The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation Earned Media Coverage

February 6, 2014

Revenue, support up at Colonial Williamsburg

1/31/14

The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation says revenue at the historic area increased in 2013 and donor

support significantly outpaced the previous year.

Officials say ticket revenue increased by about $370,000, or 2 percent. That’s because it saw higher sales

of single-day, multiday and annual passes.

The Richmond Times-Dispatch reports (http://bit.ly/1ekSwiX) that the foundation also announced

Thursday that it will begin looking for someone to succeed CEO Colin Campbell.

Officials also said gift commitments in 2013 totaled $74.7 million, a 17 percent increase over 2012. Its

endowment ended 2013 with a value of $780 million, a $45 million increase over the previous year.

The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation operates and maintains the preserved 18th century site as an

educational and tourist venue.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/revenue-support-up-at-colonial-williamsburg/2014/01/31/e84df622-8a64-11e3-a760-a86415d0944d_story.html

Colonial Williamsburg Golf & Spa - Stay & Play Free On Historic Golden Horseshoe Golf Courses

1/30/14

Colonial Williamsburg beats the winter blues with its indulgent Golf & Spa: Stay & Play FREE Package that includes spa services at the Spa of Colonial Williamsburg, golf at the award-winning Golden Horseshoe Golf Club and accommodations at the Williamsburg Lodge or Williamsburg Woodlands Hotel & Suites. Guests may play golf, enjoy the Spa - or try both! Gentle on both mind and body, the package also is easy on the wallet with rates starting at $79 per person, per night through April 10. For each night of stay at either the Williamsburg Lodge or Williamsburg Woodlands Hotel & Suites, guests may choose one complimentary round of golf with unlimited range balls or one select spa service (gratuity not included), per person, per night. The package has a three-day, two-night minimum stay. The Spa service options include a 30-minute massage, 30-minute facial, Apothecary pedicure or shampoo and style with nourishing scalp massage. Listed on the list of GOLF Magazine's "top 100 courses you can play" the Golden Horseshoe's Gold Course, designed by Robert Trent Jones Sr., is celebrating its 50th anniversary year. The adjacent Green Course, created in 1998 by his son Rees Jones, has hosted numerous national championships. The nine-hole Spotswood Course rounds out Colonial Williamsburg's historic links offerings. Revenue from Spa services and golf play on the Golden Horseshoe Golf Club's three courses supports The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, keeping this vital piece of American history alive and thriving. For more information or to book the package, call (855) 296-6627 or visit www.colonialwilliamsburg.com

http://www.thegolfwire.com/stories/310048

“Colin Campbell to retire as Colonial Williamsburg president: Committee named to search for Colonial Williamsburg president’s successor”

By: Steve Vaughan

1/30/14

WILLIAMSBURG — Colonial Williamsburg announced Thursday that it was beginning a search for a successor to president Colin Campbell, who has led the foundation since 2000.

In an interview Thursday afternoon, Campbell, 78, said he only expected to stay five years when he took the job.

He remained another six years after the first time the foundation announced it was going to look for a successor. Campbell stepped down as chairman of the Board of Trustees in 2008 and a search for his replacement was begun, but quickly ended when the board asked him to stay on to helm Colonial Williamsburg through the tough economic times that began that year.

Campbell said he's ready now.

"Nancy and I just decided that it's time. We want to spend more time with the grandchildren," he said." Well this isn't exactly the time, the time will be at the end of the search process, which might take a while."

http://www.dailypress.com/news/va-vg-campbellleaving-0102-20140130,0,4281550.story

Campbell was something of an insider when tapped in 2000. He joined the Colonial Williamsburg's Board of Trustees in 1989, and had been its chairman for two years when he took over day-to-day operations. He said he doesn't expect that will happen this time.

"I expect it will be an outsider, which is something that lengthens the selection process," Campbell said. "I was chosen at the end of a lengthy selection process, in which I was not a candidate. I don't know of any candidates on the board now."

Thomas F. Farrell II, chairman of the Colonial Williamsburg Board of Trustees and chairman, president and chief executive of Dominion Resources in Richmond, chairs the succession committee. The other members include trustees Pamela Flaherty of New York; Steven Miller of Houston; Cynthia Milligan of Lincoln, Neb.; Andrea Mitchell of Washington, D.C.; Sen. Tommy Norment, R-James City; Barbara Oberg of Princeton, N.J.; and Henry Wolf of Virginia Beach.

The executive recruiting firm Storbeck/Pimentel has been retained by the succession committee.

Although he modestly declined to name his greatest achievement while at the foundation, Campbell did talk with pride of several developments at Colonial Williamsburg during his tenure.

Among them was a $500 million capital fundraising campaign that was completed in 2006. It served to swell the foundation's endowment and to fund improvements in the Historic Area.

