Murder, Mayhem, and Scandal: 1-hour Historical Character Tour
Recommended by 99% of travelers
Williamsburg, USA
- 1 hour (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
What's Included
- Souvenir button
- Gratuities
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 500 E Duke of Gloucester St, Williamsburg, VA 23185, USA
You can park in the tavern parking lot located at 500 E. Frances Street. Once parked, exit the parking lot and cross Frances Street onto Blair Street. Continue walking straight for about one block until you reach the circle on the west side of the Capitol Building, which will be on your right.
End point
- Raleigh Tavern Bakery413 E Duke of Gloucester St, Williamsburg, VA 23185, USA
The tour will end on Duke of Gloucester Street in front of the Raliegh Tavern.
Itinerary
1
East Nicholson Street
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Free
2
Charlton's Coffeehouse
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
3
Chiswell Bucktrout House
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
4
Raleigh Tavern Bakery
15 minutes • Admission Ticket Not Included
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Service animals allowed
- Infants must sit on laps
- Transportation is wheelchair accessible
- Surfaces are wheelchair accessible
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate
Supplied by
Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.9
based on 85 reviews
Sort by: Most insightful
This was a fun tour. The husband and wife duo are very nice and the story is interesting. You learn about the history and take a quick stroll up the main street
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you for your kind review. I am pleased you had fun tour with interesting stories as you walked the historic area of Williamsburg. We enjoyed our time with you. And as Truman Capote says “ All literature is gossip.”
This tour is historical and fun! You will not only hear factually based stories of people and events back 250 years ago, but you will learn what was going on in Williamsburg during that era from the lips of someone who actually was living there at that time….or at least from the lips of a very convincing character actress! She played the part of the hard working jailer’s wife, who not only cared for her own family (challenging teenage daughter included) but also cooked for all the prisoners in the jail! It’s unlikely that any scandals escaped their attention. In addition to learning a lot about the unsavory behavior of scalawags and politicians alike, we came away realizing that human behavior then and now is pretty much the same! Excellent presentation and very informative as well. We enjoyed this!
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you for this very kind review. I am glad you found Heather to be able to transport you back in time for a fun filled, informative and event filled time in the streets of Williamsburg to meet its scalawags. And as Adam Scott says “ I love hearing about bad behavior. It’s just so funny to me. especially, grown ups acting like weird, inconsolable babies over really stupid things, to me, is really funny.”
Well organized, with clear communication up front. Passionate, knowledgable, engaged host and guide. Enjoyed every minute of the tour, despite the cold night.
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Thank you for your kind review. We are glad you enjoyed your time with us, learning history from a different perspective. As an unknown author once said, "Never stop learning, because life never stops
teaching."
We thoroughly enjoyed this experience! The stories were extremely authentic and the actors were fantastic. I’m a theatre teacher and I was impressed with how well he stayed in character! While we only walked around the Capitol building, the hour was full of unique stories and tidbits of history. We watched other groups go by with large groups so we were very grateful for the small group and individual attention. These folks have a genuine passion for telling historical stories in an entertaining and accurate way! Highly recommended!
Response from Host, Jun 2025
Thank you for your kind review. We are so glad you enjoyed your experience. We are pleased that our love for this tour and the stories we tell comes through. Thank you for taking our tour and as Henry Fielding says “ Love and scandal are the best sweeteners of tea.”
Our tour was quite small which allowed everyone to really participate. The guide, in character until the last few minutes, was entertaining and knowledgeable. We really enjoyed the experience!
Response from Host, May 2025
Thank you for your kind words. We are glad to hear that you enjoyed your time with your guide, appreciated the stories, and felt comfortable participating. Remember the words of Oliver Wendell Holmes: "A mind that is stretched by a new experience can never go back to its old dimensions."
Interesting and entertaining walk in old town. Fun evening and learned a great deal of history. Recommend!
Response from Host, May 2025
We are glad you enjoyed your time with your guide and the history. Remember what Martin Luther King, Jr. said: "We are not makers of history; we are made by history."
We had a great time. The guides were super informative and kind. The guide stayed in character the whole time and the walk was very casual, not to strenuous after we had spent the day walking in Williamsburg. It
Response from Host, Apr 2025
Thank you for your kind review. We are pleased you had such a pleasant walk with your guides. As Hippocrates said, "Walking is man's best medicine."
