Williamsburg
1. Williamsburg Was The Capital Before Richmond
Before that, Jamestown was the capital of The Virginia Colony.
2. Williamsburg Was Originally Called “Middle Plantation”
Photo: history.org
The name was changed to “Williamsburg” to honor King William III.
3. Middle Plantation Started As A Farming Town
Photo: NASA
It was meant to support the Jamestown Settlement.
4. You Can Eat At George Washington’s Favorite Seafood Joint
101 S Waller St, Williamsburg, Virginia 23185
Website
Christiana Campbell’s Tavern is noted as George Washington’s favorite seafood spot. You can even see some of his receipts!
5. Colonial Williamsburg Has A Rare Breed Program Where You Can See Live 18th Century Farm Animals
Photo: Colonial Williamsburg FB
Many of these breeds are now so rare that only 200 of those animals exist in North America.
6. Thomas Jefferson Attended William & Mary
He enrolled at 16 and resided in the historical Wren Building.
7. FDR Visited Williamsburg
Photo: InACents.com
He called Duke of Gloucester St. “The most historic avenue in America.”
8. It’s Where The “Spark That Started The Revolution” Happened
Photo: city-data
The Gunpowder Incident took place at The Williamsburg Magazine.
9. The Tavern Where The Virginia Assembly Met Was The First Colonial Williamsburg Building To Be Reconstructed
After The Royal Governors said they couldn’t meet in The Capitol, Raleigh Tavern became their meeting place.
10. Williamsburg Lost Its Capital Status Because Of The Revolutionary War
Photo: Colonial Williamsburg
Jefferson feared Williamsburg was too vulnerable to attack, so the capital became Richmond.
Richmond
1. It Has Its Own Flower
Richmond’s city flower is the iris.
2. It Had The First Electric Streetcars In The US
The Richmond Union Passenger Railway. While earlier attempts had been made across the country, Richmond was the first city that successfully integrated electric street cars into their transportation.
3. Richmond Was The Confederate Capitol
Richmond was the capitol of The Confederate States Of America and was under martial law.
4. You Can See London From Richmond
Photo: DAVID ILIFF. License: CC-BY-SA 3.0
Richmond was named after Richmond Hill in London. The view of The James supposedly resembles the view of The Thames.
5. My Dinner With Andre Was Shot In Richmond
Photo: Amazon.com
The entire film was shot at The Jefferson Hotel.
6. The Jefferson Hotel Used To Have Live Alligators
Photo: The Jefferson Hotel FB
The alligators living in the fountain became so popular, that people donated their own alligators. There are two bronze alligators in the fountain, today.
7. The Jefferson Hotel Is Also One Of The Few Hotels To Have Both A Forbes 5 Star Rating And AAA 5 Diamond Rating
Photo: The Jefferson Hotel FB
Only 33 hotels on the continent have both.
8. About Half Of The US Population Can Drive To The Richmond Region In A Day
Photo: pixgood.com
That’s no excuse for the other half, however. Everyone needs to see Richmond.
9. The Richmond Coliseum Took A Million And A Half Virginia Bricks To Build
Photo: Richmond Coliseum FB
It also take 13,000 lightbulbs to light.
10. The Byrd Theatre Has A Giant One Man Orchestra
The Mighty Wurlitzer Organ spans four rooms!
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Maggie Comeau, Content Manager
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