Jane Austen Festival 2025

 

Floral Display in the Parade Gardens celebrating 250 years of Jane Austen

I traveled to the 2025 Jane Austen Festival in Bath solo and with (for me) remarkably little research ahead of time. But the lovely thing about the Festival is that anyone else attending (often most visible by costumery) is willing to point you in the right direction or take your picture. Because we all know that everyone wants good photos in their Regency garments with stunning Bath backdrops. 

While it's been on my radar as a Festival for a while, I was surprised at how many people in Bath at the time, both locals and other tourists, were unaware it was happening. (There were lots of attendees from Canada and the U.S.) I'd prepped for months waking up at 4am to snag tickets for events as they were released, crafting a wardrobe, planning accessories, and fitting it all into my backpack for travel. Bath is a magical place I've visited before, but doing so in costume, walking the streets of history and books in the period garments of the day with lots of other nerds, is next level amazing. The experience may not have fully lived up to my expectations, but there were still so many moments I focused on soaking in the atmosphere and vibes. I added to this in the "down time" by reading Mysteries of Udolpho by Ann Radcliffe (1794) (as referenced in Northanger Abbey), a Persuasion-inspired rom-com, and watching adaptations of each of Austen's novels. 

BY THE NUMBERS: A Summary
1 JASNA member (though there were probably others in attendance)
2 Space Bags
9 Days of Activities
15 events as part of the festival  
6 activities otherwise
5 days of laundry
5 Dresses 
2 Jackets & 2 vests 
1 bonnet, 1 reversible reticule
1 pair of shoes, 1 set of Regency short stays
and lots of ribbons 

I still managed this whole trip (11 days in Bath, 6 days elsewhere) in a backpack. I made or modified my entire wardrobe and spent an hour ironing on the other side, with an Austen film in the background. My "Satan's Phaeton" sleeveless spencer even had a photo shoot by a journalist, though I haven't found them posted anywhere online. 

There are so many activities and they sell out so quickly. I got my top options, but definitely didn't get to do everything I wanted to do. This was a big topic of conversation at the first event I did, Day 1 - the afternoon Hartfield Country Dance at the Guildhall. My first dance experience was so fun! Way easier to learn and get involved than I expected (7/10 on the introvert scale). This was the only ball ticket some other attendees got, the only event ticket some of them were able to get, and were swapping ideas for other events happening around Bath at the time that weren't affiliated with the Festival. I got the impression that one of the weekends is better attended than the other, but since I was traveling all the way there (23 hours), I was staying for the whole thing. There was a Colorado student and her mom, visiting from her study abroad university in Edinburgh; a couple from Switzerland who attend Napoleonic dances regularly; a couple from California working on their Bridgerton fantasies; a Dutch mother and daughter; my partner for the last several dances, Grace, who was also there by herself. And we got much more exercise than we expected; Regency dancing is sweaty business! 

  

The next day was the Costumed Promenade through town. I learned later that this year's was limited to 2000 participants by Bath police and that they were organizing the route, rather than the Festival. Sounds like that won't be the case in the future, since it was pretty disorganized... But it is a Guinness World Record-holding event for the largest Regency costumed event. I made a couple of the social media videos! 

Later that day, I attended a lecture on (working) women in Regency society, particularly working women, held behind the Holbourne Museum. While it was interesting, and I'm glad this talk was available, I wouldn't say I learned anything. The same evening had a showing of the 2005 "Pride and Prejudice" at Bath Abbey. They used headphones for everyone, which makes some sense, and I wasn't bothered by them as much as expected. A cool experience, one I tried to soak in, though it was just largely watching a movie. 

The next day included a duel. There was a talk on the history of the duel, the reality of the duel in the Regency period, and then two examples: one for "show" as seen in movies, and one more historically-accurate. It was pouring down rain which wasn't ideal for the dampened shooters, but made for a lovely walk through Sydney Gardens afterward. 

I'd heard from the organizers that we could pick up temporary library cards at the Bath Library, so I made sure to pick one up. A small, perfect accessory! Had I needed to, I could have picked up some reading material, but I did bring a sufficient amount with me. There were several book discussions at the library throughout the Festival, but I wasn't able to get tickets to any of them. I did stop by the Book Fair, but it was Austen Christian fiction exclusively... not my area of interest. I did continue my wander through new parts of town, finding Rev. Austen and Frances Burney's grave sites and a beautiful (if windy and rainy) view over town. One of the few days/moments I wasn't in period dress.

