Top Reasons to Visit Williamsburg
this Valentine's Day/Presidents Day Weekend: February 12 - 15, 2010

Riverwalk Restaurant
February 12 – 14, 5 – 9 pm
Presenting our "Sweetheart of a Menu," offering three courses for $34.95. Menu items include lobster bisque, grilled filet mignon, classic crème Brule (to mention only a few!) and MORE! Visit the website for additional menu items.  Cost is $34.95.

The Whaling Company
February 12 – 14
The Whaling Company is offering Valentine’s Specials all Valentine’s Day Weekend. Call for more information and reservations. The regular menu will be specially priced at $56.00 for a complete meal for two! On Sunday, there is an early dining special from 3 - 4:30 pm. The Whaling Company is located at 494 McLaws Circle, Williamsburg, VA 23185.

Magnolia Room at Colonial Heritage
February 13, 6 – 9 pm
Looking for a romantic and delicious Valentine’s Day Dinner? Come and enjoy a romantic candlelight dinner with your loved one at Colonial Heritage! Call 757-645-2000 for reservations or leave a message at 757-645-2018. Click the link to see a full dinner menu!  Cost is $35/person.

Opus 9 Steakhouse
February 14, 4:30 – 11 pm
Opus 9 Steakhouse invites you to an exceptional Valentine’s Day Dinner. Opus 9 will be offering a variety of Chefs Specials in addition to our fine dinner menu. Hurry to make reservations today (online or by telephone)-- before all slots are filled! For more information on Opus 9, please visit the website or call 757-645-4779.

Copper Scroll at the Lexington George Washington Inn
February 14, 5 - 9 pm
This dinner for two in the Copper Scroll Restaurant includes a special 4-course menu and bottle of wine (red, white or champagne).  Cost is $70 per couple (or $35 per person) plus tax and gratuity.  Call ahead for reservations at 757-220-1410. 

Click here for a list of additional dining options.

Presidents Day Weekend
February 13 - 14
Colonial Williamsburg has many exciting events in store in celebration of Presidents Weekend, February 13 and 14. Hear the stories and meet with Americas forefathers, including George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and James Madison. Discuss the role of a president’s wife with Martha Washington and listen to the music adored by Thomas Jefferson in the Governors Palace, his home as governor of Virginia. Visit the website for complete information or call 800-HISTORY.

Presidents’ Day Sale at Prime Outlets
February 11 – 15
Calling all first ladies!  Take charge of your wardrobe this long weekend at Prime Outlets!  Enjoy spectacular savings up to 65% off retail prices plus special markdowns you can’t pass up!  Save big at your favorite brand-name stores all weekend long. 

Williamsburg Farmers Market - Winter Market
February 13, 8:30 am – 12:30 pm
It’s the first market of the new year! Come out to this Winter Market and shop with over 25 watermen, bakers and producers of meats, seafood, hydroponically grown vegetables, ethnic foods, cheeses and forced bulbs. See website for additional information.   On Merchants Square.

The Tournées Festival: Daratt
February 12, 7 pm
The William and Mary French and Francophone Studies Program present The Tournées Festival. This week, see Daratt (not rated). When the long and devastating civil war in Chad ends, survivors are hoping that justice will be served against those who were involved in the genocide. See website for additional information.  At the Kimball Theatre.  Screenings are free but tickets are required.

February West Coast Wine Dinner
February 12, 6:30 pm
Featuring the wines of Australia! Menu items include creamy smoked salmon canoli with crispy prosciutto ham and spinach cream, lobster ravioli, chocolate and vanilla bean mousse and more!  At the Riverwalk Restaurant.  Cost is $49.95 (advance tickets required).

Presidents Day Special at Presidents Park
February 12 – 14, 10 am – 4 pm
Celebrate the men who have led our country on Presidents Day! Visit the link for a free, printable coupon -- buy one, get one free admission AND meal coupon. See website for additional information.

Alf J. Mapp Booking Signing
February 13, 2 – 6 pm
Historian, teacher and author Alf J. Mapp will sign copies of his books "Faith of Our Fathers: What Americas Founders Really Believed," Three Golden Ages," "Thomas Jefferson: Americas Paradoxical Patriot," and "The Virginia Experiment." Thomas Jefferson, portrayed by actor/interpreter Bill Barker, will appear at 4 pm. Guests attending the signing will be treated to cake and punch in recognition of Mapp’s birthday.  At WILLIAMSBURG Booksellers.

Don Irwin: A Valentine Concert
February 13, 7:30 pm
A Valentine concert first, Don Irwin plays your favorite requests. If you have a special song dedication to the one you love, maybe your special song, you can send the request to Don himself (see website for detailed info) and he will make the evening one you will never forget. Steinway artist Don Irwin plays what an audience wants to hear in a way you have never heard it before.  At the Kimball Theatre.  Cost is $22.50.

Fancy Nancy Fabulous Fun Day
February 13, 11 am – 1 pm
Your Girls will have the time of their lives! Fancy Nancy Luncheon in Mrs. Claus Bakery & Café at Yankee Candle. Come dressed fancy and Mrs. Claus will read the book Fancy Nancy by Jane O’Connor. The cost is $6.00 per person for lunch. Call 877-616-6510 for reservations.

Chocolate Camps for Adults
February 13 – 14 (7 – 9 pm Sat., 2 – 4 pm Sun)
Come learn something about your favorite treat, experiment with different types of chocolate, learn how to mold, enrobe and combine chocolate with different foods and pairings with wine! Tastings included! Call for more information.  At the Powhatan Secondary Charter Clubhouse.  Cost is $55/person. 

