Has anyone been to Busch Gardens/Colonial W'burg VA?

[zigzagzerr]

There is a local place called Pierce's BBQ that has good BBQ.

We always stop at Pierce's when we visit Williamsburg -- the tourist magazines that you pick up at your hotel often have coupons for Pierce's as well.

We do like Pierce's bbq. Our other favorite places to eat are Peking (chinese buffet with mongolian bbq) and Food for Thought.

We also ate at Food for Thought on our trip last summer -- it was awesome!

So like the PP said above, can we just park & enjoy the grounds without a ticket or do we need a ticket to actually enter Colonial WIlliamsburg

As others said, you don't have to pay to just walk around. It's very pretty in the historic area.

I just wanted to say also that I LOVE the Busch Gardens Williamsburg park! It's just a beautiful park and I think you will really enjoy it.

I'm even considering extending our little adventure more by making a trip first to the Luray Caverns area. We've never been there and it sounds cool too. I think my kids would enjoy it too.

BW is one of the prettiest theme parks anywhere. Tons of flowers and very clean.

Oh btw, Luray is very touristy but worth it to try once.

Also, you might consider a day at VA Beach. Most kids love to play in the sand and it's budget friendly.

Hope you have a great time here in VA.

We usually split our stay between Virginia Beach and Williamsburg. Or if you stay in Williamsburg and drive to Virginia Beach, it only takes about an hour.

If he can see the drop at Pompeii from the outside, before you get on line for the ride (like you can with Splash Mountain) that may make him decide against it.

The Pompeii ride does look intimidating from the outside.

Whatever you decide to do, I hope you have a wonderful time!

 

[rottiemom]

I love this thread!

So do I .

--------------------------
OP -- Not sure what your boarding budget is, but the Old Towne Pet Resort in Alexandria, VA is great and would be on your way.
-----------------------------

My girl is a rescue with a whole host of issues (loooong story), She's come a long way and is a total, well trained mush but because she was doing so badly at the pound when the rescue got her boarding can be kind of an issue. I only board her at the vet. She knows the place & they know her so it works out well for everybody. If nothing opens up at the vet I found a few pet friendly options in hotels. Plus I get to have my girl with me .

We made reservations at a local B&B and plan to spend time seeing the historical sites. I'd really love to get some recommendations on places to have a nice, romantic dinner.

I don't want to hijack the thread, but would sure appreciate some PMs with ideas!!

Not hijacking at all...I'm sure other people are curious about this as well. And your weekend getaway sounds lovely.

Seriously, though, before the breakfast, my 5.5 yo DD acted like this whole Elmo meal was just so beneath her. At the breakfast, however, she had a fantastic time, and really was into seeing the characters. YMMV, of course!

I know, I know. Sometimes he's just such a little boy that my heart melts. Oh why not? Look at all of the money that I'll be saving on dog boarding...I can afford to book the dinner .

Oh, and I don't know if you know about this website:

www.petswelcome.com

I use it whenever I travel with my dog. You can search pet friendly hotels/lodges/B&B's wherever you're going or even in route to where you're going.

I didn't know about that site! And I love to travel with my girl because I miss her too much when I'm away (but at the same time I'll be worrying about her alone in the room...go figure). But again, we don't go away very often.

Amber travels well & we always bring her crate. I usually just ask that they not clean the room for the length of our stay & I'll just pick up clean towels & whatever as we need them. Even though she's crated I don't think that anybody would appreciate coming into a room to do their job & finding a rottweiler waiting for them.

And I meant to mention how absolutely adorable that dog in your sig is...look at those ears! What a sweetie .

Oh, I have another question...can anyone suggest a good place for seafood in the area? Not necessarily massive amounts of it but yummy & reasonable?

 

[pixiepower1971]

My husband and I just ate at the Trellis last week. I wouldn't call it romantic but the food and service were excellent! If you dine there on a Tues night this month bottles of wine are half-price.
http://www.thetrellis.com/

We like Aromas for good, inexpensive food
http://www.aromasworld.com/ordereze/Default.aspx

The Whaling Company- friends told us it was good but we have not tried it
http://www.thewhalingcompany.com/

Red,Hot and Blue was metioned earlier. We went last summer and loved it. This summer the food was not good and the service was terrible. Maybe it was an off night but we won't be going back.
http://www.redhotandblue.com/

I have a local vet that does excellent, inexpensive boarding if you need it. PM me for the info. He is about 30 mins south of Williamsburg. Many of the military families in the area use him.

