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The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Earned Media Coverage

October 17, 2013

“Top 20 Resorts in the South”

10/15/13

Inn at Palmetto Bluff, Bluffton, South Carolina

Condé Nast Traveler readers rate the top resorts in Georgia, Alabama, North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, and West Virginia. Also check out our lists of the best hotels in the South, as well as in Washington, D.C.; Charleston; New Orleans; and Florida.

• 1. INN AT PALMETTO BLUFF, BLUFFTON 97.7

• 2. THE LODGE, SEA ISLAND 96.8

• 3. THE CLOISTER, SEA ISLAND 95.7

• 4. SANCTUARY AT KIAWAH ISLAND GOLF RESORT 95.5

• 5. PRIMLAND RESORT, BLUE RIDGE MOUNTAINS 95.0

• 6. COLONIAL HOUSES, WILLIAMSBURG 94.6

• 7. KESWICK HALL AT MONTICELLO 93.1

• 8. WILLIAMSBURG INN 92.2

• 9. WILLIAMSBURG LODGE 91.4

• 10. THE GREENBRIER, WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS 91.1

http://www.cntraveler.com/readers-choice-awards/united-states/best-resorts-south

• 11. INN AT HARBOUR TOWN, HILTON HEAD 88.5

• 12. THE OMNI HOMESTEAD, HOT SPRINGS 88.2

• 13. JEKYLL ISLAND CLUB HOTEL 88.0

• 14. RITZ-CARLTON LODGE, REYNOLDS PLANTATION, GREENSBORO 86.8

• 15. GRAND HOTEL MARRIOTT RESORT, GOLF CLUB & SPA, POINT CLEAR 85.9

• 16. WILD DUNES RESORT, ISLE OF PALMS 85.7

• 17. PINEHURST RESORT, PINEHURST 85.3

• 18. BARNSLEY GARDENS RESORT, ADAIRSVILLE 84.5

• 18. SANDERLING RESORT & SPA, DUCK 84.5

• 20. CHARLESTON HARBOR RESORT & MARINA 84.0

http://www.cntraveler.com/readers-choice-awards/united-states/best-resorts-south

Washington, DC

Christmas 2013 in Colonial Williamsburg

By: Rachel Cooper

10/15/13

Christmas is a wonderful time of year to visit Colonial Williamsburg,America’s largest interactive history museum, located just a few hours south of Washington, DC. The Christmas season comes to life with Colonial Williamsburg’s world-renowned holiday decorations and 18th century seasonal programming. Beating drums, trilling fifes, firework displays, theatrical programs and interpretive characters take visitors back in time to celebrate the holidays as our forefathers did during colonial times.

Visiting Tips

• Since this is such a busy time, reservations forlodging and dining during the holiday season should be made as early as possible.

• Make reservations for special programs and tours. Be sure to take the Christmas Decorations Walking Tour and enjoy a musical program or evening play.

• See a Williamsburg Visitor’s Guide for more planning tips.

Grand Illumination

Sunday, December 8, 2013. Williamsburg welcomes in the Christmas season with candles, fireworks and music during an unforgettable night of fireworks and entertainment. The celebration begins in the late afternoon with a variety of entertainment that starts at 4:45 p.m. on multiple outdoor stages throughout the Historic Area. The Colonial Williamsburg Fifes and Drums provide 18th-century music appropriate to the season. Other costumed performers present holiday entertainment found in Williamsburg two centuries ago. At 6:15 p.m., candles are lit in public buildings, shops and homes, and fireworks are launched at three Historic Area locations: the Governor’s Palace, Magazine and Capitol. After the fireworks, entertainment resumes on the outdoor stages and continues until 7:30 p.m. Following Grand Illumination, guests can enjoy illuminations of individual buildings within the Historic Area throughout December.

http://dc.about.com/od/christmasevents/a/ChrWiliamsburg.htm

Christmas Decorations at Colonial Williamsburg

Traditional Christmas decorations include wreaths and swags, using pine, boxwood, Fraser fir, magnolia leaves, assorted fruits and berries, and dried flowers. Residents of nearly 85 homes in the 301-acre Historic Area join in the holiday spirit each year by displaying additional decorations. More than 1,200 electric candles in the windows of buildings throughout the Historic Area are lit at dusk each evening during the holiday season. “The Christmas Decorations Walking Tour” takes a look at their work throughout December. See Photos of Christmas Decorations at Colonial Williamsburg

Holiday Programs

Colonial Williamsburg offers a wonderful selection of entertainment programs for the holiday season. Visitors of all ages will enjoy performances such as “A Capitol Evening,” (18th century dancing), “Christmastide at Home,” (a journey back through time to experience Williamsburg Christmases of the past or walking tours such as the “Annual Christmas Homes Tour” (a tour of five private homes in the Historic Area not usually open to the public). Note that these programs require tickets at an additional charge. Check the schedule for a full list of holiday programming.

