So, I didn’t get photos of any exhibited objects because I was too busy reading labels! But I was mesmerized by the effect of the gold and silver stylized stars suspended from the ceiling around the Christmas tree.Curators often linked material culture with portraits of makers or owners of objects, along with micro stories of those people to place objects in context. The result, if one reads labels, is an experience that personalizes the artifacts snd makes for a rich museum experience.Men’s waistcoats in the textile room were particularly fascinating. Those guys conducted business in high style!Did you know that China plates made specifically for individual servings of asparagus was a thing?Isn’t it usually the case that objects from wealthy families are most often seen in galleries? But perhaps the furniture and clothing from enslaved, working folks, and middle class aren’t likely to survive. Wouldn’t it be interesting to see them side by side?

We always love visiting this museum. History, art, charm. We loved getting to see some of the tradesmen and also listening to someone play a harpsichord. Every year we make sure to visit the Christmas tree covered in folk art.

It was raining heavily, so we needed a plan B, and the museum seemed a good option. We have visited Williamsburg many times, but never the museum, so we looked forward to it.Little did we know how much we would enjoy our time! We allotted 2 hours, but ended up spending over 4 hours there.The silver collection must be seen to be believed, words cannot do it justice. The history, the background, the scientific process, and the stories are fascinating, but when you feast your eyes upon row after row of incredible silver pieces, you will be stunned.In addition to the silver, you can find an amazing collection of furniture, firearms, clocks, the best collection of tea services weve seen, and a huge section on folk art and wooden toys.Williamsburg is amazing and there is so much to see and do, so its tempting to overlook the museum - but dont! Do yourself a favor and visit the museum, you wont regret it.

Really interesting pieces of American folklore. A great. Air conditioned space to spend a hot afternoon. The cafe had a great salad. There are free lockers to store your personal items. The best part is the actress who explained the use and making of wigs.

So interesting. Need a full day here to really see it. Though we didnt have that luxury, we enjoyed everything we saw. Nice cafe and gift shop. Will return.

This is one of the best regional history museums I have ever visited. The period furniture folk art pottery local to the carolinas is fabulous. This is a easy walk they have directed you through in a understanding of the history of the period as the capitol of Virginia.

I thought it was just fantastic. You could spend hours there and still not see it all. There are so many displays and historical notes. Definitely worth visiting and taking your time to see it all. Well-organized museum. Admission required but there are discounts available.

A gorgeous and giant museum full of cool folk art, colonial-era furniture (the room of restoration done with lots of work by Mr. Leroy is OUTSTANDING), an extensive china and dishware collection, and detailed descriptions of different units of military firearms and sabers/swords! If an interpreter is there, you should talk to them, theyre amazing and talented workers! Great place to go in the summer to beat the heat but wear comfy shoes!

Awesome exhibits with fantastic organization. Cant wait to see what they fill it up with over the years. There was more information than I could absorb in one day so I went back a second. I learned so much.

A great museum! Its well laid out with hours & hours of artifacts to discover. Must wear a mask inside...even if youre the only one in the gallery room, which I was 95% of the time as there werent many people there on a Wednesday morning.

This was a very nice museum with very interesting exhibits. Its not huge, but it takes about two to three hours to go through depending on how much reading you want to do. If you purchase a Colonial Williamsburg day ticket, admission to the museum is included. It definitely worth visiting.

The Art Museum was huge- period paintings, furniture, sterling silver, and every other form of art! Enjoyed it immensely! The Cafe downstairs was not so good. Maybe the virus is to blame but the sandwiches were very cold, tasteless and prepackaged.

Colonial Williamsburg has a world class museum. 3 original print of Presidents. Map display simply awesome.

New museum was nice, but no where in comparison to the old one, less artifacts stretched over a wider space. It was more empty, wasted space than there were exhibits. Be prepared for the new security guards to follow you the entire visit.

Its a nice museum but for a family destination its not great for kids. Couldnt bring in the diaper bags made is lock it up god forbid. Guards constantly looking at familys giving eyes front staff not friendly at all they do not know whats going on. The only nice staff we encountered was a nice lady who explained about a show in 30 min and told us about silver and the weaver and the jointer

Really nice museum. A few rooms were empty or only had one thing but under construction I guess. Beautiful displays and signage.

My daughter who is a artist really enjoyed this place we actually went back a second time during her visit here from California

This Museum has expanded and is better than ever! What a fantastic destination.

