Williamsburg Grand Illumination

Friday, Dec 8

Arrive Mount Vernon, Home of George Washington, Lunch on your own
Tour home Mount Vernon - Mount Vernon was the beloved home of George and Martha Washington from the time of their marriage in 1759 until General Washington's death in 1799. The centerpiece of a visit is seeing George Washington's home; an original building filled with 18th-century treasures, many of them owned by Washington. The Mansion house sits high above the Potomac River with a stunning view of the Maryland shore that transports visitors back in time. Four gardens showcase heirloom plants known to have been at Mount Vernon in the late 1700s. Washington himself designed the landscape which includes 13 trees that stand today as the last living witnesses of Washington's lifetime.

Depart for Williamsburg, VA

Dinner included this evening

Check into Springhill Suites by Marriott, Williamsburg, VA

Depart for Newport News Park for Celebration of Lights

Return to hotel for the evening.

Saturday, Dec 9

Breakfast provided at hotel
Meet your Colonial Connections step on guide and depart for Jamestown

Enjoy a two-hour guided tour of Jamestown Settlement
Learn about the land and lifestyle of Algonquian-speaking tribes in coastal Virginia under the powerful leader Powhatan and about the culture of the first documented Africans in Virginia. Outdoor living-history areas bring the 17th century to life - the re-created Powhatan Indian Village, re-created James Fort, Riverfront Discovery Area, and full-size replicas of the three ships, Susan Constant, Discovery and Godspeed, that transported the original Jamestown colonists to Virginia in 1607.

Depart for Colonial Williamsburg
Lunch on own at Merchants Square

Guided tour of Colonial Williamsburg to include the Governor's Palace. America's largest living history museum. From 1699 to 1780, Williamsburg was the political, social and cultural capital of Britain's largest, wealthiest and most populous colony. Colonial Williamsburg encompasses more than 500 buildings and 90 acres of magnificent gardens. In the shops, taverns, government buildings, homes and streets George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, George Mason and other Virginia Patriots debated the ideas - liberty, independence, and personal freedoms - that led to the founding of American democracy. Interaction with costumed interpreters of varied age, race, and social position provides a first-hand view of live when the town was the capitol of the Virginia colony.

Return to hotel
Dinner included this evening

Depart for Colonial Williamsburg's Grand Illumination -Fireworks

Return to hotel after the fireworks

Sunday, Dec 10

Breakfast provided at hotel

Depart for Berkeley Plantation
Tour Berkeley Plantation - Berkeley is Virginia's most historic plantation. On December 4, 1619, early settlers from England came ashore at Berkeley Plantation and observed the first official Thanksgiving in America. See the birthplace of Benjamin Harrison, signer of the Declaration of Independence, and President William Henry Harrison, "Old Tippecanoe." "Taps" was composed at Berkeley when General McClellan headquartered 140,000 Union troops in 1862.

Shopping and lunch at Merchants Square

Depart for Busch Gardens for ChristmasTown Dinner Voucher provided for use in the park

Return to hotel for the evening

Monday, Dec 11

Breakfast provided at hotel

Depart for home

B=Breakfast, D=Dinner