Williamsburg, VA

[sheetz]

We're a family of 6 (4 adults 2 teenagers) Traveling to Williamsburg for the first time at the end of June and trying to figure out what we should do. We'll be visiting DC, Annapolis, and Mt Vernon first so I think by the time we get to Williamsburg we'll have had our fill of museums and historical buildings and would like to do some "just for fun" stuff in Williamsburg.

I've done a little research and think we would like to visit:

Busch Gardens--Not interested in the water park, but I found one day tickets for BG for $52 at http://vrps.memberpath.com/Services/TicketPrograms/BuschGardens.aspx

Colonial Williamsburg--I don't know if we'll find CW interesting enough to buy the full day ticket so I'm thinking we could just walk around and visit the shops. Are there any historical figures (Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Patrick Henry) on the streets or do you need to buy a ticket to see them? I've heard the Visitors Center rents audio tours for $15. Has anyone tried that?

I'd also like to have lunch at one of the taverns and maybe do an evening activity. How much are tavern meals? Is there any kind of entertainment at lunch time? Cry Witch sounds like fun. Has anyone done that?

Jamestowne--Not sure if we want to see both Historical Jamestowne and Jamestowne Settlement. How long does it take to see each place?

Any suggestions on things to do and ways to save money? We'll be staying 4 nights in a timeshare so we'll have 3 full days for touring. Thanks.

 

[Stan's MaggieMouse]

My family has visited Williamsburg many times and we'll be visiting again next month. We're going with the Bounce Pass this trip. Unlimited access for a full week to both Busch Gardens and Colonial Williamsburg (It would include Water Country as well if was going to be open while we are there) for $129 for an adult. Water Country is a very nice water park that we enjoy and Busch Gardens is a beautiful theme park. It never feels crowded and we've never seen long waits for rides. We've been to Jamestown and Yorktown from time to time but mostly stick to Water Country, Busch Gardens and Colonial Williamsburg.

There are costumed interpreters that appear in different locations. We've seen Martha Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry and others. I don't know if you need a ticket to see them, we've never gone without a ticket. We've also seen Cry a Witch a couple of times. I think it is very intense for young children but very interesting for everyone else. One year we had special passes that included the evening programs so we went to quite a few.

We've also eaten at all of the taverns. Our favorites are The Kings Arms and Christiana Campbell's. We usually go for dinner and it's kind of pricey but the food is good and we like the atmosphere.

We're going with my suster's family next month and her kids are 7 and almost 5. It's been a long time since we've gone with young children so I'm excited to see it through their eyes.

Maggie

 

[McKelly]

We really enjoyed the evening programs at CW. We did one of the witch ones and we also did the military one - it was not what I was expecting - but with the ages in your party, I would suggest it. That's all I am saying on that one!!

During the day, there are costumed characters on the streets performing skits. I specifically remember Benedict Arnold. There were a couple others, but I don't recall the specifics. The fife and drum corp march up and down the roads and there are cannon shows that I don't think you would need a ticket to see. If I recall, you only needed a ticket to go into the buildings.

If your family is interested in the military, Norfolk is close by and has the Naval Museum with the USS Wisconsin you can tour. They also have boat tours of the navy area where you can see ships, subs and if you are lucky, an aircraft carrier.

We did all of the historic areas. I enjoyed the man made replica areas of both Jamestown and Yorktown, but they are probably more for younger kids and seemed more "museumish" than the actual historical sites. At the Yorktown historical site, if you stop in the gift shop, you can buy an audio CD for your car ($5.00) that will take you on a tour of the area (via your own vehicle) and explain the sites you are seeing as you travel along.

In Yorktown, we also took a schooner boat tour on the river which was nice and relaxing. I think it was called the Alliance.

I really enjoyed that vacation. Have fun!

 

[manning]

A small sample

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZhjzb5NYZM

 

[djbleach]

Maybe a day trip to VA Beach, you'll only be about an hour away by Interstate 64East!.
I'm not sure if the Trullis is still open? Been there twice and both times had "death by chocolate". It's in the heart of the colonial district.
Williamsburg also has the "outlet" malls. Been a few times and got what I thought were "deals".
We do season passes to Busch Gardens, and I do agree, it's one very beautiful amusement park.

 

[StirlingSilver83]

I love Williamsburg! It's a beautiful place! When we went we did Jamestown settlement museum which was a lot of fun. We also did Busch gardens (much nicer than the 1 in Tampa) and we did the water park which was nice (we only saw the little kiddie stuff in if though lol) we also visited this really cool "general store" it literally was a general store bc everything u could possibly imagine was sold there lol and the people were really nice! I hope u have a great trip!

 

[ldo]

we have gone without a ticket many times (plus with a ticket). You can park for free and walk around the area. You can watch outdoor parades and spontaneous "talks" without a ticket. You can go into a number of homes that are stores for free. When my kids were younger, we did that all the time. They had no idea there was a "ticketed" part. There is a post office, book store, soap/fancy things type of store. They all have workers in colonial dress. You can always get a ticket after you are there, if you want to see more. But, for my teens, walking around for an hour or so and going in the stores was enough.

