Beyond Thomas Jefferson

For the past three years, I’ve been covering the Green Spring Garden Club's Christmas Homes Tour for Williamsburg Magazine. During the event, guests get a peak at homes within Colonial Williamsburg not typically opened to the public all decked out for the holidays. This year marks the Tour’s 60th Anniversary and one of the buildings being showcased is The Palmer House (https://www.colonialwilliamsburg.com/learn/designer-in-residence/palmer-house). The Palmer House is one of the first homes to ever be featured on the tour as well as one of the original buildings to Colonial Williamsburg. I am looking forward to seeing inside the home. It’s one of the few places in Colonial Williamsburg I have not yet explored. Colonial Williamsburg is one of my favorite places on the planet. Obviously, we travel extensively, but sometimes I don’t need to hop in our vehicle and drive long distances to enjoy new experiences. Sometimes all I have to do is step out my front door. We are fortunate enough to live less than 15 minutes from the Historic Area, and I can usually be found there at least once a week (but often more than that). I’ve done quite a few stories about Colonial Williamsburg through the years: articles on Grand Illumination; The Taste Studio; The Fife & Drum Corps; Halloween and the Haunted Williamsburg ghost tours; the renovation of the Williamsburg Inn; and The Rockefellers’ Bassett Hall; profiles of those who work behind the scenes who bring it all together including the head of the animal stables, the head of safety, and the head of volunteering; and a series of stories on medicine, wellness, and health in colonial times. You would think that I know the area like the back of my hand and would be bored with returning to Duke of Gloucester Street over and over again, but yet Colonial Williamsburg continues to mesmerize me. I discover something new about the place practically every time I visit and don't understand how some neighbors have never visited the place. Colonial Williamsburg is not just about the history to me. It’s become a part of me, and I am there nearly every Mother’s Day to see the new baby sheep, every 4th of July to commemorate the 13 original colonies and the birth of our country; and every Christmas Eve to see the lighting of the Christmas tree. I love walking around the moat at the Governor’s Palace, exploring the gardens, and seeing all the animals. I believe that people develop not only relationships with other people, but with places too. Colonial Williamsburg signifies comfort and familiarity to me. I go there to find peace, calm, and to think and recharge. To me, Colonial Williamsburg is home.