Heather was very knowledgeable about the dark history of Williamsburg! If you are a history buff you will enjoy this tour!
Response from Host, Apr 2025
Thank you for your kind review. We are pleased you enjoyed hearing all the stories of scandal from your guide. As the Roman poet said, "There's a lust in man, no charm can tame, of loudly publishing our neighbors shame."
Interesting and engaging experience! The tour guide was lively, and told funny and interesting stories.
Response from Host, Mar 2025
We are pleased that you enjoyed your time with our guide and the stories he told. As Rudyard Kipling once said, "If history were taught in the form of stories, it would never be forgotten."
Tour guides were nice, funny, and very knowledgeable. A beautiful walk. We will definitely do it again!
Response from Host, Mar 2025
Thank you for your review. We are glad you enjoyed your time with us and would be pleased to take you through the town again for more tales of murder, mayhem, and scandal. As Henry Fielding said, "Love and scandal are the best sweeteners of tea."
A wonderful experience with knowledgeable and passionate guides. We learned much and enjoyed ourselves immensely.
Response from Host, Feb 2025
Thank you for your kind words. We are pleased you enjoyed your time with us. As Benjamin Franklin said, "Tell me, and I forget. Teach me, and I remember. Involve me, and I learn."
We loved the guide. She was so enjoyable and included everyone with her story telling. the tour was great fun.
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Thank you so much for your kind review and we are so pleased that you loved your tour. We do our best to include everyone in our gossip for as Oscar Wilde says “There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.”
Our guide was fabulous! Found out she was the owner and really knew her history in detail. It was chilly but we loved every second.
Response from Host, Dec 2024
Thanks for your kind review. I’m so glad the chilliness of the evening didn’t keep you from enjoying the warm gossip. And remember what Voltaire says “historians are gossips who tease the dead.”
Wonderful tour, highly entertaining! The guide was such a talented character actor and you instantly got Immersed into the story. Lots of fun!
Response from Host, Nov 2024
Thank you for your review we are glad you felt immersed in the story. We enjoyed taking through the streets of Williamsburg. And remember what Will Rogers says “ So live that you wouldn’t be ashamed to sell the famiky parrot to the town gossip.”
The guide did an excellent job portraying "Ann Pellum," who was searching frantically for her daughter Sarah when she came upon us. She was very knowledgeable about the history of Williamsburg and it was a very relaxed, informative tour!
Response from Host, Nov 2024
Thank you for taking the time to leave a review of your experience. I am glad you enjoyed your time with me learning about all the secrets hidden behind the doors of Williamsburg. As Oscar Wilde said, "Scandal is gossip made tedious by morality."
If you are looking for a good tour that isn’t just another ghost tour this is it!! A husband and wife duo who have so much love for history and theater. Definitely a highlight of the trip. Afterwards they step out of character and answer all the history questions about colonial Williamsburg!
Response from Host, Jul 2024
Thank you for your kind review. Glad to know our love for history shows and added to your experience. As Theodore Roosevelt says, “ Never throughout history has a man who lived a life of ease left a name worth remembering.”
The lady who gave us our tour was so kind and NEVER broke character. She was considerate and allowed us to sit a few times while she continued on with the stories. She was full of information and kept it very entertaining.
Response from Host, May 2024
Thank you so much for your review. We strive to make our guests comfortable on these walking tours and glad you could enjoy it fully. “Madness, mayhem, erotic vandalism, devastation of innumerable souls- while we scream and perish, History licks a finger and turns the page” Thomas Ligotti. Thank you for spending your evening with us.
Highly recommend this tour! Very interesting and engaging. Our guide was extremely knowledgeable and relatable. Loved the character sharing the stories in the way the would have been told in the days the events happened.
Response from Host, May 2024
Thank you for your very kind review. We are so pleased you enjoyed the tour and our historical character interpreter. As Blackbeard would say, “ if I don’t kill a man every now and then, they forget who I am.”
Member Pricing
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$23.75
per personWas $25.00(-5%)
up to 24 hours before the experience starts (local time)
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