The next day included a Murder Mystery Luncheon, "Sense & Sensibility" themed. Our table included a group of friends from California who travel to one period-costumed event each year (Egyptian, Carnival in Venice, Colonial Williamsburg, etc.) as they're all current or former U.S. Civil War reenactors and seamstresses. Lunch at the Abbey Hotel was delicious, the actors were amusing - though no one particularly cared who killed Mr. Willoughby. 

Next stop was a lecture on "Diversity in Jane Austen's Bath" by Dr. Timothy Manningmore, on the racial and socioeconomic diversity in Georgian bath, with a peek into gender non-conformance. It was very interesting and talked about how inclusive and ahead-of-its-time Georgian Bath was, even with detractors. I plan to read more about the Battle of the Assembly Rooms. Similar lectures are on Dr. Manningmore's webpage. And I ended the day at the theatre with "Potted Pride & Prejudice." Turns out, I'd seen this show under a different name a few years ago, so the comedy wasn't surprising. I did wear a turban and an adapted dress I picked up at a local costume shop; at the show, I met another Alaskan who had had THAT dress made years and years ago for a ballet performance and passed it along, where it eventually ended up in my hands. Crazy that we were both in Bath at the same show! 

It was a busy workshop day, after that, and learning to fence came first. I've been interested in fencing for a while and was so looking forward to finally trying it out. This was another workout, taught by the Bath fencing club, but so much fun! Glad I had time to quickly shower off before heading to the fabric dyeing workshop - something else I've been wanting to try. (Workshop by Lindsey Holmes) We looked at all the colors that the Georgians would have been able to make from plant matter, plus or minus rust and chalk, to liven up the streets. I was in charge of a pot of Madder, which was a red-orange not dissimilar to my dress. I think we found the black bean water most fascinating; it started as a tealy-blue, with a few additions turned indigo, and with a few more turned mustard yellow! 

A semi-spur of the moment addition to my Austen adventure was a tour of the Bath Masonic Lodge. It did play host to a Festival event and a Festival-related event, but I started by doing their standard tour. We were given an extensive history of this historic theatre, turned Catholic church, turned Masonic Lodge, which it has been since the 1800s. The oldest of the 13 Lodges in residence predates 1732. It's got Templars, 800+ graves of Napoleonic Catholic women, WWII rubble... Being familiar with Masonic lodges, it was so interesting to see how this building adapted its "private" use during "public events," with carpets rolled back, chairs moved, etc. 

But it was the pictures of the Regency soiree at the Roman Baths that had me sold on attending the Jane Austen Festival. While I thought there would be more candlelight, it was magical. Elderflower soda at the door, a true Regency announcement of each guest, music and mingling. I followed a French woman in and chatted with a couple girls from Spain. A woman from Wyoming (the Spanish protectorates) recognized my celestial Ursa Major spencer as the Alaskan Flag and some sisters from Kentucky took my picture. I didn't take many pictures, just trying to continue soaking in the atmosphere. The sunset on the Abbey, the chatter, the lights on the water... 

I managed to get tickets for the dinner and ball after the Soiree, so the dancing commenced! Once again, so fun, so sweaty, so perfect. I sat next to one of the festival stewards at dinner who gave our table a peek into the Festival's organization. We all chatted about costumes and traveling with them. As was inevitable, we jumped into Austen book and movie discussions before the dancing recommenced. We could have danced all night, but the carriages were eventually at the door and I glided home on cloud nine, brainstorming how to host an Austen dance. 

After busy and exciting days, the weather was nice enough for my own Box Hill picnic with strawberries at the Palladian Bridge in Prior Park. While I was lead astray by Maps and was unnecessarily sweaty, I spent about 5 hours reading by the bridge and the pond. I waited for the bridge to be empty and get some perfect shots, but ended up a bit rushed at the end before the park closed. They're all out of focus, unfortunately. But it was a gorgeous day (apart from the giant mosquito hawk I accidently trapped in the gathers of my skirt), a cute picnic, ducks and water and sunshine, and the spooky "Mysteries of Udolpho." The day ended at the theatre, again, this time to "The Complete Works of Austen (abridged)." I've seen and loved the abridged works of Shakespeare play and had high hopes. Thank goodness they were proven correct! This play was exactly what I needed - the fun in Austen, the depth in Austen, the fandom, the impact... 

