Tips on Colonial Williamsburg????

[pixie3]

I have never been to Colonial Williamsburg and we are going at the end of September. (no children)

I was wondering if anyone had any tips or knew of any "must sees" or "must dos".

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Olaf]

there have been several threads on this topic. Just do a search.

 

[caitycaity]

search is disabled. (edited to add, wierd, now it seems to be working)

pixie3, i don't have any advice for you, but we're going in october (also with no kids) so i'm interested to hear anything too.

 

[BonnieA]

I lived in Williamsburg for 8 years so I got kind of used to it, old hat so to speak. I no longer live there but I will tell you a few things. First, Williamsburg is a very hard town to drive in. If you want to drive straight through on Rt 60, watch the road signs. You have to change lanes a lot. When going to Colonial Williamsburg, just follow signs to the Visitors center. Don't try see it without first stopping at the Visitor Center. There you will board buses which will save you a lot of grief and time looking for non existent parking. And it also really ticks off the residents when "tourists" drive down the streets at 5mph, gawking, stopping and otherwise making a nuisance out of themselves. You wouldn't believe some of the things I've seen tourists do, I just sit in my car and shake my head. Making U-turns and backing up down the street into oncoming traffic are just a few. You will see much more by parking and walking or taking the tours.
It's a very educational place but also fun. After you go in the exhibits, don't forget about the gardens in back of the homes. Unless it says do not enter, you have the run of the place if you have bought a ticket.
Here's another helpful hint. Observe the speed limits in other areas around town. For instance if you are going to do some shopping at the outlet malls. I hear they are really cracking down on speeders on Richmond Road.
I can give you a recommendation for a good italian restaurant if you'd like.

 

[Bob O]

I good thing to do is follow the schedule of events that they give you for the day. You can tour on your own at your own pace, but it is better to follow their schedule and listen to the narrators explain things and have the ability to ask questions and maybe get invovled in a couple of activities where they ask for guests like in the courthouse.

 

[Tulirose]

I remember the first stop we made was at Mr. Powell's house all the way on the other end of town, away from the more *important* buildings. *Mr. Powell* was holding court, so to speak, in his living room and talked of things going on in the world. If someone mentioned some 20th century subject (we went in 1995), he related it to something more appropriate to the time period he represented. I don't recall how he did it exactly but he had a knack for it alright. It was more than a knack, it was a talent and mingled with his knowledge of that era, he was very entertaining and informative.

Also, outside on the porch, there were several Oriental tourists who somehow got rooked into doing the bed changing, linens and mattresses airing out, etc. They were running around out there talking in Chinese and giggling the entire time. It was a great start to a great visit.

I hope you enjoy it as much as we did.