Colonial Williamsburg Capitol

A reconstruction of the building that housed the government of colonial Virginia from 1705 until the capital moved to Richmond in 1780 — and where the House of Burgesses, the oldest elected assembly in the Americas, sat.

The rooms carry more weight than the furniture suggests. Patrick Henry made his Stamp Act speech here in 1765; the Virginia Resolution calling on the Continental Congress to declare independence was passed here in May 1776, ahead of Philadelphia; and Jefferson's Statute for Religious Freedom began its life in this chamber. Guided tours walk you through the burgesses' hall, the General Court and the council chamber upstairs, and the interpreters are notably good at explaining how colonial government actually functioned rather than reciting dates.

Practical: the eastern terminus of Duke of Gloucester Street, so most people reach it tired and late in the day — going first is a reasonable strategy. Ticketed. Evening programmes including courtroom re-enactments are held here in season.