The Festival may have been winding down, but there were still things to do on the list! I participated in a fascinatingly-organized mobile theatrical production that moved around the Royal Crescent telling a Pride & Prejudice-inspired story as we were passed from cast member to cast member. It was such an interesting format by the Natural Theatre Company! They call them "walkabout performances" and I'd love to see more of them. 

Then came a ghost tour. While there was an official ghost tour as part of the Festival, Bath still has other ghost tours and I booked tickets through one of those. The guide was dressed in a later period and none of the other guests were there for the Festival, most of them not dressed for an evening in the wind, which wasn't an issue given *ahem* Alaskan AND the layers of period dress. We walked Bath at night, which wasn't new to me given the late performances and activities, but heard the stories of Bath's spooky histories. I've done lots of ghosts tours in my travels as a different take on a history tour and this one delivered, too! Roman history, Georgian history, modern... including a haunting and exorcism that took place between the last time I visited Bath and this one! Unlike most, this tour did leave me a little uneasy.

The end-of-Festival mini Promenade was the next morning. Much less official, anyone can pile in, costume or not, though most still were costumed. I walked next to a woman from Washington through the Royal Victoria Park, Botanic Gardens; the Promenade ended in front of the Royal Crescent. We thought there was a group photo, but as far as we could tell, no one took one. After that, I headed to the Baths to taste again of the waters. They aren't terrible, but they aren't awesome. The process for doing so had changed since the last time I went, but I asked a guard at the door and it all worked out. It did not solve all my problems. 

Croquet was next, which was also fun on a beautiful day at the Bath Croquet Grounds. With sufficient flat grass, I'd play more croquet. I'm sure we weren't the worst beginners. The others on my team and the opposing team were a group of friends from Maryland/NY/NJ, one of whom is currently studying in the Czech Republic. We chatted over scones and tea afterward. This was my last Festival-based event. 

But I did go to Adrian Lukis' one-man show "Being Mr. Wickham" at the Masonic Lodge. He played Wickham in the 1995 BBC production of "Pride & Prejudice" and spent some of COVID writing and researching this show of Wickham's early years and age (now 60) since the official story ended. It wasn't what I expected - just a man, a chair, a candle, and a bottle of wine - but interesting none the less. He discusses his largely happy marriage, which still involves plenty of flirtations from himself and his wife to various other parties. 

I was expecting, on the whole, the Festival to be more immersive. I recognize that was a little much; you can't fully transport a town in time, even one that already retains so many of its historic elements. One must wait for traffic when moving between venues and pass fast fashion stores and busloads of weir-viewers. While some of the individual events were also not quite what I anticipated, I had many perfect moments. Moments of stillness and enjoyment, conversations with other nerds and tiny pieces of time travel. 

A Tartu Family Reunion: 10 Years Later

It's hard to believe it's been 10 whole years since I packed my bag and moved halfway around the world.  Trips since have made me wonder how I did it, since language barrier is something I have constant anxiety about while traveling. I tell myself I've done it before, and I still wonder how! (It's also been a long time since I've written one of these...) 

As I landed in Tallinn, I wondered if I had thought I'd return to Estonia. When people have asked about my year abroad, I've always known that what made my experience were the friends I made and the times we had. A few of them stayed longer than I did, one has moved in and out, but largely my friend group dispersed back to their home countries. Without them, Tartu isn't the same. So did I think I'd come back? I wasn't avoiding it, but it's a long way to go! 

Our group chat has been talking about a reunion for a while now, and while it sort of had a timeline, it also came together fairly last minute (at least for this long-range planner). But five of us managed to traverse Europe, Tallinn, and arrive in the 2024 European Capital of Culture! I did try the rhubarb and mint Capital of Culture-branded soda... not bad. 

With work schedules, we only had a long weekend, but we tried to make the most of it. We visited the restaurants that still exist and all the new construction: a new shopping center in the middle of town, a new museum (I'd visited the site previously had it just smelled of horse), plenty of remodeled and new housing,  pop-up bars in parks and along the river, roadworks... My internal compass wasn't as strong in Tallinn, but Tartu's came back, no problem. It didn't feel like coming home, but was certainly somewhere I knew well - like visiting Anchorage or London. Though having not used Estonian in 9ish years, I stuck to the basics, linguistically. (It's odd to recognize words but not remember what they mean.) The hotel I chose was one of the first parts of Tartu I saw in 2014, when the taxi driver (whom we practically had to beg to take us foreign students into town) tried to kick us out there, instead of at the dorm. A dorm I found out the next day is a very short walk away. 

