I had never been to Colonial Williamsburg before, but I had just finished the latest book in the most amazing series ever written, and it took place partly in Williamsburg during the American revolution. Naturally I was delighted to visit last weekend at the kind invitation from Vanessa and Andrew.

The kids loved it. We wandered through neatly kept backyards, and peeked in windows. (All encouraged! We weren’t being creepy.)

One of my favorite findings was the 18th century greenhouses. If I had a garden, and let’s face it – the ability to keep any form of plant life alive, then I would most definitely employ these cute glass bell jars.

We toured the church. There were three sweet old ladies inside acting as docents. Each one of them told us about the different areas of the church, and how George Washington and Thomas Jefferson would have sat in different places at different times in their careers. I guess that’s important information, because, like I said, they told us three times. “We toured the church” is a little misleading. That makes it sound like the church was some vast expanse of holy building, complete with catacombs and the like. It’s actually just one rather small room. Small, but a whole lot of important butts sat in those pews!

This tomb rests just outside the entrance to the church. I don’t know why anyone would want a tomb so close to the very busy entrance of a church. They’re keepin’ it real. Are you having a good day? Did my sermon cheer you up? So glad to hear it! Watch that you don’t trip over the tragic young mother and baby that died in childbirth on your way out!

Also near the church? The stocks. I’m seriously considering commissioning a child sized installment for my basement.

I’m not usually a clutter lover, but I couldn’t help but want to take home all the different little pottery sets. They weren’t even really my taste, but it was all I could do not to buy a china cabinet for the sole purpose of housing little ceramic dishes that we’d never use. I settled for taking a bunch of boring pictures of them.

Then of course we all donned the customary colonial hats. I don’t think you’re allowed to leave without getting at least one member of your party to wear a bonnet. Extra points for a mob cap.

England is known for having notoriously bad food, but I gotta say that Mother England’s expatriate colonists sure knew how to cook! We wandered in to the bakery and my olfactory senses died and went to heaven. Imagine every good baking smell you’ve ever smelled all whirling around in one small room.

We ended our evening with dinner at a tavern. Vanessa and Jesse couldn’t leave without drinking beer from a ceramic mug.

We were struck by the sweetness of the home churned butter that came with our dinner rolls. We kept asking each other to “pass the sweet sweet butter”. It turns out they add honey to it. Yum. As if we needed more reasons to love butter.

I ordered the stew. I can’t remember its official name, Gloucester stew? I dunno. What it should be called is “orgasm for your tongue stew” because it was the tastiest stew I have ever eaten in my life.

As we ate our delicious dinner in the dark, candle lit tavern, our discussion turned to old ghost stories, and marveling about how rebels must have sat in that very room, participating in debates about the coming revolution. Then I went to the bathroom and noticed a series of pictures in the hall depicting the excavation of the tavern’s foundation, and the building of the replica tavern (the one I was standing in) in the late 1950′s. Buzz kill. My old apartment in Hollywood was older than this tavern. Yes, that made it lose a little of the magic for me, but it was still a very realistically built replica.

All in all we had a wonderful time. Thanks again to Vanessa and Andrew for inviting us! And thank you Andrew for being Brecken’s personal protector and pack mule for a majority of our stay. He loves you like I love chocolate – and we all know how much mama loves her chocolate!

For more pictures of our adventures in Williamsburg click here.

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