The Cedars of Williamsburg: Cozy Stay Full of History

Sleeping in a House Built from College Bricks

When we started planning our Williamsburg trip, I already knew I didn’t want a hotel. Not for this trip. We were coming to see the colonial history, to walk where it happened and I wanted our lodging to feel like part of that experience, not separate from it. That’s how I found the Cedars of Williamsburg Bed and Breakfast, a three-story Georgian brick home on Jamestown Road that has been welcoming guests since 1938. It’s the oldest and largest bed and breakfast in Williamsburg VA, and from the moment we walked through the front door, I knew we’d picked the right place.

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The floors creaked just enough to remind you the house has been standing for almost a century. The furnishings weren’t staged to look old; they belonged there. And the sunken front garden out front felt like stepping into a slower, quieter world.

Here’s what you need to know about the Cedars: the history behind it, the rooms, and why I think it deserves a spot on your Williamsburg itinerary.

Estimated reading time: 14 minutes

The Story Behind the Cedars of Williamsburg Bed and Breakfast

The Cedars wasn’t always a bed and breakfast. It started as a family home, and honestly, the story of how it was built is one of my favorite details about the entire trip.

In 1933, right in the middle of the Great Depression, a physician named Dr. T. Brantley Henderson decided to build a home in Williamsburg. He’d graduated from the Medical College of Virginia, studied at Johns Hopkins, and served as a Captain in the Medical Corps during World War I. He moved his family here in 1931 so his youngest children could attend the College of William & Mary, just down the street.

And here’s the part that got me, when the college demolished a 100-year-old building on campus, Dr. Henderson hired local schoolchildren to collect the bricks at two cents apiece. He used those salvaged bricks to build both the main house and the separate cottage that still stands on the property today. You’re literally sleeping inside a piece of William & Mary’s history.

This was also the era when John D. Rockefeller was investing heavily in restoring Colonial Williamsburg to its 18th-century appearance. The town was growing, visitors were arriving, and by 1938 the Henderson home had been converted into a guest house.

Since then, the Cedars of Williamsburg VA Bed and Breakfast has passed through five sets of owners. The Harris family ran it from the 1950s through 1985. The Malecha family took over in 1993. Bob and Grace Tubbs from Rochester, New York operated it from 2002 to 2016. Today it’s owned by Alex and Laura Vlk, who came from the Chicago suburbs and now proudly call Williamsburg home.

That’s nearly a century of welcoming guests and you feel it the moment you step inside.

Our Stay in the George Washington Suite

We stayed in the George Washington Suite on the first floor. It’s a proper suite – not just a room with a fancy name. There’s a carved mahogany four-poster bed, green-painted walls, an antique armoire with a full-length mirror, and a separate sitting area with a twin bed. The bathroom has classic black-and-white tile, a pedestal sink, and white wainscoting that just fits.

What I loved most was the writing desk tucked in the corner with a red velvet chair. There’s something about sitting at an antique desk in a house built from century-old college bricks that makes you want to slow down and pay attention to the details.

When we first arrived, it was quiet. The house is beautiful from the outside. Stepping in the front door, you are basically checked in. All the pre-check for the Cedars of Williamsburg Bed and Breakfast is done. The hostess greets you as you open the door, tells you about the breakfast hours and the sitting rooms, then gives you the key to both the house and the room, then shows you to your room, or chamber, as it was called years ago.

Stepping into the George Washington Suite was like a step back in time with the furniture and the pictures. All the furniture was antique and beautifully maintained. Having a room off the main bedroom was similar to what I have in my house. A nice and quiet sitting area.

The Rooms: Every One Named After a Piece of Virginia History

One of the things that makes the Cedars of Williamsburg Bed and Breakfast special is that each of the eleven rooms and the separate cottage is named after someone connected to Virginia’s colonial story. It’s a small detail, but it gives the whole place a sense of purpose, like the house is quietly teaching you something even while you sleep.

Here’s an overview of what’s available. Room rates vary by season, so I’d recommend checking cedarsofwilliamsburg.com directly for current pricing and availability.

First Floor of the Cedars of Williamsburg B&B

The William Lee Room has a queen bed and sleeps two. It’s named after William Lee, George Washington’s personal valet, who was freed in Washington’s will. A cozy room with a four-poster bed and classic black-and-white tile in the bathroom.

The Martha Washington Room also has a queen bed and sleeps two. It’s the most affordable room at the Cedars. This is a good choice for couples who want the B&B experience without the higher price point. Features a four-poster bed, area rugs, and a walk-in shower.

The George Washington Suite is where we stayed; it has a queen and twin beds and sleeps three. A full suite with the mahogany four-poster, sitting area, writing desk, and those green walls. One of the most spacious first-floor options.

The Dogwood Room has a king and twin bed and sleeps three. Named for the Virginia state flower, this room is a bit more private than the other main house rooms.

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Second Floor of the Cedars of Williamsburg B&B

The King William and Queen Mary Rooms are a suite that has a queen bed and two twin beds that sleeps four. Named after King William III and his wife, Queen Mary. Williamsburg itself was named for William in 1699. This suite can be made into 2 separate rooms. Combined it is the largest accommodation in the main house, perfect for families or groups traveling together.

The Rebecca Rolfe Room has a queen bed and sleeps two. Rebecca Rolfe was the English name Pocahontas took after her marriage to John Rolfe, a direct connection to Jamestown, just minutes down the road.

The John Rolfe Room has a king bed and sleeps two. Named after the English settler who married Pocahontas and introduced tobacco cultivation to Virginia – the crop that changed the colony’s entire economic future.