Laser Light Nights at the Virginia Living Museum
February 13, 8:30 pm
Looking for something fun to do on a Saturday night? Well look no further than the incredible laser light shows at the Abbitt Planetarium! We've got an incredible new state-of-the-art laser system that splashes brilliant high-color LED laser light all across the entire surface of our dome. It’s the most amazing light show you've ever seen! Plus we've got music to suit every taste! Well be featuring different bands each month, so be sure to check out the latest offering! Want a little astronomy to go with you fun? Visit the Star Party and look through a telescope before coming in.  See website for complete schedule and cost.

Reptiles Bizarre & Beautiful
February 13 – 15
Experience a close encounter of the reptile kind. See a wide variety of native and exotic reptiles on display and in live animal programs. Reptiles are perhaps the most misunderstood and most feared creatures on earth, but the Virginia Living Museum staff wants the public to see their fascinating and attractive aspects as well. There will also be outside exhibitors, crafts and games.

"Murder at the Irish Wake" - Mystery Dinner Theatre
February 14, 7:30 pm
Solve this chaotic Celtic murder mystery while enjoying a delicious 4-course dinner! Show begins at 7:30 pm. Located at the Clarion Inn & Suites at 5351 Richmond Road. Group, senior and children discounts available. For reservations call 888-471-4802 or visit the website.  Cost is $41.95.

Chocolate Camps for Adults
February 13 – 14 (7 – 9 pm Sat., 2 – 4 pm Sun)
Come learn something about your favorite treat, experiment with different types of chocolate, learn how to mold, enrobe and combine chocolate with different foods and pairings with wine! Tastings included! Call for more information.  At the Powhatan Secondary Charter Clubhouse.  Cost is $55/person. 

Star Parties at the Virginia Living Museum
February 13, 7 pm
The Virginia Living Museum is continuing the monthly Star Parties it launched during the International Year of Astronomy in 2009. The free star parties are designed to encourage everyone to experience the wonder of looking through a telescope. One of our staff astronomers will also be on hand to answer your astronomy questions. The observing is followed by a planetarium program and three laser shows.

"From Africa to Virginia" Theme Month
February
Gallery exhibits, a printed family gallery guide and guided tours of the museums outdoor living-history areas highlight the culture of the first known Africans in Virginia and the experience of Africans in 17th-century Virginia. Guided tours of outdoor interpretive areas compare fishing, hunting, construction and metalworking skills of Africans in Angola with technology used in 17th-century Virginia.  At Jamestown Settlement.

Passion on the Plantation - Shirley Plantation Romance Tours
Through February 14
February is a time for romance, no matter whether you like to send sweets or tweets to your loved one. So if a history of passion makes you weak in the knees, visit Shirley Plantation in Charles City from February 1 - 14 and learn the 18th century art of courting. Find out firsthand what it was like to date before the age of text messages, social networking, and e-cards. Enjoy stories of old time weddings, courtships, and even pen your own love letter. Shirley is located on Scenic Route 5, 35 miles outside of Williamsburg in Charles City County.  Cost:  Adults $11, $7.50 Youth (6-18). Discounts for AAA, seniors and military available.

Black History Month
February
Celebrate Black History Month at Colonial Williamsburg and experience the American Revolution through the eyes of free and enslaved 18th-century African Americans. This month will feature powerful characterizations and dramatic interpretive programs that bring to life stories of the African American struggle for freedom and liberty during this tumultuous period in American history.

Michelangelo: Architecture as Anatomy Exhibition
February 6 – April 11 (OPENING WEEKEND)
Michelangelo: Architecture as Anatomy consists of drawings, archival pages, and engravings on loan from the finest collection of Michelangelo drawings and his ancestral home, the Casa Buonarroti in Florence, Italy. Combined with Old Master drawings from the collection of the Museum, the exhibition depicts and illustrates Michelangelo’s concept and philosophy that architecture was anatomical in a way that has never been done before. The exhibition explores new research in Michelangelo architectural studies, includes digital reconstructions of buildings never before believed to be influenced by Michelangelo, and lectures by world-renowned scholars on Michelangelo.  Cost is $15 for general admission; museum members, W&M staff and students are free.

February Promotions at Riverwalk Restaurant
February
SUNDAYS through THURSDAYS, all February. Your choice of an appetizer, an entree and dessert from our special menu. Menu items include mini crabcakes, New York Strip Steak, chocolate hazelnut espresso revolution and more! Visit website for a complete menu. Three for $30.  In the Riverfront Dining Room.

Thursday Night Food & Wine Pairing Dinner
February 11, 6:30 pm
This week, it’s "Vivacious Vineyard Delights"! Menu items include Sweet Potato Bisque and Corn Fried Crab Croquette, Pulverized Popcorn-Seared Salmon, Pear Tart and more! All courses are paired with separate wines.  At the Gabriel Archer Tavern at the Williamsburg Winery.  Reservations must be made by noon the day before the event and must be prepaid.  Cost is $55/person (includes tax and gratuities).

Wine, Wit and Wisdom
February 13, 2 pm
This Week: Champagne, Chocolate and Bubbles. Our "curriculum" will cover a wide range of topics, some of them about wine and cheese. Our tenured professors for the course are Executive Chef Rhys Lewis and Sommelier Charles Birr. Their entertaining anecdotes pair perfectly with the flavors and tastes of the wines, cheeses, and chocolates under discussion. Reservations are required.  At the Williamsburg Lodge.  Cost is $30 (does not include tax or gratuity).