 

[NeverlandClub23]

Thanks for the compliment of my dog . She does have huge ears which always make me laugh as you can tell how she feels through them. I don't travel often with her because she gets separation anxiety bad and I feel guilty if I have to leave her in the room. She's much better at home (and me paying my poor brother to come over and watch her ).

My favorite, reasonably priced place to eat is a local (but not hugely well known as it's off the beaten path) seafood place called Backfin. It's very casual and you can eat inside or out (the patio is really nice and shaded if it's a nice day). This is the website if you want to check it out:

www.backfinrestaurant.com

It's not the BEST seafood I've ever eaten but it's good, reasonably priced, and a cute/casual atmosphere. Oh, and they have REALLY good key lime pie

 

[manning]

Here is the websites for

Williamsburg
http://www.history.org/

And Jamestown settlement

http://www.historyisfun.org/


Don't confuse this with the original Jamestown site run by the National Park Service. That is more an archaeological excavation and research area.

 

[rottiemom]

We always stop at Pierce's when we visit Williamsburg -- the tourist magazines that you pick up at your hotel often have coupons for Pierce's as well.

Excellent! I'm a fan of coupons.

As others said, you don't have to pay to just walk around. It's very pretty in the historic area.

I actually found a book on Colonial Williamsburg at my local library that lists which buildings are ticket only (thanks to this thread I specifically looked for that. I feel so "in the know" .)

My husband and I just ate at the Trellis last week. I wouldn't call it romantic but the food and service were excellent! If you dine there on a Tues night this month bottles of wine are half-price.
http://www.thetrellis.com/

We like Aromas for good, inexpensive food
http://www.aromasworld.com/ordereze/Default.aspx

The Whaling Company- friends told us it was good but we have not tried it
http://www.thewhalingcompany.com/

Red,Hot and Blue was metioned earlier. We went last summer and loved it. This summer the food was not good and the service was terrible. Maybe it was an off night but we won't be going back.
http://www.redhotandblue.com/

I had to stop checking out the links that you posted because I was droooling .

I have a local vet that does excellent, inexpensive boarding if you need it. PM me for the info. He is about 30 mins south of Williamsburg. Many of the military families in the area use him.

I really appreciate this but the main reason we can board her with our vet is because she is familiar with the place. And they know her & her little quirks very well. When Amber is in a situation where she feels uncomfortable she will hide. At a strange kennel they would likely have to drag her out of the run. I don't want to put my dog or anyone through that.
But when she travels with us, in our room, with all of our belongings around her & a kong full of goodies to keep her occupied she's fine. She tends to spent the day sleeping anyway, especially in the heat, so being in her cabana crate in a hotel room won't be too much of a hardship for her .

Thanks for the compliment of my dog . She does have huge ears which always make me laugh as you can tell how she feels through them.

Oh how cute! With rotties it's their eyebrow spots that bounce around & tell you how they feel. Sometimes it's like watching a tennis match .

I don't travel often with her because she gets separation anxiety bad and I feel guilty if I have to leave her in the room. She's much better at home (and me paying my poor brother to come over and watch her ).

Plus she's in her own home so no stress for her, which means less worry for you Very good. We used to be able to do this with our last rottie because she LOVED the company but we tried a petsitter with Amber when we first got her and basically had to cut our vacation short & come home because she would hide under the DR table & bare her teeth whenever the sitter (a neighbor that she knew very well) came near her. The teeth bearing is a fear thing that we have since gotten her past but having a 75 lb rottweiler baring their teeth at you can be pretty terrifying! After a day & a half of him being unable to get her to come out for a walk we packed up the truck & made the 10 hour drive back home. You can imagine the mess .

www.backfinrestaurant.com

OMG...crab stuffed potato skins?! And huuuuuush puppies...ooohh...

 

[rottiemom]

My boyfriend and I are planning a weekend trip to Williamsburg in mid-September. It's also in lieu of a trip to Disney... he got a new job and has no vacation time, so we're making the most of the weekends.

We made reservations at a local B&B and plan to spend time seeing the historical sites. I'd really love to get some recommendations on places to have a nice, romantic dinner.

MJ, I was just over on the chowhound site, looking for info on Williamsburg eats and kept seeing 3 restaurants mentioned over & over again as being very good, upscale & worth it :

Fat Canary, Blue Talon and Dudley's Farmhouse Grille.

