Fourth of July in Colonial Williamsburg

This past weekend was my first time celebrating the Fourth of July in Williamsburg. Typically, I would spend the day with my family and our neighbors in my hometown. We usually stop by a neighborhood barbeque and then head to the Germantown Outdoor Soccerplex to watch the fireworks. This is always fun (especially because my mom makes bags of popcorn for all of the neighbors), but I have to say that I’m very to glad to have celebrated the birth of our nation in the very town where it all began.

The weekend started with a trip to Yorktown Beach on Friday afternoon–the rest of the admission interns and I were lucky enough to have the day off. I had no idea there was a beach in Yorktown until a few months ago, but it’s such an awesome place to have so close to campus. It’s only about 15 minutes away and usually not too crowded, but this weekend was an exception. We swam for a bit, tossed around a football, and then stopped for much-needed ice cream from Baskin Robbins. In case you haven’t noticed the trend in my blogs, I’m a big fan of ice cream. Anyway, a lot of my friends came back to Williamsburg for the weekend, so we kicked it off with a GREAT barbeque. For those of you who read my blog about meal plans, the hamburgers, hot dogs, macaroni and cheese, and beans were a nice break from my usual dinners. It was a lot of fun to see everyone and catch up on what they’re all doing this summer.

On Saturday, I went with two of my friends to Jamestown Beach, which (lucky for us) wasn’t crowded at all. Quick lesson: There are 3 beaches near the College. Jamestown and Yorktown are both less than 15 minutes away, and Virginia Beach is only about 45 minutes from campus. We spent a few hours at the beach, which you would know immediately if you saw how red my face is right now. Afterwards, we had another great barbeque and then headed to the fireworks. A new friend (she’s a graduate student at the School of Education) and I got lost in the commotion that was Colonial Williamsburg on Fourth of July, and we got separated from the rest of our group. But it ended up working out in out favor because we got GREAT seats on the Palace Green (in front of the Governor’s Palace) and had a clear view of the fireworks display.

Once the fireworks ended, my friend and I got swept up by the fife and drum parade, which we followed for about 15 minutes. We felt like celebrities because everyone was taking photos of the parade, and we were right there in the mix (we really should’ve just grabbed costumes and a drum). On our way home, we took pictures with some Colonial people and distracted some workers at an outdoor tavern for a few more pictures. Needless to say, it was a REALLY fun night. I can’t think of too many places where you can watch fireworks in front of a Governor’s palace, walk in a parade, and hang out with colonists (yes, they were just re-enactors) within the span of an hour.

I feel extremely lucky to go to a school in such a historical and unique town. I really do learn something new about the city everyday that I’m at the College. And sometimes it takes a fun night like the Fourth of July for me to truly appreciate everything that Williamsburg has to offer.

Have a fantastic week.

Ryan