Christmas or Summer

I was working on doing a summer vacation with 3 kids (9, 7, and 2) this summer in Williamsburg for a week. Then I met someone who said it will be hot and to consider doing a Christmas break trip there. Are there any opinions about going to Williamsburg at Christmas??? Or your experiences doing so? Or preferences. Any comments will be helpful.

Christmas or Summer

Yes, it will be hot in the summer, but won%26#39;t your kids want to do something besides ';historical stuff'; for a whole week? In summer, you can do Busch Gardens and Water Country in Williamsburg and/or pop over to Virginia Beach for some time on the beach.

Williamburg is decorated nicely in December, but I think there will be more going on that your kids would enjoy in and around Williamburg (including Jamestown and Yorktown) in the summer.

Christmas or Summer

Hi, all5 -- The weather will pose challenges to your family at either season. Naturally, summer is hot, humid and crowded and at Christmas you%26#39;d be wearing winter coats and seeking out hot chocolate and crackling fires.

But if you are eager to introduce your children to their legacy as Americans, any time of year (other than January and February, when programs are limited) is great.

If it were me, and I could only take my children once, I%26#39;d choose Christmas because the Williamsburg experience is so rich and evocative at that time. There simply is no place else in the world where you can spend a few winter days in a parallel universe of that calibre.

Of course, you should go in warm weather sometime, too! :-) Best regards!

I love Williamsburg at Christmas but If I were taking children I would go during summer and also visit Busch Gardens and Water Country.

My family has been to Williamsburg many times. Christmas is a wonderful time to visit, but when my kids were younger, they were more interested in Busch Gardens and Water Country. They put up with my desire to vsit Williamsburg as often as we could. But one year my son said, ';Mom, I%26#39;d rather have a root canal than tour one more historical building.'; Keeping in my your kids%26#39; ages, I agree with the posters who recommend summer.

I%26#39;ve never been there at Christmas, so I can%26#39;t answer about that. But I would ditto going in summer. Because of the children, of course. No matter what you decide, please check into the two Jamestown sites. There is Jamestowne Historic Island, which is the actual site of the original Jamestowne. There is a museum, gift shoppe, archeological digs, ranger tours and a loop drive. There is also the Glassblowers site.

At Jamestown Settlement there are reproductions of the Jamestown Fort, a native American village and 3 ships which you can board at least one. This is a very hands on place for kids, they can grind corn, try on armor, see what life was like in the 1600%26#39;s. There are costumed reenactors happy to answer all your questions. There is a wonderful museum, and a restaurant and gift shop on site.

Both of these sites are located at one end of the Colonial Parkway, which is a beautiful drive with pull-offs along the way.

Kids sure can be funny, RQT!! And very honest, too. Funny story.

How about over Easter vacation or is it crazy then, too? I think the weathe would be perfect about then...?

Easter vacation is a good time to visit, since school spring break varies from area to area so the crowds are not as concentrated. Busch Gardens is usually open on weekends and during a couple of the spring break weeks; Water Country does not open until later in May. The weather can be warm, cold -- it even snowed here one Easter Sunday a couple of years ago. But the weather is typically not severely hot or cold. For many, it%26#39;s a great time to shake off the winter and enjoy a trip to the area.