Seasonal Programming for Kids

Step back in time and discover what an 18th-century Christmas was like during “A Kid’s Holiday Weekend.” This special program for young guests and their families explores seasonal traditions of yesteryear at selected sites focusing on interpretations and activities for families. Programs include: dressing up for the holidays; 18th-century music, dance, storytelling and a puppet show; celebrating several religious traditions; singing carols; preparing for life passages and children’s moral education; participating in food preparation; leisure activities such as Loo (a popular card game) and introduction to British holiday traditions.

Holiday Dining at Colonial Williamsburg

Colonial Williamsburg operates four dining taverns in the Historic Area, each offering unique 18th century menus served in authentic colonial surroundings:

• Chowning's Tavern - casual dining, chicken, ribs, pulled pork

• Christiana Campbell's Tavern - premier Seafood

• Shields Tavern - 18th century coffeehouse with light fare

• King's Arms Tavern - fine dining, prime beef, pork, lamb

For reservations, call toll-free 1-800-HISTORY. See more information about dining in Williamsburg. While visiting Williamsburg, check out the new Christmas Town at Busch Gardens. The amusement park is transformed into a Christmas wonderland, combining an immersive holiday experience with one-of-a-kind shopping and dining opportunities, all-new holiday shows and a spectacular light-dancing Christmas tree.

http://dc.about.com/od/christmasevents/a/ChrWiliamsburg.htm

Travel Freebie

9/20/13

This fall, Colonial Williamsburg is offering BloomerBoomers 50+ unlimited access to its Revolutionary City through the rest of the year – for the price of just one day’s admission. Valid from now through October 31, this limited time offer grants BloomerBoomers the opportunity to explore the Revolutionary City’s engaging programming, historic trades demonstrations, Art Museums and more with the purchase of a one-day pass.

Colonial Williamsburg is perfect for an easy day trip or a weekend escape. Guests can get to know the personalities of the past, like the tradespeople, shopkeepers, and founding fathers, with the Revolutionary City experience, witnessing blacksmiths forging tools for the Revolution at the Public Armoury, or learning about 18th century day to day living in homes of the revolutionary people. In the art museums guests get a glimpse of historic American and British antiques and decorative art from exhibitions like Painters and Paintings and Threads of Feeling. Year round colonial Williamsburg holds events that guests are welcome to attend to gain further knowledge of life in the 18th century. Additionally, since the pass is valid through the end of the year guests can come back during the holidays to enjoy the spectacular holiday season with the fresh decorations and seasonal, signature programs.

http://bloomerboomer.com/travel-freebie/

Students tour virtual Williamsburg By: Ty Albin 10/11/2013

Fifth-grade students at B.C. Swinney Elementary took a virtual tour of Colonial Williamsburg during a lesson on the Bill of Rights Thursday.

The educational historic theme park in Virginia offers electronic field trips to schools across the nation. They feature live tours of the park over a website, that allow students to interact with the reenactor guides by phone.

The tours are shown in a classroom on an interactive electronic whiteboard.

The tour was paid for by the Lawton Public School Foundation, which is sponsoring subscriptions to a series of tours on topics ranging from women in the Revolutionary War, to "The Amazing Trade Shop Math Race," Civil War Ironclads and more at Swinney, Geronimo Road Elementary, Jackson Elementary, Crosby Park Elementary, Sheridan Road Elementary, Pat Henry Elementary and Pioneer Park Elementary.

The foundation is also sponsoring trips to the Mattie Beal Home for all Lawton Public Schools third-graders.

