Downsizing a restored colonial capital

Colonial Williamsburg is one of the premier historical tourist attractions in the United States. Located in the Tidewater region of Virginia, it forms one point on the “historic triangle” of Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown representing the nation’s first settlement, early government, and founding through a successful Revolutionary War. Based on extensive archival and archaeological research, many of the buildings have been heavily restored, leading some preservation critics to refer to it as a Disney-fied creation. Yet tourism to Colonial Williamsburg reached hundreds of thousands of visitors each year by school groups and families. In recent years, with modern technology leading to the expansion of thrill rides and immersive virtual reality experiences, the traditional costumed interpreters and recreated/restored historic buildings with their exhibits and displays, have resulted in struggling numbers, in both visitors and revenue. Now, the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is about to undertake a dramatic re-organization that will dramatically change the manner in which the historic site is managed and operated. (Photo is in the public domain).

Read

CEO: Colonial Williamsburg must be outsourced to survive

By Associated Press

The Washington Post

June 29, 2017