At around the same time the Williamsburg Lodge and Williamsburg Inn underwent extensive renovations to get them ready for 2007 and the commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown. The event which gave the area its last spike in tourism attendance.

"More to Jamestown than to us, but our hotels did well," Campbell said.

He said that was one of his favorite times in Williamsburg, although what he remembered about it wasn't meeting Queen Elizabeth II or President George W. Bush.

"There was a feeling of collaboration that had been missing in the past," he said. "Unfortunately, the Great Recession dictated that we couldn't completely continue that collaboration.'

The Historic Triangle Collaborative, of which Campbell has been an active member, is a legacy of that time.

The greatest change at Colonial Williamsburg during Campbell's time was the creation of "Revolutionary City," the living history, interactive theater program in the Historic Area.

"It's certainly been the biggest programmatic change," Campbell said Thursday. "It's become the core of what Colonial Williamsburg is."

And he said that will continue.

"We're doing more with it this year, putting interpreters in the shops and taverns as well as in the streets, so visitors have the feeling 'this is a historic community and I'm a part of it,'" he said.

http://www.dailypress.com/news/va-vg-campbellleaving-0102-20140130,0,4281550.story

“Colonial Williamsburg president is retiring”

By: Dave Mayfield

1/31/14

Colonial Williamsburg's longtime president and CEO says he's retiring - and this time he means it.

Colin Campbell, who has steered the foundation that operates the historical attraction since 2000 (and who was its volunteer chairman for two years before that), will exit after a search for his successor is completed, the foundation said Thursday.

Campbell, 78, had announced in 2008 that he was retiring, but he stayed on to lead Colonial Williamsburg through the recession.

"Colin has led us into the 21st century and has requested that this succession process be initiated at this time, while emphasizing his full and ongoing commitment... through completion of the process and a reasonable transition period," the foundation's chairman, Thomas F. Farrell II, said in a statement. Farrell is CEO of Richmond-based Dominion Resources.

Campbell, who has a law degree from Columbia University, is a former president of Wesleyan University and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund. The fund was created by the children of John D. Rockefeller Jr., whose gifts launched Colonial Williamsburg's restoration.

Under Campbell's watch, the historical site has suffered declining attendance but expanded its educational and arts programs and dramatically increased its endowment.

Colonial Williamsburg said Thursday that it ended 2013 with an endowment of $780 million, up $45 million from a year earlier. It reported paid attendance of 651,000 last year, a 0.5 percent decline, but it said higher prices pushed up ticket revenue by 2 percent.

http://hamptonroads.com/2014/01/colonial-williamsburg-president-retiring

And, encouragingly for an attraction that has struggled to draw younger visitors, Colonial Williamsburg said that 43,000 guests participated in 2013 in its interactive spy game, "RevQuest: the Black Chambers." That was a 16 percent increase from 2012.

http://hamptonroads.com/2014/01/colonial-williamsburg-president-retiring

“Timeline: Key moments in Colin Campbell’s tenure at Colonial Williamsburg”

1/30/14

2000

•Following a nationwide search for a successor to Robert Wilburn, Colonial Williamsburg's Board ofTrustees instead votes to have chairman Colin Campbell assume the presidency of the foundation. He succeeds acting president Rick Nahm.

•During the year the foundation embarks on a $100 million, multi-year project of construction andrenovation at the Visitor Center, the Williamsburg Inn and the Williamsburg Woodlands.

•Preservation work begins on several Historic Area properties, among them King's Arms and MarketSquare taverns, the Golden Ball, and the clubhouse at the Golden Horseshoe Green Course.

•Market value of the foundation's endowment and the DeWitt Wallace Fund for Colonial Williamsburggrew by $46.9 million to a total of $775.3 million.

2001

http://www.vagazette.com/news/va-vg-campbell-timeline-0130-20140130,0,5073748.story

•A shift in ticket structure led to an uptick in annual pass sales. The result was nearly $1 million in additional admission revenue, a 4 percent increase over 2000.

•Held a Labor Day weekend promotion offering free tickets to active and former military personnel and their families, and to first responders. Admissions for the three-day weekend nearly doubled over 2000 and hotels were nearly full.

•A revenue shortfall of $9.4 million was blamed on a slowing economy and on the September 11 attacks.

2002

•The foundation topped 100,000 individual donors for the first time, and donations reached a record $11.6 million.

•The operating deficit grew to $35.7 million, an increase of more than 20 percent. The report called the level of deficit "clearly unacceptable." The endowment also lost more than $100 million.

•Milestones in Colonial Williamsburg's 75th year included a footbrige from the Visitor Center to the Historic Area. It was dubbed the "Bridge to the Past."

•"The Story of a Patriot," Colonial Williamsburg's 35-minute introductory film, was viewed for the 30 millionth time.

2003

•In an effort to unify a complex operation, Colonial Williamsburg launched the One Foundation initiative, which Campbell called "the motivating phrase of a campaign to, in our diversity, to act as the single organization we are."

