Why Not Just Queue Up Another Disney Trip? Link to New TR 6/24 p136!

[MEK]

I had no idea people actually lived in the historic part of Williamsburg. I would love to go there someday.

Oops Sorry! I almost didn't see this! Doh! I think that sign said something like 80 residences. I should go back and look at it again. We definitely passed some residences when we walked down Duke of Gloucester St. But that one house I posted was just fabulous! The others I saw were much more humble.

Ooo, I can't wait to see your VA Beach pictures. We have contemplated going there several times but Myrtle Beach always wins out.

VA Beach was quite nice. It had such a nice boardwalk set up. I promise to post those soon. Like this week soon!

I've never been to Myrtle Beach, but I have to say that I absolutely LOVED HHI. It was not touristy at all (at least off season) and staying at a Disney resort in such a pretty place was really a bonus!

 

[eandesmom]

Welcome back! I'm glad you had such a great trip and loved the wrap up on Williamsburg. I would absolutely love to go there someday. I imagine if you choose to have a house there, you expect tourists!

Gorgeous gorgeous pictures as always!

 

[manntra]

Williamsburg looks absolutely beautiful....love the Colonial area and would imagine it would be very interesting and fun to tour. Also interesting are the houses against the property....I wasn't aware of that.

Wow....walking back through time What a perspective. Really makes you think, doesn't it?

Tracy

 

[TanzUnited99]

Oh no on having to wait for HHI but great pics of Williamsburg! I love the hidden MEK pics!

The movie looks interesting. I love the walk back in time facts and the photos of the horse drawn carriage.

 

[Wicket's Mom]

I love pictures of Williamsburg! A lot of those private residences are places that are lodging for tourists. They are owned by Colonial Williamsburg & we stayed in one on Frances St & the Market Square Tavern on DOG Street. The one on Frances St. had a really nice semi formal garden in the back yard. We had the entire house to ourselves.

It's nice staying on DOG St, except you are woken at 6:30am by the beer trucks & the sounds of the Palace Green being mowed!

BTW, the building that you didn't know was the Capitol.

Anxiously awaiting HH. I'm getting ideas for next year!

 

[dawnbu40]

Your Williamsburg pictures are beautiful I haven't been there since I was a kid and now I'm convinced I need to go back!

 

[DisMomAmy]

I can't wait to visit Colonial Williamsburg someday!!

 

[Captain_Oblivious]

I really need to get my family down to Williamsburg sometime. I haven't been there since I was a toddler, and I don't really remember it. My parents inform me that they actually had to remove me from the tours because I would point to the candles in every room and shout, "Fire! Fire! Fire!"

Your pictures are terrific. I thought the "going back in time" markers were really interesting and very cool. Looks like a really special place.

Looking forward to hearing about HHI!

 

[mickeystoontown]

How did I not notice that you had this report going? I'm going back to the very beginning to see what I have missed.

 

[MEK]

Welcome back! I'm glad you had such a great trip and loved the wrap up on Williamsburg. I would absolutely love to go there someday. I imagine if you choose to have a house there, you expect tourists!

Well, when we house swap or you come to visit me, we should go there! I am looking forward to going back again next summer, even if its just another quick trip.

I always wonder about the people who have inherited the houses. I guess they take the good with the bad.

Gorgeous gorgeous pictures as always!

Thank you!

Williamsburg looks absolutely beautiful....love the Colonial area and would imagine it would be very interesting and fun to tour. Also interesting are the houses against the property....I wasn't aware of that.

I am looking forward to going back and actually doing the house tours instead of just a quick walk through. That will be the first thing on my list the next time I go back! It is pretty cool that people can own house right in the historic district. I guess its good because the home owners are responsible for their own up keep. No swimming pools in that neighborhood.

Wow....walking back through time What a perspective. Really makes you think, doesn't it?

Tracy

I did enjoy that. I guess they will have to wait until they do the next remodel before they add something about iphones!

Oh no on having to wait for HHI but great pics of Williamsburg! I love the hidden MEK pics!

Sorry. Yes - one more update with VA Beach pictures, but hopefully I will segway right into Hilton Head. Glad you like the hidden MEK pictures!

The movie looks interesting. I love the walk back in time facts and the photos of the horse drawn carriage.

They really so their best to perserve the historical integrity of the colonial district. I can't believe that film was first made in 1957. And the back in time facts are really insightful. I would have loved to explore by horse drawn carriage. Maybe next time!

I love pictures of Williamsburg! A lot of those private residences are places that are lodging for tourists. They are owned by Colonial Williamsburg & we stayed in one on Frances St & the Market Square Tavern on DOG Street. The one on Frances St. had a really nice semi formal garden in the back yard. We had the entire house to ourselves.

I did not know that. How do you find out about staying in a private residence. I would love to do something like that for a night or two. I've done a lot of internet searching on Williamsburg, but I never came across anything about staying in the private residences. I was probably looking in the wrong place.

It's nice staying on DOG St, except you are woken at 6:30am by the beer trucks & the sounds of the Palace Green being mowed!

Oh NO! I guess they have to get those things taken care of early before the guests arrive. Sort of like Disney world!

