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Colonial Williamsburg Self-Guided Audio Walking Tour

Overview
Don’t just learn about American history… live it! At Colonial Williamsburg, America’s Colonial past comes to life through beautifully restored architecture and authentic reenactors. Stroll down these historic streets while this tour tells you everything you need to know about Williamsburg, early America, colonial life, and more.

Williamsburg has a long and complex history that predates the creation of the United States by almost 150 years! Dig into the town’s origins, the dramatic struggles which unfolded here during the revolution, and the people who put Williamsburg on the map.

No expiration — The tour comes with lifetime validity!

This isn't an entrance ticket.
City: Williamsburg
Sat 19 Oct
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You can choose the date already on the booking website
Starting at $8.00
Sat 19 Oct
Starting at $8.00
Make a reservation
What's Included
Offline use: No cell signal or wifi required. Offline GPS Map & route. Stop-to-stop direction.
Don’t miss a thing: Full itinerary, travel tips, professionally narrated hidden stories, video, text
Flexible schedule: Use any day, any time. Travel over multiple days or on next trip. Never expires.
App on your phone: A link to download the Action Guide app. Password for your tours. Preview at home
Easy to use: Stories play automatically by GPS. Hands-free. Get HELP all day: Call, Chat or Email.
Additional Info
  • Public transportation options are available nearby
  • Suitable for all physical fitness levels
  • How it works: Once you book a tour, you’ll get a text/email with instructions. Download the app (while in good wifi/signal) and use your unique password to access your tours. To begin touring, go to the Starting Point and launch the app. The audio starts automatically. Stick to the tour route & speed limit for the best experience. Please note that no one will meet you at the starting point.
  • Good value: Purchase one tour per person. If you are a couple and prefer to share, purchase one tour and remember to bring headphones you can split.
  • Flexible Schedule: Once the app/tour is on your phone, you can use it any day and at any time. You can use it over multiple days. And, also use it on your next trip here. This tour never expires.
  • Preview the tour: You can use it before the trip at home (highly recommended), use it during the trip, and use it after you come back.
  • Don't miss a thing: You will get everything with the app - a complete itinerary, travel tips, professionally narrated audio stories, story script, images, videos, deep dives, hidden gems, exciting locations, recommendations for hikes, adventure, activities, treks, and stop-by-stop direction.
  • Private tour: You can use it in your car or rental car. No worries about groups or crowds. Start the tour app on your phone. And it will direct you step by step. You can stop for as many breaks as you like. Take a break for Instagram photos, and take a break for lunch/snacks. Go on a hike. The tour will wait for you and start when you start again. You can even do the tour over multiple days. Go at your own pace.
  • Easy to use: The stories play themselves as soon as the GPS is activated. It requires no use of your hands at all. You can get HELP by calling, chatting, or emailing any time of the day.
  • Offline: There is no need for a cell signal or Wi-Fi while touring. App’s GPS map works offline.
  • Expiration/go again: The tour will last for the rest of your life on your phone. It is available for use on any day of your next trip.
  • Use pictures for a photo book: Create a photo book using clean (no crowd) app images of each spot to make a memorable trip. All the significant photos and the correct sequence is ready in the app for you to use.
  • Social media: Share clean (no crowd) images with friends/family.
  • Devices supported include iPhones with iOS 13 & above, Android phones with version 9 & above and all cellular-enabled tablets & iPads.
  • Face masks required for travellers in public areas
What To Expect
1
Colonial Williamsburg Visitor Center
The tour of this beautifully preserved slice of Colonial America begins at the Visitor Center, where you can get your first taste of the nation's largest living museum.
2
Colonial Williamsburg Capitol Building
Keep your ears open at our next stop for the iconic fife and drum parade which marches through the town regularly. Here, you'll also learn about the military significance of these old-timey instruments
3
Bassett Hall
A simple two-story 18th-century white frame farmhouse nestled on 585 acres of lawn, garden, and woodlands, Bassett Hall once was the Williamsburg home of John D. Rockefeller Jr. and his wife Abby Aldrich Rockefeller .Philip Johnson, a member of the House of Burgesses from King and Queen County, Virginia, is believed to have built the 18th-century frame house sometime between 1753 and 1766. Purchased by Burwell Bassett around 1800 Union cavalryman George Armstrong Custer guest in home during the Civil War
4