•Admissions fell 9 percent from 2002, blamed on national trends of less travel while war raged in Iraq, and on Hurricane Isabel in September.

•Design work began on renovation and restoration of the Williamsburg Lodge, which opened in 1939.

2004

•Electronic field trips reached 200 new schools nationwide, broadcasting three new productions.

•Traffic to Colonial Williamsburg's five websites topped 9.3 million.

•Renovation of the Williamsburg Lodge begins, with a target for completion in 2006.

•Yet another record for annual giving, with more than $40 million.

2005

•Schools in California adopt Colonial Williamsburg's history and social studies curriculum.

•The Campaign for Colonial Williamsburg reaches $492 million, close to its $500 million goal.

•Ticket sales improved slightly to 710,450.

2006

•"Revolutionary City" debuts, coordinating interpretation and theatre to depict life in 1774 Williamsburg.

http://www.vagazette.com/news/va-vg-campbell-timeline-0130-20140130,0,5073748.story

•The newly renovated Williamsburg Lodge opens, completing a $220 million, multi-year investment in renovations at several Colonial Williamsburg properties.

•Tim Kaine used Williamsburg as the backdrop for his inauguration as governor. Only two previous Virginia governors took the oath at the Capitol: Patrick Henry and Thomas Jefferson.

2007

•Queen Elizabeth II visited Colonial Williamsburg for the first time in 50 years, coming to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Jamestown.

•The foundation hosted a three-day World Forum on the Future of Democracy, with a keynote address from retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.

•Multiple scenes for HBO's miniseries "John Adams" were filmed in Colonial Williamsburg.

2008

•Colonial Williamsburg' Fifes and Drums celebrated 50 years of performances.

•Revolutionary City expands with a program geared to children called "Get Revved!"

•Campbell and his wife, Nancy, receive the Prentis Award from the College of William and Mary.

2009

•Paid attendance fell 9 percent to 707,000.

•Warehouse and call center for Colonial Williamsburg's products operation were outsourced.

•In the depths of the recession the endowment lost $209 million.

•The foundation cut 140 jobs, and eliminated 140 others currently vacant. Salaries were frozen, and salaried employee were required to take seven furloughed days.

2010

•The $5 million R. Charlton Coffeehouse opens. Construction was funded by a gift from candy magnate Forest Mars.

•A web-based, fully interactive high school curriculum was launched.

•Paid admissions fell another 7 percent to 660,000.

2011

•An interactive game called RevQuest debuts, with participants beginning their journey online, and completing in a visit to the Historic Area. More than 10,000 guests played.

•Colonial Williamsburg begins to re-brand itself as a "center for history, citizenship and democracy."

•Paid attendance continued to decline, falling to 670,500.

2012 •Colonial Williamsburg expanded on its citizenship theme with the first Williamsburg-CSIS Forum. The foundation partnered with Washington think tank Center for Strategic and international Studies.

http://www.vagazette.com/news/va-vg-campbell-timeline-0130-20140130,0,5073748.story

•Re-tooled “Revolutionary City” into a single-day experience. The previous version alternated days,making it confusing for visitors only here for one day.

•Donor support grows by 59 percent.

2013 •Won approval from Williamsburg City Council to close two additional blocks of Duke of Gloucester for“Revolutionary City.” An attempt to expand even more was voted down.

•Launched a new speakers series. First up was Pulitzer Price-winning author Jon Meacham, followed byjournalist Arianna Huffington.

•Opened the Public Armoury in the Historic Area, a new exhibition building also funded by the Marsfamily.

http://www.vagazette.com/news/va-vg-campbell-timeline-0130-20140130,0,5073748.story

“Colonial Williamsburg President to Step Down; Search for Replacement Begins”

By WYDaily Staff

1/31/14

Colin Campbell is planning to leave his post as president of the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation after more than 13 years.

Campbell’s intent to retire and details for a search process to find his replacement were announced Thursday. A succession committee — chaired by Thomas Farrell II, CEO of Dominion Resources and chairman of the Colonial Williamsburg Board of Trustees — has been formed. The committee hired the executive search firm Storbeck/Pimentel to aid in hiring a new president and CEO for the foundation.

The committee is committed to finding a replacement that “best serves the interests and standards of the institution” and has not set a date for hiring a replacement, Farrell said in a release.

“Colonial Williamsburg has been extraordinarily fortunate to have been led by Colin Campbell since August 2000, a period of time marked by substantial challenges and addressed with great energy, creativity, and focus,” Farrell said. “Colin has led us into the 21st century and has requested that this succession process be initiated at this time, while emphasizing his full and ongoing commitment to the

http://wydaily.com/2014/01/31/colonial-williamsburg-president-to-step-down-search-for-replacement-begins/

leadership and management of the Foundation through completion of the process and a reasonable transition period.”