Really enjoyed this museum. It was the highlight of Colonial Williamsburg. We spent about 3 hours there.

Wonderful collections displayed in balanced settings. They have an auditorium for special presentations. As well as volunteers to give guided tours. We took advantage of the available show and guided tour. Well worth spending time here.

Such a wonderful exhibit! I wish we had more time to spend there and less children with us when we went. So much information

This is one of colonial Williamsburg hidden treasures. A block off the main drag, it is easy to miss. Its a shame if you message what cause it is absolutely fascinating! We really loved the early American furniture.

We enjoyed this museum so much that we went back for a second time. Its a must see for sure.

Lots of information and very pleasant people. Very knowledgeable.

Museum addition is beautiful and functional. Programs and displays are great source of learning.

Fantastic museum on 18th century life. Excellent revolutionary war weapons collection on display. Housed in the Public Hospital building which is also worth visiting as well.

I loved the Pottery and Textile sections.

Nice sized museum. You can spend a few hours in looking at displays from folk art to colonial furniture and silver making during that time. There are other displays to see for China, firearms of colonial VA and others. Nice break from the heat of the day while visiting. The original building was destroyed in a fire but was rebuilt to spec. It was originally the first mental health hospital in the Colonies and has a small display of what that looked like and medical apparatus that was used through the years. Definitely an eye opener. But very quiet k part of the museum to see about 30min.This is s nice museum to do to your visit.

Interesting exhibits and programs. Always something new to see.

Nice facility. A little confusing layout. And I have never been to a museum with a rule about purses. Still worth the trip.

Service was good, food was good, eating utensils were dirty

Unfortunately, when we were visiting, there was a lot of remolding and expansion of the museum. What we did see was amazingly well done. We cant wait to come back for another visit when construction is complete.

Great Place to visit, and very good Staff.

Love museums. Spent 3 hours there. And enjoyed the exhibits.

Fascinating stuff but not little kid friendly. My 4 year old did like an 1820 Doll House they had.

Love the museum and their staff members. We will be back in fall!

Wonderful displays of art, furniture, artifacts.

The Museum looks great. Beautifully decorated and the renovation is spectacular

The museum was a very interesting place. Took about an hour to go through. Several interesting items throughout the exhibits. One of several places in see in this area. Lots of walking but well worth it. They offer shuttle service all through the area and there is a lot to see.

Wonderful experience. Staff is knowledge and encourages you to ask questions. Expect to spend hours here.

Very nice..but small

My wife and, I love this place. We visit several times a year.

Love this, so clean and soooo much too see

My wife and I ended our day at Williamsburg here. This was very interesting and I am not a great fan of museums. I recommend this one for anyone interested in history.

Absolutely amazing and breathtaking! What looks like a small building on the outside opens up to an amazingly huge art gallery with both artworks and physical pieces of history. While being a bit of an artist myself, looking at the paintings in there physically took my breath away!If given the chance, I would love to go again.(+ the staff are very polite and helpful. The woman at the front desk really seemed to care for the place and love her job)

This was super nice. I only had a few minutes to look around so I didnt get past the gift shop. I think they just remodeled. Everything looked brand new. Nice items in the gift shop of all price ranges that represent the era: books, linen, dolls, jewelery, coins, puzzles, beautiful dinnerware, vases and more . . .

Great exhibits but much of the museum is empty.

Educational, historical.

You can spend all day here reading and looking at the amazing things from the past!

We loved talking to the artists about their trades!

The Art Museum is still under renovation. Parking is a problem. However, there are new exhibits such as Navajo Weaving that are worth seeing. Also, new shows in the theater.

Well done. Wish I had more time to enjoy it. Basement has a little cafe which is the only place to eat on that side of town and it isnt mentioned in the map. First floor lobby has modern bathrooms. You cant bring in a backpack and Im still not quite sure why. Check out the childrens programs.

Wonderful and Educational. As is common for us when visiting museums, we were still wandering when closing time arrived. There are so many amazing works of art on display. This establishment has done a fabulous job of preserving historic artifacts, art, and furniture from the 18th and 19 centuries. There is something here for almost every scope of interest. Toys, musical instruments, military uniforms and arms, naval adornments, flags, pottery, china, and more. With all this, they are still adding more! Do yourself a favor... if you have ANY appreciation for art and/or history... take a walk through this awesome museum.

George Wythe is a master interpreter!

Learning environment. Colonization an all that out entailed is truly a fascinating story yet a very important phase of Americas history.

