tell me about Williamsburg, Va

[Happiest mommy]

Hi all well our Disney trip for this year has been canceled until next year , so we are planning a short budget friendly driving trip maybe 6-7 hrs from NYC I have never been to Williamsburg, Va I know Busch Gardens is there what type of park is this kid friendly? what else would be good for us to do/see 2 adults 2 kids 6 and 2yrs old?, any sugestions on where to stay (area) would be great, all sugestions much appreciated thanks!

 

[rapunzels]

You didn't post when you would be going but Water Country USA is a water park, that my family went to last year and had GREAT fun. We'll be going again this summer.

It's for sure not budget friendly, but Great Wolf Lodge is VERY kid friendly.

 

[Happiest mommy]

sorry forgot to mention we would be going in the summer

 

[North of Mouse]

Colonial Williamsburg is a very interesting historical old town with restored homes, businesses, government buildings, and lots of shops and restaurants from that time period. It may not be suitable for your children's age group and is lots of walking and can be hot and humid in summer, but it is a great place.

 

[kirstenb1]

We have season passes to both Busch and Water Country. Both parks have a wide variety of rides/shows for all ages. I think there's a combo pass that will be cheaper than paying separately at each park.

If you're a shopper the Prime Outlets are pretty decent. I can't help with hotels, since we've never stayed overnight.

There's Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown/Yorktown, but your kids may be a little young for that.

 

[100AcreWood]

We also have season passes. It is super kid friendly! My kids are 9, 5 and 3. There is plenty for everyone to do. Sesame Place is a favorite for the 3 year old. There are lots of sesame characters hanging out there and rides for little ones. When you enter the park, they have a station set up to measure the heights of your kids (optional). They can give them a wrist band that prevents them from being checked the remainder of the day. They also give you a list of which rides they can ride. They also have a land of dragons which is fun for the little kids. Not to mention the carousel and rides for little kids in the Italy section. Everything is very clean.

They have a deal running right now on their site to buy a single day ticket that is good for the whole summer. I think it's around $66 and they call it a fun card. I normally just drive and return the same day but I've heard good things about the Comfort Suites on Bypass Road.

 

[got2sammies]

There are plenty places to stay.. Sorry I live about 45min from there so we dont stay overnight but BG is great. Your little one will love the Sesame Street play area and both will enjoy the land of the dragons..both have ride that they consider "Kidsiderate" If you have an iphone download the the free bg app. There is a map and all kinds of neat stuff (even a car finder that worked great!)There will be some rides you all can ride (Log Flume and maybe Roman Rapids) but go online and look at the map and height requirements. In the summer they have some concerts and nightime fireworkds called Illuminights. Just be prepared for a lot of hills walking!

 

[mickeytattoo95]

We just went last summer with our two kids - ages 7 & 9 at the time. We read all of the American Girl "Felicity" books in the months leading up to the trip. We even watched the movie. We also read "The Colonial Caper Mystery at Williamsburg" by Carole Marsh. I think these things got us into the spirit of the town. (You can probably find them all at your library)

We bought the combo tickets off of the Williamsburg website to do Colonial Williamsburg, BG & Water Country for the entire time we were there. Prices were great. We had a great time at Water Country. It was really clean, but very few food options. Bring snacks and wear water shoes. Our feet were burning climbing and walking all those routes to the water slides. There are a lot of fun things to do for the smaller kids too!

We stayed at Governor's Green Wyndham resort. I always book those through Ken Price. http://vacationupgrades.com/resorts.html It was very nice. Pool was great and they had all kinds of free family activities including mini golf.

Have fun! It was one of my family's favorite non-Disney trips.

 

[Zim]

We go there all the time, but I have relatives in Richmond, so we only stay the night when we splurge for a single night at Great Wolf lodge which is an exit up from Busch Gardens.

Busch Gardens itself is great for little kids. Not only do they have Sesame Place, but they also have a kiddie area in Ireland with a Dragon theme and lots of water areas there for the kids to play in during the hot summer.

We've never been to Wet n Wild, Busch Garden's water park, but I've heard great things about it. We got annual passes through Sesame Place in October. If you're driving down, I'd suggest checking out the actual Sesame Place in Langhorne, PA on the way down. It's ONLY for the little ones, it's really a cute little park, and if you feels it's close enough for more frequent visits, get their annual Grover Pass (which is 25% off at $157 until March 1st). It will allow you to also get into Busch Gardens and Wet n Wild under that same pass. Sad that your Disney trip is cancelled, as it also gets you into Aquatica and Sea World!

I was telling someone on another thread, there is also a great zoo they'd enjoy called the Metro Zoo in Richmond. And if you go a little further down Rt 64, you'll be in Newport News, where they have a cute children's museum, butterfly gardens and some waterfront areas. I'm sure there are good accommodations all around that area.

Hope this is helpful!

 

[Belle5]

I dearly love Colonial Williamsburg and the Williamsburg area!! May I recommend that you make your way over to Tripadvisor, from there find Williamsburg "forums" and from there use the "search" feature to search old "trip reports" and other questions you may have. The local experts on the forums will help you plan a perfect trip geared to your family and your interests. I have posted very detailed trip reports over there from June of 2009 where we went to Water Country, Busch Gardens, Historic Jamestowne, Jamestown, Yorktown and Colonial Williamsburg. Three months ago I went back to Williamsburg and posted another report where we explored CW in much more depth and also spent some time at Historic Jamestowne. Both times, the experts from the Williamsburg forums helped me plan totally awesome trips!

 

[jjohnson]

Last year we could only do a budget vacation too & choose Williamsburg. We stayed at the Embassy Suites which was great with the full breakfast + apps &
alcoholic drinks from 5-8 included.

weeks in August are $119 per night use corporate code 0560041604