A year after mosquito-plagued Jamestown burned down, the colonial capital was moved inland to a small village known as the Middle Plantation, soon rechristened
WILLIAMSBURG
in honor of King William III. To reflect the increasing wealth of the colony, a grand city was laid out, centering upon a mile-long, hundred-foot-wide avenue. Suitable buildings were constructed, beginning with the
capitol
in 1704 and culminating in the opulent
Governor's Palace
in 1720. By the mid-1700s, tobacco-rich Virginia was the most prosperous of the American colonies, and Williamsburg was its largest city - though with some two thousand residents, not on the scale of Philadelphia, New York or Boston. Williamsburg remained the seat of colonial government, and emerged as one of the leading centers of
revolutionary thought
: at the College of William and Mary, George Wythe, Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe and George Mason argued the finer points of law and democracy, while in the capitol, and in the many raucous taverns that surrounded it, firebrand politicians like Patrick Henry held forth on the iniquities of colonialism and organized the first resistance to British rule. When the Revolutionary War broke out, the government moved to the more secure Richmond, and Williamsburg slowly faded from view, all but unrecognized for its place in American history. More Williamsburg information...
NEXT TO BUSCH GARDENS / WILLIAMSBURG King's Creek Plantation, Virginia's newest upscale resort, serves as a colonial backdrop to its guests as they explore the historical streets, taverns and buildings where America's forefathers once li
MINS FROM WILLIAMSBURG / WILLIAMSBURG Nestled in the woodlands of Virginia's rolling countryside and just minutes away from historic Williamsburg is the exclusive Marriott's Manor Club at Ford's Colony.
NEAR COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG / WILLIAMSBURG Located less than one mile from the Williamsburg historic area, Kingsgate Resort brings an elegant lifestyle to this colonial wonderland.
Call toll free..
US and Canada: 1-800-780-5733
Europe: 00-800-11-20-11-40
Use discount code: 89865
