Colonial Williamsburg is the restored capital of 18th-century Virginia, occupying the historic core of the modern city. The project has been running since the 1920s and represents the largest and most sustained historic preservation effort in American history. More than 500 buildings survive, have been reconstructed, or have been relocated to the site; the main thoroughfare, the Duke of Gloucester Street, runs nearly a mile from the Capitol to the College of William & Mary.
Costumed interpreters work the trades — blacksmiths, coopers, weavers, printers — in the workshops along the historic streets. The Raleigh Tavern, the Governor's Palace, and the Colonial Capitol are all open to visitors. The quality of interpretation has improved significantly in recent decades: the history told now includes the enslaved people who made the colonial economy run, which was largely absent from earlier presentations. Allow two to three hours minimum; serious visitors spend multiple days.