ONLY 2 DAYS IN WILLIAMSBURG

Old Dec 21st, 2015, 02:47 PM
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ONLY 2 DAYS IN WILLIAMSBURG

We are ACTIVE SENIORS, staying in the W Lodge, but only have 2 days. Could you please tell us your DON'T MISS ACTIVITIES and suggest any restaurants that are noteworthy for an unusual experience, ambiance, special food, or good bargain. We will not be going until March, but we are trying to get organized now, just in case there is something really special that we need early reservations.

Many Thanks!
Suzy
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Old Dec 21st, 2015, 03:14 PM
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We've been to Williamsburg twice and were only interested in Colonial Williamsburg which you can easily tour in two days. There's lots more in the area, many outlet stores, Busch Gardens, etc.

I particularly liked the tour of the governor's mansion and the Rockefeller home on the edge of the village. All the houses and stores are interesting, particularly those where demonstrations are held. I think this varies daily.

We ate at the King's Arms Tavern and at the inn. Both were good--the tavern is only lit by candlelight which was a nice touch.
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Old Dec 21st, 2015, 07:22 PM
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You can do Williamsburg in five minutes at most. Waste of time!
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Old Dec 22nd, 2015, 03:57 AM
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You can easily do Colonial Williamsburg itelf in 2 days. Be sure to have at least one colonial style meal at one of the restaurants. Check menus and prices to decide which.

The problem is that there is so much else to do in the area - Yorktown battlefield and Center, Jamestown and the nearby plantations. These can easily add another 2 full days to the wonderful sights.

As for Waldo - perhaps he prefers Disney fantasyland.
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Old Dec 22nd, 2015, 04:45 AM
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I have not been since I was 12 but it was beautiful. Eating at one of the taverns is a special treat.
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Old Dec 22nd, 2015, 06:50 AM
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Waldo has posted that before -- just bizarre.

You can see a lot of Williamsburg in 2 days but you'll miss some and will miss out on Jamestown, Yorktown, Busch Gardens etc.

When are you visiting? The winter/holiday programs are different than other times of the year.

I'd definitely do one of the short orientation walking tours first just to get your bearings. Also do an evening concert/program each night and eat in one of the historic taverns. But there is just soooooo much to see/do I'd maybe wait and get the daily program and decide as you go, since you are going to miss some things no matter..
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Old Dec 22nd, 2015, 06:53 AM
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There's no need for anyone to give you a list of the "DON'T MISS ACTIVITIES" at Colonial Williamsburg since you can pretty much see/do everything in two days. When you check in at the Williamsburg Lodge you'll be given a map of the "town" with all the major points of interest clearly marked. Once you have that you can work out a route to follow based on the different activities and timetables listed in the Events Calendar for the time period of your stay. Everything is within walking distance of the lodge and there is also a free shuttle bus that runs along the perimeter of the "town" that you can use to cut down on walking distances between the "furthest points". You can also meet with one of the concierge staff who can give you hints and make dinner reservations at one of the "Tavern Restaurants" and/or guided tours (if they interest you). Make your dinner reservations and book and organized tours (such as the Ghost Walks) as early as possible as they fill up pretty fast.

Go to the Colonial Williamsburg website for lots of useful information.
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Old Dec 22nd, 2015, 09:00 AM
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Brush up on your history before you go. The actors and experts really enjoy the interaction, especially if you play along as a Colonist. 2 days is enough, if you want, Jamestown is EXCELLENT for a half day. Yorktown is good too, but I would spend time there w/just 2days
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Old Dec 22nd, 2015, 10:28 AM
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My DH had a interesting discussion about crop rotation with a Colonial Williamsburg interpreter, both staying right in Colonial character. We loved dinner at one of the taverns.
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Old Dec 22nd, 2015, 08:24 PM
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Generally, weather is milder and lots of flowers are in bloom in April and early May. In summer, it can be very hot and humid, but Busch Gardens and Water Country will also be open daily. The fall weather is again milder, and in late October and November, the foliage can be gorgeous. The holiday season has lots of special programming, but we can get cold and snow, as we did this past weekend. Colonial Williamsburg has programming all year, with a reduced schedule in "Winter Season" (January, February, and into mid-March).
These are some restaurants name-
1. Waypoint Seafood and Grill
2. Francesco's Ristorante Italiano
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Old Dec 23rd, 2015, 04:35 PM
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Down at Market Square there are several nice shops and good restaurants. We particularly like The Blue Talon back on a side street (French bistro) and The Fat Canary on the main street that is gourmet. Be sure to walk up to the Wren Building on the William and Mary campus to see the original building where TJ and others went to school. I would do just one colonial tavern - Kings Arms or Christiana Campbell's restaurant (mainly seafood) are the top choices. March there are usually lots of daffodils in bloom but can also have lots of rain.
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Old Dec 27th, 2015, 03:38 PM
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(Merchants' Square)
Blue Talon and Fat Canary are both very good. Waypoint, a ten min drive away is excellent. Two new restaurants near The College have opened: The Triangle, a tapas restaurant and A Hound's Tale, opened by the owners of Aromas. Also new and well thought of is Cochon on 2nd St.

