Williamsburg Homeschooling Days

[Rubix]

I am considering taking my 3 kids (9,6,2) to homeschool days at Williamsburg in mid-September. It would be about a 15 hr drive, and I would be alone. I would drive down over 2 days, and we would have 4 days for activities.

 

We are considering:

Williamsburg

Jamestown settlement/Yorktown

Historical Jamestown

Virginia aquarium

Virginia zoo

Beach- kids have never been to ocean, any family friendly, calm water beaches. Shallow is good :)

Dolphin boat tour

 

Any tips for these? Is this a nuts plan to do alone? Are these attractions stroller friendly? Anything totally awesome we are missing?

 

Thanks hive!!

[*lifeoftheparty*]

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Edited December 18, 2016 by *lifeoftheparty*

[*lifeoftheparty*]

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Edited December 18, 2016 by *lifeoftheparty*

[Spryte]

We're going this year, too. I'm listening in. :)

[scbusf]

I agree that that's a lot for 4 days. Also, consider driving time - it's about 45 minutes to an hour drive between Williamsburg and VA Beach, depending on exactly where you're heading. More if there's traffic. And right now, there is major construction on the interstate between them, so it's a crap shoot.

[Rubix]

Hmm, maybe I can add a day... we have accommodations through a timeshare, so that might work.

 

I was thinking 1 day for williamsburg, 1 for Jamestown/yorktown, 1 for the aquarium/dolphin boat and one for the zoo/beach.

 

We probably wouldn't be spending the whole day at the beach... play in the sand, splash in the surf, a couple hours maybe.

 

We'd miss historic Jamestown with that plan. I will look into adding time though! The kids are more excited about the animal attractions so I'd hate to cut them out if I don't have to.

[Terabith]

My kids LOVE Jamestown Settlement. 

[christusg01]

We just did a two week trip in the spring and Williamsburg was one of our stops. Our kids are 12, 9, and 4 and we had a fantastic time. The whole area is very safe and I wouldn't think twice about being alone with the kids. We didn't run into any bad areas while there. We stayed at the Comfort Inn, which was amazingly clean, about 5 minutes to historic Williamsburg, and had free breakfast each morning. It took a whole day to do historic Williamsburg and about 3 hours to do the Jamestown Settlement. Both were lots of fun! We also did two nights at Great Wolf Lodge, which was the highlight for the kids. They still ask to go back. The two days we were at GWL we just stayed at the lodge. There's so much to do there! While in Williamsburg, make sure you hit mid-county park (sometimes referred to as Kidsburg). It's an amazing playground and we ended up going there after dinner on two different evenings because the kids loved it so much. It's has a zip line! Also, there's a little donut shop called Duck Donuts that my kids were amazed with. They make your donuts fresh right in front of you and you get to choose your frosting/topping. Best donut I've ever had! My 4 year old still talks about it lol. Between Williamsburg and DC, this was one of our favorite vacations!

[christusg01]

Keep in mind that Yorktown is a little ways out from the Williamsburg area...we ended up skipping driving out to it. I'm sure it would be neat though!

[momee]

Traffic - figure in traffic delays if going anywhere near Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, VA Beach during rush hours.  Military rush hours as well which means from 3:00 pm ish until 5:45 ish.

 

 

Anywhere near oceanfront - and by near I mean within 5 min drive - is pretty safe.  Just because it says Va Beach does not mean NEAR the ocean, lol.  

I'd skip the aquarium if you have been to one before but if not - super fun.  Pricey, but fun!

 

Norfolk is beautiful and fun in places - Doumar's, Ghent, waterside...but most locales there are definitely locals only in terms of quality and safety - many nice places but you have to know the neighborhoods.  Same with Hampton and Newport News.

(FOOOD - yummy food down there!)

 

I would stay far away from Great Wolf Lodge and do Water Country instead.  I found that Great Wolf was dirty, few indoor pool space for actual swimming and nowhere near the sanitation budget - just my two cents of...Water Country.  It is very fun.  Leave one day for that.  Early September is still nice for a water park here.  Or Busch Gardens - theme park.  Beautiful, kid friendly, awesome rides and shows.

 

If you do GWL (others think highly of it) don't miss Pierce's BBQ.  YUM!

 

Yorktown, Jamestown and Colonial Williamsburg are all very different.  Do your research before you go.  

 

We love Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown but not so much the Victory Center and Battlefields at Yorktown.  The ocean- beachfront (our fave is Chick's Beach - bayside, locals, clean, no tourists, and lots of shells, tidepools and just plain relaxing experience as opposed to oceanfront), Water Country.  Save one day for downtime before you hit the road again?  