So many interesting things to look at! Gives you insight into the daily lives of colonial people. Get this- they had a coffee machine. Of course, not electric. The informational shows are top notch!

Folk art at its best.

Beautiful! Cant wait for the grand opening of the expanded area.

We enjoyed the art museums. So much history, paintings and artifacts in display. I recommend to people of all ages.

A wonderful collection.

Beautiful building, nice addition to Williamsburg.

A very interesting place to visit and walk around. Wonderful exhibits.

This is a small but very delightful museum. It is always a treat for me as a midwesterner to go to a museum with western art. The art is colorful and reflects the surroundings. There was a Georgia OKeefe exhibit focusing on her clothing and lifestyle. Very unusual and intriguing.

It was a great experience

Great time.

The Art Museum was a highlight of our visit. So much to see! And they are expanding it so 2020 will be even better.

Excellent survey of folk art from colonial times. Loved the variety!

Fabulous collection of early Americana! And great musical programs! We took a tour of early Americana furniture which was fascinating. The dozent really knew his stuff. Well worth a visit.

Really cool! Very air conditioned, so bring a jacket if can. Very refreshing on a hot day or its raining.

Need like 2 days to see it all

Beautiful art.

Great museum. I wish wed had more time to explore.

Great experience

Cool place. Creepy doll, though.

A great way to experience artifacts from the 18th century, and gain a deeper understanding of the lives of people in colonial times. Theres a bit of disruption due to the construction that will bring much more exhibit space in 2020 and beyond, but the end result will be well worth it. Cant wait to go back then to see the transformation!

Try it, youll like it. Very impressive collection of toys, garments, China & and so much more. Give yourself more time.

Hubby and I were in Williamsburg celebrating my birthday. And wanted to do something different.Absolutely loved looking at all of the amazing art work.

I love the furniture and china exhibits. My husband likes the weapons exhibit.

A lot of fascinating things to see. The live theatrical presentation was excellent.

Still not finished inside.

Beautiful place!

The building is under construction and a bit hard to navigate but the information about the furniture was fascinating. Especially the Furniture CSI exhibit. ️️

The Public Hospital of 1773 is a small museum, a part of the Art Museums (same building). Free of charge. Wish it had more artifacts. The audio between an imagined patient and doctor in one of the rooms is somewhat distracting, but if you just want a quick visit (its like a small wing in the building), its okay.

On site parking is a plus as are the extended hours of operation: they are open till 7pm, which is perfect since the rest of Colonial Williamsburg closes between 4 and 5pm.Wonderful collection of folk art, silver, china, pottery. There is a fantastic gallery regarding the renovations and recreations of the colonial buildings: I only wish it were larger.

Lots of period piece art.

Such an awesome place. Took an extra info tour and participated in an activity. So much to see! Also has a nice gift shop & there is a cafeteria area. #underground tour

Wonderful collection and a new building under way to make it more accessible. The folk art is incredible

Wonderful Nation Builders. 2 great museums, and expanding, too!

It was a surprise to find such an extensive collection here. Its bigger than it looks and they are expanding. Great museum and reasonably priced.

So much history in one place....so much to see and read.

Incredible displays featuring historic artifacts of all shapes and sizes from throughout the time period.

Very wide variety of artwork

Nice and cool on a hot day. Will really be nice after the expansion is completed.

I love a great Museum, and this more than and art Museum... It has some wonderful historical Americana.

Nothing comes close to the displays and historic pieces that is here for the Publics enjoyment

Really loved the art museum. Its displays on the archeology was fantastic and the silver collection was stunning.

Caution. If you want to visit an art museum this is the place for you. However if you think you are taking a tour and going to learn about this hospitals past and the early treatments of mental health like we did you will be terribly disappointed. Only a very small section (3 small rooms if I remember correctly) is dedicated to the hospitals past. The rest is a nice large, collection of early American artifacts, art, guns and furniture and while nice and worth a visit, just not what we had taken time out of our day to go see.

I was pleasantly surprised with how nice this Museum was. I would recommend it as part of your colonial Williamsburg visit.

One of the best compact museums that walk you through many aspects of life in colonial times. Great artefacts presented in an interesting way with descriptions from which you definitely learn a lot. My favourite parts were the weapons section on 1st level and the furniture section on upper level. If you want to read and not only watch in a hurry, count at least 2 hours.

These museums have beautiful and memorable pieces of portraiture and of folk art. Another must see in Williamsburg.