 

[kirstenb1]

We live 90 minutes from BG and have season passes for there and Water Country. With teenagers, give Water Country another look. It's a really fun, full-day park. Also agree with a previous poster, Williamsburg Premium Outlets are awesome!! There's Coach, Dooney, North Face, Nike Adidas, etc. I haven't spent much time at CW, so can't speak to that. There's a sandwich place called the Cheese Shoppe that always gets good reviews.

 

[aprilgail2]

We're a family of 6 (4 adults 2 teenagers) Traveling to Williamsburg for the first time at the end of June and trying to figure out what we should do. We'll be visiting DC, Annapolis, and Mt Vernon first so I think by the time we get to Williamsburg we'll have had our fill of museums and historical buildings and would like to do some "just for fun" stuff in Williamsburg.


Colonial Williamsburg--I don't know if we'll find CW interesting enough to buy the full day ticket so I'm thinking we could just walk around and visit the shops. Are there any historical figures (Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Patrick Henry) on the streets or do you need to buy a ticket to see them? I've heard the Visitors Center rents audio tours for $15. Has anyone tried that?

I'd also like to have lunch at one of the taverns and maybe do an evening activity. How much are tavern meals? Is there any kind of entertainment at lunch time? Cry Witch sounds like fun. Has anyone done that?

Jamestowne--Not sure if we want to see both Historical Jamestowne and Jamestowne Settlement. How long does it take to see each place?

Any suggestions on things to do and ways to save money? We'll be staying 4 nights in a timeshare so we'll have 3 full days for touring. Thanks.

Cry witch was great- my daughter was 8, the first time we went then again at 10 and 11. We never got to do anything other than Colonial Williamsburg though because she loved it so much there all three times we spent all our days there! We did a ghost tour one night too that was really fun.

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

We live 90 minutes from BG and have season passes for there and Water Country. With teenagers, give Water Country another look. It's a really fun, full-day park. Also agree with a previous poster, Williamsburg Premium Outlets are awesome!! There's Coach, Dooney, North Face, Nike Adidas, etc. I haven't spent much time at CW, so can't speak to that. There's a sandwich place called the Cheese Shoppe that always gets good reviews.

I lived in Williamsburg for 4 years while I attended William & Mary. The Cheese Shop is really worth a visit. The smoked turkey & cheddar with extra house dressing on french bread is sooooo good! Also try the delis - Paul's, the College Deli. Their hot Holly sub is yummy! Chowning's Tavern in CW is also tons of fun. We used to go after dinner around 9:00 PM for snacks and ale. The costumed staff play colonial music and games. It's a hoot!

 

[GAGirlInVA]

We live 90 minutes from BG and have season passes for there and Water Country. With teenagers, give Water Country another look. It's a really fun, full-day park. Also agree with a previous poster, Williamsburg Premium Outlets are awesome!! There's Coach, Dooney, North Face, Nike Adidas, etc. I haven't spent much time at CW, so can't speak to that. There's a sandwich place called the Cheese Shoppe that always gets good reviews.

We live about 50 minutes from Williamsburg. From the end of February until September we average a day a week there. We spent last Sunday at Colonial Williamsburg, and the Sunday before that at the outlets. We are DYING for BG and Water Country to open.

BG is BEAUTIFUL. It's not Disney but it has it's own merits. My crew can't ride everything but we still have a lot of fun. DH and I are trying to sneak off for a day so we can ride the true thrill rides. We only have one thrill junkie child tall enough to ride. Keep in mind their opening time isn't that early.

Water Country is a full day park and is a BLAST! We had to drag our crew out.

Depending on when you are going, Busch Gardens has their own Food and Wine Festival (Weekends May 23-June 29). It's fun. We found that their "sample" sizes of alcohol were more generous than Disney. DH had a tasty flight of beer and was quite impressed with the pours.

We did the water park that morning/afternoon and then went to BG for the Food and Wine Festival (for dinner) but we have annual passes.

Colonial Williamsburg isn't a typical museum. It's a living museum. It's like walking down the street in Colonial times. It's pretty large and we've only made it into a few of the buildings so far. (Keep in mind I have three little ones, 4 and under.) We took the homeschooling discount and went ahead and got the annual passes there too.

It is fun to interact with the "cast" on the street. My daughter walked up to a woman with a covered basket and asked her what was in it. She said, "If you are a street beggar, I'll let you know I have quite a few sons at home, and not a morsel to share." It was hilarious. Lainey asked her for a picture and she said she didn't have anything to drink. ("pitcher") Lainey smiled and said, "No, with my camera!" The lady looked around like she had no idea what she was talking about. Daddy snapped the picture with his phone and the lady stood still for a long time. Lainey told her it was "all done." HILARIOUS.

