Is a week too long?

Staying in Williamsburg for one week and then have five days in which to travel down to Myrtle Beach,SC.

Will there be enough to see and do with a week%26#39;s stay? Transport no problem.

Any suggestions also for the five days travelling.Don%26#39;t mind backtracking to Richmond for a couple or more days.

Retired travellers from the UK, no children, so no theme parks needed.

Is a week too long?

Without the theme park maybe a week might be a few days long if you won%26#39;t spend 3 days at CW - some do, and we have plenty things to do for a week, it will be relaxing if you want. CW, Jamestown, Yorktown alone is 4-5 days if you do them leisurely. How many days is so personal.

Richmond is only 45 minutes, an easy day trip.

Why MB - it%26#39;s OK, certainly a destination to consider if you golf. There are so many better beach areas. It%26#39;s about 6 hr - so you don%26#39;t need to spend 5 days on the road - is that what you want to do?

If you have a week here and the 5 more days before you need to be in MB I would consdier starting in washigton DC, then visit here, then head down. Or go past MB to Charleston or Savannah - or both, cutting your time here a little.

Is a week too long?

In my opinion a week is never too long to be in Williamsburg. You will have time to take in all the history of the area. If you haven%26#39;t already, take a virtual tour of the city by way of history.org before you arrive to see what might be fun for you.

For first-timers, make sure to include the Palace, the Capitol, the George Wythe House, the Peyton Randolph House, and as many historic trade sites as you can. By no means do these have to be toured in one day. Participate in a trial at the Courthouse, have lunch at Chowning%26#39;s one day, eat dinner at one of the colonial taverns. Follow the participants around Colonial Williamsburg as Revolutionary City tells the story of American Independence...different themes for different days. Take part in the evening programs offered nightly.

Take a 40-minute drive along route 5 to tour one of the James River plantations. Berkeley has a guided house tour and then a self-guided grounds tour.

On one of your days, think about buying a picnic lunch from one of the local restaurants before you visit Jamestown Settlement, the glass blowing factory, and Historic Jamestowne. The Colonial Parkway has many areas in which to pull off, enjoy the scenery of the James River, and then have your picnic. If you are lucky the Chicken Lady will be doing her interpretation of an indentured servant newly-arrived from England at Historic Jamestowne. She is so funny but educational at the same time.

Thomas Jefferson%26#39;s Monticello,James Madison%26#39;s Montpelier, and James Monroe%26#39;s Ash Lawn-Highland homes are about a three-hour drive from Williamsburg if those would be of interest to you.

Are you interested in the American Civil War? If so, driving trips for you could include Petersburg and Appomattox Court House. Have fun.

Hello, Petal

It is also my opinion that a week is never too long to stay in CW. When we visit we always stay 7 or 8 nights.

RQT gave you some excellant information about what is available to you. You may also wish to check the calendar of events on CW%26#39;s website which lists programs scheduled for the days of your visit. Of course, these are subject to change. There is usually a lot going on each day.

And, I love the DeWitt Wallace and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museums. Those alone could occupy several hours.

I hope you enjoy your visit to this historically significant area!

Colonialgirl

Hello Bridgefan 1

Thank you for your reply.We are actually starting our trip in Washington for five days,then Williamsburg for a week before heading to Myrtle Beach.From there to Hilton Head, visiting Charleston and Savannah too.I just wanted to know what to do with the five days in between.

Thank you all for your replies.I have actually done quite a lot of research on Williamsburg and the surrounding areas.Lots of the information you have given me is already on my list of ';must do%26#39;s';.It is just so useful to have local knowledge and input from you all.Thank you very much and we are really looking forward to our trip.

We just got back from a week in Williamsburg. I posted a trip report on that. We had no trouble being there a week. in fact missed a couple of things. we did not do Richmond right. We should have spent mre time in the town, nice park along river and we missed the big park, Maymont. and we did not have time to tour a plantation. be sure to drive the Colonial Parkway to both Jamestown and Yorktown. and both places deserve a full day

Not sure where you are staying but do a better job than we did in locating where you are staying. We went around a few big blocks trying to locate place.

With 5 days you could get to Great Smokeys NP. a nice place to visit. You can get from Ashville to MB in a day. suggest you go from WMB to Charlotteville, good history there. then along Blue Ridge parkway or I-81 to park

Many visitors complain that a week is not long enough to see all offered in the Historic Triangle. You will have no problem filling your time in the Williamsburg area (CW itself is a three day project) from Richmond to VA Beach. If Myrtle beach is your ultimate destination, there are a myriad stopovers along the way: the Outer Banks of NC ( The Graveyard of the Atlantic) with beaches, sand dunes, aviation history; numerous NC beaches along the coast; Calabash, NC with its unique style of seafood preparation; historic NC at Halifax, Tryon Palace and New Bern, Edenton; etc. There is even a kitschy tourist trap called Pedro%26#39;s South of the Border just over the NC/SC border before Mrytle Beach. I%26#39;ve known people for whom that was their vacation destination! You also mentioned Hilton Head, Charleston, and Savannah. HH is great if you like resort atmosphere - golfing, beaches, pools, etc. Charleston and Savannah are each historic cities of the ';Old South'; - elegant ';low country'; homes and plantations, tree-lined streets and parks (';squares'; in Savannah), great southern cooking. Each would take a couple of days, at least, to enjoy.

If your intention is to travel along the coast, The Great Smokey Mountains

I agree with Catneal. When we who live here in Williamsburg want a good, interesting, short vacation we head to Charleston or Savannah. They are a half day%26#39;s drive away and wonderful towns to see.

So, come on over and enjoy your week (or more!)visit.

Sorry my post above ended so abruptly but I was interrupted. As I was saying.....If your intention is to travel along the coast, the Great Smokey Mountains and Asheville, as interesting and beautiful as they are, are located too far west to be feasible.

A week is never enough for us. If you get tired of CW, visit some plantations in the area or on the way to Richmond. Monticello in Charlottesville is also quite interesting, but out of your way to Myrtle Beach. You might enjoy the Smoky Mountains as well if you loop over to Monticello and don%26#39;t mind some driving.