If you've traced your roots to colonial times, a visit to colorful Colonial Williamsburg lets you step back into the 18th century and walk in their footsteps. You'll see what it was like to be alive on the eve of the American Revolution, and maybe even meet “Patrick Henry.”

Bringing history to life

A family history vacation can be more than just a research trip, however. If your itinerary allows, take the opportunity not only to find your ancestors but to learn what it was like to walk in their shoes. Museums and historic sites across the country re-create the past, from immigrant tenements to frontier forts.