Evening programs in Colonial Williamsburg

[Magalex]

This question is for any families that have vacationed or live in the area of Colonial Williamsburg. We are visiting in June & I have looked at schedules & descriptions of the evening programs in the colonial district. My DH & I have one DS who will be turning 11 later in the summer. One of the evening programs is called "Pirates Among Us" one of the more scary walking tours. It says not suitable for young children. So what is their definition of young children Of course I asked this question on the forum on trip advisor & one response wrote if it says it "Not for children" then it is for adults only & kids tickets are not sold. But kid tickets for any evening program is for 6 & under, so for me young children is 6 & under. I would understand if the program said for adults 16 +. Has anyone gone to these evening programs with pre-teens. Because some of the other children's programs sound too young for an 11 yr old.

 

[DisneyFreak43]

We are in Williamsburg now, and did the Tavern Ghost Walk last night. My SIL researched and booked this for us, and we loved it. There were all ages of kids there, who the guide let help carry the lantern along the way. It wasn't scary - just a lot of stories of the ghosts that people see here during their work days (well, mostly evenings), and a few tales along the way. Sorry I don't know anything about "Pirates Among Us", but this is a very family oriented place - I doubt they would sell tickets to kids that shouldn't be there to begin with. Maybe there is a phone number you could call and ask?

 

[aprilgail2]

We went on the ghost tour and also to the evening program "cry witch" when my daughter was 9 & 10 and she loved them both!

 

[Pixiedust34]

I can't answer your specific question, but we just spent Tues. and Wed. night in Williamsburg. It was a great place to visit!

If you do decide upon a tour, buy your tickets early. We tried to buy tickets for the Witch Trial, Ghost Tour, or Pirate Tour and ALL tours were sold out for both nights of our stay. Next time, we will arrange for a tour in advance. We spent our evenings shopping around the Market area.

Also, make dining reservations now if you're dining in Colonial Williamsburg. We walked up to Shields at opening time and there was a 60-90 minute wait. They let us put our name on the list, go tour, and come back an hour later for our seat.

For a well-known local BBQ place, I recommend www.pierces.com. We also enjoyed www.foodforthoughtrestaurant.com. We like to eat at local places rather than at chains when traveling.

Have fun planning your trip!

 

[Magalex]

Thanks for the info & advice! Yes we like to try local restaurants when we travel too. That is so much fun to try something new!

 

[JLTraveling]

We spent nearly six months in Colonial Williamsburg last year, doing research for several writing projects. I think we did just about every single evening program.

Pirates Among Us (and its sister, Ghosts Among Us) are absolutely perfect for your DS, unless he has any particular fears unusual for his age group. For both programs, you'll meet up with your tour guide for a short introduction. Then your guide will lead you inside several of the Colonial homes/buildings. In each location, your guide will give you a bit of factual nuts and bolts (so and so was convicted of piracy in 1747 because he did X, and he was executed on blah blah date). Then you'll watch a scene performed by a member of the acting troupe, taking on the role of that pirate (or ghost).

It's atmospherically spooky...the rooms are lit by candles and the actors are first-rate, drawing you into the scene. But it's not scary scary--nothing jumps out at you, you're clearly sitting in the audience watching a scene, and it's easy enough to step out of the room if he does get scared. There were a few VERY young kids (under 5) on our Pirates tour...most got scared at some point and had to be taken out, one was just noisy and constantly disruptive. But the kids your son's age LOVED it.

Other good evening programs:

Cry Witch--sit on the jury for a witch trial...my favorite since I was that age

Crime and Punishment -- participate in a military tribunal, asking questions to determine whether a military officer acted appropriately. If he's into history and military stuff, he'll LOVE this, otherwise it might go slightly over his head.

ANY of the Murdock shows. I'm not sure what'll be playing while you're there, but my personal favorite is The Great Theatrical Disaster of 1790...farce at its finest. Polly Honeycombe, Murdock's Miniature Medley--basically, if it has the name Murdock in the title or website description, it's a super-funny 18th century play starring the professional acting troupe. The reenactors are fantastic, but the professional actors are even better.

