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DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum

325 Francis Street, Williamsburg, VA 23185
757 229 1000
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Ranked #5 of 45 attractions in Williamsburg
Type: Art Museums
Activities: Group tours/walking tour
Description: A vast collection (8,000 objects) from 17th, 18th and early 19th century America are on display at the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum.
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126 reviews from our community

Visitor rating
    93
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    3
    1
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Date Rating
Conshohocken, Pennsylvania
Reviewer
3 reviews 3 reviews
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 17 May 2013

Boy, was I wrong! We met Martha Washington here. What a wonderful experience! Her story is quite interesting. There is a delightful little cafe where you can grab lunch, and lots of things to see. From an old fire engine, to muskets, to folk art, antique silver pieces, and a little gift shop, this is a definite stop for your... More

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See 2 more reviews by Dolores-Dave for Williamsburg
Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States
Top Contributor
53 reviews 53 reviews
24 attraction reviews
Reviews in 15 cities Reviews in 15 cities
12 helpful votes 12 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 9 May 2013

The primary exhibit during our visit was the Harpsichord to Piano Forte through the ages display. It was great. Some instruments had a recording done on that instrument available for listening. There was also a 'Music At THe Museum' program provided by CW musicians who have been there for years. We were fortunate to catch this live performance. I was... More

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See 12 more reviews by GlendaS260 for Williamsburg
Top Contributor
66 reviews 66 reviews
18 attraction reviews
Reviews in 27 cities Reviews in 27 cities
18 helpful votes 18 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 7 May 2013

Wonderful museum with many displays, neat artifacts, and helpful (fascinating) information. Didn't go overboard on excessive plaques and reading material -- kept it interesting as well as educational. Definitely high quality.

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See 2 more reviews by Raker1 for Williamsburg
Bridgetown, Barbados
Senior Contributor
23 reviews 23 reviews
8 attraction reviews
Reviews in 11 cities Reviews in 11 cities
13 helpful votes 13 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 23 April 2013

This is an excellent museum with lots to see. In fact it really requires more than a single visit to take in all there is to see. It is well laid out

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See 4 more reviews by TonyBds for Williamsburg
Maryland
Senior Contributor
29 reviews 29 reviews
5 attraction reviews
Reviews in 9 cities Reviews in 9 cities
23 helpful votes 23 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 20 April 2013

This is a great museum but the entrance is hidden in the old hospital. New parking and new entrance is planned for the future.

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See 16 more reviews by LovesHistory for Williamsburg
Lindenhurst, New York
Senior Contributor
26 reviews 26 reviews
16 attraction reviews
Reviews in 14 cities Reviews in 14 cities
8 helpful votes 8 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 3 April 2013

This museum is included in your Colonial WIlliamsburg admission. The folk art museum is in the same building. There are child frinedly exhibits interspersed throughout the galleries. There is also an excellen little cafe. This is a really lovely place for lunch instead of the overly crowded Market Square restaurants.

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See 6 more reviews by singlemomoftwins for Williamsburg
Huntington, New York
Top Contributor
72 reviews 72 reviews
22 attraction reviews
Reviews in 45 cities Reviews in 45 cities
90 helpful votes 90 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 1 April 2013

We love the set up of the museum. They have an excellent folk art collection and always feature something different. This visit the focus was on musical instruments.

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See 4 more reviews by justgotravel for Williamsburg
Washington DC, District of Columbia
Senior Reviewer
7 reviews 7 reviews
3 attraction reviews
Reviews in 3 cities Reviews in 3 cities
8 helpful votes 8 helpful votes
5 of 5 stars Reviewed 31 March 2013

I had only 1 hour to spend here and wish I'd had 3 hours instead. It's a small museum, but offers such lovely collections. I particularly adored the quilt gallery and ceramics area. It's a hidden gem in the Colonial Williamsburg historical area.

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See 2 more reviews by fromhawaiitofrance for Williamsburg
Rhode Island
Senior Contributor
49 reviews 49 reviews
10 attraction reviews
Reviews in 21 cities Reviews in 21 cities
40 helpful votes 40 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 16 March 2013

There are a huge number of items on display, I suppose in an effort to show as much of the collection as possible. But the display cases seem over-packed with items, and one can become exhausted by the effort to read the descriptions of the individual items and how they relate to each other. There is one display room for... More

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See 3 more reviews by SeafarerRI for Williamsburg
Washington, D.C.
Contributor
11 reviews 11 reviews
3 attraction reviews
Reviews in 6 cities Reviews in 6 cities
11 helpful votes 11 helpful votes
4 of 5 stars Reviewed 25 February 2013

Spend the bulk of your time at the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art, but do drop by the DeW Wallace museum too -- porcelain, coins, silver, keyboards and furniture.

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See 4 more reviews by OntheRoadMom for Williamsburg

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