Tourist Info Center Ready for Civil War Tourists

By Desiree Parker Monday, January 09, 2012

The Greater Williamsburg Tourist Information Center is working on promoting the Civil War Sesquicentennial through the Civil War Trails program.

“As we head into spring and prepare for these upcoming commemorative moments and events, we are pleased to be operating as a Civil War Trails participating Tourist Info Center,” said the center’s Executive Director Priscilla Caldwell.

According to Mitch Bowman, the director of Civil War Trails, the Civil War information is the most requested item of the Virginia Tourism Corporation other that the state travel guide. This year marks the 150th anniversary of the Peninsula Campaign and the Battle of Williamsburg within the campaign, and there are several events on the peninsula in commemoration. Information on Civil War-related sites and trails is now available at the Tourist Information Center.

One local event will be on May 5, when Williamsburg will open Redoubt 2, directly beside Redout 1 on Quarterpath Road. A new walking path will be constructed connecting the two.

“With the newly-opening redoubt just two miles down the road from the Tourist Information Center, we expect to be assisting quite a few travelers with learning and finding out about it,” Caldwell said.

In 2011, 29,650 visitors stopped by the Tourist Information Center, just shy of its 30,000-visit goal.

The center is located in the Kingsmill Shops on Rt. 60. For more information, visit the center’s administrative site. For visitor information, look on the center’s GoWilliamsburg site.