We will be heading to Williamsburg in a couple of weeks for a short midweek vacation after Easter. We are staying at the Historic Powhatan Resort because we were able to get a three bedroom for under $900 for the entire trip. At any rate, our kids are 11, 3 and 1. I%26#39;m looking for any advice on where to go and what to do. We are planning one day at Busch Gardens and want to do CV, Jamestown, and Yorktown. Any advice on what to do while in the places above, where to eat, activities, etc. would be appreciated. This is our first trip out as a family of five, so I%26#39;m hopeful that some other parents might be able to steer me in a good direction. Thanks!
Trip 4/14-4/18 with 3 kids - recommendations please!
Hello, there are 2 Jamestown sites. One is the Historic Jamestowne Island. This is the first permanent English speaking colony in North America. Settled 13 years before the Mayflower landed!! There is a great museum filled with artifacts discovered during the archealogical digs that have been going on there since around 1993, I believe. There are walking tours, statues of Pocahontas and John Smith, an original church tower dating from the mid 1600%26#39;s,a nice gift shoppe and a small cafe. There is also a loop drive that goes into the woods where you can see wild life and imagine what it was like when the settlers first landed.
The other site is the Jamestown Settlement. This would be a great place for your kids. There are reproductions of 3 ships, (you can board at least one), a native American village, and the James Fort. A very hands on place where your kids can grind corn, and try on armor and clothes. The Native American village huts are filled with articles that they would have used. There is also a wonderful museum there as well as a restaurant and gift shoppe.
The Glasshouse is located right before you get to the Jamestowne Island. This is very interesting and won%26#39;t take very long. There are costumed interpreters blowing glasswear.
If you just have time for one of the Jamestowns, I would suggest the Settlement because I think your children would enjoy that one the best.
Hope you enjoy this area and have lots of fun on your trip. from Mary.
Trip 4/14-4/18 with 3 kids - recommendations please!
Hi Sayds19,
Wow, first vacation as a family of five! Quite exciting.
MaryMac gave a great description of the Jamestowns for you. You should be able to do both of those in one full day, they are fairly nearby to each other. Jamestown Settlement has a cafe on site where you could conveniently eat lunch. My son is 8 years old %26amp; has been several times- he went for the first time when he was 2 years old, and has always loved the hands on interactive experiences and was (%26amp; still is) especially wowed by the ship replicas you can get on!
For CW, I would recommend going to the Calendar of Events page on their website to check out what is happening during the dates of your visit. It is such a large area, with so many different overlapping or simultaneous programs going on in different areas of it each day- it%26#39;s easy to miss something you may have wanted to see or participate in if you just go and %26#39;wing it%26#39;. I would also suggest calling the Visitor Center to have them mail you a %26#39;This Week%26#39; brochure for the week you will be attending (I like those even better than the website calendar). They are invaluable in helping to plan your visit. They have detailed info on the times/locations of events %26amp; programs, as well as have the programs labeled that are geared especially for kids. It also has a detailed coded map of the area on it %26amp; very helpful general info.
Busch Gardens has fabulous things for all ages. Great coasters %26amp; shows %26amp; eateries. (The eateries are fun for the experience %26amp; convenience, but can get pricey. So if you are looking to save some money, you can leave the park to go to McDonalds and still get back in same-day with a handy hand stamp) The new Sesame Street Forest of Fun is opening in April, hopefully by the time your family arrives. It will have really great things for your younger ones.
The Yorktown Victory Center %26amp; the Yorktown Visitor Center %26amp; Battlefields aren%26#39;t really located near any of the other attractions you mentioned you were visiting, (although there is a shuttle that will run you between this area and the Jamestowns, but I wouldn%26#39;t recommend necessarily trying to squeeze in both the Jamestowns %26amp; the Yorktowns on the same day- it is possible, but it would really crunch it). You can really probably do the Yorktowns in a half-day. You could do those the first half of one of your days, and then go back to CW or Busch Gardens a second time (most people are itching to go back after just one day at either of those places anyway!) for the second half of your day if you were planning on getting multi-day passes. Or instead, if the weather is nice, after your visit of the Yorktowns, you could have a fun family picnic on the Yorktown Battlefields or on the Yorktown Beach at Riverwalk Landing, which is a super-nice new walking/shopping area they have now. (My son %26amp; I love going to this area to walk %26amp; go to the beach) http://www.riverwalklanding.com/
They also have a fun trolley that runs that area.
Hope that helps. Have a great time!
Hi Sayds,
The best ice cream you will ever eat is at ';Handel%26#39;s';
on Route 60 (Williamsburg Road) across the street and about 1/2 mile east of The Pottery. Look for the blue roof/awnings. I drive there from Richmond a couple of times a month for my ';fix';. It is spectacular!!! I also like ';Gus%26#39;s Hot Dog King'; for great chili dogs. It is also on Route 60, but closer to the hotels - is on the right as you are leaving Williamsburg - past the Aberdeen Barn, and past Wendy%26#39;s - across the street from the Yankee Candle store.
Have fun!
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