I didn't try to get any further info on these but wanted to pass the names on in case you wanted to check them out & see if they were suitable. Chowhound is a foodie message board broken down into regions (VA is under the "south" but you can easily search the boards). Chowhound has been a great resource for me whenever we travel or even when I'm craving something specific locally & they haven't steered me wrong yet .

 

[MJMouse]

My girl is a rescue with a whole host of issues (loooong story), She's come a long way and is a total, well trained mush but because she was doing so badly at the pound when the rescue got her boarding can be kind of an issue. I only board her at the vet. She knows the place & they know her so it works out well for everybody. If nothing opens up at the vet I found a few pet friendly options in hotels. Plus I get to have my girl with me ..

Sounds like she will be happiest with you!! I envy you being able to take her along. My little darlin' has decided that she does not like the crate... I leave her out free in the house during the day (w/o problems). However she does get a bit territorial about people walking through hallways. We'd never be able to leave her in a hotel room w/o a lot of whining and howling.

Not hijacking at all...I'm sure other people are curious about this as well. And your weekend getaway sounds lovely.

Thanks!

My husband and I just ate at the Trellis last week. I wouldn't call it romantic but the food and service were excellent! If you dine there on a Tues night this month bottles of wine are half-price.
http://www.thetrellis.com/

We like Aromas for good, inexpensive food
http://www.aromasworld.com/ordereze/Default.aspx

The Whaling Company- friends told us it was good but we have not tried it
http://www.thewhalingcompany.com/

Red,Hot and Blue was metioned earlier. We went last summer and loved it. This summer the food was not good and the service was terrible. Maybe it was an off night but we won't be going back.
http://www.redhotandblue.com/

Thanks! I'll have to look in to Trellis!!

Joe loves RH&B and Aromas looks wonderful... I'm seeing possibilites here!

MJ, I was just over on the chowhound site, looking for info on Williamsburg eats and kept seeing 3 restaurants mentioned over & over again as being very good, upscale & worth it :

Fat Canary, Blue Talon and Dudley's Farmhouse Grille.

I didn't try to get any further info on these but wanted to pass the names on in case you wanted to check them out & see if they were suitable. Chowhound is a foodie message board broken down into regions (VA is under the "south" but you can easily search the boards). Chowhound has been a great resource for me whenever we travel or even when I'm craving something specific locally & they haven't steered me wrong yet .

I must try out the Chowhound site. I was pouring over the travelocity site last night.

We decided to make reservations for Fat Canary on Friday Night (at the recommendation of the B&B owners where we're staying)... it looks great.

Now we are trying to figure out where to go on Saturday night. I'm leaning towards one of the Taverns in the Historical District (maybe Kings Arms) for the experience.

Joe mentioned the Williamsburg Inn last night but that place looks REALLY pricy.

I hadn't heard of Blue Talon or the Farmhouse Grille... of to do some research!!

 

[rie'smom]

We've been to Willaimsburg a few times and LOVE it. Last time we went ot Busch Gardens and the water park. Busch Gardens is the prettiest theme park we had ever seen. My daughter and nieces loved the thrill rides. I love Colonial Williamsburg.

 

[rottiemom]

Sounds like she will be happiest with you!! I envy you being able to take her along. My little darlin' has decided that she does not like the crate... I leave her out free in the house during the day (w/o problems). However she does get a bit territorial about people walking through hallways. We'd never be able to leave her in a hotel room w/o a lot of whining and howling.

Oh I just noticed your girl in your avatar...how cute! I'm sorry that she doesn't travel well. But I've found that I rest a lot easier when my girl is boarded & not left alone at the hotel. I just can't give myself a break!

We're lucky in that Amber loves her crate. It's her own private space and there are many times during the day even when we're home when she'll go trotting on up to our room and tuck herself in. We even leave the crate open at night but she never gets out & walks around. She is lose during the day while we're at work but nearly every day when we get home she's waiting atthe top of the stairs because...she's spent most of the day in her crate .

I must try out the Chowhound site. I was pouring over the travelocity site last night.

We decided to make reservations for Fat Canary on Friday Night (at the recommendation of the B&B owners where we're staying)... it looks great.

Now we are trying to figure out where to go on Saturday night. I'm leaning towards one of the Taverns in the Historical District (maybe Kings Arms) for the experience.

