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  • psst … I’m a Realtor! Thanks for stopping by my website. I would love to help you find your dream home and community in the Hampton Roads or Williamsburg area or to sell your existing home. This website is authored by local resident and REALTOR, John Womeldorf. John is known around town as Mr. Williamsburg, for both his extensive knowledge of Hampton Roads and the historic triangle, and his expertise in the local real estate market. His websites, WilliamsburgsRealEstate.com and Mr Williamsburg.com were created as a resource for folks who are exploring a move to Williamsburg, VA , Hampton Roads VA and the surrounding areas of the Virginia Peninsula. On his website you can search homes for sale , foreclosures, 55+ active adult communities, condos and town homes , land and commercial property for sale in Williamsburg, Yorktown, New Kent, Poquoson, and Gloucester, VA as well as surrounding markets of Carrolton, Chesapeake,Gloucester, Hampton, Isle of Wight, Portsmouth Mathews, Newport News Norfolk, Poquoson, Smithfield, , Suffolk, Surry, Va Beach, Yorktown and York County Virginia You can reach John by email John@MrWilliamsburg.com or phone @ 757-254-813

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    • New Podcast – Fifes and Drums: The Music
      Members of the Senior Corps of the Colonial Williamsburg Fifes and Drums play the tunes that directed a soldier through his day, from morning’s first light to the night’s last ale. Listen
    • From Our Kitchens: Chicken Pudding
      A favorite dish in its day, this chicken pudding combines elements of a quiche and a cake. Savory yet wholesome, this dish could easily become a favorite in your family, too. Learn More
    • From the Garden, May 15
      Transplanted melons under paper frame“Zatta” cantaloupeThis week we have moved the melons out of the hotbed frame and planted them in the garden under frames covered with oiled paper so that they may not be annoyed by the sun and wind before they have established themselves sufficiently to withstand the rigors of full exposure to the elements. It is of the u […]
    • New Podcast – Fifes and Drums: The Instruments
      Learn the history of the instruments behind the distinctive sound of the Colonial Williamsburg Fife and Drum Corps. Listen
    • Colonial Williamsburg’s Gift to the Nation
      Registration for our award-winning field trip, “Founders or Traitors,” is free for a whole year! Get free access to this Electronic Field Trip including its award winning collection of video, lesson plans, interactive web games, and resources through May 1, 2014. Colonial Williamsburg’s Gift to the Nation provides teachers with unique resources to engage stu […]

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Virginia Arts Festival-Festival Williamsburg- A Memorable Memorial Day Weekend of Marvelous Performances May 23‐26, 2013

Posted on May 22, 2013 by mrwilliamsburg

For the 11th spectacular year, the Virginia Arts Festival brings a whirlwind weekend of great performances to the historic city of Williamsburg. Co‐presented with the City of Williamsburg and the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, Festival Williamsburg offers residents and visitors the best of Broadway, jazz, classical music, and more, Memorial Day Weekend, May 23 through 26.2013

This Memorial Day Weekend begins on Thursday, May 23, with the first of a unique new series: the Williamsburg Winery Concerts. There’s a delicious repast for the body and soul in each of these concerts! On Thursday evening, enjoy fine dining and selections from the Williamsburg Winery’s award‐winning wine collection; then savor the superb artistry of the Miami String Quartet, praised in The New York Times for its “rich, precisely balanced sound and broad coloristic palette.” Virginia Arts Festival Chamber Music Director and renowned pianist André‐Michel Schub, along with Virginia Symphony violist Beverly Kane Baker, join the Quartet for an all‐Brahms program, music as rich and beautiful as the offerings on the menu. And if you prefer a Grammy Award winner Arturo Sandoval to the Williamsburg Lodge brunch, enjoy the Friday, May 24 performance, with wine and menu tastings from Williamsburg’s finest restaurants, followed by a performance of Shostakovich and Mozart classics by pianist Schub and the Miami String Quartet. After each performance, concertgoers are invited to linger and meet the artists in this intimate setting.

Friday night, May 24, brings eight‐time Grammy Award winner Arturo Sandoval to the Williamsburg Lodge for a show that dazzles. The versatile, virtuosic performer and composer is an audience favorite across continents, at home in every style of music from his beloved jazz to classical, and master of many instruments, from his phenomenal trumpet to piano, percussion and more. Prepare to be amazed by Sandoval’s musicianship and charmed by his stage presence.

imageSaturday, it’s Bravo Broadway at the Williamsburg Lodge, when a trio of stars gathers for an evening of favorite show tunes. Debbie Gravitte has charmed audiences from Broadway (Les Miserables) to the movies (The Little Mermaid); Christiane Noll received both Tony and Drama Desk Award nominations for her performance in Ragtime; and Doug LaBrecque has thrilled theater audiences in The Phantom of the Opera and Showboat. Choose from two performances, 5:30 and 8pm and enjoy a cabaret experience with reserved table seating.