 

If you go near Shore Drive - Chicks Beach area - stop at First Landing State park and walk the trails for a bit.  Be sure to also stop at Taste Unlimited for sandwiches.  SOOOOOOO longing for one right now, lol.  Their dressing...ohmygootness.

http://www.tasteunlimited.com/

Surfrider restaurant makes the best crab cakes and huge chunk of broccoli with hollandaise you will ever eat :) if you need some seafood before going back to the hotel, lol.  Doc Taylor's is very nice for breakfast/brunch.  Pricey but nice.

http://www.surfriderrestaurant.com/home

Any questions, ask away.  My home town - and when you pass over the tunnel you should listen to Bruce Hornsby, really loud with the windows down.

:hurray:  :hurray:  :001_tt1:

Edited July 22, 2016 by momee

[Angie in VA]

 when you pass over the tunnel you should listen to Bruce Hornsby, really loud with the windows down.

:hurray:  :hurray:  :001_tt1:

 

 

Yes! So proud of Bruce. :)

[Alexigail]

We're going too!  Maybe we should do a WTM meetup?

[MeaganS]

I'm considering going. It would just be me and the girls. We are only 4 hours away so it wouldn't be too big of a deal. Given my kids ages, do you think they would enjoy Williamsburg?

[momee]

YES!  I'm going.  Would love a meetup. 

And any ages would be fun I would think. Toddlers might get a bit bored at Colonial Wmsbg...but they would love Water Country, lol.  

 

At least they could run free at Col Wmsbg in most places.  I wouldn't dare do the Gov mansion with them, waste of energy!

Most other places you can escape fairly quickly should the docent go longer than the attention span of your littles.  It is so friendly there and spaced out - your little one can get their wiggles out right in the "city street" and folks will smile and keep walking.

 

VERY family friendly.   Be sure to dress up if you have anything remotely colonial ish.  Especially 4 - 12 year old girls :)

 

 

Edited July 22, 2016 by momee

[Farrar]

Totally worth it. Seconding GWL as a good place to stay - though they don't do the homeschool discount so much anymore, but you can get a really good rate that time of year.

 

The deals during homeschool days in Williamsburg are really great. So much cheaper.

 

I think you should do it but add a day or two. Your kids have never seen the ocean? You really need to give them an extra day or two. :) However, as for the "calm, shallow" beach... there may be slightly better spots, but it's the ocean. It's not the Gulf or a big lake. The weather's going to dictate how calm it is and even on a calm day, it can be dangerous. Don't get me wrong - I never worried too much about my kids at the beach - they played in the sand and on the edge and waited for me to put in more than feet to ankles at those ages - but don't go thinking there's a good "safe" beach right there unless you're planning to go swim in the Bay (Bay beaches can be nice too, of course - but it's a whole other experience than the ocean).

 

We've been dolphin watching there that time of year - the tour through the Virginia Beach Aquarium was good. We had a good time and saw lots of dolphins.

 

Some of the things being mentioned like Water Country and Go Ape may not be open during the week after Labor Day. Keep that in mind.

[momee]

Water Country only open till the 5th!  Good point!

 

 

nm

 

Edited July 22, 2016 by momee

[*lifeoftheparty*]

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Edited December 18, 2016 by *lifeoftheparty*

[Amy in NH]

Advice: Don't go during a hurricane. :p

[Garga]

We went last year.  The Yorktown settlement at the Yorktown Victory Center turned out to be the highlight of our trip.  Williamsburg was pretty busy with lots of people.  The Yorktown recreated settlement had vastly fewer people.  The kids loved it because they got to be part of quite a number of presentations.  They got to help shoot a cannon, help bake cornbread (they put in the spices), and help saw some wood. 

 

​Since it was so small, the audience could easily participate more.  Those above weren't the only presentations, those were just the ones we were active participants in. 

 

YMMV, but that's the part that the kids remember and loved best during our 3 day stay at Williamsburg.  We ended up staying hours longer than expected because we wanted to watch each presentation. 

 

I think they liked Jamestown second best because it was so old.  My kids have a soft spot for history.  We loved it that we'd learned how marshy Jamestown was and when we got there we had to walk on a boardwalk over the marsh.  We loved it that we stood on the exact spots that those colonists stood on.  The older things are, the more we love them. 

 

 

Williamsburg was a lot of fun, but I think it was the 3rd favorite thing we did.  Not sure why.  I think because it was so big and felt more commercial, if you will, than the other places.  Though we did enjoy it. 

