Lodge Conference Center Events

Renewed facility is fabulous with one-of-a-kind exhibits of both American folklore and decorative arts. Not be missed.

Interesting exhibits and well-versed docents make for entertainment and enjoyable stops during a visit to Colonial Williamsburg. There are no hands-on exhibits for children and some of the visitors or staff can make little ones feel out of place or pushed aside but, well-planned and supported tours can be fun.

Loved how this museum is different from every other one. Captures your attention in a place that is surrounded by historical battles, old houses, and founding somethings…..

Fascinating collection well displayed and interpreted.

Wonderful museum! A must see when you visit Williamsburg!

The museum is, in fact, the result of two museums being put into one building. In fact, right now, they are doing work to expand the building so parking can be hard to find. Close to the Williamsburg exhibits and has something for everything. The whole family can enjoy it. Christmas is the best time to see it.

World class Try to attend programs several times a month A bargain visit with history focused on the Virginia Colonial period. Learning new history every visit. Cafe a hidden gem; great for meeting friends.

I was twelve the first time I went to Colonial Williamsburg, it was during flower time so stunning. I returned the bicentennial on a trip representing Ohio,for Star of the East lodge.I have returned many times as an adult,if you love or are just learning about American history, early life and homes,this is the best place to go.The museum's are outstanding, thats where I fell in love with folk art.Best collections,and also clothing,quilts,glassware, collections of every thing you can imagine.If you get a chance to go and walk the grounds and homes,try to go early spring,because summer heat is not for everyone. Take good walking shoes.Try to plan several days there is so much to see.Many places to visit in surrounding area.Check for lodging in advance. Enjoy!~Abby

A great collection that is very well put together of all things Americana from the past three centuries. Far more expansive than what it appears from the surface building due to the main exhibits being underground. Excellent value, as it is included in the ticket price to Colonial Williamsburg! A good place to browse after Colonial Williamsburg shuts down at 4:30!

I spent about 2 hours here. I wish I had more time. I was totally unprepared for the amount of exhibits they had from paintings to silverware and of course folk art. I will definitely be back. It is located near Merchants Square. You can easily make a day full here. Plenty of restaurants and not to mention how close it is to Colonial Williamsburg.

A gem of a museum close to the heart of Colonial Williamsburg. Plan to spend several hours here to get full effect and appreciation for the displayed collection. Housed within the four walls is the Folk Art Museum and the Decorative Arts Museum. Each has it's own flavor and focus. Both offer guided tours lasting about 30 minutes from the central rotunda on a regular schedule. The tours led by knowledgeable volunteers are well worthwhile to get the best appreciation of the collections and their significance. Their centrally located cafe offers quick lunch and snack options, and is a nice place to eddy out to recharge. Operated by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, much more about this first-rate and highly recommended Museum can be learned by visiting their web site.

We say Home & the Holidays at Hennage auditorium in the museum. The show was great. Such talented musicians. We come to the museum every time we come to Colonial Williamsburg. Very friendly people.

What a great art museum! My wife and I enjoyed it so much. We will probably visit again at some point. Lots of great art to view.

There is a wide variety of displayed items. There is even a detailed display of how houses were built in the area. You can spend several hours looking at the ever-expanding collection of furniture and weapons from the era. We go whenever we are in the area.

They have a very interesting collection of folk art it's been several hundred years. They are all items that Abby collected herself. She had an incredible eye for unique pieces. It's well worth a visit.

One of the best museums I've ever had the pleasure to visit. It is our country's artistic heritage and it's amazing.

Attended a great presentation in the museum's auditorium of The re-building of Charity, the first black woman institutionalized in the country's first mental hospital. I forget the actress' name, she was fantastic!

A first class museum with multiple different collections and history presentations. Could spend many days here. Wish the cafetetia/coffee shop had better options .

This museum in Williamsburg, while starting a new enlargement of their facilities are, none the less, moving forward with new and important exhibitions. The latest is a study of 18th Century fabrics which show the fashions for women AND men and the way they would be used in each strata of the classes.

Amazing collection of period pieces and a few displays from more recent times. Great lighting, great galleries. The Cafe looks great, too. The food, meh.

Very interesting exhibits. A wide variety. My favorite was about the coffee house we had seen the day before.

This a lovely free museum. It took about two hours. Everyone was so nice and knowledgeable.

A lot of interesting items. Well worth the walk through. You need a good 4 hours to take it all in. And it's free.!

Amazing art! Fantastic exhibits! All of the staff were well informed and friendly.

This is a wonderful place to visit when in Williamsburg to see the craftsmanship and art that embellished the lives of our early American ancestors. This museum covers quilts, pottery, furniture, china and other things used in daily life. We also took in an educational performance in the Hennage Auditorium. The museum entry is included in your Colonial Williamsburg pass so make sure you do not miss this while there.

A real gem in the heart of Colonial Williamsburg. The museum incorporates all of the latest techniques to ensure both a quality viewing experience, as well as preserving its unique and expansive collection for future generations. The staff is friendly, professional and quite knowledgeable.

Excellent museum with tons of exhibits and items greatly organized and presented. Admittance is included with your visitor pass. You need to leave handbags and backpacks in their lockers, which are provided free of charge, which is very nice. This is a must stop when you visit Williamsburg.