Campbell commented he is looking forward to continuing his work while supporting the committee and Board of Trustees “in the critical work of leadership transition.”

The search committee comprises:

• Committee Chairman Thomas Farrell II, chairman of the Colonial Williamsburg Board of Trustees andCEO of Dominion Resources, Richmond

• Trustee Pamela Flaherty, New York• Trustee Steven Miller, Houston• Trustee Cynthia Milligan, Lincoln, Neb.• Trustee Andrea Mitchell, Washington, D.C.• Trustee state Sen. Thomas Norment, Williamsburg• Trustee Barbara Oberg, Princeton, N.J.• Trustee Henry Wolf, Virginia Beach

http://wydaily.com/2014/01/31/colonial-williamsburg-president-to-step-down-search-for-replacement-begins/

“Campbell preparing to leave Colonial Williamsburg”

1/30/14

WILLIAMSBURG - The Colin Campbell era at Colonial Williamsburg is apparently drawing to a close.

The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation announced Tuesday that a management succession process, including the appointment of a succession committee and engagement of an executive search firm, has been initiated to effect an orderly transition of chief executive leadership.

Thomas F. Farrell II, chairman of the Colonial Williamsburg Board of Trustees and chairman, president and chief executive of Dominion Resources in Richmond, Va., chairs the succession committee.

“Succession is a primary focus for any well-managed organization and a leading responsibility of the Board of Trustees,” said Farrell. “Colonial Williamsburg has been extraordinarily fortunate to have been led by Colin Campbell since August 2000, a period of time marked by substantial challenges and addressed with great energy, creativity, and focus. There will be an appropriate time in the future to comment on Colin’s numerous contributions to the history of this venerable organization, but ‘reinvention’ is certainly one descriptor of his tenure. Colin has led us into the 21st century and has requested that this succession process be initiated at this time, while emphasizing his full and ongoing commitment to the leadership and management of the Foundation through completion of the process and a reasonable transition period.”

http://www.dailypress.com/news/va-vg-campbell-preparing-to-leave-colonial-williamsburg-20140130,0,6323460.story

“Colin Campbell to retire as Colonial Williamsburg president: Committee named to search for Colonial Williamsburg president’s successor”

By: Steve Vaughan

1/30/14

WILLIAMSBURG — Colonial Williamsburg announced Thursday that it was beginning a search for a successor to president Colin Campbell, who has led the foundation since 2000.

In an interview Thursday afternoon, Campbell, 78, said he only expected to stay five years when he took the job.

He remained another six years after the first time the foundation announced it was going to look for a successor. Campbell stepped down as chairman of the Board of Trustees in 2008 and a search for his replacement was begun, but quickly ended when the board asked him to stay on to helm Colonial Williamsburg through the tough economic times that began that year.

Campbell said he's ready now.

http://www.vagazette.com/news/va-vg-campbellleaving-0102-20140130,0,4155076.story

"Nancy and I just decided that it's time. We want to spend more time with the grandchildren," he said." Well this isn't exactly the time, the time will be at the end of the search process, which might take a while."

Campbell was something of an insider when tapped in 2000. He joined the Colonial Williamsburg's Board of Trustees in 1989, and had been its chairman for two years when he took over day-to-day operations. He said he doesn't expect that will happen this time.

"I expect it will be an outsider, which is something that lengthens the selection process," Campbell said. "I was chosen at the end of a lengthy selection process, in which I was not a candidate. I don't know of any candidates on the board now."

Thomas F. Farrell II, chairman of the Colonial Williamsburg Board of Trustees and chairman, president and chief executive of Dominion Resources in Richmond, chairs the succession committee. The other members include trustees Pamela Flaherty of New York; Steven Miller of Houston; Cynthia Milligan of Lincoln, Neb.; Andrea Mitchell of Washington, D.C.; Sen. Tommy Norment, R-James City; Barbara Oberg of Princeton, N.J.; and Henry Wolf of Virginia Beach.

The executive recruiting firm Storbeck/Pimentel has been retained by the succession committee.

Although he modestly declined to name his greatest achievement while at the foundation, Campbell did talk with pride of several developments at Colonial Williamsburg during his tenure.

Among them was a $500 million capital fundraising campaign that was completed in 2006. It served to swell the foundation's endowment and to fund improvements in the Historic Area.

At around the same time the Williamsburg Lodge and Williamsburg Inn underwent extensive renovations to get them ready for 2007 and the commemoration of the 400th anniversary of the founding of Jamestown. The event which gave the area its last spike in tourism attendance.

"More to Jamestown than to us, but our hotels did well," Campbell said.

He said that was one of his favorite times in Williamsburg, although what he remembered about it wasn't meeting Queen Elizabeth II or PresidentGeorge W. Bush.