Our first night back consisted of pizza, a night time stroll, and a couple drinks. I'd been gone away the longest, the others either still live in Tartu, moved out a couple years ago, or had visited since our time as Tartu residents. (I have seen all but one of my friends since leaving Tartu on other trips, like at their weddings, except one who I finally caught up with back in Tartu!) We talked about how our lives had changed, our outlooks, and even our conversations over the course of the weekend. Being "adults" sometimes doesn't feel any different from our student days, but other times it really does. 

We met up the next morning at the new National Museum - Eesti Rahva Muuseum - (see the previous horse-y field, that was, apparently, and abandoned air strip). The building is designed to still look like planes could take off atop it. It's MASSIVE and they have put some very cool tech inside. Once past the ginormous atrium, the exhibits will translate for you with just a tap of your ticket. And they'll copy the caption of the text to your own personal ticket-based-webpage so you can take the museum with you. Very cool. They've also done some really interesting museum construction pieces, incorporating HVAC systems into a forest display, having interactive Estonian language exhibits, creating cordoned off spaces in interesting ways. 

It wouldn't be Estonian without the weird elements, and I'm not even talking about the surrealist art display, since that's Czech. There was a exhibition at the back about some sort of cult-seeming rave group? Another downstairs that ended in the men's bathroom where you could take a quiz, receive a QR code from a juke box, and sing karaoke? Or just lay on an ottoman and pretend to be a moth. 

Across the street was the Upside Down House, Tagurpidi Maja, which only opened a few years ago. We agreed it was a unique experience, but not very time consuming and a bit expensive. What you get is right on the label, a house that is upside down. If you've played the game where you wander your own house holding a mirror and stepping over ceiling fans and door frames... it's just like that. It was odd and amusing, but mostly empty rooms. 

We ended the day with a birthday party in Russian/Estonian style. One of our number still lives in Tartu and we went to her place, met her husband and son, her friends and their kids, and listened to the medley of languages they speak to their children. Russian, German, Estonian, English... 1.5 of those I can manage. Apples were falling from the trees, there was plenty of food to go around, and we planned/debated a mad-cap adventure for the next day. 

Setting aside the debate and the drama, our next day was a road trip. We rented a car and headed toward the villages along Lake Peipsi. Our first stop was the Juhan Liiv Museum, the home of a 19th-century Estonian poet. A very enthusiastic caretaker gave an Estonian-only tour to Tobias, who translated at the conclusion of each building (while there are several, they aren't massively filled). We saw where he lived during his years with dementia and where his family lived while they farmed. We played on the Baltic swing, naturally; collected apples and read Liiv's poetry while eating them; saw the sandcastle built in honor of Liiv thinking he was destined to be the King of Poland. 

Our quiet day in the countryside continued at Alatskivi Castle. We wandered the grounds, took in the pond and lily pads, and even saw a snake! I don't think I've seen a wild snake before this little, black cutie slithered into the grass. While we'd planned to eat lunch at the Castle, their restaurant wasn't going to be open for longer than we could stay hungry, so we walked through the trees to a fish & chips shop before hitting the Onion Road. 

Apparently, the area along Lake Peipsi is known for producing high quality onions. Driving through Kolkja looked like a garage sale, but people only had stacks on stacks of onions (and some garlic). If agricultural products could cross borders, I'd have brought some home to test - they're certainly smaller than what we get here, but that says nothing about their deliciousness. We tried an onion hand pie which was very good, stopped at a few other shops while a friend shopped, before arriving at the Peipsimaa Heritage Center for their chicory.  

Now, I don't know anything about chicory, but seems it was a big deal at some point. The chicory museum takes up a floor of the heritage center, and its included in their cafe in the back. (Any of these shops and homes in Kolkja, one could just wander in the backyard and find a cafe or a restaurant.) We snacked and drank and enjoyed the weather. All five of us were together during the party and at this chicory cafe, and we still enjoyed each other's company after all this time. 

