tcreath

My husband and I are going to Williamsburg over the Thanksgiving holiday since we have no family in town. We will be driving there from Charlotte, NC. Neither of us have been and I have a few questions.

First, do I need a 2 day pass or can I see most things in 1 day? I know that this question is very dependent on likes/dislikes. We do like history, but we tend to move through things rather quickly. I was a little surprised by the cost of the tickets, and I'm trying to decide if it's worth paying $50 for a two day or if one day may suffice.

Are there restaurants open for Thanksgiving outside of Colonial Williamsburg. I do know that a few of the restaurants in Colonial Williamsburg are open for a Thanksgiving dinner, but at $60 per person this isn't something that we really want to do. We aren't foodies, so are open if anyone has suggestions.

Finally, are things open on Thanksgiving? From looking at the Colonial Williamsburg website, it looks like things will be open but some may have "seasonal hours"...not sure what that means.

Thanks!
Tracy

longhorn55

I would recommend the 2-day pass. Not only would you probably need more than 1 day to see all the musuems (e.g. DeWitt Wallace Museum, Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Museum and Bassett Hall) and major sites at Williamsburg, but also the 2-day pass is only $6 more than the 1 day pass. (And if you book online, you save almost all of that $6.)

Lexma90

Seems like if the 2-day pass is only $6 more, you should just do that.

Several years ago, we took our kids to Williamsburg, and ended up spending much more time there than we expected. Many of the employees in the buildings act as if they live in the colonial time period, which we all found very interesting. They're happy to talk to you - I did that a lot, and would have had hours more of conversations if my family had let me. For example, in the tailor's small hut-like home and workplace, my son was coughing. The tailor offered a typical remedy of the time, and told us how to make it (in addition to telling us about the clothes he was mending).

So if you're the types who might end up being more engaged in the living history of Williamsburg, you may use all of your extra time there. (And we didn't even go in the museums!)

tcreath

From what I am looking at on the website, it looks like a one day Capital City Pass is $37 and a Palace/Capital City two day pass is $49. http://www.history.org/visit/planYou...cketPlans/#day. Is there some discounting somewhere?

I have to admit that I find the structure of the ticketing confusing.

Thanks!
Tracy

Birdie

You can always do black Friday at the outlets. It starts shortly after midnight, I believe.

Look at www.kingsmillresort.com for other dining options.

Search Williamsburg at Thanksgiving. Others have asked the same questions in the past.

longhorn55

Yes, the website could be a bit better on showing the ticket prices. Basically, these are the choices you want to look at:

1. Capital City Pass $37
This is a one-day pass that does NOT include admission to the Governor's Palace Tour.

2. Palace/Capital City Pass $43
This is a one-day pass that includes admission to the Governor's Palace Tour.

3. Governor's Key-to-the-City Pass $49 (or $44.10 if purchased in advance online)
This is a two-day pass that includes admission to the Governor's Palace Tour.

I definitely recommend a ticket that includes the Governor's Palace, one of the highlights of CW. So if you buy the Key-to-the-City ticket online, you actually get an extra day for only $1.10 more than the Palace/Capital City Pass.

I hope this explantion is helpful.

tcreath

longhorn, thank you very much. Yes, it is helpful. I couldn't figure out why there are two one-day tickets...now I know its because one includes the Governor's Palace and that makes sense. In that case, I will go ahead and get a two-day ticket.

Thanks!!
Tracy

cheapbutnice2

During many times of the year, the CW hotels include admission in their room rates. I would always consider staying "on-site" first.