 

Each place was loved, but we liked them best in this order:

 

Yorktown recreated settlement at the Yorktown Victory Center

Jamestown

Williamsburg

 

We took a full day for each of those places, but that's because my kids are introverted and don't like being out for more than about 4 hours before they want to head home (or head to the hotel.)  We were with friends who have more endurance and they could do more things each day than we could. 

 

 

Edited July 23, 2016 by Garga

[Farrar]

GWL does the homeschool discounts, they just don't openly advertise them.

 

My friend sent out an email in early Feb. that had $135 a night codes for every month until June, and then got me the one for Sept.

No, they definitely changed the homeschool discount dramatically when GWL changed ownership a couple of years ago. I spoke to them at the time. Now they do a small ongoing discount that you can get most of the time but they don't do the deep homeschool weeks discounts anymore. It used to be $99 for all rooms, even the big ones, during those two homeschool weeks when Williamsburg was also cheaper. It was great. They just run a lot more specials in general now though, which is good.

[momto10blessings]

We love Jamestown and Yorktown. Williamsburg is overpriced even during homeschool week. Now when we go, we just walk around for free instead of paying money to go in the buildings. There's still plenty to do without paying.

Va zoo.. skip.

I'd probably do several hours at the beach and then go to the aquarium in the same day because it's a bit of a drive between VA Beach and Williamsburg.

Have fun!!

[scbusf]

We love Jamestown and Yorktown. Williamsburg is overpriced even during homeschool week. Now when we go, we just walk around for free instead of paying money to go in the buildings. There's still plenty to do without paying.

Va zoo.. skip.

I'd probably do several hours at the beach and then go to the aquarium in the same day because it's a bit of a drive between VA Beach and Williamsburg.

Have fun!!

 

I totally agree with this. 1000%

[Serenade]

Can anyone recommend a specific hotel or two? I'm looking for inexpensive and safe, not too far from things. Maybe that's asking too much?

[scbusf]

Can anyone recommend a specific hotel or two? I'm looking for inexpensive and safe, not too far from things. Maybe that's asking too much?

There are so many. What things will you be doing?

[*lifeoftheparty*]

...

 

Edited December 18, 2016 by *lifeoftheparty*

[StaceyinLA]

I LOVED Williamsburg. We went several times over the last couple years, and it is just fantastic!! I have a few other ideas to share regarding other things to do on the trip.

 

If you you want to eliminate the zoo and Aquarium; maybe visit the living museum instead. I think it's in Newport News, which I believe is a bit closer to Williamsburg than VA Beach or Norfolk. That was one of my favorites we visited when dd was living there. It combines zoo/museum and aquarium stuff - I'd definitely look into it if you are trying to pare down activities.

 

Of course if we were up that way again, I think my grandkids would be devastated if we didn't go to Busch Gardens. They love BG, and so do I! BG has a zoo-like atmosphere mixed with amusement park, so it's really cool, and the grounds are gorgeous!

 

The beach, if the kids have never been to one, may be cool, but I'm with some of the others in that it's a good drive to VA Beach, especially for just a couple hours. I'd stick with the one in Yorktown since it's nearby. Of course I'm not a fan of brown sand, and I think VA Beach is fairly ugly as far as beaches go (we prefer Gulf beaches), so take that with a grain of salt. If you DO wind up at VA Beach, Kohr Brothers custard (ice cream) is a MUST!!

 

I have to admit I'm a bit jealous! Though I was SO ready for dd, dsil and the grandkids to get back to Louisiana, I miss my VA travels. I spent quite a bit of time there in the couple years they lived there and there are some amazing places to visit.

[Terabith]

We just did a two week trip in the spring and Williamsburg was one of our stops. Our kids are 12, 9, and 4 and we had a fantastic time. The whole area is very safe and I wouldn't think twice about being alone with the kids. We didn't run into any bad areas while there. We stayed at the Comfort Inn, which was amazingly clean, about 5 minutes to historic Williamsburg, and had free breakfast each morning. It took a whole day to do historic Williamsburg and about 3 hours to do the Jamestown Settlement. Both were lots of fun! We also did two nights at Great Wolf Lodge, which was the highlight for the kids. They still ask to go back. The two days we were at GWL we just stayed at the lodge. There's so much to do there! While in Williamsburg, make sure you hit mid-county park (sometimes referred to as Kidsburg). It's an amazing playground and we ended up going there after dinner on two different evenings because the kids loved it so much. It's has a zip line! Also, there's a little donut shop called Duck Donuts that my kids were amazed with. They make your donuts fresh right in front of you and you get to choose your frosting/topping. Best donut I've ever had! My 4 year old still talks about it lol. Between Williamsburg and DC, this was one of our favorite vacations!