"There was a feeling of collaboration that had been missing in the past," he said. "Unfortunately, the Great Recession dictated that we couldn't completely continue that collaboration.'

The Historic Triangle Collaborative, of which Campbell has been an active member, is a legacy of that time.

The greatest change at Colonial Williamsburg during Campbell's time was the creation of "Revolutionary City," the living history, interactive theater program in the Historic Area.

"It's certainly been the biggest programmatic change," Campbell said Thursday. "It's become the core of what Colonial Williamsburg is."

And he said that will continue.

"We're doing more with it this year, putting interpreters in the shops and taverns as well as in the streets, so visitors have the feeling 'this is a historic community and I'm a part of it,'" he said.

Campbell said the program has met his expectation.

"It's been very successful," he said. "Our guests tell us they love it."

http://www.vagazette.com/news/va-vg-campbellleaving-0102-20140130,0,4155076.story

Programs like "Revolutionary City" and the interactive "RevQuest" scavenger hunt game have made Colonial Williamsburg a much more "child-friendly" attraction.

"There was a great and deliberate effort to make that the case," Campbell said.

Ironic, in that declining school field trips — due both to budget cuts and liability issues, Campbell said — mean that a smaller percentage of the state's schoolchildren probably come here.

"Our field trip business was level this year, so that's an encouraging sign," he said. "But our home school visits were down. We are designing new programs for home schoolers."

Under Campbell's leadership, Colonial Williamsburg designed its own American history curriculum, an area he considers an important part of the foundation's future.

To Campbell, who came to the foundation off an 18-year stint as president of Wesleyan University, educational outreach, such as the foundation's award-winning Electronic Field is paramount to foundation's mission.

"Our Electronic Field Trips are very popular where they are offered. Our websites are popular," he said.

Colonial Williamsburg's virtual audience is already bigger — and just as important — as the audience that physically visits the Historic Area, Campbell added. And though efforts like "RevQuest," which begins online and must be completed in the Historic Area, one feeds the other.

What's next for Campbell?

He won't spend all of his time watching his grandkids.

"I think people who know me know I'm not much of a watcher," he chuckled. 'I'm more of a doer."

He said he and his wife will remain in Williamsburg.

"We have a house in South Carolina and we'll probably go there more often," he said. "That won't be hard, we've only spent 11 days there since we bought the house."

Campbell looked back with fondness on his tenure.

"Living here and being engaged in this community has been an honor, and a very nice cap to what has been a varied career."

http://www.vagazette.com/news/va-vg-campbellleaving-0102-20140130,0,4155076.story

Real 'Downton Abbey' countess comes to Colonial Williamsburg

Lady Fiona Carnarvon will promote book at Williamsburg Lodge

1/31/14

The real-life tenant of "Downton Abbey" will be in Williamsburg next month.

Colonial Williamsburg and WHRO are hosting Lady Fiona Carnarvon, the eighth and current countess of Highclere Castle, the real-life setting for Masterpiece's "Downton Abbey," Feb. 9 and 10.

Guests can join her for afternoon tea at 4 p.m. Feb. 9 in the Colony Room of the Williamsburg Lodge and for an interview-style conversation led by historian Cary Carson at 5:30 p.m. Feb. 10 in the Hennage Auditorium.

Cost of the tea is $50, including tax and gratuity, and includes a sampling of pastries, scones and tea sandwiches accompanied by Lady Fiona's discussion of the history of Highclere Castle, where her husband's family has resided for more than 300 years.

The countess has written a second book about the castle made famous as the setting for PBS' acclaimed television program "Downton Abbey" and will sign copies of "Lady Catherine and the Real Downton

http://www.dailypress.com/entertainment/va-vg-downtownabbery-0122-20140131,0,7358395.story

Abbey" following the tea. Cost of the interview/conversation at the Hennage is $20. Books will be available for sale at both events.

The subject of the book, Lady Catherine, was an American heiress who moved to England in the 1920s and at the age of 19 married the Earl of Porchester. She took on organizing the lavish events of the estate through World War II, when it was transformed into an American air base.

This is the second book about Highclere Castle by Lady Fiona. Her first, "Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey," covers the life of the 19-year-old illegitimate daughter of banking tycoon Alfred de Rothschild, who married into the Carnarvon family in 1894, bringing her enormous fortune with her. It was her own funds that allowed her husband, the 5th Earl of Carnarvon, to make numerous expeditions to Egypt, where he discovered the tomb of Tutankhamen in 1922.

