Would a week in Williamsburg be too long?

[msjones]

We have the opportunity to stay at a beautiful Marriott resort in Williamsburg, VA. We've always wanted to visit Colonial Williamsburg and surrounding historical areas, but know little about the area.

 

Is there enough to do in Williamsburg for a whole week?

 

Other than Colonial Williamsburg, what would you recommend seeing with an 8 and 10 year old? (We've done lots of early American history study.)

 

How is traffic? Could we drive up to DC for the day, or would we just be sitting in traffic?

 

Any info you may have would be great. Thanks!

[Perry]

It would have been too long for mine. Two days was good. We could have done another day but that would have been the limit.

[Melinda in VT]

We did a week at a resort in Williamsburg in April. Our kids were 3, 9, 9, and 13.

 

Our week looked like this:

Sat--drive down, get settled

Sun--Colonial Willamsburg

Mon--Aquarium in Norfolk (? one of those starts-with-an-N towns)

Tues--Jamestown

Wed--Richmond (toured a plantation and visited a zoo/garden in Richmond)

Thur--Colonial Willamsburg

Fri--Busch Gardens

Sat--drove to our next stop (DC), visiting Mount Vernon on the way

[Penelope]

aren't chincoteague and assateague fairly close to there? I was planning to go there if I had gone to TWTM conference in the spring.

[rwalizer]

A week may be too long if you are only doing Williamsburg stuff. One thing to keep in mind is that the buildings in the Colonial area are not all open on the same days. You can go online and see which buildings are open to tour on which days. I would say two days would work for Colonial Williamsburg. Be sure to spend a day at the Jamestown Settlement museum and Jamestown Island. They are right next to each other. The island is the sight of the actual settlement,I believe. You would think that since I can walk there from my house I would know more, but we have only been to the island once. You can also go down the Colonial parkway to Yorktown and tour there as well. Right now you can't take the parkway all the way from Jamestown to Yorktown because part of it is closed so you will have to get directions, but it is still very easy. We also have the Virginia Living Museum in Newport News and the aquarium in Va. Beach. There is plenty of sightseeing around here, but it isn't cheap. All the museums have prices on their websites. BTW, I'm not sure what is going on with Busch Gardens right now. They were partially open for Christmas, but I don't know any more about it. Usually it is only open from spring until the end of October. HTH.

[QueenCat]

We stayed at a Marriott resort in Williamsburg a couple of summers ago. There was plenty to do in the area for a week. In addition to Williamsburg, you've got Jamestown, Yorktown, Newport News, Hampton, Fort Monroe, all within 30 minutes.

[rwalizer]

I forgot to mention that traffic here in Williamsburg is no problem-it's just a typical suburb. The drive to DC from here is about 2 1/2 hours and the traffic there is a different story, although it isn't tourist season so it won't as bad as summer. I highly recommend a day in DC-really a week there would be great. I'm one of those people who reads every placard on every exhibit in museums. If you go, the Smithsonian buildings are free but we loved the International Spy Museum. Plan to park in a parking garage and walk or take the subway. Most of what you want to see is within walking distance of the capital. I love DC, but dh would rather have his kneecaps broken than sightsee.

[Ellie]

Well, let's see: You're going to need two days in Colonial Williamsburg, at least, maybe three. That's because you're going to *casually* stroll from place to place and stay at each stop as long as anyone wants to. You'll want to watch some of the re-enactments, ride on a carriage or ox cart, and who knows what else. You'll also want to go into the Governor's Mansion (you pay extra for that), and see the movie at the Visitor Center. Oh, and you must eat one meal at the Old Chickahominy House.

 

You'll want to go to the Yankee Candle store. Wow.

 

And you'll be close enough to Jamestown and Yorktown to visit them, as well. You might even want to drive down to Norfolk or Virginia Beach and sight-see.

 

I don't know about seeing D.C. in a day; I mean, you could *see* it in a day--not all of it, but enough to remember for posterity--but I don't know about the drive. It's a couple of hours, at least, from Williamsburg. *My* dc could have handled that because we did lots of driving; how about yours?

 

So, yes, a week would be fine. :-)

[msjones]

Very helpful info. Thanks, everyone!

 

We have a free week at a Marriott Vacation Resort -- anywhere we want to go.:001_smile:

 

We've always wanted to come to the east coast, but the lodging is so expensive. (Most of our vacations are in a tent.) So, we figure when the lodging is free -- we should go east! I've wanted to go to Williamsburg with the boys for years, and Marriott has a place right there.

 

So, I'll keep looking into all the things y'all suggested.

[Guest Virginia Dawn]

There is plenty to do for a week, if it is not the off season. I would not recommend going to D.C. for a day. It would be very stressful, the traffic has been truly horrendous lately. You come to a standstill long before you ever reach the beltway.

 

Like others have said there is CW, Jamestown, Yorktown, and Bush Gardens. There is also a Mariner's Museum that is absolutely terrific in Newport News.

[Julie Herbster]

We spent the whole last week of August in Williamsburg, and we found ourselves wanting to stay longer. We did two days in colonial Wmsbrg, which, as someone else said, is a must, since you spend the first day getting your bearings and the second 'sinking in' a little more. (All of our kids--ages 10 down to 3--were captivated by the shops, craftsmen/women, reenactments, hands-on activities, etc.) We also did Busch Gardens. I wish we could have visited surrounding attractions (Jamestown, Space Museum, etc.), but our younger kids wouldn't have been up to it. We're definitely planning a return trip sometime in the future...maybe when my youngers are on 'Explorers to 1815' in history.

[Hedgehogs4]

If you were on an American history quest kinda thing...I don't think a week is too long, but it would be for just Colonial Williamsburg. I second the suggestions to see Jamestown, Yorktown, etc.

