoy A Colonial Williamsburg Ghost Tour

By Sharon Richardson


If you love obscure events in history and like thinking that such drama leaves traces behind, there's no better place to be than in Colonial Williamsburg at 11 PM any night of the year. This historic site is rife with legend and rumor, and a Colonial Williamsburg ghost tour is dedicated to exploring murky secrets and simple misadventures of the past. Especially after a day with the costumed inhabitants of the village, walking the silent streets after dark brings history that much more alive.

Williamsburg, the capital of colonial Virginia, is now the largest historic living museum in America. It has 160 buildings on 175 acres; many of the houses and civic centers are original to the 1700s. The Foundation that runs this historic gem is dedicated to educating today's people about life in Colonial days, as well as Revolutionary War events. Open 365 days a year, the site is visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists every year.

The town is home to the College of William and Mary, which was founded in 1695 and thus predates the town. The ghostly tours cover both the original village and the campus. Some are all outdoors, in streets and the graveyards, while other also take you into historic buildings. Your guide will tell you about events that took place at each important site, as well as what has been seen, heard, or felt there.

Tours take one hour, although there are extended tours that might cover more time and distance than the usual mile. Ticket prices online start at $13 per person with no age discounts. A tour may be scheduled any night of the year and will go off rain or shine. You'll need appropriate clothing for the season and comfortable walking shoes. The excursions are a nice blend of history and speculation, and reviews give them high marks for bone-chilling details and spooky stories.

Carrying a device that registers paranormal activity adds to the fun. Although ghosts are not guaranteed, the EMF units measure electromagnetic fields, which seem to be specially dense near graveyard walls. In the old days, soldiers died in battle and from wounds, children fell down stairs, and marriages were troubled, so the devices can go off anywhere a presence might be near.

Visitors hope to hear wagons rattling down the road where pirates were hung, footsteps in homes where soldiers died from illness or wounds, and the sound of a woman (notorious in her day for her need for cleanliness) bathing in an empty bathroom. Several shades have been reported, including young soldiers, unhappy wives, gracious matrons welcoming visitors to their homes, or children who died before their time.

Tickets can be easily secured online. Reservations are a must; the tours do not accept people who just show up. There are meeting places, directions, and information about parking on the websites, as well as customer reviews. These tours are highly regarded in the industry, some being listed in the Top Ten of Ghost Tours nationwide and even rated among the best of all sightseeing tours.

These excursions into the past are fun for all from 9 to 90. There is a lot of walking, but the time goes quickly and the perspective on the historic village keeps you eagerly moving on. Plan to see Williamsburg at the witching hour on your next vacation.




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