"Downton Abbey" is now in its fourth season on PBS and broadcasts locally Sunday evenings at 9 p.m. on WHRO 15. The period drama follows the fictitious lives of Lord and Lady Grantham, their daughters and their extended family, as well as the lives of the staff of butlers, valets, maids, cooks, chauffeurs and housekeepers who care for the aristocratic family. The plot includes many of the real-life challenges faced by the Carnarvon family, including the financial challenges facing large English estates at the turn of the 20th century, war, a wealthy American heiress marrying the earl, and the influence of cultural and technological changes in English life.

http://www.dailypress.com/entertainment/va-vg-downtownabbery-0122-20140131,0,7358395.story

Williamsburg Inn dining takes top Platinum Plate Award

By David Nicholson

1/31/14

The Regency Room at the Williamsburg Inn received the top ranking from myself and other judges for the annual Platinum Plate Awards handed out by Coastal Virginia Magazine (formerlyHampton Roads Magazine).

Executive Chef Travis Brust is a “culinary powerhouse — larger than life in stature and grasp of cuisine — his passion is evident bite-after-bite,” wrote Food and Wine Editor Patrick Evans-Hylton.

Also among the top 10 winners ranked by myself and other judges were two other Williamsburg restaurants, Fat Canary and Blue Talon Bistro.

The rest of the Top 10 standouts were Still Worldly Eclectic Tapas and Stove — The Restaurant in Portsmouth, Harper’s Table in Suffolk, and five Virginia Beach places: Terrapin, Salacia Prime Seafood and Steaks Restaurant, Swan Terrace, Zoe’s Restaurant and Coastal Grill.

Other Peninsula restaurants cited for awards included Fin Seafood, Le Yaca French Restaurant, The Trellis Restaurant, Waypoint Seafood & Grill, Baker’s Crust, Circa 1918 Kitchen + Bar, County Grill and Smokehouse, DoG Street Pub, Dudley’s Bistro, Ichiban, Nawab Indian Cuisine, Opus 9 Steakhouse, Riverwalk Restaurant, Schlesinger’s, Seafare of Williamsburg and Williamsburg Lodge.

http://www.dailypress.com/entertainment/food/the-dish-blog/dp-williamsburg-inn-dining-takes-top-platinum-plate-award-20140131,0,5471945.story

A Dozen Top Living History Museums

Living history museums bring history to life and engage students in a fun and educational way. Become a citizen in a pioneer town, make crafts, tour historical buildings and experience what it was like to be a

student hundreds of years ago. Your students are sure to have a great experience at any of these unique museums, many of which offer programs just for school groups.

Colonial Williamsburg

Williamsburg, Virginia

Colonial Williamsburg is the world’s largest living history museum and part of the Historic Triangle of Virginia, which includes Jamestown and Yorktown. The Historic Area features hundreds of restored, reconstructed and historically furnished buildings. Costumed interpreters tell stories of the people who lived there in the 18th century. In addition to the Historic Area, there are two art museums and Bassett Hall, a two-story 18th century white frame farmhouse built between 1753 and 1766. The website has information on field trips for kindergarten through grade 12. Also, Colonial Williamsburg offers electronic field trips for students across the country, allowing them to meet people from the past and converse with them about the eve of the American Revolution through their computers. history.org

http://studenttravelplanningguide.com/a-dozen-top-living-history-museums/

More heads in Colonial Williamsburg, but fewer were paid By: Steve Vaughan

1/30/14

Paid admissions to Colonial Williamsburg fell very slightly in 2013, although the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation said that it's "turnstile" count was up.

The turnstile count is an actual count, one that deems a two-day pass as two visits.

Paid admissions were at 651,000, half of one percent down from 2012. Because of a shift in the types of tickets sold, ticket sales revenue increased by about $370,000, a 2 percent increase.

Sales of core tickets, single-day, multi-day and annual passes, were slightly up. Group tickets and partnership tickets - which allow admission to Colonial Williamsburg and one or more of the area's other attractions - were down.

More than 800,000 visitors passed through Colonial Williamsburg's Vistor Center, leading to a "turnstile count" of more than 1.8 million visits. That's up from about 1.5 million in 2012.

Spokeswoman Barbara Brown said the fact that the turnstile count went up while tickets sold was down is due to changes in the mix of tickets, selling more multi-day and annual passes.

http://www.vagazette.com/news/va-vg-cw2013numbers-0201-20140130,0,3494947.story

Editorial: Colin Campbell’s Legacy

2/4/14

Only time will judge the impact Colin Campbell had on Colonial Williamsburgduring his 14-year run as president.

Campbell announced last Friday he plans to step down once a search committee of foundation trustees is able to find a successor. That may not lead to a speedy exit, given the year it took between Bob Wilburn's departure in 1999 and the hiring of Campbell, who never sought the job.

Given a protracted decline in visitation – it's fallen by nearly 50 percent over the past 25 years – some might be tempted to view Campbell's tenure less than positively. But the problem of declining visitation is not unique to Williamsburg. A similar story is playing out in historical tourism sites around the country, with only an occasional success.