Beth Johnson, president of the LPS Foundation, said history is part of the Common Core curriculum and the electronic field trips are a way for students to experience history without the prohibitive expense of travel.

http://www.swoknews.com/news-top/local/item/10807-students-tour-virtual-williamsburg

Lawton Students Take Virtual Field Trip

10/16/2013

LAWTON Okla_ Students at Swinney Elementary School in Lawton traveled to Colonial Williamsburg Thursday, and they never left their classroom. They did it electronically.

http://www.kswo.com/story/23660674/lawton-students-take-virtual-field-trip

Thursday's live interactive video webcast was about the Bill of Rights. Students nationwide ask questions via phone, twitter and email, which were answered live on the show. There are six more of these "field trips" scheduled throughout the school year, covering topics ranging from the balance of power in our government to women during The Revolution.

5th Grade Teacher Deborah Harwell hopes that Thursday's experience will introduce her students to the basic founding principles of our government.

"We just finished up with Roanoke and leading into Jamestown," Harwell said. "So, we are just getting into this, but this will be an excellent introduction into our government."

Ms. Harwell said many of her students have never left the state of Oklahoma. Some have never left Lawton. She said she believes this type of activity will help bring what the students are reading in textbooks alive.

Coming up at 6, 7News Reporter Joe Fisher will explain how field trips like these may become the new norm, with a decrease in funds available for learning out-of-building learning outside the school.

http://www.kswo.com/story/23660674/lawton-students-take-virtual-field-trip

9/28/13

Colonial Williamsburg Art Goes Viral

10/13/13

Visitors wanting to experience the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s art collections can now do so without leaving their homes.

CWF has joined the eMuseum Network and Google Art Project, making 6,457 and 160 pieces of art available on the two sites, respectively.

“We are excited about being able to share our unique collections with a wider audience through this partnership,” said Ronald L. Hurst, Colonial Williamsburg’s vice president for collections, conservation and museums and Carlisle H. Humelsine chief curator, in a release. “The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation is committed to bringing the works in our collections directly to desktops, tablets or mobile devices anywhere in the world in this very dynamic and personal manner.”

Comprising CWF’s 160 objects on Google Art Project are paintings, furniture, silver, porcelain, ceramics, prints, maps, textiles and numismatics. The site provides high-resolution images with a zoom capability.

On Google Art Project, viewers can use a search function to conduct searches by artist name, work title, art type, museum, time period and more. Viewers can also save artwork to personalized, shareable galleries. Works can also be compared side-by-side.

Through eMuseum, 55 museums — including CWF — have made 1.5 million works available online. The Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg full researched, catalogued and photographed the almost 6,500 CWF-owned items posted to eMuseum; the number of objects CWF displays will grow over time.

http://wydaily.com/2013/10/13/colonial-williamsburg-art-goes-viral/

Eileen Rockefeller to Visit Colonial Williamsburg, Discuss Memoir

By Brittany Voll

10/14/13

John D. Rockefeller Jr., son of the oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller, paid for Colonial Williamsburg to be reconstructed into a modern-day homage to the city that once stood.

Now, his granddaughter is revisiting the city to speak with Colonial Williamsburg’s president about her first book, a memoir about her family.

Eileen Rockefeller will visit Colonial Williamsburg for a conversation with Colin Campbell, president and CEO of Colonial Williamsburg, at 4:45 p.m. Oct. 25 about “Being a Rockefeller, Becoming Myself.” The conversation will take place in the Hennage Auditorium of the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg. At 4 p.m. Oct. 25, Rockefeller will sign copies of her book; a reception in the Museum Café will take place following the discussion.

Visiting Colonial Williamsburg will be a nostalgic experience for Rockefeller, who said she did not know her grandmother, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller — to whom her memoir is dedicated for giving her a sense of belonging — and she only knew her grandfather until she was about 9 years old.

http://wydaily.com/2013/10/14/eileen-rockefeller-to-visit-colonial-williamsburg-discuss-memoir/

“I feel a deep sense of gratitude to my grandfather and grandmother … when I’m at Colonial Williamsburg, I feel somehow connected to their spirits,” Rockefeller said.

Colonial Williamsburg is one of her favorite places to visit, which she has done at least 10 times in her life. Her youngest son Danny, now 25, trained as a blacksmith as a child and spent time working in the blacksmith shop in Colonial Williamsburg before attending Princeton University.

“I absolutely love going there and we go probably every few years,” Rockefeller said.

Sparking her visit to Colonial Williamsburg later this month isn’t a family vacation, it’s the book she took six years to write. She started the memoir after Danny left the family’s Vermont home on an organic farm to attend Princeton.