The Juniper Room has a queen bed and sleeps two. Named after one of Virginia’s native trees.

Third Floor of the Cedars of Williamsburg B&B

The Thomas Jefferson Room has a queen bed and sleeps two. Named after the third president, who attended the College of William & Mary just down the street from the Cedars.

The Patrick Henry Room has a king bed and sleeps three. Named after the revolutionary orator famous for ‘Give me liberty or give me death‘, spoken right here in Virginia.

The Cottage of the Cedars of Williamsburg B&B

The Cedars Cottage is a completely separate two-story building on the property that was built with the same salvaged college bricks as the main house. It has a king, queen, and twin bed across two floors and sleeps five. If you’re traveling as a family and want your own space, this is the one to look at.

The property also has a patio and gazebo that serve as a small wedding venue, worth knowing if you’re planning an intimate event in Williamsburg.

Parking is on-site and easy. No garages, no paid lots, no circling the block.

Breakfast on the Dining Porch

Breakfast is served each morning on the dining porch, and it’s a full cooked meal, not a basket of muffins and a coffee carafe. The Cedars prepares breakfast around individual dietary needs, which is a thoughtful detail you don’t always get at B&Bs.

The Breakfast area was quaint. Simple with small table set for two, a coffee area and simple foods to snack on until the hostess arrived to tell you about the breakfast menu for the day. That day, we had eggs, a protein, and toast or English muffin. Mine were simple with scrambled eggs with cheese and sausage and my favorite, English muffin with jam. They tailor their menu to the dietary requirements of the guests. For example, I love cheese, my husband can’t have dairy.

Exploring Williamsburg Together

I explored Williamsburg with my friend Daphne, who runs a travel blog and offers customized tours in the Williamsburg, Virginia area. Having someone with local insight made a real difference. She pointed out details I would have walked right past and helped us get the most out of our time. You can learn more about Williamsburg and what Daphne has to offer in the way of tours in this post.

Walking Distance to Everything That Matters

The Cedars sits at 616 Jamestown Road, directly down the street from Colonial Williamsburg and steps from the College of William & Mary campus. You can walk to the historic area, Merchant Square, and Duke of Gloucester Street without needing a car.

We didn’t walk for this trip, because I wasn’t prepared for walking a lot. I will tell you, I should have prepared for walking, parking in Colonial Williamsburg can be a little difficult if you don’t know what you are looking for or where to go to park. We drove around the college campus then drove to the historic museum where we listened to Thomas Jefferson in the Museum auditorium. It was both informative and amusing.

From there we walked to Colonial Williamsburg. We went to the various houses to learn about woodworking, yarn works, the merchant store, the blacksmith and more. I was especially interested in yarn works and fabric making and spent the longest time there. My husband wanted woodworking and anything having to do with carpentry.

The tour of the fabric making and yarn making was fabulous to me, it was something to see how wool gets spun and how fabric was worked on the loom. I even purchased some yarn to make a shawl.

Day Trips from Williamsburg

Williamsburg is perfectly positioned for day trips if you want to extend your stay or explore beyond the colonial area. Here are a few we considered or did:

Norfolk is about an hour southeast and home to the world’s largest naval base, Naval Station Norfolk. Even if you’re not a military history person, watching aircraft carriers and destroyers up close is something else entirely.

Virginia Beach is just past Norfolk and makes for an easy beach day if you want a change of pace from cobblestones and history.

Washington, D.C. is about two and a half to three hours north depending on traffic. It’s doable as a long day trip, but honestly, it deserves its own stay. If you’re thinking about combining the two, I wrote a full itinerary for spending four days in D.C. You can read about my 4 Days in Washington DC itinerary.

What to Know Before You Book the Cedars of Williamsburg B&B

The front desk is open daily from 8:00 AM to 8:00 PM. If you’re arriving outside those hours, contact them ahead of time to arrange check-in. Wi-Fi is complimentary. Every room has an electric kettle and ceiling fan, and the bathrooms come stocked with toiletries and a hair dryer.

One thing I want to mention: this is a historic home, not a modern hotel. That means character in every sense. Beautiful woodwork and period details, but also the occasional creaky floor and cozy room sizes. If that’s what draws you to a bed and breakfast in the first place, you’ll love it here.

With the Cedars everything is handled online. You book your stay and you begin communicating with the host and hostess for the additional details.

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Is the Cedars of Williamsburg Bed and Breakfast Worth It?

There are plenty of hotels in Williamsburg that include chain properties along Richmond Road, resorts near Busch Gardens, everything in between. But the Cedars offers something none of them can. You’re sleeping in a house that was built from the bricks of a 100-year-old college building, by a WWI physician who wanted his children to get the best education he could find. That kind of story doesn’t come with a key card and a vending machine.

For couples, history lovers, or anyone who wants their lodging to feel like part of the trip rather than just a place to drop your suitcase, the Cedars of Williamsburg is worth it.

You can book directly at cedarsofwilliamsburg.com or call (757) 229-3591.

Continue Planning Your Williamsburg Trip

There are many guided and unguided walking tours in Colonial Williamsburg. These are a few of the many options.

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About the Author

Hi, I’m Mary Ann, creator of My Tasteful Threads, a cozy lifestyle blog where I share left-handed crochet, meaningful travel ideas, from-scratch recipes, and simple everyday living. Most evenings you’ll find me with yarn in one hand, a cup of tea nearby, and a good book within reach.

I spent many years as an IT project manager, so I love a good checklist, and these days I put that planning to work in my kitchen, my travels, and my crochet basket. I’m also a grandmother, and when I’m not stitching or stirring, I’m sharing budget-friendly ideas at my sister site, The Frugal Nook.

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