The Washington Post wrote about the decline in late 2012, placing the peak of interest in U.S. history during 1976 when America celebrated its 200th birthday. Monticello took in 671,000 visitors that year. By 2011 the figure had fallen by one-third to 440,000. The drop-off was even steeper for Stratford Hall, the birthplace of Robert E. Lee. Almost 80,000 people visited in 1976. In 2011 attendance had declined by two-thirds, to 27,000.

1976 was a disappointing year for Colonial Williamsburg despite the hoopla of the Bicentennial.President Gerald Ford spoke at the ceremonial session of the Virginia General Assembly held at the Capitol. Presidential candidate Jimmy Carterwas here for a debate, and West German Chancellor Helmut Schmidt paid a visit.

Yet the foundation finished the year nearly $700,000 in the red, with admissions revenue far below expectations. In CW's annual report for 1976 no attendance figure is listed, although the 1977 report notes attendance exceeded 1 million in four of the previous five years.

Colonial Williamsburg hit its peak in 1988, reaching 1.2 million paid visitors. By 1991 attendance dropped below 1 million, a plateau the foundation hasn't seen since.

There's more to judge Campbell by than attendance. What he brought to Colonial Williamsburg is a growing donor base, renovation and innovation, embracing technology, and a rebranding of the Historic Area that, while initially criticized as theatrics, has taken root.

Here are a handful of the tangible items on which we can judge Campbell's career, culled from 13 years of annual reports and Gazette archives

http://www.vagazette.com/news/va-vg-editorial-0205-20140204,0,45675.story

In 2000, a $100 million, multi-year project of construction and renovation at the Visitor Center, Williamsburg Inn and Williamsburg Woodlands.

Held a Labor Day weekend promotion offering free tickets to active and former military personnel and their families, and to first responders. Admissions for the three-day weekend nearly doubled.

Traffic to Colonial Williamsburg's five websites topped 9.3 million in 2004.

Schools in California adopt Colonial Williamsburg's history and social studies curriculum in 2005.

"Revolutionary City" debuts in 2006, coordinating interpretation and theatre to depict life in 1774 Williamsburg.

That same year the renovated Williamsburg Lodge opens, completing a $220 million, multi-year investment in renovations.

Queen Elizabeth II visited Colonial Williamsburg in 2007, 50 years after her first visit.

A web-based, fully interactive high school curriculum was launched in 2010.

An interactive game called RevQuest debuted in 2011, with participants beginning their journey online, and completing in a visit to the Historic Area. More than 10,000 guests played.

Not every Campbell initiative was lauded. During the recession nearly 300 jobs were cut, salaries frozen and employees forced to take furlough days. Executives also took pay cuts.

Attempts to expand closures of Duke of Gloucester met with resistance, and after approving one expansion, Williamsburg City Council rejected a second request.

The difficulty of reconciling 18th century Virginia with 21st century America is tough job. But under Campbell's tutelage, Colonial Williamsburg has meld the two about as well as can be hoped. For that guidance, during increasingly difficult times, we can be grateful.

http://www.vagazette.com/news/va-vg-editorial-0205-20140204,0,45675.story

Colonial Williamsburg Sold Fewer Tickets, Made More Money in 2013

February 3, 2014

Colonial Williamsburg had fewer visitors last year than in 2012, but benefited from higher revenues and higher donations.

The living museum ended 2013 after selling about 651,000 tickets – 0.5 percent less than in 2012 – and earning $16.7 million. Total admissions revenue last year increased about $370,000 over 2012 due to increased annual pass purchases and a $1 increase in some ticket prices.

In total, Colonial Williamsburg estimates more than 1.8 million people visited the attraction based on multi-day and annual pass sales, as well as carriage ride counts and attendance at lectures and evening programs.

“We’re pleased to see things heading in the right direction in the face of continuing challenges,” said Colin Campbell, president and CEO of Colonial Williamsburg, in a news release.

In total, the tourist attraction brought in $182 million in revenue, including donations toward operating costs and the Colonial Williamsburg Fund. The Colonial Williamsburg Endowment ended the year valued at $780 million, which was a $45 million increase over 2012. Donations totaled $74.7 million, which was an increase of 17 percent over 2012.

“We are both humbled and inspired by this strong demonstration of support for the mission of Colonial Williamsburg,” Campbell said in the release. “Friends and supporters from across the country are reinforcing the Foundation’s position as a center for history and citizenship.”

http://wydaily.com/2014/02/04/woman-who-lives-in-downton-abbey-castle-to-stop-in-williamsburg-

hold-book-signing/

The 2013 donations were used to enhance educational outreach, music and arts programming, Historic Trades and the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg.

More than 208,000 people visited the art museums last year, which was a 4.5 percent increase from 2012. For 28 percent of the 112,000 people who purchased evening program tickets, the programs were their only stop in Colonial Williamsburg. More than 43,000 guests played “RevQuest: the Black Chambers,” an interactive spy game, which was a 16 percent increase over 2012.