We visited Lõunakeskus the next morning, the shopping center on the edge of the city, which has had a major face lift in 10 years, but still has the ropes course over the ice rink, which I hope never changes. We tried to stop by the University Library, but since the semester hadn't started, none of the University buildings were open. But four of us met up for tea and cake at Werner, a classic of the Tartu student experience. Ordering my usual at Werner was 90% of the Estonian I managed while living there - a mango chai and their signature carrot cake (I got the last piece of the day!). One of my friends is now a researcher at UT and let us into the Linguistics building, so we did get to see inside ONE of our old buildings. This was the last of the time we'd get to spend together, unfortunately, with family responsibilities elsewhere. Here's hoping it isn't another 10 years before the next Tartu Family Reunion, but if nothing else, Tartu will still be there then. 

The winning design (or maybe just my preferred design?) for a new culture center in the middle of town. Currently, there's a nice park here. They didn't ask me, but I don't like the whole concept. 

I spent the extra time making sure to stop at the places I'd go all the time: my dorm, grocery stores, my walk to classes, the park bench where I stole WiFi from the trees for my first couple weeks abroad. And eating kohuke at every opportunity, constantly, for six days. Coming from somewhere with a high cost of living, Estonia will always be cheap to me, but inflation certainly has made its way to Eastern Europe - the things I used to buy regularly have doubled in price (kohuke up to 50¢ a pop), or gotten much much smaller (my poor stritsel). New books are half of what I'd pay for them at home, or cheaper, though they still can't compete with my local used bookstore. 

In the morning (Estonian Independence Day), before the train back to Tallinn, I walked up Toomemägi, just to make sure I still could. The "steep hill" isn't actually steep, but it always feels rough. Understandably, the walk is different without a full backpack and snow boots. Instead, it was a lovely sunny day where I could wander the church ruins at the top and think about the Middle Ages in which this town, and my university, were founded. I thought about buildings and tree roots and people, what life was like and how it's evolved. It was a pensive moment. 

Independence Day may have brought out a few more flags, and a message from the President on the trains, but wasn't filled with the pomp and circumstance - and parades - we expect of an American Independence Day. The train moved through the fields and towns and sunshine, and off we went afterward into the wild blue yonder. 

I haven't reread my blog posts of my Estonian impressions in years, and life has made my memory much worse than it was when I was in my "carefree" youth. There are pieces I remember, like: watching the Tallinn skyline fade from view as I took the ferry away for the last time in 2015; walks in the snow and deep talks with my friends; potlucks and potlucks and day trips; early morning and late night bus rides; fighting with a bus driver in Estonian; the fudging magpie loudspeakers; telling myself to say "yes" to new things; the literature class in English that was actually an architecture class in Estonian... This trip reminded me that while I don't remember being lonely in Tartu, I did spend a lot of time by myself. I walked to and from class alone, I spent many evenings reading or watching movies or doing homework, I took trips by myself, I didn't have friends in my classes (apart from Estonian). It also reminded me that each of my friends had a different Tartu experience than mine, and some have had more Tartu experiences since. 

Estonia has clearly had a lot of growth in 10 years, with its obvious construction, expansion, and development. I continue to love having studied some place "small" by many standards; it isn't a massive town to many - its population is big to me, but it's never felt big. I love having experienced Eastern Europe and being able to recommend it to my friends. I love the friends I made along the way and that we still get to peek into each other's lives from time to time. I love having challenged myself 10 years ago to take this massive leap and still don't understand how it worked out. 

Do I think I'll go back? 

Seeing the Sights: Dachau for the Holidays

As strange as it sounds, I did break up visits to Christmas Markets around southern Germany with a sobering visit to Dachau, the first Nazi concentration camp. I've been to Munich a few times, and hadn't comprehended how close the Dachau camp is to central Munich. Very easily reachable on the S-Bahn, free, and an odd piece of open space in a packed city. Obviously, the space was set aside for historical education purposes, and was the first camp to be set up as a museum (opened in 1965 and with much consultation from survivors). And in a new segment I'm adding to the blog, it's a 10/10 on the introvert's travel scale. I spent the day there and talked to no one. You don't need an entry ticket, signage provides all the info, and while not everything's in English, most is.

Since it was December, there was intermittent snow, and with each flurry, I thought about the person/movie/poem/wherever that talked about how, when crematoria first went into use in these type of camps, the residents thought it was snowing as the ash fluttered out of chimneys, and were horrified when the realization hit them.

