OT-Williamsburg vacation...tips/suggestions?

[njmomboys2]

Hi there...we are going to Williamsburg the week of spring break (April 13-17). We know our boys want to do Busch Gardens..they are 14 & 9...but how should we handle the historic attractions (Colonial Will., Jamestown, Yorktown).

Is there a ticket package to get? What about Busch..can we do it in one day? Other suggestions on things to go?

How long should we spend on historic attractions?

We got a great rate at Greensprings Vacation resort through Expedia.....anyone stay there?

 

[OceanAnnie]

Have you heard of President's Park? It is a neat place to spend a morning or afternoon. We enjoyed it. It's something to do while taking a break from the hustle and bustle of amusement parks and such.

Here's the website:

http://www.presidentspark.org/

 

[BosDub]

There is a ticket called the "Historic Triangle Ticket", which will get you admission to all of the attractions in Williamsburg, Yorktown and Jamestowne. I think this is the best value. Here is a link to the list of ticket options in the Williamsburg area. If the link does not work, go to gowilliamsburg.com

https://pats.whma.com/cgi-bin/GoWilliamsburg.pl

 

[distherapy]

The kids may enjoy eating in a tavern. http://www.history.org/visit/diningExperience/chownings/index.cfm
Although my favorite lunch in CW (Colonial Williamsburg) is The Cheese Shop in Merchant's Square.

With the age of your older child, the College of William and Mary would be fun to explore (it's adjacent to the Colonial area) and there are three delis where the college kids eat - (Paul's, College, and the Green leafe) on Scotland Street by the football stadium.

 

[BosDub]

Williamsburg is a great area. Your kids will love Busch Gardens!

The Historic attractions can take up alot of your time, if you want them to. Colonial Williamsburg is not do-able in one day, if you plan on seeing all of the Historic Buildings. Be sure to grab the "What's going on this Week" flyer at any of the Colonial Williamsburg ticket offices or the Visitor Center. We sometimes go to Colonial Williamsburg without even buying a ticket. You can stroll the streets, go into shops, and watch parades.

Yorktown and Jamestown each have 2 attractions. One is the National Park Service areas and the others are "re-enactment" type attractions. All are very good, but we prefer the National Park services sites as they are located at the original sites.

If you need more info, don't hesitate to ask. Williamsburg is one of our favorite destinations!

 

[BosDub]

Huzzah for the Cheese Shop!! Grab a sandwich and a cold beer and people watch out front while having lunch!

If you wanted to go to a tavern but didn't want to do the full blown meal thing, you could go to Chownings for Gambols. They have entertainment and tavern games, and you could just enjoy a cold beverage and some peanuts and appetizers.

 

[njmomboys2]

Thanks so much for the replys so far. We will arrive Monday afternoon and stay until Friday mid day...so that gives us 3 full days...1 day for Busch and 2 for historical attractions...plus we can also do something Friday AM before we leave...is that enough time?

 

[Janet Hill]

Busch Gardens can definately be done in one day, but your boys may want an extra day, if they are into roller coasters. You may want to check out ticket pricing on their website. If you plan on going to Florida soon, you may be able to get a multi park pass that includes SeaWorld, Aquatica and BG Tampa. Multi park tickets are the cheapest when purchased with Williamsburg as the home park. We have the season multi park tickets and with the frequency we go to Florida they have proven to be a good value for us.

Greensprings is a nice resort and is still relatively new. There is a golf course onsite, if you all are into that.

Everyone should ride the ferry. It's free and there aren't too many of these left. My kids enjoy it. They love to get out of the car and take in the scenery.

Enjoy your trip.

 

[BosDub]

Never enough time if you ask our family, but you'll have alot of fun in your time there!

 

[Janet Hill]

...is that enough time?

We go to Williamsburg multiple times per year (mostly weekend trips), and will be going this year for spring break. We have never run out of things to do in the area. There are also lots of museums in the Newport News/Virginia Beach area. Pick the activities that are of the most interest to your family.

 

[minniebeth]

3 1/2 days is exactly what we spent and found it was a good amount of time...We spent the first 1/2 day there exploring the area, shopping and walking the campus of William and Mary (BEAUTIFUL!)
We spent 1 full day at Busch Gardens, which was enough. We went on Easter, which was early, so it was chilly and crowds were really low so we got to do a lot. We really enjoyed it!
We spent 1 day doing Jamestown and Yorktown, splitting the day in half for each and then one full day in Colonial Williamsburg. For that we hit the main buildings, mainly the Governor's Palace ( my girls love American Girl books and HAD to see it) and then did Revolutionary City in the afternoon, which is a separate ticket but very cool!

I agree that the Historic Triangle Ticket would probably be the best value.
We got Busch Garden tickets with a AAA discount before we left home.

I agree with BosDub, and other pps who say Huzzah! for the Cheese Shop!
Wonderful! We also ate at several other of the historic restaurants, the food was ok, better for the experience...

You can spend a lot of time in Williamsburg and the surrounding area, we want to go back and do a lot more, but for the highlights, it sounds great.
Have fun!!

 

[Tickla]

What about going in December? We always take our trips then, & we LOVE history--our favorite place is Charleston, SC, but are thinking of Williamsburg. Is it a good place to go in winter? I have no idea about the weather there. Thanks for any help!

 

[TaraPA]

Another thumbs up for Chownings & The Cheese Shop! YUM!

My boys (11 & 8) and my niece & nephew (14 & 16) absolutely hated the historical things - I was so disappointed! We went to walk around Colonial Williamsburg for a 1/2 day before buying the 3-day passes, and I'm glad. We didn't even get to Yorktown & Jamestown, they were so adamant about not going. I'll have to go back with adults only to enjoy it! I didn't help that it was over the 4th of July & absolutely sweltering hot & humid. Even I was cranky about that. They did love Busch Gardens & VA Beach. The ladies loved the outlet shopping & the Yankee Candle flagship store.

We also stayed at Greensprings Plantation & the units were very nice. We had 2 connecting units (3 families went) so it was nice to have 2 full kitchens, 2 full living areas & 4 full baths. The men loved the golf. The kids loved the pool & the mini golf. You can buy a pass for your entire stay for unlimited mini golf. The mini golf course wasn't that great but the kids went over & over & over. Well worth it for us to buy the length-of-stay pass.