Williamsburg: Colonial Christmas walking tour with guide

★★★★★★★★★★ 4.66 (38 reviews) 79% rated it 5 stars

Free cancellationExcellent quality

1/15

Duration1h 30m

GroupUp to 35

LanguagesEN

Mobile ticketAccepted

Walk candle-lit streets & hear Williamsburg’s holiday stories

You’ll walk Williamsburg’s historic streets by candlelight with a local guide in costume, hearing stories behind colonial Christmas traditions and seeing decorated homes as they were centuries ago. Expect laughter, unexpected details (pirate tales included), and small sensory moments you’ll remember long after you leave.

1h 30m

Step-by-step itinerary

Colonial Christmas Traditions Tour

Hear holiday tradition stories and see decorated historic homes
Visit Bruton Parish Episcopal Church Christmas traditions
Learn colonists' customs and traditions

The Experience

“You know, I never thought I’d laugh so much on a history tour — but there we were, following our guide (full 18th-century getup, tricorn hat and all) through the chilly streets of Colonial Williamsburg. She handed us these little candles at the start — not real ones, but they flickered just enough to make me feel like I’d stepped sideways in time. The air smelled faintly of pine and something sweet from one of the houses. We stopped outside the Geddy House while she told us how colonists made their own decorations — apples, pineapples, bits of ribbon. I tried to picture it all by candlelight, and honestly, it was easier than I expected.”

There was this moment near Bruton Parish Church where everything went quiet except for our guide’s voice and the crunch of gravel underfoot. She explained how Christmas wasn’t always about trees and presents here — sometimes it was just a simple meal or a hymn sung together. I caught myself humming along when she mentioned an old carol (I’m not sure which one). And then she threw in a story about pirates celebrating Christmas — apparently rum was involved, which made everyone laugh. The kids in our group kept asking questions about pirates after that; can’t blame them.

The decorations weren’t flashy — more like careful arrangements of fruit and greenery on doors, with candles glowing in the windows. It felt honest somehow, not staged for photos but for people who actually lived here centuries ago. Our guide waved at someone across the street (I think he was another reenactor), and they exchanged some joke about figgy pudding that went over my head. By the end, my hands were cold but my head was full of odd little facts and images I didn’t expect to care about so much. Still thinking about those quiet moments outside the church.

What’s included

Your evening includes a guided walk through Colonial Williamsburg with a costumed local guide sharing holiday stories at decorated historic homes like Geddy House and Bruton Parish Church. Each guest gets a flickering Christmas candle to carry along the way before heading back warmed by new memories.

Good to know

Easy physical levelWheelchair accessibleAccessible transportStroller friendlyPets welcomePublic transport nearby

Operated by Spooks and Legends Haunted Ghost Tours, LLC