Kings Arms was mentioned on Chowhound frequently as well as being very good:
http://www.chowhound.com
if you want to check out the board.

I hope that you have a wonderful time! I plan to keep this thread alive until we get back from our trip so I hope you'll let us know what you did & where you dined .

We've been to Willaimsburg a few times and LOVE it. Last time we went ot Busch Gardens and the water park. Busch Gardens is the prettiest theme park we had ever seen. My daughter and nieces loved the thrill rides. I love Colonial Williamsburg.

This makes me so happy . I'm so glad!

 

[mechteach]

We decided to make reservations for Fat Canary on Friday Night (at the recommendation of the B&B owners where we're staying)... it looks great.

Btw, I forgot to mention this before, but the Fat Canary is owned by the same folks as The Cheese Shop that we were talking about earlier on the thread.

 

[MJMouse]

Btw, I forgot to mention this before, but the Fat Canary is owned by the same folks as The Cheese Shop that we were talking about earlier on the thread.

The Cheese Shop sounds like a perfect place for a sandwhich.

Thanks!

 

[NeverlandClub23]

I would suggest Fat Canary for a romantic dinner. It's very nice, has a nice location, and is almost always the #1 restaurant in Hampton Roads (Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Chesapeake, Hampton, Yorktown, Williamsburg) by many local magazines (which is actually quite impressive as there's so many restaurants here). It is kind of pricey though.

There's another Wine and Cheese shop (owned by the same people as the one in Colonial Williamsburg) about a minute's drive from Busch Gardens in the Villages at Kingsmill. I like this one better (hardly ever crowded at all as opposed to the one on Duke of Gloucester street) and they have places to sit outside and in. It's like counter service as you get your food and then find a seat. They have pretty yummy sandwiches made on their own fresh baked bread and good soups (and their brownies!! ).

I used to work at Aroma's part-time (one street over from Duke of Gloucester~or DOG St.~ on Prince George St.). It's a fun little coffee shop that sells smoothies, coffee, loose leaf teas, sandwiches, cakes and pastries. They usually have live entertainment Thurs.-Sat. night that's family friendly). Right next store is a place called Retro's that serves frozen custard, hot dogs, etc. that's really yummy too.

 

[rottiemom]

There's another Wine and Cheese shop (owned by the same people as the one in Colonial Williamsburg) about a minute's drive from Busch Gardens in the Villages at Kingsmill. I like this one better (hardly ever crowded at all as opposed to the one on Duke of Gloucester street) and they have places to sit outside and in. It's like counter service as you get your food and then find a seat. They have pretty yummy sandwiches made on their own fresh baked bread and good soups (and their brownies!! ).

This is great to know, especially since we'll probably be doing mostly counter service rather than sit down due to the dog being with us. Being able to leave BG and grab a sanwich to bring back to our room or even picnic outside (with Amber) is great.

I really appreciate all of these tips!

I used to work at Aroma's part-time (one street over from Duke of Gloucester~or DOG St.~ on Prince George St.). It's a fun little coffee shop that sells smoothies, coffee, loose leaf teas, sandwiches, cakes and pastries. They usually have live entertainment Thurs.-Sat. night that's family friendly). Right next store is a place called Retro's that serves frozen custard, hot dogs, etc. that's really yummy too.

And there's the Snowball place that a PP mentioned on pg 1. I checked out their website & they sell New Orleans style snowballs . I have NEVER had one of these but have been dying too & apparantly they are pretty scarce outside of NOLA. So I'm psyched .

Retros sounds fun, too. I love places like that. Sadly around us many of the cute/funky places have closed down due to the wretched economy. I guess that these things can survive in W'burg with it being a tourist & college area.

BTW- Neverland, in addition to your posts being awesome I keep meaning to mention that your dog's name is adorable. Nubs! And just look at that tiny little nub...he's too cute .

 

[NeverlandClub23]

BTW- Neverland, in addition to your posts being awesome I keep meaning to mention that your dog's name is adorable. Nubs! And just look at that tiny little nub...he's too cute .

Thanks! It really is the tiniest nub of a tail I've ever seen on a Min Pin. I'm so glad that it looks like Amber is getting to go on vacation too! And you're welcome for all of the tips! I love when people get to visit here and I hope you have a great trip! (BTW, I've noticed in previous years that the last couple of weeks in August are fairly uncrowded at BG. I guess because it seems like more and more schools are going back into session at the beginning/middle of August around the country).