:

BTW, the building that you didn't know was the Capitol.

I knew you would know. Thanks!

Anxiously awaiting HH. I'm getting ideas for next year!

All I can say right now is it was FABULOUS! I can't imagine anyone not liking it!

Your Williamsburg pictures are beautiful I haven't been there since I was a kid and now I'm convinced I need to go back!

Thanks! Yes - you need to head east for a visit and when I am done posting about my HHI trip you will want to go there too. Road trip!!!!! Woot!

I can't wait to visit Colonial Williamsburg someday!!

I hope you get a chance to visit. I guess if you ever drive to Florida (which you probably never will since you are the SWA master) you could always do a side trip. It is a cool place with a ton to do.

I really need to get my family down to Williamsburg sometime. I haven't been there since I was a toddler, and I don't really remember it. My parents inform me that they actually had to remove me from the tours because I would point to the candles in every room and shout, "Fire! Fire! Fire!"

That's pretty funny. Blocked that memory out, didn't you? I do think Williamsburg is a great family trip and it really is an easy drive from where we live. If you leave first thing in the morning you can easily get there by lunch or early afternoon. It's also fun to go the "slow" route like I did so the kids can stop on the bay bridge tunnel and go out on the pier (which we did not do this trip).

Your pictures are terrific. I thought the "going back in time" markers were really interesting and very cool. Looks like a really special place.

thanks!

I know I said this before, but the Visitor Center and all the exhibits there and at the surrounding places were all top notch. It is a really cool place and I can't wait to go back. I loved those markers.

 

[MEK]

How did I not notice that you had this report going? I'm going back to the very beginning to see what I have missed.

Lisa! Thanks for joining in! Hopefully you will like reading about Williamsburg, but, if not, my HHI adventures are just around the corner!

 

[mickeystoontown]

Lisa! Thanks for joining in! Hopefully you will like reading about Williamsburg, but, if not, my HHI adventures are just around the corner!

Thanks to your handy dandy links, I am now all caught up. Of course, I liked reading about Williamsburg. All of your pictures are great, even the ones from your phone. I know one thing that I definitely wanted to comment on....the orb! I choose to think it IS a "real" orb. I don't know if you remember or not but the office I work in is inhabited by quite a few ghosts/spirits and they are constantly playing tricks on me.

 

[MEK]

Thanks to your handy dandy links, I am now all caught up. Of course, I liked reading about Williamsburg. All of your pictures are great, even the ones from your phone. I know one thing that I definitely wanted to comment on....the orb! I choose to think it IS a "real" orb. I don't know if you remember or not but the office I work in is inhabited by quite a few ghosts/spirits and they are constantly playing tricks on me.

Glad you got all caught up and I am happy that you agree that is an orb. I tried to capture more orbs in Savannah, but to no avail. So cool that your office has its own personal spirits. I am pretty fascinated by the paranormal. I swear that I once had a ghost visit the apartment I lived in before I got married. He turned up the heat when I left for work one time. It was definitely weird.

 

[brookelizabeth]

Finally caught up! I enjoyed every update of your Willamsburg trip, what a beautiful place. And I'm putting it on The Travel List, which keeps getting longer and longer!

 

[mickeysmyboy]

Love the Williamsburg pics!! Love the new hidden mek!! Although, it's also a hidden Denny's behind!

That walk back in time is really neat! Can't wait to see and hear about vb!! I've contemplated going there so many times!!!

 

[MEK]

Finally caught up! I enjoyed every update of your Willamsburg trip, what a beautiful place. And I'm putting it on The Travel List, which keeps getting longer and longer!

Thanks! And...tell me about it! My travel list is multiplying. I tried to sketch out a two week driving trip for Denny and I (once Nick leaves for school) and with all the places I want to visit it needs to be 3 weeks!

Love the Williamsburg pics!! Love the new hidden mek!! Although, it's also a hidden Denny's behind!

Yeah - I noticed that too. Darn Denny, ruining my pic!

That walk back in time is really neat! Can't wait to see and hear about vb!! I've contemplated going there so many times!!!

The walk back in time was very cool. I really enjoyed that path!

My VA Beach pictures are ready to go and I hope to post them tonight. Unfortunately, we did not get to spend as much time there as I would have liked, but what we saw was lovely. The beach is very ride and the boardwalk is great because it has one side for walking and one side for riding bikes. Very smart!

 

[Queenofallthings]

With those pictures I felt like I was right there with you! I love that time period....I think that's why Liberty Square is my favorite part of the MK!

When Jasmine and I plan our trip down east we'll have to include this!! There is nothing I love more than history and when they have the actors that are in period costumes it just makes it seem so real....I love it!

We have a fort just north of the city that is very similar....and we take any visitors that come to see us there....it never gets old to me!!

 

[KatMark]

Phew.....I wasn't too far behind (I was afraid I'd missed the beginning of HHI).

I loved your Williamsburg update; it truly is beautiful there and I love that history period. If I could just get myself to stop going to Disney, we could do a driving trip to Williamsburg.

 

[MEK]

With those pictures I felt like I was right there with you! I love that time period....I think that's why Liberty Square is my favorite part of the MK!

