WILLIAMSBURG — One restaurant has gotten a face lift just in time for summer.
The King’s Arms Tavern has kicked off the tourism season with a whole new look thanks to a couple of coats of paint.
“The historical hospitality committee decided to do the work during the second quarter of 2020,” Colonial Williamsburg noted. “During COVID we decided to relaunch the tavern focusing on authenticity with food, historically accurate stories, and the interior.”
Instead of the wood paneled walls, guests will see a much lighter exterior, a color similar to cream and other upgrades which “adds to an air of colonial elegance,” noted Colonial Williamsburg.
So why the change?
To keep the tavern as historically accurate as possible.
“Although in the eighteenth-century oil-based paint would have been used to paint the exterior, paint was and still is an effective barrier to protect wood from water and insects,” Colonial Williamsburg noted. “All colors are based on surviving paint evidence from eighteenth-century buildings.”
According to Colonial Williamsburg, Matt Webster, director of the Department of Architectural Preservation for the foundation and staff members are responsible for the changes to the tavern.
See the photo gallery below, courtesy of Colonial Williamsburg.
Besides the newly painted walls, Colonial Williamsburg noted that there are changes to the menu, too, with authentic 18th century food “rooted in historical research yet adapted to modern tastes.”
RELATED STORY: Foodie’s Corner: A Taster’s look into King’s Arms Tavern’s menu
Future plans to the tavern include a “new chiller” during the summer months and painting the tavern’s exterior in 2021.
“Important to note that taverns were seen as the social center of town back in the eighteenth-century – a place to dine together, host events, gamble or hear a lecturer – and this rings true today for diners at the King’s Arms Tavern,” Colonial Williamsburg noted.
The King’s Arms Tavern, located at 416 E Duke of Gloucester St. in Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area, is open Wednesday through Sunday from 4:30-8 p.m.
For more information or to make reservations, visit the Colonial Williamsburg Resort’s website.
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