Williamsburg VA area

[Prose]

I looked into Skybus - wow! I wish Indianapolis would get some of these great discount airlines!!! Either Gary or Columbus might be an option for us to fly to Richmond.

ANother question on hotels -- DH has found great rates at either the Omni or Point Plaza in Newport News -- I don't know anything about the area. Would that be an ok place to stay, just to have a nice room to sleep in?

Are there places in VA Beach to change in or out of swimsuits, like beach houses, or are we stuck with the ladies room at the DQ?

Thanks!!!

 

[Trixiezzz]

Thanks OP for starting this thread. We've been looking into going to Williamsburg for the past several years, and hope to go either this May or next.

So can anyone tell me how hot and humid is it in May??

Our schools get out mid-May; I'm hoping it will be less crowded in VA since I believe school will not yet be out there. Is this right?

....I also booked their 7-4-1 flex pass (like the hopper pass) so we can hop between BG, WC, CW Jamestown and Yorktown for our whole trip.
$160.45 for adults and $121.95 for the 3 kids....

I tried to look up this "7-4-1 flex pass". Is this something that's only available when you book a hotel room, too? We may be staying in a timeshare, but I'd be very interested in this pass if I could get it.

Thanks!

 

[PiratesGirl]

We have never been but friends of ours love going to Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg. It has a huge 67,000 square-foot indoor waterpark, nine waterslides, six pools and a four-story treehouse waterfort. They have several suites to choose from including one with bunkbeds. DH and I stayed at Kingsmill resort in Williamsburg which was nice. They have tennis courts, bike trails, golf, spa, marina. A little on the expensive side though. There are a lot of hotels in VA Beach. We like to stay sort of at the end of the boardwalk. I'm not big on crowds. I have also been going there since I was a child so I prefer Myrtle Beach over VA Beach. My sister stayed at the Hilton last summer and said it was amazing. I'm sure that is one of the most expensive hotels though. We enjoyed the Sheraton many, many years ago. If you have time you can go see two lighthouses that are across the street from each other at Cape Henry. You can only go into one of them and it is located on a military base so your car will be searched. Also be advised military jets often fly over the beaches from Oceana. It can be quite loud. BTW, we live in Northern Virginia and DS doesn't get out of school until June 17th.

 

[welovedisneyx4]

Duck Inn restaurant closed last year or the year before. We were there this weekend and all that was left was the gazebo. We really hate not having Duck Inn to eat at. We had a hard time finding a decent seafood buffet and/or restaurant that didn't charge a fortune for a small amount of food. We have been to Captain Georges many times and feel that they are over priced.

We ate at a little restaurant near Duck Inn's old location called Charlies. It was o.k. but not really what we were looking for. We are used to all the restaurants in Myrtle Beach and there doesn't seem to be much like them in Va Beach. We looked at a couple of buffets and one was 26.00 and the other was 17.00. The 17.00 was a fine price, but there was so little on both of the buffets. We did eat lunch at the Raven and that was good as usual.

We toured Wmsburg on Thursday afternoon, did Busch Gardens on Friday and drove to Va Beach Saturday and came home Sunday. It was a nice little getaway. DS7 liked CW so much, I think we are going back for a week this summer. We upgraded our BG passes so we can go back unlimited times until Sept 1.

 

[ajk912]

Schools let out in the middle of June here in VA. BTW, for those flying into Richmond via Skybus...you may want to rent a car, it's about an hour to the outskirts of Williamsburg from the Richmond airport.

I love Busch Gardens, my kids- 8, 7 and 4 LOVE it there! Have heard great things about Great Wolf Lodge but have never stayed there, myself. BG gets very, very busy when school lets out here in June. VA Beach is very busy in the boardwalk area- the farther you get from there the less busy it is. I hear great things about the Va Beach Aquarium- never been, myself. The schools here in Richmond actually take the 5th graders all the way out there for field trips (and it's about a 2 hour drive from here!) It's that good.

BTW, my 7 year old dd is dying to go where "Felicity lives" (Colonial Williamsburg) but I am sure my 4 year old dd will be bored out of her skull and it make miserable for the rest of us. So we may wait until next year for that one! I remember going to Williamsburg as a kid, and I remember being bored out of my mind! Not sure if I am ready for that yet..begging or not! You can get the freedom pass there- not sure if it is VA residents or not- through AAA for $53 adults and $27 kids (just called today, in fact!) This is good all year. I believe kids under 6 are free- don't quote me on that, though.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

We had lots of fun in Williamsburg a couple of years ago. We stayed at a Days Inn in Historic Downtown Williamsburg and it was a nice inexpensive place at the time. We went in early June so it wasn't too hot yet.

We visited the original Jamestown National Park where an archeaological dig is going on - we want to go back and do this again.

We went to the Jamestown area with the 3 ships and recreated village and will never, ever do that again. Way too crowded and the crowds were rude. Someone shoved my DD to the ground to see inside one of the buildings while she was looking in.

We did Colonial Williamsburg for 2 days. It was a blast. Our kids learned the proper way to curtsy and bow and to address adults (DS didn't like that much since we made the kids do it for the rest of the trip. ). The Drummer and Fife Corp was really cool and it was fun threatening the kids with a stay in the stocks if they didn't behave. I really wanted to do one of the horse carriage rides but they were fully booked both days we were there.

We went to Busch Gardens and loved it. I'd go back in a flash.

Someday we'll go back to that area and do more. We were only there for 4 days and it just wasn't enough.

 

[suevee]

I looked into Skybus - wow! I wish Indianapolis would get some of these great discount airlines!!! Either Gary or Columbus might be an option for us to fly to Richmond.

ANother question on hotels -- DH has found great rates at either the Omni or Point Plaza in Newport News -- I don't know anything about the area. Would that be an ok place to stay, just to have a nice room to sleep in?

Are there places in VA Beach to change in or out of swimsuits, like beach houses, or are we stuck with the ladies room at the DQ?

Thanks!!!

IMHO, Newport News is to far from Williamsburg to enjoy day trips. It is closer to Norfolk and Yorktown. I usually use Priceline to stay in Williamsburg. If you look at biddingfortravel it can give you guidelines on what to bid. My sister and brother live in Chesapeake and in Va. Beach. We usually stay about 4 days in Williamsburg to check out the historical stuff, Busch Gardens, Water Country, and shop. Then head down to Va. Beach to stay with one of my siblings.

We love driving throught the battlefields and reading the plaques. My husband in an American History buff. We also lived there in our teens when our dads were stationed at Yorktown Naval Weapons Station so we have a lot of fond memories.

Check out the history of William and Mary College in the heart of Williamsburg. It is a beautiful campus and used to give tours through the Wren building. We used to sit in our English classs when tourists peeked in (1970, a long time ago but it really hasn't changed much!). I like to go down to the visitor's center, watch the movie and use the buses to visit all the different points of interest.

The King's Arms is a great restaurant for ambiance. The Trellis has gone down hill IMHO and has keep it's pricey menu despite poor service and food. It used to be a great place to eat.

Have a great time!!!