Colonial Williamsburg Capitol Building
Built between 1701 and 1705, the first Williamsburg statehouse served the colony of Virginia until fire destroyed the building in 1747.The first floor of the west building was for the General Court and the colony's secretary, the first floor of the east for the House of Burgesses and its clerk. Arched windows marched across the facades. Stairs on one side led to the Council Chamber, a lobby, and the Council clerk's office stairs on the other side led to three committee rooms. A second-floor conference room connected the classically corniced structures, and a six-sided cupola on the ridge of the hipped and dormered roof crowned it all. Though the west wing was completed by July 1703, it took Cary until November 1705 to finish all the work.
5
Colonial Williamsburg Magazine
Then you'll come to the Colonial Williamsburg Magazine, the site of a tense standoff between American patriots and British soldiers trying to steal all the gunpowder from the town before it could fall into rebel hands
6
Governor's Palace
Then you'll see the extravagant Governor's Palace, and maybe start to get a sense of why the residents of Williamsburg didn't particularly care for their British royal governors!
7
George Wythe House
Up next is the house of George Wythe, a signer of the Declaration of Independence who stands out from most of his compatriots because of one simple fact: he was an abolitionist. In Virginia, a state which used a huge amount of slave labor, this didn't exactly make him a lot of friends!
8
Bruton Parish Episcopal Church
Continuing on, you'll arrive at the oldest building in Colonial Williamsburg: the Bruton Parish Episcopal Church. Here, you'll learn not just about the church's surprising history, but also about how it's the whole reason Colonial Williamsburg exists in the first place
9
The College of William and Mary
Your route takes you next onto the campus of William & Mary College, the oldest college in the United States
Show 6 more stops
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Traveler Photos
Reviews (14)
marthagE3006XT
Nov 2022
We purchased and did the tour in November '22. We had no problem with the execution of it. It started automatically when we got to a certain place without us having to prompt it. When each recitation started, it would briefly describe the building or area it was going to talk about, so you knew what you were looking at. I would have liked to have more anecdotes about the people and places, though the history was great. Well worth purchasing and using. Note: we did not buy the entry to the houses, but simply used this walking tour. I concluded about halfway through that, if you stop at the Episcopal Church (dollar donation) and if you stop and talk to the actors/reinactors, I was satisfied with the level of involvement that I got.
Response from Host
Nov 2022
Thank you so much for your feedback and suggestions! I’m delighted that my tour of Colonial Williamsburg added so much value to your visit and that you learned and enjoyed it. I’ll pass this on to my team to add more anecdotes about people and places. I also have 100 other self-guided tours for other parks, scenic drives, cities, and historic sites in the US — hopefully, you’ll get the chance to try them next time! Also, just to remind you, the tour you bought is yours for a lifetime. So, you can listen to it at home or on your next visit.
Christine S
Oct 2022
The only way to tour! We could walk at our own pace, stop where we want, etc. The audio would automatically kick in and give you the history behind each marked home. Our only problem was that my phone battery died before we finished the tour - but we were definitely taking our time. Next time we will shut the phone down between stops, or maintain a good pace, while keeping an eye on the battery situation.
Response from Host
Oct 2022
Thank you so much for your feedback, Christin! That flexibility is one of the best features of our self-guided tour. I'm thrilled that my tour of Colonial Williamburg added to your learning and that you enjoyed it. I also have 100 other self-guided tours for other parks, scenic drives, cities, and historic sites in the US — hopefully, you’ll get the chance to try them next time! Also, just to remind you, the tour you bought is yours for a lifetime. So, you can listen to it at home or on your next visit.
kartini sri cit... s
Sep 2022
I kind of stopped and started a few times but all in all it was a very informative and educational tour. I was quite lucky compared to the other tourists! Luckily it was a very nice day for a long walk.
Response from Host
Oct 2022
Thanks so much for your feedback Kartini! That's wonderful to hear! I'm thrilled that my tour of Colonial Williamsburg added to your learning and that you enjoyed it. I also have 100 other self-guided tours for other parks, scenic drives, cities, and historic sites in the US — hopefully, you’ll get the chance to try them next time! Also, just to remind you, the tour you bought is yours for a lifetime. So, you can listen to it at home or on your next visit.

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