Williamsburg for the weekend - budget activities?

[gillenkl]

I bought a groupon to Powhatan in Williamsburg and we're using for a weekend in November. We may or may not do the historical tours. If not, can anyone tell me some other budget and kid friendly activities to do. Can you watch the movie in the visitor center without a "pass"? Can you take the shuttles from the visitor center into the colonial district to walk around without a "pass"? Do you have any favorite places to eat? We have done the historic taverns before so we won't do those this time.

 

[leslie826]

I'm not sure about the movie, but you can walk around merchant's square and see some of the houses, horses, etc. There's a peanut shop there that has free samples set out of lots of their products! Our favorite places to eat are Pierce's bbq, Peking Mongolian grill, and Food for Thought. Enjoy!

 

[got2sammies]

Hi
I am not sure about the colonial williamsburg part (haven't been in a looong time) BUT for free you can visit the Yankee Candle Factory. It's HUGE! There inside you can look at candle being made (kids can make their own for a price) it snow inside the Christmas village: http://www.yankeecandle.com/about-yankee-candle/visit-our-flagship-store/williamsburg-events/

If you are visiting after thanksgiving Busch Gardens does ChristmasTown fpr $20 per person. Some ride are open but the park is absolutely beautiful decked out or Christmas

 

[eduk8r26]

You can tour Colonial Williamsburg itself without a pass. Many of the buildings will require a pass to go inside. And I don't think you need a pass to see the movie in the Visitors' Center.

 

[nancycg56]

I don't think you need a pass to see the movie either. The Yankee Candle store is fun ~ we drive up every so often.

We like to grab a sandwich at The Cheese Shop in Merchant's Square ~ one of my favorite places to eat. We also like to grab a snack at the Raleigh Tavern Bakery in the historic area ~ no pass needed.

 

[Swimalie]

You have to have a pass to ride the shuttle. They will check for that.

 

[Epaima]

I'm pretty sure that you have to pay to use the shuttle, unfortunately. I definitely recommend just walking around Colonial Williamsburg; you only have to buy a pass if you want to go inside a building. If you want to do a tour, I suggest doing a ghost tour!

As for places to eat, I enjoy eating at Aroma's on Prince George Street. It is a coffee shop but also has really good food. Sal's by Victor has good Italian food for a reasonable price. The Cheese Shop has good sandwiches as well, but if you are looking for a snack, they have something called bread ends, which are just the ends of the fresh loaves of bread they use in sandwich making and sell for only one dollar! Just ask for some house dressing and you have an easy snack for about 5 or 6 people. There are also the many pancake houses along Richmond Road that are good for breakfast.

 

[soonerfan2008]

Grab lunch at The Cheese Shop in Merchant's Square (the bread ends and house spread are AMAZING), and then carry your meal down to the Govenor's Mansion to eat on the giant lawn area. We lived there for 3 years and had Good Neighbor passes, but never had anyone ask at that point--it is just on the outskirts of the Colonial area. Yorktown has a lovely *free* beach that is perfect for a short stroll or lounging on the sand. There is a great little local shop that sells chocolates and crepes in New Town. Also, wander around the College of William and Mary. The Sunken Gardens are a nice place to play, and you can explore Wren Hall for free.

ETA: Aromas is decent, but always packed. The hot dog place next door is good--great fries. All the locals avoided the pancake houses like the plague (terrible service, gut rot food and WAY overpriced). Also, you absolutely need a pass, even to walk up and down the streets of Colonial Williamsburg. Typically, once you are down near the first tavern, they will check. Passes ARE NOT just for going into buildings. The Williamsburg Winery is good, and very romantic under the pergola for dinner.

 

[MichelleinMaine]

We very much preferred the Yorktown and Jamestown settlement over Colonial Williamsburg. VERY hands on for the kids- they can dress up, scrape deer hides, go on the boats and in the army tents... A combo ticket is $20 for an adult (or you can do one or the other depending on time- Yorktown is cheaper.)

 

[RooRach0906]

I love the coffee shop in colonial Williamsburg and November would be a great time for it. You just pay for what you order and do not need a pass but it is basically drinks and sweet.
At the beginning of this summer a restaurant called Jungle Jim's opened right in front of Great Wolf Lodge and it is so yummy and a very fun atmosphere! They have a website.