They sure are similar, aren't they? The colonial period is very interesting and the buildings are so fascinated, especially after they have been restored.

When Jasmine and I plan our trip down east we'll have to include this!! There is nothing I love more than history and when they have the actors that are in period costumes it just makes it seem so real....I love it!

You are both going to need a nice long vacation because there really is a lot to see and do along the East Coast. If you go to W-burg, I'm going with you!

We have a fort just north of the city that is very similar....and we take any visitors that come to see us there....it never gets old to me!!

I agree - that type of thing never gets old for me either. There is a historic town about 5 miles from my house. I love going there to look at the houses and walk around the streets. It's like going to another time. And its so great that they have preserved that area.

Phew.....I wasn't too far behind (I was afraid I'd missed the beginning of HHI).

I loved your Williamsburg update; it truly is beautiful there and I love that history period. If I could just get myself to stop going to Disney, we could do a driving trip to Williamsburg.

I really want to get to HHI tonight, but I feel myself fading fast and I still have to write about Virginia Beach. No worries though, I am going to plug away at it. You know - after my trip to HHI I realize that it is good to take a break or alternative trip to Disney. You look at everything differently and it really makes you appreciate both places more.

 

[MEK]

Final thoughts on Williamsburg……. Well, I think you can tell from my TR that I absolutely adored my short trip to W-Burg. It was my third visit there (the first a 2 nighter in 1989, the second with the kids in 02 or 03) and it was by far my favorite. One could easily spend a week in this place. Between Yorktown, Jamestown, the colonial district, and Busch Garden’s theme park and WP….Well, you get the picture. Plus there are also some miscellaneous plantations/houses available for touring and a quick trip to Portsmouth would not be out of the question. And don’t forget about Hampton and Norfolk. And VA Beach is literally right around the corner. Williamsburg truly is a one stop vacation destination. I hope that Denny and I can swing a quick trip back there either late August or early September of next year.

Another nice feature of Williamsburg is the immense variety of lodging choices. There are so many places to choose from and I am glad that we selected a time share arrangement for this trip. On our last trip we stayed at the Woodlands Hotel, which is one of the more economy hotels that are considered part of colonial Williamsburg. I enjoyed this hotel because of its close proximity to the Visitor’s Center and the colonial district. On that vacation I ran into the colonial district every morning and I never had the cross the path of a motor vehicle.

I would love to stay at the Williamsburg Inn one night for a special treat. But for this vacation the time share worked great because I like the whole “resort” feel. Plus the price was a no brainer.
One thing I couldn’t help but wish for was a DVC resort at Williamsburg. As some have suggested, its already been considered. I can understand why it might not be feasible for a couple reasons: (1) Although W-burg is clearly a year round destination, it is NOT a warm weather destination. People choose Disney resorts, in part, because of the warm weather. (2) The theme park is owned by Busch. Wouldn’t that be a conflict of interests? Still, I wish Disney would open a DVC in the mid atlantic region. There is nothing like vacationing with the Disney touch, as you will soon see when I write about HHI.

One last aside, I have found that throwing around the DVC name can have its advantages. A rep from the Powhatan Resort called us with the intention of sending us to their concierge, which is another word form time share presentation. I politely told her that we already belonged to the Disney Vacation Club and we had not interest in purchasing an additional time share. That shut her right down. The reps get it. They know it’s the gold standard for time shares and they can’t compete. We had a similar conversation with a gentleman we met in VA Beach.

So moving on to VA beach…… I think we left colonial W-burg sometime after 1pm. I had packed lunch again, so it was in the cooler waiting for us in the car. After eating I took a quick snooze and woke up in VA Beach. We weren’t really sure where to park, but opted for a parking meeting. We through 2.5 hours worth of quarters at the bad boy and took off towards the beach.

Here is what greeted us

I was so glad we decided to see VA Beach up close. The first thing that I notice was how the boardwalk was divided into a walking side and a “riding” side. How smart to keep the bicycles away from the walkers.

I also noticed how wide the beach was.

Look at the eyes of the girl behind the cart!

Here's the coast guard museum

While I was taking pictures of the giant slide a gentleman came by and commented on my “nice” camera. It was just another ploy to strike up a conversation. He worked in the topic that he sold a timeshare. Again, we used the DVC line and he backed off. Despite the fact that he was obviously networking, he was genuinely a nice man and we enjoyed talking kids and college and sports and vacations. Unfortunately, we probably spend 30 minutes yaking it up, time that could have been spent walking. Oh well. No worries.

Check out this size of this slide

One thing we couldn't help notice is how the weren't millions of gift shops lining the boardwalk. There were only a hand full of restaurants and lovely building facades.

I love these next two pictures. I don't know which one I like better, so I will post both.

I was going to show those to Denny, but he might make the blind squirrel getting the nut comment again.

There were also some nice signs along the boardwalk

Shop Dine Stay Play. That's my kind of motto

Up next is a rather iconic statue located along the boardwalk....

You gotta love that!

Check out the details

Hey Neptune - don't drop that turtle on me!

If you are interested in reading more about king neptune click here


Woo Now little fella

Continued........