Sunday sizzles when the legendary Hot Sardines mix le jazz hot of Paris with the salty stride piano of N’Awlins. This is the kind of music Louis Armstrong and Fats Waller used to make: straight‐up, foot‐stomping fun—and with this band that’s a literal description: a tap dancer’s feet count as two members of the rhythm section. Put on your dancing shoes and enjoy an evening of sheer entertainment with this beguiling band.

legendary Hot Sardines mix le jazz hot of Paris with the salty stride piano of N’Awlins

Festival Williamsburg Performance Schedule

image 

Festival events may be purchased at www.vafest.org  or (757) 282‐2822. Tickets for Festival Williamsburg events may also be purchased at Williamsburg Municipal Building, 410 Lafayette Street, M‐F 8am to 4:30 pm or at the Williamsburg Lodge, May 23‐26, with no service fee.

Williamsburg Lodge hotel packages are available at 1‐800‐447‐8679.

Filed under: 365 Things to do in Williamsburg, Virginia, Concerts, Entertainment, Nightlife, williamsburg va | Leave a Comment »

Free passes to Busch Gardens Williamsburg for Military.

Posted on May 21, 2013 by mrwilliamsburg

Busch Gardens Williamsburg & SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment™ is honoring the men and women of the U.S. armed services through its Waves of Honor™ military salute program. The program provides free admission to the SeaWorld® ,Busch Gardens® Parks, and Sesame Place® for members of U.S. armed forces and as many as three direct dependents through 2013. Waves of Honor follows Here’s to the Heroes. Created in 2001, the program has awarded more than 6.7 million theme park tickets to service members and their families.

 “It has always been our honor to host members of the military and their families at our parks each year,” said Jim Atchison, President and CEO of SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment. “Waves of Honor is our way to say ‘thank you’ to these dedicated service men and women who sacrifice so much to preserve the freedom we share in this country.”
The Waves of Honor program includes the following parks SeaWorld® Orlando,  SeaWorld San Antonio, SeaWorld San Diego, Busch Gardens® Tampa, Busch  Gardens Williamsburg, Adventure Island®, Water Country USA®, Sesame  Place® and Aquatica San Diego*. For information on operating hours and schedules, please see below: SeaWorld Orlando SeaWorld San Antonio SeaWorld San Diego Busch Gardens Tampa Busch Gardens Williamsburg Adventure Island Water Country USA Sesame Place Aquatica San Diego* (Monday – Friday Weekday admission only)
SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment™ is honoring the men and women of the U.S. armed services through its Waves of Honor™ military salute program.
The program provides free admission to the SeaWorld® and Busch Gardens® Parks, and Sesame Place® for members of U.S. armed forces and as many as three direct dependents through 2013. Waves of Honor follows Here’s to the Heroes. Created in 2001, the program has awarded more than 6.7 million theme park tickets to service members and their families.

 
Any active duty military, activated or drilling reservists, or National Guardsman representing any of the five service branches is entitled to one complimentary admission to one of the participating parks under the program. He or she need only register, either online at www.wavesofhonor.com or in the entrance plaza of a participating park, and show a valid active military identification. All dependents 10 and older must present a valid military dependent identification for entry into the park. Dependents may take advantage of the offer without their service member, though an adult must accompany minor dependents.
 
SeaWorld Orlando, Busch Gardens Tampa, and SeaWorld San Diego operate year-round. The remaining parks are seasonal. Each park’s operating schedule is available online.
 
Inactive, standby and retired reserve members, military retirees, U.S. Merchant Marine and civilian Department of Defense workers are ineligible for the program. The program does not include Discovery Cove® in Orlando or Aquatica® Orlando. Rules of eligibility can be found at www.wavesofhonor.com and are subject to change. SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment reserves the right to terminate the program.
 

Filed under: Busch Gardens, williamsburg va | Leave a Comment »

Williamsburg VA Real Estate Market Update: April Home Sales Soar Yet Again for April 2013

Posted on May 21, 2013 by mrwilliamsburg

April 2013 Market Observations

The Williamsburg VA  real estate market continues to demonstrate it’s incredible strength in April  2013 with home sales up a whopping 44% over the previous April.

The closed median home price in April 2013 for the Williamsburg  VA market , which includes the City of Williamsburg, James City County and Upper York County’s housing data, was $285,000 an increase of 9.4  percent from April 2012

Williamsburg Home Contract Activity

Contract activity, which is a leading indicator of home sales, continues to point in an extremely positive direction. This April was 13% above last year

With available inventory levels being less than a year ago, and robust contracted activity, the month’s supply of inventory is currently 8 months compared to over 13 months in April 2012. The month’s supply is also referred to as the absorption rate which indicates that if the current market conditions were to continue; this is how many months it would take to deplete the available inventory.