Last year Colonial Williamsburg introduced new events and attractions, including the William Pitt store, the James Anderson Blacksmith Shop and Public Armoury and The Taste Tradition. The Revolutionary City — a living history presentation exemplifying aspects of 18th century life in the former Virginia capitol — was moved from a two-day program to one day and, for a while, operated in an expanded area within the re-created city.

With 2014 underway, Colonial Williamsburg officials are looking forward to what the year will bring: a joint conference with the Chautauqua Institution in late February; a long-term exhibition called “A Rich and Varied Culture: the Material World of the Early South”; the fourth spy game installment called “RevQuest: The Old Enemy”; and construction of the new Market House.

http://wydaily.com/2014/02/04/woman-who-lives-in-downton-abbey-castle-to-stop-in-williamsburg-hold-book-signing/

Woman Who Lives in ‘Downton Abbey’ Castle to Stop in Williamsburg, Hold Book Signing

February 4, 2014

The current countess of the “Downton Abbey” setting Highclere Castle will stop in Williamsburg for afternoon tea, conversation and a book signing Sunday and Monday.

Lady Fiona Carnarvon, the eighth countess living in Highclere Castle, has written a second book about the castle called “Lady Catherine and the Real Downton Abbey.” She will meet guests at 4 p.m. Sunday for tea in the Colony Room of the Williamsburg Lodge and at 5:30 p.m. Monday in the Hennage Auditorium for an interview-style conversation. The book will be available for sale at both events and Carnarvon will be signing autographs.

Carnarvon’s latest book follows a 1920s American heiress who moved to England to marry the Earl of Porchester. Through World War II the couple lives on the estate, which was used as an American airbase.

Highclere Castle, the Carnarvon family home for more than 300 years, was made famous through the PBS show “Downton Abbey,” now airing its fourth season in the U.S. The show, which follows a fictitious family and its staff, gaining inspiration from real Carnarvon family history, airs at 9 p.m. Sundays on WHRO 15.

Seating is limited for both events and tickets are now for sale online and by phone at 855-296-6627. Tickets for tea service, including pastries, scones and sandwiches, cost $50. Tickets for the interview-style discussion cost $20. The Williamsburg Lodge is located at 310 S. England St. and the Hennage Auditorium is located in the Art Museums of Colonial Williamsburg at 326 W. Francis St.

http://wydaily.com/2014/02/04/woman-who-lives-in-downton-abbey-castle-to-stop-in-williamsburg-hold-book-signing/

Wolf by the Ear, A Play about Thomas Jefferson and Slavery

Emily Ridjaneck

February 5, 2014

Saturday, February 15 – 7 & 8:30 PM

Thomas Jefferson, at home in Monticello, awaits the results of a pivotal debate in Congress in 1820. The former president, haunted by the continuation of slavery in the years since the Revolution, is visited by spirits from the past recalling crucial moments and events when choices regarding slavery had been debated, leading to the debate over Missouri’s admission as a free state, signaling a move toward the eventual abolition of slavery in the U.S. ‘Wolf by the Ear’ is presented Saturday, Feb. 15 at 7PM and 8:30PM in the Hennage Auditorium. Admission is $15.

http://wydaily.com/2014/02/05/wolf-by-the-ear-a-play-about-thomas-jefferson-and-slavery/

“Turning Worlds Upside Down: Liberty and Democracy in Revolutionary Times”

Emily Ridjaneck

February 5, 2014

Historians and Journalists Examine the Conflicts between Revolutionary Ideals and Realities of Self-governance in Periods of Social and Political Upheaval.

Colonial Williamsburg and the Chautauqua Institution present an exploration of revolutions past and present Feb. 21-22. “Turning Worlds Upside Down: Liberty and Democracy in Revolutionary Times” investigates how the desire for justice and human rights throughout history has motivated people who felt themselves oppressed to seek political change that promised a better future.

Presentations and historical reenactments look at how the ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence were challenged as the American Revolution evolved into the War for Independence and how present day revolutions confront those same challenges. Distinguished historians and journalists examine the conflicts between revolutionary ideals and the day-to-day realities of self-governance in periods of social and political upheaval.

Click here for full conference details and pricing.

The Chautauqua Institution is a not-for-profit, 750-acre community on Chautauqua Lake in southwestern New York state, where approximately 7,500 persons are in residence on any day during a nine-week season, and a total of over 100,000 attend scheduled public events. This summer, Chautauqua continues its partnership with Colonial Williamsburg for a week of lectures titled “Emerging Citizenship: The Egyptian Experience,” July 14-18. Speakers include Colonial Williamsburg’s Colin G. Campbell, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Gordon Wood, scholar Dalia Mogahed, and Jon Alterman, director of the Middle East Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. For more information please visit www.ciweb.org

http://wydaily.com/2014/02/05/turning-worlds-upside-down-liberty-and-democracy-in-revolutionary-

times/