Snow to Go is really good. They have tons of different flavors. Tiger's Blood is really good. It kind of tastes like berry and coconut. Which is even yummier stuffed with ice cream . Another thing I think is pretty cool about the place is that all of their tips go to a different charity every month and they post how much went to a certain charity from the previous month.

The recession hasn't hit here as hard as it has other places. Between the military, college, tourists, and retirees we've done a lot better than many other places in the country. It's so sad that all of these places that have such charming, unique shops/restaurants are having to close their doors .

 

[rottiemom]

Another small bump in the trip...the hotel that we're staying at only had rooms with 1 queen (as opposed to 2 doubles) available. They can bring in a roll away (for additional $). The hotel that I was originally planning to stay at does not in fact take pets, in spite of what it says on hotels.com.
I always call to check on the pet thing, since we have a rottie, as sometimes only "small" pets are allowed ("but she's small for a rottweiler!"). Hopefully when we check in there'll be a room with 2 beds that we can have as I think a roll away + large cabana crate might make things pretty crowded (hey, it'll be like being back at POP !)

But the rooms are booked, park tickets are next & we are DEFINITELY going! Of course today the maintenance light comes on in my car . No problem, we can always take my husband's pickup truck. Nothing like cramming 3 people + dog into an extended cab S10 .

I have been researching like mad and have found some great food related info on the chowhound & roadfood forums (important stuff since there's no free dining in Williamsburg ) and many of the places suggested on this thread have been mentioned there with the addition of Hog Wild Smokehouse in Toano , VA which does Cajun cuisine in addition to BBQ!

(BTW, I've noticed in previous years that the last couple of weeks in August are fairly uncrowded at BG. I guess because it seems like more and more schools are going back into session at the beginning/middle of August around the country).

I'm keeping my fingers crossed for low crowds but our main 2 park days will be Saturday & Sunday. Look, I'll take what we can get. Planning this vacation has helped to get me up & over a huge slump so if there are crowds, I'll deal . Still, I'm relived that we're going at a traditionally slow time...and not having to worry about hurricaines while we do it .

 

[Favorite Auntie]

Does anyone buy the $10 refillable mug at CW? Is it worth it? Are there enough places to fill it so you don't have to go and search for them?

 

[rottiemom]

Does anyone buy the $10 refillable mug at CW? Is it worth it? Are there enough places to fill it so you don't have to go and search for them?

In post #50 MouseSkywalker links to his TR and I know that he discusses the CW refillable mugs (with pics, including where they can be re-filled and with what).
Though you may be gone already, Favorite Auntie! I hope that you have a great time & let us (me) know how it was.

Oh, one other thing...if anybody is still reading this . Are there any liquor stores in the area? In our BC (before child) travels my husband & I noticed that the liquor stores in the south tended to carry things that you never saw up north, in addition to an amazing selection of bourbons.

Hey, it IS a college town, right ?

 

[suevee]

Here is a youtube of our family at Sesame Street Breakfast at Busch Gardens.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6g8GRc3-ohQ

We had fun, but a few caveats.

1. Don't expect the food to be any good, it is worst than a cold McDonalds hash brown.

2. Don't expect the dinnerware to be any better than McDonald's, plastic all the way.

3. Don't drink the juice...

4. Don't expect to be assigned a table. We were told to take any one we wanted.

5. Don't expect an orderly check-in

6. Make sure you get good directions on how to get into the park for the breakfast.

7. Plan to eat somewhere else when exiting.

The characters were great though. There were only about 30 people there, 9 were our family. So I don't know how the character inter action would be with a larger crowd.

 

[rottiemom]

Here is a youtube of our family at Sesame Street Breakfast at Busch Gardens.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6g8GRc3-ohQ

We had fun, but a few caveats.

1. Don't expect the food to be any good, it is worst than a cold McDonalds hash brown.

2. Don't expect the dinnerware to be any better than McDonald's, plastic all the way.

3. Don't drink the juice...

4. Don't expect to be assigned a table. We were told to take any one we wanted.

5. Don't expect an orderly check-in

6. Make sure you get good directions on how to get into the park for the breakfast.

7. Plan to eat somewhere else when exiting.

The characters were great though. There were only about 30 people there, 9 were our family. So I don't know how the character inter action would be with a larger crowd.

This post cracked me up! The things that we do for our kids...