 

[POOHsie]

Colonial Williamsburg itself is very interesting to kids. It was a favorite of mine growing up, my DD loved it when she was growing up. Plenty to see just walking around. I don't think the shuttle is free, but the visitor center there is. You can walk around everywhere, it's just to tour some of the buildings that you need a pass, like the Governor's Palace, for instance. The Palace has the garden maze in the back, but you can't enter there without admission to the building. I always remember loving the maze when I was a kid.

PP mentioned Jamestown, and I would agree with this, too, for kids' interaction. Lots there that will leave a big impression. That would require an admission ticket, I don't think you could just walk around.

Here's a website with ticket prices for CW, Yorktown, Jamestown, Christmas-time, etc. http://www.colonialwilliamsburg.com/visit/planYourVisit/Ticketplans/index.cfm

 

[Andrea from PA]

Some things we've done over the years without a Day Admission ticket:

"Special Event" evening tours - Family Ghost tour, family pirate tour, dance, most are 7-15/adult; half that price for kids.

Crystal Concert at Kimball Theater at Merchant Square - Dean really gets the kids into it with hands on things -- This doesn't run everyday, so check his website.

Yankee Candle store - as others said it is very cool.

Your condo may also have some things to do. I haven't stayed there, but I am familiar with the Wyndham resorts. Kings Creek always has little activities, some free, others cheap.

EDIT -- Admissions Passes are ONLY needed to walk a portion of the street near the Capitol during the late afternoon in season. This is because a "moving play" occurs for an hour.

 

[Belle5]

We love, love, love Historic Jamestowne (not to be confused with Jamestown Settlement). I think it's pretty inexpensive! We could stay for hours and watch what is being pulled out of the archeological dig site! While we were there they pulled out a pistol! Then you go over to the archearium (sp) to see where their finds are housed plus much more! They now serve the food from the Carrot Tree at the Dale House for when you get hungry. Don't miss the glass blowing.

Regular Admission:
Adults $10
Ages 15 and under Free

Make sure you find your way to Handel's Ice Cream. We combine that with a visit to Yankee Candle.

We adore Colonial Williamsburg, but if you are on a tight budget you can just enjoy walking the streets and gift shops (don't go near the 3-5 o'clock time frame when Revolutionary City is being dramatized in the streets or you will need a ticket.

 

[Belle5]

One more thing you might enjoy as a "freebie"...You and your car can ride across the James River (lovely trip) on the Jamestown-Scotland Ferry for no cost. If you would like to pay for dinner the Surrey House restaurant is 3-4 miles on the other side with southern food (without the historic area prices) and you can try things like peanut soup and peanut raisin pie.

 

[Pixiedust34]

I'm not sure about the movie, but you can walk around merchant's square and see some of the houses, horses, etc. There's a peanut shop there that has free samples set out of lots of their products! Our favorite places to eat are Pierce's bbq, Peking Mongolian grill, and Food for Thought. Enjoy!

We LOVE Pierce's BBQ!! It's a must do for us when we go to Williamsburg. It's yummy, and budget friendly. We tried Food For Thought in April and enjoyed that place, too.

Grab lunch at The Cheese Shop in Merchant's Square (the bread ends and house spread are AMAZING), and then carry your meal down to the Govenor's Mansion to eat on the giant lawn area. We lived there for 3 years and had Good Neighbor passes, but never had anyone ask at that point--it is just on the outskirts of the Colonial area. Yorktown has a lovely *free* beach that is perfect for a short stroll or lounging on the sand. There is a great little local shop that sells chocolates and crepes in New Town. Also, wander around the College of William and Mary. The Sunken Gardens are a nice place to play, and you can explore Wren Hall for free.

ETA: Aromas is decent, but always packed. The hot dog place next door is good--great fries. All the locals avoided the pancake houses like the plague (terrible service, gut rot food and WAY overpriced). Also, you absolutely need a pass, even to walk up and down the streets of Colonial Williamsburg. Typically, once you are down near the first tavern, they will check. Passes ARE NOT just for going into buildings. The Williamsburg Winery is good, and very romantic under the pergola for dinner.

Yes--the Cheese Shop is good! They have some unique sodas (celery soda, etc.) to buy and the kids think that is fun.