Williamsburg home sellers this month are experiencing an average 98.51 percent sales price to list price ratio. This average is a 2.36 percent increase over 2012.. The increase can be attributed to high demand and limited inventory.

Total inventory for sale is at 817 homes, a 23 percent decrease from the 1065 homes on the market in April of 2012 .The limited amount of inventory continues to inflate pricing and intensify demand for properties.

      The pace of closed sales increased dramatically this month showing a 26 percent reduction of days on market down to 67 days.

        image

         

        See real time data here for Williamsburg VA home sales statistics

         

        Click here for real time stats

        Read a detailed summary report for home sales in Williamsburg -March 2013

         

        What does this mean for you?  Well, we’ve had a strong market this year with steady home values and an increase in market activity.  If you’re thinking of selling anytime soon, consider going on the market to take advantage of the increased number of buyers, list prices, sales prices, and fewer days on the market before sale..

        Psst.I’m a real estate agent.

        Filed under: Real Estate Statistics, williamsburg va | Leave a Comment »

        Colonial Williamsburg Honors Military Service Over Memorial Day Weekend with FREE Admission

        Posted on May 21, 2013 by mrwilliamsburg

        Free Admission Honoring Those Who Serve

        Active duty military, reservists, retirees, veterans, and their dependents receive free Colonial Williamsburg admission for the entire Memorial Day weekend—May 24–27, 2013.

        Memorial Day Commemorative Program:  May 27th from 10:00-11:00am

        Gather for a modern service honoring military veterans who died while serving their country. A procession with Fife and Drum support will proceed from the Palace to Bruton Parish Church and the French gravesite. Wreaths will be laid, prayers given, and volleys fired at each stop to honor soldiers of the American Revolution and Civil War interred nearby.

        In addition , Colonial Williamsburg is proud to offer a Military Discount:

        Available to active-duty and immediate family members: visit your MWR/ITT offices at your military installation to obtain an exclusive Military One Day Plus Pass, or receive 10% off on Multi-day Tickets at our walk-up ticket windows.*

        Call 1-800-447-8679 for more information

        http://www.colonialwilliamsburg.com/plan/special-offers/honoring-service/

        Filed under: 365 Things to do in Williamsburg, Virginia, Deals/Specials/Coupons, williamsburg va | Leave a Comment »

        Historic Gardening Symposium @ Bacons Castle

        Posted on May 20, 2013 by mrwilliamsburg

        You are cordially invited to attend the Historic Gardening Symposium, hosted at the oldest known English formal garden in North America on Saturday, June 8th, 2013.  The Symposium will take place between 11 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. at Bacon’s Castle in nearby Surry .Virginia.

        You will enjoy presentations on 17th and 18th-century Virginian gardening practices, the archaeological discovery of the original garden, and the recent historical research that may influence the future interpretation of our 17th-century Bacon’s Castle Garden, as well as a guided tour of the garden. 

        Tickets are $35 and include a boxed lunch.

         Attendance is limited to the first twenty-five registrants. Register by May 25th, 2013 and receive $10 off the ticket price.

        To reserve your place, please visit Historic Gardening Symposium Registration or  contact tballance@preservation.org. with any questions.

        image

        Expected Itinerary:
        11:00 a.m.
        John Custis and the Transatlantic Plant Exchange:
        Speaker, Wesley Greene, Colonial Williamsburg‘s Historic Trades Gardener
        John Custis was the most active Williamsburg resident in the transatlantic plant exchange during the first half of the 18th century. This talk is based on excerpts from Custis’s 12 year correspondence with the English plant collector Peter Collinson focusing on the plants they traded and the challenges of sending plants aboard ship in the age of sail.
        12:00
        Lunch Break. Boxed lunch included with ticket
        12:30 p.m.
        Discovering the Lost Garden:
        Nicholas Luccketti, Archaeologist, James River Institute for Archaeology.
        In 1983, The Garden Club of Virginia had been asked to fund an archaeological study to determine the position of a 19th century garden and then help with its restoration. Unexpectedly, the study also found an 18th century garden covering a huge rectangular 17th century garden, making this garden the oldest English Formal Garden in North America. We are honored to have Nicholas Luccketti, lead archaeologist on this project return to speak about the significance of this dig.
        1:30 p.m.
        Arthur Allen II’s Pleasure Garden:
        Will Rieley, RLA and Margaret Bemiss, Author of Historic Virginia Gardens, both representing the Garden Club of Virginia
        The 1660s saw the beginning of the development of the public “pleasure garden”, which grew to become the center of English social life for the next 200 years. This talk discusses the new research that shows Bacon’s Castle’s Garden results from young Allen II’s education in England. Classical proportion were well-known in England in the late 17th century and the garden at Bacon’s Castle was intentionally laid out to be a grand garden, as befitted a man of his station and the grand house it was to complement.
        2:30
        Tour the Garden with Bacon’s Castle’s Head Gardner, Valerie Balentine.