 

DC would be accessible, but rather than going into the city, I think I'd opt for things like Mount Vernon and / or Gunston Hall in the Northern VA area. DC needs a week all its own.

 

You're going to be so colonialized at the end of it all you'll start wearing bonnets and frocks, and your husband will take up gunsmithing or barrel-making. :lol:

[LizzyBee]

If you go to DC, drive up to the Franconia/Springfield metro stop and ride the metro into the city. Once you're there, the Smithsonian, White House, Capitol, Lincoln Memorial, Jefferson Memorial, WWII memorial, and Vietnam memorial are all within walking distance of each other. A good place to eat is the old post office, but I can't remember the name of it. It's like a huge mall eating area - lots of choices so everyone can get what they're in the mood for.

[M&M]

We have a time-share in Williamsburg and have gone every year (sometimes twice a year) for the last 5 years. We always go off-season and we love it. Many of the staff there know us by sight and by name, we have our own costumes (the girls do, the boys have hats, guns, etc...dh not so much LOL!) ...yes, even I have a costume that I have been known to wear on occasion. Williamsburg is what you make of it. There is so much and it is constantly changing. Take time to look over the schedule, pick what programs you are interested in...interact with the re-enactors, ask questions, try some of the food.

 

It is living history, sometime there is anarcheological dig going on, you can talk to the archeologist and find out what they are digging and what they have found. We have learned about the guns, and cannons, we have marched with the fifes and drummers, played with colonial toys, made monsters at the DeWitt-Wallace museum, learned colonial dances, acted in plays, watched plays in the outdoor theatre, learned how to make

chocolate the colonial way, played colonial games in the street with our favorite re-enactor, become the center of an improv prompted by my dd pretending to walk off with a re-enactor's basket,etc. Some of these things were part of the programming, and some happened because we were there off-season and took the time to talk to the staff. We have seen so much and learned so much there. it has become a big part of our learning. Check out some of the children's programs and then see what your family likes and then move on from there.

 

Yes, go to Yorktown and Jamestown, go shopping, have fun at the pool, but don't miss all that Colonial Williamsburg has to offer. Our first trip we just walked through and were not impressed, it wasn't until we took the time to interact and become a part of all that is going on there that we really loved it.

 

BTW, there is an educator's discount, with a teacher's id you get 50% admission, and 15% off in all the shops. We use our HSLDA id's and dh and I get in for half price, children under 6 are free.

 

I think that going off-season is the key to really having a great experience.

[TXMomof4]

A week is perfect I think. We spent a week there in September and had a blast. We spent about 3 days actually at Williamsburg. We went to Yorktown and Jamestown - 1 day each. We spent one day at the resort just swimming (indoor pool) and playing. There's also shopping away from the Colonial Williamsburg but we didn't do much of that. I think you need more than a day in DC. We spent the weekend before in DC and I wish we had had more time there. We were at the Natural History museum for almost 5 hours and that was rushing through. We didn't have time to go into any of the other museums. I have a 9,8,6 and 3 year old and they all loved it and had a great time.

[CAMom]

 

We have a free week at a Marriott Vacation Resort -- anywhere we want to go.:001_smile:

 

 

 

Are you going to stay at the Marriott Hotel or can you do a timeshare? We stayed at Marriott's Ford's Colony this time 3 years ago and it was great! It was about a 15 min drive from the colonial area.

 

We were there a week and that was perfect! We spent about 3 days in the colonial area. We also did Jamestown and Yorktown. We spent a day just relaxing.:)

 

We drove up to DC at the end of our week in Williamsburg and spent 3 days there and didn't even scratch the surface.

 

Have fun!

[LND1218]

You could easily fill a week in Williamsburg and surrounding areas.

 

What to do depends on your interests.

 

We enjoy the historic stuff:

 

Jamestown (2 sites)

 

Yorktown (also 2 sites)

 

Colonial Williamsburg (easily 2 days! They have homeschool weeks with cheap rates!)

 

Richmond has lots of great sites - Confederate White House, St. John's Church and many many more

 

James River Plantations - I think only 2 of them are still open to visitors but they are wonderful

 

Fredericksburg (north of Wburg about 1 1/2 to 2 hours) Has some great sites: Ferry Farm (Geo. Washington's Boyhood home, Rising Sun Tavern, Kenmore, Apothacary Shop, Chatham, and many more historic locations. There are 4 battlefields in the Fredericksburg area. You can get a lot of info on line.

 

Bull Run/Manassas Battlefields on the way to DC

 

Mt. Vernon near DC and Gunston Hall

 

DC has a lot of great stuff and is worth a day even in traffic!

 

Chinocoteague and Assateague are very close - I would go there too.

 

 

There are lots of shops and other entertaining things in and around Williamsburg if you are interested in that. I think you could easily spend a week there!!

[Chris in VA]

If you go to Newport News, go to the Mariner's Museum and see the restoration of The Monitor--the Tuna Can on a Raft Civil War ironclad. It's a great museum, full of hands on stuff.

 

Also, if you go to the actual Jamestowne Settlement (which has been really upgraded since last year), have your kiddos do the Jr. Ranger program--you hunt for stuff and get a cool patch at the end. Go to the blown glass factory thingy, too. The "other" Jamestown has re-enactors roaming around and it is worth a day by itself.

[Perry]

It would have been too long for mine. Two days was good. We could have done another day but that would have been the limit.

 

I was thinking of Colonial Williamsburg. A week there would be too much IMO. But I agree that there are plenty of things in the vicinity to keep you busy for a week.

[Parrothead]

Is there a pool at the hotel?

 

Maybe I'm too easy. If there is a place that I don't have to clean and a pool to relax by, I could spend a week just about anywhere.