With a teacher discount, we bought annual passes in April. That was less expensive than buying a weekend pass! We're planning to go again sometime before they expire, probably during spring break. We stayed at the Comfort Suites and were pleased with it so we'll probably stay there again. Williamsburg is a nice place to visit.

 

[Swimalie]

We love, love, love Historic Jamestowne (not to be confused with Jamestown Settlement). I think it's pretty inexpensive! We could stay for hours and watch what is being pulled out of the archeological dig site! While we were there they pulled out a pistol! Then you go over to the archearium (sp) to see where their finds are housed plus much more! They now serve the food from the Carrot Tree at the Dale House for when you get hungry. Don't miss the glass blowing.

Unless there is a 2nd one I don't know about, the Carrot Tree restaurant is in Yorktown. We were just there in Aug and had a great meal.

 

[Belle5]

Unless there is a 2nd one I don't know about, the Carrot Tree restaurant is in Yorktown. We were just there in Aug and had a great meal.

Yes, there is now a second location. However, it is a smaller counter service version of the food offered at the regular restaurant.

http://historicjamestowne.org/visit/dale_house.php

 

[Swimalie]

Yes, there is now a second location. However, it is a smaller counter service version of the food offered at the regular restaurant.

http://historicjamestowne.org/visit/dale_house.php

Oh, okay. We were there in Aug and didn't see that at all.

 

[distherapy]

Grab lunch at The Cheese Shop in Merchant's Square (the bread ends and house spread are AMAZING), and then carry your meal down to the Govenor's Mansion to eat on the giant lawn area. We lived there for 3 years and had Good Neighbor passes, but never had anyone ask at that point--it is just on the outskirts of the Colonial area. Yorktown has a lovely *free* beach that is perfect for a short stroll or lounging on the sand. There is a great little local shop that sells chocolates and crepes in New Town. Also, wander around the College of William and Mary. The Sunken Gardens are a nice place to play, and you can explore Wren Hall for free.

ETA: Aromas is decent, but always packed. The hot dog place next door is good--great fries. All the locals avoided the pancake houses like the plague (terrible service, gut rot food and WAY overpriced). Also, you absolutely need a pass, even to walk up and down the streets of Colonial Williamsburg. Typically, once you are down near the first tavern, they will check. Passes ARE NOT just for going into buildings. The Williamsburg Winery is good, and very romantic under the pergola for dinner.

While I agree with most of the recommendations, I had to jump in and correct. I grew up near there, my father worked there as a blacksmith, I went to college there and was just there last week and walked all of the streets, so I am confident that my information is current. You absolutely do NOT need a pass to walk around. You also don't need a pass to go in to the colonial stores (why turn away shoppers?) and the garden/garden shop. You will need a pass to enter any of the colonial buildings with interpreters. You'll see the interpreters sitting outside watching for passes on people to enter.

Do visit the College. The Wren Building is the center building on campus as you look from Colonial Williamsburg. It's the oldest college building in the U.S.

http://www.wm.edu/about/history/historiccampus/wrenbuilding/

Ack - Sorry - I just saw others had made the correction about the passes, and included the important info about the moving play. Enjoy!

 

[soonerfan2008]

While I agree with most of the recommendations, I had to jump in and correct. I grew up near there, my father worked there as a blacksmith, I went to college there and was just there last week and walked all of the streets, so I am confident that my information is current. You absolutely do NOT need a pass to walk around. You also don't need a pass to go in to the colonial stores (why turn away shoppers?) and the garden/garden shop. You will need a pass to enter any of the colonial buildings with interpreters. You'll see the interpreters sitting outside watching for passes on people to enter.

Do visit the College. The Wren Building is the center building on campus as you look from Colonial Williamsburg. It's the oldest college building in the U.S.

http://www.wm.edu/about/history/historiccampus/wrenbuilding/

Ack - Sorry - I just saw others had made the correction about the passes, and included the important info about the moving play. Enjoy!

If there are any outdoor events in the area, you will NOT be allowed anywhere in the vicinity without a pass. We personally, just last year, witnessed people being asked for their passes just before the fife and drum corps was scheduled to perform near the Governor's Mansion. Your list of credentials is nice, but my personal experience is different.