Loved visiting this museum! Especially the folk art section. I could have spent more time here. Would definitely recommend.

This museum is a gem. Thoroughly enjoyed our visit. The paintings, ceramics, textiles and weathervanes were stunning. I would definitely visit again.

Fun, ecclectic museum. Exactly what you expect from "folk art". Great experience all around. Locker mandate is annoying but understandable...they make it painless with the free, convenient, and easy to use lockers. Tip -- take a pic on your phone of the locker number and combo. Well timed for a break from the afternoon heat.

This museum is a hidden treasure in the restored area of Colonial Williamsburg. We were pleasantly surprised at the content of both quantity and quality. Interesting displays of toys, quilts, furniture, clothing, homebuilding, and folkart were illuminating. Glad we stopped in.

Well balanced museum that not only has interesting objects, but explanations about the items. Not like some places that overwhelm you with bunches of ‘things’ but no explanations to help you understand the relevance of the items displayed. But what really was cool was the display of chamber pots of the era in front of the modern bathrooms for visitor use. That was brilliant. Also, their cafe was pretty reasonable in price compared to those found in museums. They make a very flavorful chili and use a local ham in their sandwiches. Would recommend either. Definitely a place to visit if you’re in Williamsburg.

A very different " art" museum than any we've been to before. It's decorative arts. China, pottery, furniture, toys, musical instruments, textiles, weapons. Well worth the ticket price. We arrived late in the afternoon and they sold us a ticket that was good for the next day as well.

Very difficult to figure out which direction to wander through the exhibits. The "down on the farm" exhibit with Prince the dog was entered from the far end, as was the exhibit on tea and dishware. Made for some confusing moments as we were walking around. They are under construction at the moment so that might account for the confusion but I hope they re-number the exhibit order after the construction is complete.

Maybe our expectations were too high but aside from some beautiful furniture I didn't get excited. Winterthur has better examples and there were renovations everywhere. Signage was abysmal. I don't think I will return.

The collection here is wonderful and extensive and housed in a beautifully renovated space. HOWEVER, I’d have a hard time recommending this museum to anyone based on several hostile interactions we had with staff. The staff were, on the whole, very rude and made our exploration of the lovely collection stressful and unpleasant. When I pointed to the details of a painting (with my map from a distance of about 6 inches) the docent across the room yelled at me not to touch the paintings. I moved back immediately and withdrew my hand but he crossed the room and repeated that I needed to move back, even saying that he could show me the sign that says do not touch the art. I had not (nor did I have any intention of) touching the art but he continued to berate me. After my group left that part of the gallery, we went to another room where my sister leaned against a bench (for visitors to sit on) with her knee. Another docent approached quickly and told her sharply that she couldn’t have her shoes on the bench—her shoes never touched the bench, only her knee. We finally went to the cafeteria where there was a long line to order food. We left two of our party to order while two of us went to sit down at a table since we were tired from walking around for so long. There were still plenty of empty tables but still a custodial staff member came over to people who were seated without food and told them to move because they weren’t allowed to “hold or save tables.” Overall, this collection is huge and stunning but the staff go above and beyond to make you feel unwelcome and uncomfortable. I still enjoyed looking at the art but I will always warn people about the experience.

The place was deserted and I was peacefully exploring the collection. An employee comes from across the room, stands right beside me to ask me if I had a mask. I was keeping 6' distance. In fact, I had the whole exhibit to myself! Until he came within 6' to ask me if I had a mask. Think! Don't just obey... think! I'm giving 2 stars for the collections.

The museum is filled with many beautiful, unique pieces of art and I have always enjoyed the exhibits but due to a recent visit, I hesitate in recommending this museum to anyone with children. I was excited to share this place with my children (10 & 8) but very quickly felt unwelcome and followed closely by guards. I was pointing out some local pottery to my children and set off an alarm and warning to not touch the art. The pots were at least 8 feet behind a barricade wall and all I had done was point at a grouping. This began our personal escort service within the museum. The guard was never more than 10 feet behind us and it became painfully obvious when he stayed with us in the children’s gallery while my kids drew at the art table. We were the only people in the room. In another room, my son was looking at a different painting than I was and we were reprimanded for not standing immediately next to him. I understand the importance of monitoring children, especially in this type of environment, and I clearly was doing so along with the assistance of the our personal security guard escort. The unease that my children caused for the staff was apparent and I decided it was best to cut our visit short. Overall I was very disappointed to not be able to share this museum with my children in hopes to encourage their appreciation for artwork and Americana.

As soon as we walked in, one of my group we’re yelled at for not having her mask above her nose and she clearly had her masked pulled up over her nose. Then we were followed around and were over and over again told to pull our masks up when we had them up over our nose. Then my 10 year old pointed at a tv screen and was yelled at for almost touching the screen. It totally ruined our time and gave my kids a bad taste in their mouth for museums. It was really unbelievable. We ended up leaving much sooner than we intended because we all felt like we were being followed and harassed.

Google Navigation sent us a wrong way, so we arrived 4.50 pm just to hear from an unfriendly woman at the entrance that the museum closes at 5 pm since january and there would be noone at the ticketdesk. Google indicates closing at 6 pm. So be warned!