Warmer Days, Fewer Crowds, and Local Markets Returning in Colonial Williamsburg Spring
With colonial Williamsburg spring arriving, temperatures begin climbing into the 60s by mid-March and 70s by April, ushering in warmer days along the Virginia peninsula. Local farmers' markets kick off their regular seasons, and you’ll have extra sunshine while heading out on nearby trails for hiking and birdwatching – it’s a perfect time of year to explore our natural landscapes. Colonial Williamsburg spring crowds are more manageable than summer’s height, making for a more intimate experience at museums, workshops, and tours. It’s all right at your doorstep from our Williamsburg bed and breakfast, so discover firsthand why springtime is one of the best seasons to visit.
Colonial Williamsburg Spring – Relaxed Ambiance and a Special Shearing
Colonial Williamsburg spring events like the first trimming of their flock of newborn baby lambs and the chance to get a more intimate in-person visit with interpreters playing luminaries like Reverend Gowan Pamphlet or Thomas Jefferson make it an excellent time to explore the historic area. In these months before the summer tourists arrive, you’ll have fewer crowds to contend with, allowing for more space and quiet to take in the artistic wonders of the decorative and folk art museums, more accessible reservations for always-popular carriage rides, and smaller groups for hands-on events like Shoulder Your Firelocks, when all ages will get a tactile sense of what it felt like to march as a newly-enlisted soldier during the late 1700s.
Be sure also to reserve a Stables Behind-the-Scenes tour, offered daily at 1 pm and focusing on Colonial Williamsburg’s renowned rare breeds animal program. In early spring, you’ll get an up-close look at their newest group of Leicester Longwool sheep when our new lambs arrive. It’s a delightful and pastoral scene. The wool from our sheep provides the raw material for the Spinning, Weaving, and Dyeing Shop – one of many historic trades and skills workshops spread throughout the 300-acre living history museum.
Spring Has Sprung Downtown – Williamsburg Farmers Market Returns for the Season
Nothing says springtime like the return of local farmers markets as they kick off their regular season, running from late March through October. The Williamsburg Farmers Market hosts a few scattered events over the winter, including a Valentine’s Market worth visiting on a late winter romantic getaway to Williamsburg. After the colder days of January and February wane, the spring/summer season begins in earnest, with the first market on March 16th. For over two decades, the downtown market has made its home along Duke of Gloucester St between Nassau and Henry St, abutting Merchant Square, just a block from our convenient location.
Walk over anytime between 8 am and noon to browse the rows of 40 vendors, with local musicians providing entertainment as you stroll in the morning sunshine. Start the day with a bagel or delicious homemade pastry from local fave Culture Cafe, some farm-fresh produce and flowers grown on Amy’s Garden’s nearby 70-acre organic farm, and a drip coffee, nitro cold brew, or refreshing lemonade from Column 15. The market doesn’t allow reselling, so you’ll buy directly from the farmers who grew your produce and bakers who made your pastries, connecting the community with their motto to “buy local, eat fresh.”
A Spring Day Trip to Yorktown – Market Days, Trolley Rides, Solitude on a Famous Battlefield, and Basking in the Sunshine Along Riverwalk Landing
Continue the colonial Williamsburg spring market revelry with a 20-minute scenic drive along the Colonial National Historical Parkway to nearby Yorktown, the eastern hub of the Historic Triangle (with Williamsburg in the center and Jamestown along the western shore of the Virginia peninsula). Along with the Williamsburg Farmers Market, their Yorktown Market Days series is part of the Virginia Is For Farmers Market Lovers campaign to highlight the best local markets spread throughout the state. The regular season begins with their first spring market on April 13th from 8 am - 12 pm, setting up at Riverwalk Landing with the flowing waters of the York River and the picturesque Coleman Memorial Bridge casting a scenic backdrop. Snack on Chesapeake Bay Spice nuts from Belmont Peanuts, or enjoy some fresh oysters on the half shell from the Virginia Oyster Company while checking out impressive work from local artisans like turquoise, quartz, and sterling silver jewelry from Celestial Silver Co. and fine hand-blown glasswork from Kelsey Finnie Glass. In a unique touch, each of their markets through the spring and summer has a different theme, such as all-things-French on April 20th (don’t miss the bite-sized and decadent French macarons from Cafe Genevieve), a pirate invasion motif on April 27th, and a vintage car show on May 11th.
While you stroll through Yorktown and soak in the early spring sun, hop on the free Yorktown Trolley, one of the most charming ways to cruise through their historic downtown district. It begins operating daily in late March and makes a loop along Water St and Main St, where you can jump off at any point to check out attractions like the impossible-to-miss 100-foot-high Yorktown Victory Monument, commemorating the combined American and French victory over the British in the fall of 1781. If that piques your historical curiosity and you want to learn more about that momentous battle – the final chapter in the long-fought American Revolution and solidifying George Washington’s legendary status as a commander-in-chief – head next door for a tour of the Yorktown Battlefield. With the more temperate spring weather, you can check out all the main outdoor sites throughout the national park (siege lines, redoubts, and batteries, among many others) before the touristy crowds and humidity of summer settle in.
Stay with us and experience the underrated charm of springtime in Williamsburg!