 

 

That's one of the best playgrounds I've ever seen!  My 11 and 12 year olds adore it!  And Duck Donuts is awesome. 

 

We spent five hours at Jamestown Settlement the first time we went.  We loved it, even more than Colonial Williamsburg.  Yorktown is nice, but not as neat, I didn't think. 

[QueenCat]

We're going too!  Maybe we should do a WTM meetup?

 

Excellent idea!

[QueenCat]

I am considering taking my 3 kids (9,6,2) to homeschool days at Williamsburg in mid-September. It would be about a 15 hr drive, and I would be alone. I would drive down over 2 days, and we would have 4 days for activities.

 

We are considering:

Williamsburg

Jamestown settlement/Yorktown

Historical Jamestown

Virginia aquarium

Virginia zoo

Beach- kids have never been to ocean, any family friendly, calm water beaches. Shallow is good :)

Dolphin boat tour

 

Any tips for these? Is this a nuts plan to do alone? Are these attractions stroller friendly? Anything totally awesome we are missing?

 

Thanks hive!!

 

You could easily do two full days in  Colonial Williamsburg. It is well worth purchasing tickets so you can go into the buildings and see the various presentations. Plus there are films in the visitor's center that are excellent. While in the Colonial area, budget for one meal at the Kings Arm Tavern or Shields Tavern for a fun meal with revolutionary characters intermingling with diners. For a cheaper meal, The Cheese Shop is great. It's in the Merchant's Square area in CW. I'd do Jamestown Settlement instead of Historical Jamestown, with the ages of your kids. Other places to dine in the general Williamsburg area: Food For Thought and New York Deli and Pizza.

 

[Rubix]

So, you all talked me into more days!  We are booked for 6 nights, 5 days.  We are staying at Patrick Henry Square, through our timeshare, which I understand is very close to Williamsburg!  

 

Thanks for all the restaurant ideas, it is always hard to know where to choose!  

 

That park looks awesome and like a great place to run off some energy, for sure planning a stop there.  

 

At this point, we are thinking a day at Williamsburg, a day for Jamestown Settlement and possibly Yorktown (if we have time for both on the same day), and a day for the aquarium / dolphins.  

The other 2 days we will do the zoo / another day at Williamsburg / either Yorktown beach or Chick's beach / fun attractions we see along the way :)  I'm going to leave these plans a little open, so we can decide what we feel like doing.  The zoo will be free, and animals are a hit if they are not as excited by the historical places.   It looks like the aquarium has homeschool discounts as well, just need some proof of homeschooling.  I am going to call and see if they accept anything from out of state.  

 

I think we will skip Historical Jamestown for this trip based on the kids ages.  

 

Meeting up sounds like fun!  

[jewellsmommy]

You could easily have plenty to do just on the peninsula for 4 days between Williamsburg, Newport News, and Hampton. There are other beaches like Buckroe in Hampton (has a nice little playground and good atmosphere). It is more like a traditional beach than yorktown (which is actually part of the river-brackish water, not really wavy) but still nice. There is also Grandview Nature Preserve which is lovely and large for exploring. 

 

The Va. Living museum is very nice and has an outdoor trail of animals like bobcats, racoons, etc. On the inside is a touch tank and various exhibits.

 

Hampton has the Air and Space center. 

 

If you have any museum memberships, check for reciprocals.

[jewellsmommy]

So, you all talked me into more days!  We are booked for 6 nights, 5 days.  We are staying at Patrick Henry Square, through our timeshare, which I understand is very close to Williamsburg!  

 

Thanks for all the restaurant ideas, it is always hard to know where to choose!  

 

That park looks awesome and like a great place to run off some energy, for sure planning a stop there.  

 

At this point, we are thinking a day at Williamsburg, a day for Jamestown Settlement and possibly Yorktown (if we have time for both on the same day), and a day for the aquarium / dolphins.  

The other 2 days we will do the zoo / another day at Williamsburg / either Yorktown beach or Chick's beach / fun attractions we see along the way :)  I'm going to leave these plans a little open, so we can decide what we feel like doing.  The zoo will be free, and animals are a hit if they are not as excited by the historical places.   It looks like the aquarium has homeschool discounts as well, just need some proof of homeschooling.  I am going to call and see if they accept anything from out of state.  

