We live north of DC, and usually do Gettysburg as a day trip, but since you are apparently traveling some distance, you may want to spend maybe a day and a half -- more if you get involved. The trip between the two will probably take longer than you anticipate, because Rt 95 sometimes can get very trying. On the otherhand, there have been times when we've had totally smooth sailing. I'd plan on its being a good long day on the road between the two. Williamsburg is very different, and there is much more to see in the general vicinity (like the College of William & Mary, the James River plantations, etc.). I would probably plan on about 3 days there, one of which will be spent touring Williamsburg. We haven't taken a "general tour," rather you follow their map and visit the areas that most interest you. Don't miss the Newspaper Office or the Courtroom, though! The actors who portray colonials are wonderful and answer any questions you have about "their" life. It takes some getting used to, but it is really fun.

I trust you have no objections to my interjection, bearing in mind I am from across the pond, but I would like to reiterate the pleasure of visiting Williamsburg with my sister last year. I recall the 'Colonials' being extremely curtious & informative & the 'village' being extremely picturesque. It was a wonderful holiday & for the record the American people we met were the most delightful and went out of their way to help us. We too visited Washington (it took a day-but we did take a time to driving on the 'wrong' side of the road) and whilst there was a stark difference between both Williamsburg & Washington the people remained the same. It wasn't the places which made the holiday for us, it was truely the people. I hope you have a great vacation.
Anna

Hi Brenda - I agree with Diane, do allow a day's drive to get to the Williamsburg area. I-95 and I-64 can be quite congested at times. I live in the VA Beach area and while I've never done "the tour" thing at Williamsburg, I do know someone who has and she said you can easily spend a whole day just there and then there are other attractions close by. Here are a few websites that may be helpful to you. Enjoy your trip.

http://www.gohamptonroads.com
http://virginia.com

ooooops - the second one should have "www" as well.

One thing I would highly recommend at Gettysburg is to start by seeing the "Electric Map" presentation (I think that's what it's called) at the Visitors Centre. It a large map of the battleground with tiered seating on all sides. By using coloured lightbulbs to represent the North and the South the narration takes you through the battle - showing the advances/retreats/etc. Then we walked the site - which was much more meaningful after the presentation.

We did Gettysburg 2 years ago as a 3 day weekend. I think that was a good amount of time. We bought the audiotape of the battlefields at the museum store there and did the driving tour. It was very good. A friend hired one of the guides that rides in the car with you and he said that the guide was well worth the money. We also went up in the tower that's there.
It's kind of controversial since many consider it a blot on the landscape. But I have to say that it really helps to give you a good idea of where everything happened. I would assume that you are history buffs and probably already well-informed but if not, you might read the fictionalized account of the battle written by Michael
Schaara (sp?) It's called The Killer Angels and it's a great book. Have a great trip.

For a place to stay in Williamsburg, the first choice is the very pricy Williamsburg Inn. They even have accommodations in some of the buildings in the historic district... *very* cool. For off-site, try the Patrick Henry Motel (or "Motor Inn" or something), which is just across the street from the historic district

I also recommend getting a free Williamsburg visitor guide by calling 1-800-HISTORY. Another website to check out is www.colonialwilliamsburg.org or www.williamsburgva.com. Have fun! Driving from Gettysburg ot williamsburg - avoid the DC area if possible, definitely avoid I-95 around DC between 6-9 AM and 4-7 PM, rush hour!