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A short walk from the bus stop, past the visitor center I briefly walked through on my way out, is the guard house with the "Arbeit Macht Frei" gate. This one is a recreation, since the original was stolen, later found in... Norway?, and is now under glass in the museum section. In addition to this note about the value of work, paint on the roof of the main building read: "There is a path to freedom. It's milestones are: Obedience, Honesty, Cleanliness, Sobriety, Hard Work, Discipline, Sacrifice, Truthfulness, Love of thy Fatherland."

Buildings left on the property describe various parts of life in the camp, and the property itself is mostly empty, with outlines of where barracks would have been. There's a nunnery at the back, crematoria off to one side, a Jewish memorial, block of solitary cells, and a maintenance building used as a museum and theatre (for a documentary about the camp) now.

This stands near the roll call grounds of the camp, and reads (in four languages): "May the example of those who were exterminated here between 1933-1945 because they resisted Nazism help to unite the living for the defence of peace and freedom and in respect for their fellow men." 

I started with the "Bunker," which was used for solitary confinement. Georg Elser was one of those kept here, who attempted to assassinate Hitler. Interestingly, cells were renovated for him, giving him three cells to move between, and he was allowed some personal effects. The "why" was never discussed, and I haven't been able to find it anywhere. Seems he should have received very different care...

Other individuals kept in the Bunker were clergymen, who had a set of cells to themselves (one person per cell), one for religious services, and another for day use. Three other cells were subdivided, leaving no space in each for a prisoner to sit or lie down: the "standing cells."

After liberation, the Bunker was used as offices for US military personnel, and was given a new coat of paint, which is still visible. A nice teal. Cell by cell, one can see peeling paint, broken pipes, etc., which probably aren't a whole lot different from what it would have looked like in it's heyday.

Shower room: then and now
This room had many purposes: bathing house, cinema, site of corporal punishment, concert hall

The museum started with an overview of the war's progression, specifically with the opening of concentration and extermination camps, subcamps, youth protective custody camps, ghettos, etc. throughout Europe. This system stretched the length and breadth of the continent. Dachau itself was opened in March 1933 to house political prisoners. By accounts, it doesn't operate in the modern conception of a concentration camp for some time; people are under watch, under fed, and barracks overpopulated, but they don't have the same level of suffering as modernity ascribes to concentration camps of the era. This would change, ramping up toward the end of the war. Medical experiments begin in 1942 along with corporal punishment, typhus breaks out in 1944 (63,000 people live in barracks built for 8,000).

At the end of the museum, some Dutch high schoolers had been part of a project to follow the lives of Dutch political prisoners in Dachau, called "Names, not Numbers." This exhibition was done in German and Dutch, so I couldn't follow much of it, but students read through their biographies, and many had artifacts from "their" prisoners and interviewed family. Another room had headstones of those whose last known location was Dachau.

After liberation, tens of thousands of people remained at Dachau, with no where else to go or awaiting assistance to return home. Refugees lived here for years after the war, with only the crematoria set aside as a place of remembrance. I did visit the crematoria area, which was expanded as the war went on, and it also included several gas chambers. I had some thoughts on how I might have portrayed things differently to make more of an impact on those visitors, but this is also a subject in which capturing realism isn't always possible... or a good idea.

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As this post is being written 10ish months after I visited, all the thoughts aren't as fresh. I've probably missed things, but that's the way life is. In summary: I visited a Concentration Camp for Christmas. 

Seeing the Sights: Colonial Williamsburg

Oh, hi, there. Long time, no see. Yesterday, I did some touristy things, and though I'd quickly share what went down, since this "Travel Blog" hasn't experienced my last handful of travels with me.

So, I'm in Virginia for the week, and Williamsburg seems like it's THE place to hit up while in the area. It's definitely a good place for those with an interest in history (esp. American) and politics. *raises my hand*

First Stop: Lyft to Williamsburg. √ (pre-soak in sunscreen)
Second Stop: Acquire tickets. √ We used a ticket machine because the ticket lines were long, but no one was at any of the ticket machines.
Third Stop: Info desk to hear about the mysterious "First Timers" map. X It's a lie. But she did give us some pro-tips and suggestions.
Fourth Stop: Reapply Sunscreen

Your typical colonial backyard, complete with British POW (not pictured).

