As I have looked to plan trips to other places (shocking, I know!) it appears that WDW is really the only location that has active forums like this. I would assume that it is partly because of the rabid fan base, and the sheer overwhelmingness of WDW as a whole. As we all know, you really can't show up at WDW and expect for everything to fall into place. Even the other Disney locations don't have as much space dedicated to them here because they are smaller and more manageable. It is really only because our founder Pete Werner saw a need for there to be more information about WDW available for planning that he started the DIS. Back then, even Disney didn't provide much help for trip planning on the web.
There is good information on the Busch Gardens and Colonial Williamsburg websites as well as the ones for other area attractions. Don't forget about Jamestown when you are in the area. The original site (a national park) has the glass blowing area that is great for kids, and the recreated location, Jamestown Settlement, does an amazing job of involving kids in the experience and helping them to see what life was like. There are many hands on opportunities there that make it well worth the trip.
Pretty much any hotel that you choose along Richmond Road will be fine. It is a clean, safe area that caters to tourists. Williamsburg as a whole is an "upscale" area so there aren't many locations that you wouldn't want to be in.
In Williamsburg there is also a Go Cart place that is a lot of fun. Yorktown is also a good place to visit--even better if there is a reenactment going on, and there is a beach there along the York River. There are many interesting museums and historical sites all throughout the area. If you want to take a drive a little further south here is a Children's Museum in Portsmouth, you can go on board the USS Wisconsin at the Nauticus in Norfolk, and the museum offers a whole lot of hands on activities for kids and adults. There are sites for the Revolutionary War and the Civil War. Every branch of the military has locations in the area and there are some neat museums open to the public on some of the bases.
You really have to come to the area knowing of the big places you want to go-- usually BG and Colonial Williamsburg, and then plan on a few extra days to do whatever strikes your mood when you are here. There are Visitors guides and Coupon Books everywhere with discounts for attractions and restaurants. You can find all your typical Chain restaurants (Friday's, Applebees, Olive Garden, Cracker Barrel, Fast food), and there are plenty of locally owned places (lots of pancake places for some reason
) . You can choose something for whatever your budget. It is probably hard to go wrong with any of the choices.
. The closest ones I found were on themeparkinsider.com - click on the Busch Gardens link on the right and bgescape.com/forum.
