Yesterday, we enjoyed some of the natural wonders in Virginia. Today, we decided to take in some American history. We spent the day in Colonial Williamsburg. Colonial Williamsburg is a recreation of Williamsburg, Virginia as it would have appeared during the War of Independence. The exhibit was impressive. The main street of the town ran about a half mile and there were several streets that ran off of the main one. The buildings were fully furnished with period furniture and there were many tradespeople at work in various buildings throughout the town. There was a gunsmith building a musket, a carpenter working on a harpsichord, silversmiths working on silverware, and others. All the work was being done with period tools and techniques—pretty impressive.
Just as impressive as the exhibit itself was the price we paid to see it—Pam and I each paid $40 to get in. I’m sure it costs a lot of money to pay all the actors, guides, and tradespeople. And I’m sure keeping the place looking the way it does also costs a lot of money. However, I began having doubts that the high admission was justified when I saw the welcome center. It looked like an airport terminal. There were about half a dozen electronic ticket-purchasing stations and about 30 of the more conventional kind. Above each one, there was a large, flat-screen TV hyping the exhibit. I’m more than happy to pay money to hear a knowledgeable person talk about the history of a place. I’m not quite so happy to pay for large TVs that don’t enhance my experience of the place in any way.
Those pictures are stunning (as is the admission price). To step into history like that for a day, as Kaleigh would say, “Super cool!”