All right, now we're ready. We took a loop around town in the shuttle bus (so convenient) to get the lay of the land, and got off at Market Square so we could walk Duke of Gloucester street before the sun rose too high in the sky and killed everyone. Overall, more cars than expected. While the main drag is pedestrian only from 8a-10pm, it's surrounded by streets that hustle and bustle. I'm still looking at satellite maps to figure out how it fits into Modern Williamsburg, because it is does seem to be two-ish streets, amid the 21st century. It was interesting to hear how the Rockefellers found a typical small town in the 1920s and 30s and over the course of decades turned back the clock, rebuilding old structures, taking down power lines, and were very involved in the reconstruction of the 1770s (the town operates in the year the Virginia House of Burgesses have decided to separate from the British Crown). It's created a tourism bubble filled with costumed employees, only a few of which are characters. AND employees can live on the property, which seems pretty cool.

1. Public Armory/Tin Shop:

• The Tin Shop was one that really illustrated the difference between characters and costumed employees. The woman mid-teapot-construction explained the types of things soldiers needed the tin shop to make, and how they were constructed. She used traditional methods, but also incorporated how those materials had been altered to fit OSHA standards (because no one wants to spend their days breathing in lead fumes). With most displays, a costumed individual gave information that was period appropriate, and some that wasn't. The costume is the uniform, they're not "time-traveling." Definitely interesting.
2. Peyton Randolph's House
• So, now I know a bit about Peyton Randolph, a prominent Virginia who dies the year before revolution. Bummer. Speaker of the House, President of the First Continental Congress, elected president of the Second but dies before it starts... making way for John Hancock. 
3. Stockade



I stole a horse... or something. Photo credit to my mom.

4. M. Dubois Grocer 
• Emergency ice cream break, because its still hot. I had orange... orangesicle? Hard to tell. Reapply sunscreen.
5. Rockefellers' Basset Hall:
• We ended up getting a private tour of the Basset Hall, and the introductory video illustrated how Colonial Williamsburg came to be, thanks to time and $$ (68 mil) from the Rockefellers, who purchased property and spent many weeks of their year at this quiet retreat where few knew who they were. They picked up furniture and art odds and ends, not caring what matched, or if they knew who was in the paintings. The small Basset Hall wasn't special to them because it was grand... they had five houses after all.

• 

  Study of John D. Rockefeller, Jr. The room is designed around the painting above the fireplace.

6. Stage discussion of religious freedom with James Madison, George Mason, and Thomas Jefferson
• This was a recommendation from the information desk, and it was a pretty well attended event. These founding fathers discuss religious freedom in Virginia in the 1770s, and debate what it should mean in the future. At the time, you can practice whatever religion you want-ish, as long as you pay church taxes and attend a Protestant service once a month. But the issue has been brought before Virginia's several times, and they don't want change. Complicated. 
7. Governor's Palace
• Of course, colonial Virginia is run by a Royal Governor appointed by the King. The most prominent is Lord Dunmore of Scotland. He's got an impressive house to send subtle signals to the gentry, naturally. Because who doesn't. Why'd we move away from bold colored walls in houses, again? 



Backside, from the garden

8. Chowning's Tavern Garden
• Emergency root beer stop at a tavern... which was packed, so we went to the garden in the back. Remember, it's still hot. And humid. We did peek inside to use the restrooms. 
9. Capitol
• There was a 22-year-old (presumably) college student giving this tour, who was enthusiastic and impassioned about Virginia's history, its impact on the founding of the United States, and the responsibilities of each citizen. Much of the discussion in Williamsburg centers around the Declaration of Rights, a precursor to the U.S. Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. The House of Burgesses worked to redefine what constituted a "right" rather than a "privilege" under a changing system. 
• The capitol itself burned... several times. And in 1904 a stone marker was placed on the site, until in the 30s and 40s the Rockefellers rebuilt the dual-turret structure. The only original item is the Speaker's chair of the House of Burgesses.
• The elected House of Burgesses (such a cool name) and the appointed Governor's Council make up the legislative branch. The Royal Governor is the executive. And the General Court of the judicial branch is made up of justices from the Governor's Council, and the Royal Governor acting as judge. There are juries, in which five people are allowed to personally know the defendant. Obviously, this system was changed as Virginia and the U.S. moved forward. 



In the "room" where the Declaration of Rights was debated by a committee of 37.
King William's portrait is in the background. He's a big deal. 

We didn't do everything, but we hit the big stops. And it was hot. An interesting, educational, and enjoyable way to spend the day. AND! No one was sunburned! √√