        Want to go ?

        Saturday, June 8th, 2013

        11:00am-2:30pm

        Location

        Bacon’s Castle

        465 Bacon’s Castle Trail, Surry, VA 23883

        Contact

        baconscastle@preservationvirginia.org

        757-357-5976

        Filed under: 365 Things to do in Williamsburg, Virginia, Gardening in Williamsburg VA, williamsburg va | Leave a Comment »

        Hampton Roads Top Home Builders for 2012

        Posted on May 20, 2013 by mrwilliamsburg

        Ryan Homes was again the top builder in Hampton Roads for permits, closings and revenue with 238 permits issued. This is a 16 percent increase over their 2011 volume.

        Ryan had 242 closings and $72,036,822 in sales in 18 new home communities throughout the New Kent, Williamsburg, Yorktown and  Hampton Roads areas of Virginia . They are currently building in the Patriots Landing, Oakmont Villas, Stonehouse Glen, White Hall,. Wellington, Windmill Meadows, Greensprings West, (SOLD OUT) Burlington Woods, Powhatan Secondary, RIverwalk Townes , The Settlement, The Village at Quarterpath, The Woods on Mansion Road, Turtle Creek, Eagle Harbor. Crystal Lake South, Culpepper Landing and the Park at Centerville Commons. 

        Ryan Home’s  top subdivision was Turtle Creek in Newport News with, 59 closings and $16,655,447 in home sales. Number two on their list was The Settlement at Powhatan Creek, a 55+ active adult community in James City County . Ryan sold 18 detached homes and 13 townhome their for a total of $9,847,885 in sales.

         

        ryan homes in hampton roads community map list

        The number two builder in Hampton Roads ( for permits) was Chesapeake Homes with 172 building  permits issued in 11 subdivisions during 2012. Graystone Reserve in Suffolk had the most permits issued with 39.
        HHHunt Homes was the number two builder for closings and revenue with 165 home sales recorded and $38,167,764 in revenue.

        TOP 15 Builders in Hampton Roads

        top 15 home builders in hampton roads for 2012

        HHHunt Homes had closings in eight communities in Hampton Roads during the year, including six detached and two attached. Their top subdivision for 2012 was Meridian Parkside in Newport News with 55 closings and $11,358,545 in revenue

        Search new homes for sale in Williamsburg VA area

        Search new homes for sale in Hampton Roads here

        Filed under: hampton roads, New Communities Hampton Roads, New Homes Williamsburg Virginia, williamsburg va | Leave a Comment »

        Benjamin Moore looks to history for its latest color collection

        Posted on May 18, 2013 by mrwilliamsburg

        Benjamin Moore  has joined with The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s WILLIAMSBURG brand to launch The WILLIAMSBURG® Color Collection by Benjamin Moore , an assortment of paint colors authentically rooted in the history of our nation and its founding. The new 144-color palette represents a unique intersection of history, science and design that reflects the actual colors that existed in the 18th- and 19th-century and brought to customers through the most advanced paint technology in the industry from Benjamin Moore .

        image"This work showcases the close collaboration between two firms steeped in a rich heritage, both with a passion for bringing history into the home," said Carl Minchew , Benjamin Moore ‘s Vice President of Color Innovation and Design. "The WILLIAMSBURG® Color Collection by Benjamin Moore offers our customers beautiful shades in a palette of amazing, accurate colors that are as stylish today as they were 250 years ago."

        Colonial Williamsburg’s renowned research team of historians and conservators examined period documents, paint samples, wallpaper and architectural fragments, and through this process discovered fresh and unexpected color findings. The Benjamin Moore team then carefully studied pigment compositions in order to precisely match these colors using the latest scientific methods to ensure the highest degree of authenticity to the original hues. As a result, The WILLIAMSBURG® Color Collection by Benjamin Moore presents a vibrant yet complex array of shades as they appeared more than 250 years ago that can be effortlessly incorporated into the modern home.

        "It has been very exciting to work with Benjamin Moore developing a paint palette based on historic precedent," said Matthew Webster , Director of the Grainger Department of Historic Architectural Resources for The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation. "Together we developed the colors using almost 90 years of paint research and an understanding of historic production methods creating a palette that embodies the WILLIAMSBURG ‘trend meets tradition’ theme. It’s personally satisfying to see research become reality with a palette that is consistent with colors that would have been found in the 18th century."

        For more information, visit www.benjaminmoore.com.

        Filed under: colonial williamsburg | Leave a Comment »

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          5350 Discovery Park Blvd.
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