“I realized that my day-to-day mothering duties were behind me and it sort of started an identity crisis,” Rockefeller said in an interview. “I looked at my husband and said, ‘What are we going to do?’”

Rockefeller threw herself into two projects: starting the Growald Family Fund — a venture with her husband, Paul Growald, and their two sons, Danny and Adam, to stem climate change and reduce carbon emissions by preventing coal-fired power plant construction — and writing stories about her favorite memories of times spent with her sons.

One of her favorite memories was a five-month period when Danny and Adam were 8 and 10, respectively, the family spent living as if they were on a farm in the 1840s. They grew and processed their own food, raised chickens and processed them and sheared sheep and executed the spinning and dying process to make yarn they then weaved.

“That was just great fun, but that has to be a book for later,” Rockefeller said. She transitioned the focus of her book onto her own childhood, which she used to establish her own parenting techniques, and which influenced the farming experiences Rockefeller gave her own children.

“I learned from my parents that nature is one of the greatest teachers, and in nature there are no judges … we learn about ourselves through the metaphors provided through nature,” Rockefeller said.

After writing 20 stories about her sons’ childhood, she realized it was too soon in their lives for her to turn that into a book; that’s when she turned back to her own childhood for inspiration. She examined her memories of her childhood, bringing forth the stories that shaped who she is today.

One of the most prevalent themes of the memoir is her identity struggle.

“I have wrestled with the identity of being a Rockefeller and, as everyone wrestles with the task of finding themselves, I also wrestle with that challenge,” she said. “Net worth is not as important as self worth.”

In the early 1980s, when Rockefeller was 33 years old, she founded her first nonprofit: Institute for the Advancement of Health, which aimed to understand mind and body interactions in health. About 10 years later, she co-founded Collaborative for Academic, Social and Emotional Learning with the aim of

http://wydaily.com/2013/10/14/eileen-rockefeller-to-visit-colonial-williamsburg-discuss-memoir/

correlating children’s academic successes with emotional intelligence and overall health. Rockefeller said social and emotional skills are the missing pieces in education and development but are necessary to succeed.

Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors was one of Rockefeller’s project in the early 2000s; it is now the largest philanthropy services provider in the world, Rockefeller said. The group’s mission is to advise donors in creating thoughtful and effective philanthropic ventures around the world. Rockefeller and her husband founded the Champlain Valley Greenbelt Alliance, also in the early 2000s, to promote and protect roadscapes along Route 7 in Vermont, which Rockefeller said is a major historic road in the state.

Being a Rockefeller afforded these opportunities.

“It opens doors. I’m able to reach almost anyone on the phone who relates to something I want to do of value in the world; so that just comes with having the name,” Rockefeller said. “Now, in order to make the best use of those connections, I have to step through the door and step up to the challenge, but I’m given a leg up to the door simply because of my name.”

Speaking in terms of net worth aiding self worth, Rockefeller said there are many people in the world who have far more money than she, and many who have far less, “but even with the comfort of wealth, it’s ultimately the connections we make … that inform our self-worth, our sense of personal value in the world.”

Without self-worth, Rockefeller said it may be impossible to be happy. With that notion, Rockefeller’s family comes into play.

“Family is what shapes us. It’s our first mirror even though our first reflection is inaccurate. And a corollary to that, as I have experienced personally, I can leave my family, but it won’t leave me.”

With the focus of Rockefeller’s book being the stories and experiences that shape who she became, she hopes others will draw inspiration for their own lives. With some broken or hurt relationships, Rockefeller realized until she healed those, she would inflict the sense of those broken relationships onto her marriage, relationship with her children, friends or coworkers. Rockefeller said this is something all people struggle with until family relationships are healed.

“There are many forces pulling at the seams of family and what I would like to put on the front burner of conversation … is how we can strengthen and heal our families as a means of strengthening and healing our society,” Rockefeller said.

The conversation with Campbell on Oct. 25 will focus on Rockefeller’s memoir. For more information about Rockefeller and “Being a Rockefeller, Becoming Myself,” visit Rockefeller’s website. For the conversation at Hennage Auditorium, a Good Neighbor Pass, Annual Pass, Colonial Williamsburg admission ticket or Museum ticket will be required for admission to the event. Copies of Rockefeller’s book will be available for sale.

http://wydaily.com/2013/10/14/eileen-rockefeller-to-visit-colonial-williamsburg-discuss-memoir/