 

I think we will skip Historical Jamestown for this trip based on the kids ages.  

 

Meeting up sounds like fun!  

 

 

Oh, more days is good! The zoo is fun. I always want to sneak the fennec fox home in my purse, but dh won't let me,

[Rubix]

Traffic - figure in traffic delays if going anywhere near Hampton, Newport News, Norfolk, VA Beach during rush hours.  Military rush hours as well which means from 3:00 pm ish until 5:45 ish.

 

 

Anywhere near oceanfront - and by near I mean within 5 min drive - is pretty safe.  Just because it says Va Beach does not mean NEAR the ocean, lol.  

I'd skip the aquarium if you have been to one before but if not - super fun.  Pricey, but fun!

 

Norfolk is beautiful and fun in places - Doumar's, Ghent, waterside...but most locales there are definitely locals only in terms of quality and safety - many nice places but you have to know the neighborhoods.  Same with Hampton and Newport News.

(FOOOD - yummy food down there!)

 

I would stay far away from Great Wolf Lodge and do Water Country instead.  I found that Great Wolf was dirty, few indoor pool space for actual swimming and nowhere near the sanitation budget - just my two cents of...Water Country.  It is very fun.  Leave one day for that.  Early September is still nice for a water park here.  Or Busch Gardens - theme park.  Beautiful, kid friendly, awesome rides and shows.

 

If you do GWL (others think highly of it) don't miss Pierce's BBQ.  YUM!

 

Yorktown, Jamestown and Colonial Williamsburg are all very different.  Do your research before you go.  

 

We love Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown but not so much the Victory Center and Battlefields at Yorktown.  The ocean- beachfront (our fave is Chick's Beach - bayside, locals, clean, no tourists, and lots of shells, tidepools and just plain relaxing experience as opposed to oceanfront), Water Country.  Save one day for downtime before you hit the road again?  

 

If you go near Shore Drive - Chicks Beach area - stop at First Landing State park and walk the trails for a bit.  Be sure to also stop at Taste Unlimited for sandwiches.  SOOOOOOO longing for one right now, lol.  Their dressing...ohmygootness.

http://www.tasteunlimited.com/

Surfrider restaurant makes the best crab cakes and huge chunk of broccoli with hollandaise you will ever eat :) if you need some seafood before going back to the hotel, lol.  Doc Taylor's is very nice for breakfast/brunch.  Pricey but nice.

http://www.surfriderrestaurant.com/home

Any questions, ask away.  My home town - and when you pass over the tunnel you should listen to Bruce Hornsby, really loud with the windows down.

:hurray:  :hurray:  :001_tt1:

 

I'm assuming traffic is bad in the morning too?  Is there a certain time to avoid?

 

I've heard good things about Chick's beach, if we head that way, I think that is where we will go.  Shells and tidepools sound perfect!  My kids tend to be timid so I think exploring the beach area will happen more than swimming.  My 6 year old is terrified of sharks and is convinced if he steps in the water he will see one   ^_^ The state park looks like fun too, we may do those together.  Hoping for good weather!  

 

Those restaurant ideas look great!

[QueenCat]

So, you all talked me into more days!  We are booked for 6 nights, 5 days.  We are staying at Patrick Henry Square, through our timeshare, which I understand is very close to Williamsburg!  

 

Thanks for all the restaurant ideas, it is always hard to know where to choose!  

 

That park looks awesome and like a great place to run off some energy, for sure planning a stop there.  

 

At this point, we are thinking a day at Williamsburg, a day for Jamestown Settlement and possibly Yorktown (if we have time for both on the same day), and a day for the aquarium / dolphins.  

The other 2 days we will do the zoo / another day at Williamsburg / either Yorktown beach or Chick's beach / fun attractions we see along the way :)  I'm going to leave these plans a little open, so we can decide what we feel like doing.  The zoo will be free, and animals are a hit if they are not as excited by the historical places.   It looks like the aquarium has homeschool discounts as well, just need some proof of homeschooling.  I am going to call and see if they accept anything from out of state.  

 

I think we will skip Historical Jamestown for this trip based on the kids ages.  

 

Meeting up sounds like fun!  

 

 

Patrick Henry Square is in the heart of Williamsburg, not too far from the colonial area. As far as the Colonial Williamsburg part goes, it is cheaper to buy a two day pass than two one day passes. You can definitely do Jamestown Settlement and Yorktown in one day. It's a pretty drive from one to the other, as well.