When we started to walk down the street, Lainey said, "This could be a field trip!' GOTCHA!

Not all of the buildings require a pass though. If you look on their map, only the red buildings require a ticket. You could easily go for the day and not need to purchase a pass. Curiosity got the best of us, but we live here!

I hear the Aquarium in Norfolk is pretty good. I'm originally from GA so I'm partial to Atlanta and Charleston for theirs though. (Most of our family is in Charleston on my mom's side.)

Also depending on when you are coming, I wanted to give you the head's up that the dinosaur exhibit of the Natural History Museum will be closing at the end of April for 5 years.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local...ba089e-7f3d-11e3-95c6-0a7aa80874bc_story.html

We are trying to schedule a visit before it closes.

We've not made it to Jamestown. 5 kids, ya know. LOL

 

[Megkel]

Bush Gardens is awesome, highly recommended. I grew up two hours from Bush Gardens and we would drive right by another amusement park to go. Trapper Joe's is the best place ever to eat if you like BBQ. You can't miss the smell, and you could easily share a meal.

The aquarium in Norfolk is great. It's one of my favorites, better than Baltimore in my opinion. I wouldn't say it's as nice as Atlanta but it's up there.

There is the beach which is okay. There are beachy shops, putt putt golf, ice cream, etc.. I'm not really a beach person. There is a fee for parking so make sure to have some cash. The cost changes on the season.

The zoo is nice, they have quite a few animals. It's pretty spread out so it doesn't feel overly crowded. It's a good place to spend some time outdoors on a nice day. It's very close to the McAurther Center mall if that is something else you wanted to do.

The Virginia Living Museum is suppose to be amazing. I have not made it there yet but hopefully with the nicer weather coming it's on my "to do list".

Chrysler Museum Glass Studio would be a great place for older kids. They have classes you can take to make your own. It looks like a lot of fun.

 

[GAGirlInVA]

I lived in Williamsburg for 4 years while I attended William & Mary. The Cheese Shop is really worth a visit. The smoked turkey & cheddar with extra house dressing on french bread is sooooo good! Also try the delis - Paul's, the College Deli. Their hot Holly sub is yummy! Chowning's Tavern in CW is also tons of fun. We used to go after dinner around 9:00 PM for snacks and ale. The costumed staff play colonial music and games. It's a hoot!

Mrs. Ciz, we stopped in today. DELISH! The bread was soft but the crust was crunchy. YUM! And the chocolate dipped oreo was tasty too!

Thanks!

 

[roomthreeseventeen]

We are planning our August trip to CW. Great tips so far.

 

[Megkel]

Groupon has a deal listed admission for one day $36. Not sure it works for your dates (expires May 18th 2014) but thought I would pass it along.

General Admission for One Adult or One Child to Busch Gardens Williamsburg (50% Off) http://gr.pn/1fhNJLB

 

[Mrs. Ciz]

Mrs. Ciz, we stopped in today. DELISH! The bread was soft but the crust was crunchy. YUM! And the chocolate dipped oreo was tasty too!

Thanks!

Yay! I am so glad you and your family enjoyed it!

 

[#1 Goofy Fan]

My family vacationed in BG the last 2 years - it is not Disney but well worth it. Themed and fun. DH is not a coaster person but DD and DS and I are - we rode all coasters and spent 5 days at the park.

We are not water park people - although we did try the park for a day - it was fun but wasn't for us - we would rather hang by the pool.

Sadly, DD and DS have said the would rather go to BG than Disney and the cost is 1/3 the cost of Disney for us.

We walked around CW it was nice but leaving near Philly - it wasn't for us.

Have fun.

 

[aprilchem]

We live super close to Williamsburg and go there all the time, so here are a couple of suggestions:

Do you like to shop? The Yankee Candle flagship store is in Williamsburg - it's HUGE and has lots of fun stuff to do (Christmas town where it snows every 5 minutes, dip your own candles, wax impressions, etc). There is also an outlet mall in Williamsburg that's fairly big and nice.

If you like movies, there's a theatre there called Movie Tavern where you can eat, drink, and watch a movie at the same time. I am NOT a movie person and I love going to Movie Tavern!

William and Mary is fun to visit - the campus is beautiful. My kids love walking around the campus and in the shopping area (they've closed off a lot of street) just outside it.

If you're willing to drive a bit and have a car, you could go to one of the plantations. Or the beach, which is not too far away.

We also like Yorktown a lot, as well as Jamestown (although you said you'd be museum-ed out by then, which I totally understand!)

 

[la79al]

A little OT here but for those of you who have been to BG, is a stroller necessary for a 3.5 year old? She doesn't do a lot of walking right now but we'll be working on it and I think I would like to go stroller free if we won't be able to take a bunch of stuff into the park with us anyhow.

 

[wiigirl]

Yay! I am so glad you and your family enjoyed it!