You'll have a wonderful time whatever you decide! I absolutely love Colonial Williamsburg! Make sure you eat at the taverns...stop by Chowning's after 9 p.m. if you have a late tour. Your son will love the Colonial games and music!!

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask!

 

[Wishing on a star]

If your son is not easily frightened and is into Pirates, I would consider it.
Be aware that it probably isn't 'comedic' like Pirates of the Caribbean...
I believe there are more intense scenes and talk of Piracy, Murder, Hanging, etc... ??????

When my son was 12, we booked the Tavern Ghost Walk, based on the fact that the other Ghosts tour was supposed to be more intense/scary and not for younger children.

My DH took my son, and they thought it was okay... But, Ehhhh...

I am sure the young lady who led the tour was very good and very knowledgeable... (everyone associated with CW seems to be!) But, it is like a person shows up, not even in colonial or ghostly garb... just a CW polo t-shirt... and it is a conversational, storytelling 'walk'.

I wish I knew of somebody who had taken 11-12 year olds on the more intense tours... But I don't. They do sound so much more fun!

 

[Magalex]

We spent nearly six months in Colonial Williamsburg last year, doing research for several writing projects. I think we did just about every single evening program.

Pirates Among Us (and its sister, Ghosts Among Us) are absolutely perfect for your DS, unless he has any particular fears unusual for his age group. For both programs, you'll meet up with your tour guide for a short introduction. Then your guide will lead you inside several of the Colonial homes/buildings. In each location, your guide will give you a bit of factual nuts and bolts (so and so was convicted of piracy in 1747 because he did X, and he was executed on blah blah date). Then you'll watch a scene performed by a member of the acting troupe, taking on the role of that pirate (or ghost).

It's atmospherically spooky...the rooms are lit by candles and the actors are first-rate, drawing you into the scene. But it's not scary scary--nothing jumps out at you, you're clearly sitting in the audience watching a scene, and it's easy enough to step out of the room if he does get scared. There were a few VERY young kids (under 5) on our Pirates tour...most got scared at some point and had to be taken out, one was just noisy and constantly disruptive. But the kids your son's age LOVED it.

Other good evening programs:

Cry Witch--sit on the jury for a witch trial...my favorite since I was that age

Crime and Punishment -- participate in a military tribunal, asking questions to determine whether a military officer acted appropriately. If he's into history and military stuff, he'll LOVE this, otherwise it might go slightly over his head.

ANY of the Murdock shows. I'm not sure what'll be playing while you're there, but my personal favorite is The Great Theatrical Disaster of 1790...farce at its finest. Polly Honeycombe, Murdock's Miniature Medley--basically, if it has the name Murdock in the title or website description, it's a super-funny 18th century play starring the professional acting troupe. The reenactors are fantastic, but the professional actors are even better.

You'll have a wonderful time whatever you decide! I absolutely love Colonial Williamsburg! Make sure you eat at the taverns...stop by Chowning's after 9 p.m. if you have a late tour. Your son will love the Colonial games and music!!

If you have any other questions, feel free to ask!

Thank you so much. Your post is just want I was looking for. Yes, The Great Theatrical Disaster, Pirates Among us & Cry Witch are on the schedule for the week we are visiting(June 11-16) CW area. I am considering one ghost tour called "Spooks & Legends". They speak in first person & dress up as the character. On their website they do say it is for all ages. Yes I did agree with may not be suitable for young children for content & very young children may disturb the story telling. But I didn't agree with the posting on tripadvisor about these evening programs were for much older teens & adults only. Because I don't expect horror movie haunted houses/stories from CW. I expected the person probably doesn't like to be near any children under 16.

 

[JLTraveling]

Sounds like a fun lineup you have planned. We did the Candlelight Walking Tour, not Spooks and Legends, but they sound pretty similar. Should be fun!

I agree with you about the tripadvisor writeup. Sounds likes somebody just doesn't like kids. I'd say 10 and up for sure, most 8 year olds of average maturity and a handful of 6 year olds for anything CW has to offer. You're right, they definitely don't do any movie theater horror or adult themes there! One of my favorite things about CW is that they sort of take Disney's approach: everything's geared for people of all ages to have fun together. You'll have a great time.