Breakfasts:
Aromas, across the street from Blue Talon
Blue Talon
Chickahominy House, not great but very popular with tourists
Colonial pancake house, basic good breakfast
Five Forks Cafe and Honey Butters, the two most popular with the locals so stay away on the weekend

Lunch:
Golden Horseshoe balcony, only if the weather is nice
Charlie's, at our tiny airport, has great soup and sandwiches...and pie
Cheese Shop, great sandwiches, only takeout and seating isn't great unless the weather is nice and you can eat on the square

The Inn restaurants are (finally) getting a complete overhaul so I really don't know what they'll be like in the spring.
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Old Apr 3rd, 2017, 03:35 AM
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Thanks for all the information on this thread. My husband and I will be in Williamsburg for a few days in mid-April and I especially appreciate the recommendations for lunch and breakfast.

Are there any new restaurants worthy of mention? We are staying in one of the colonial houses and would like to be able to walk somewhere in the historic area.

And if we are interested in a place to try local craft beers one evening is the DoG Street pub a good place?
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Old Apr 3rd, 2017, 06:36 AM
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If you are staying in one of the colonial houses, DoG Street Pub is a fantastic option for you since it's walking distance w/in the restored area. They have an extensive selection of craft beers including at least one local brewery, Alewerks. (there are other local and regional beers but that is the one I remember from a visit a few weeks ago). The food there is unpredictable IMO -- sometimes great & sometimes meh -- which is weird b/c it's owned by the Blue Talon guy, David Everett. The Blue Talon is my favorite place in Wmbg for any meal of the day.

Alewerks has a taproom you can visit. I think they serve some basic food. The Virginia Beer Company is another local brewery with, IMO, a slightly better taproom ambiance. I can't comment on a third, Brass Cannon, as I've not visited.

I would also add Shorty's to the breakfast list for another spot popular with locals.

If your visit overlaps a Saturday, the farmer's market will have re-opened for the season in Merchant Square. In addition to local produce, its great for people & dog watching, coffee and a pastry.
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Old Apr 3rd, 2017, 07:50 AM
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Obxgirl gave you good advice. Just don't go to DoG St on a Monday night when their running club descends on them. Va Beer Co is about a 5 min drive from CW and is a fun spot. They'll have rotating good trucks parked out front to provide food. The Golden Horseshoe and the Inn restaurants are under renovation and I'm not sure of the timeline to completion.

The Colonial is a nice walk from CW. Shorty's is very popular but they never get my eggs right. Carrot Tree has opened a new place on Jamestown Rd and has good lunches and breakfasts. Breakfast on the Trellis patio on Sat morning overlooking the farmers' market is lovely. There will be live music provided by the market.
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Old Apr 3rd, 2017, 12:05 PM
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Sunday brunch at the Williamsburg Inn dining room is something really special: wonderful atmosphere, nice jazz duo, excellent food, and impeccable service. You can order from the menu or indulge in the buffet spread.
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Old Apr 3rd, 2017, 12:07 PM
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Another vote for DoG. We had a great dinner there just before Christmas. It was a cold day out and relaxing at DoG with a cider and bowl of mulligatawny was perfect.
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Old Apr 3rd, 2017, 01:14 PM
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Thanks, everyone.

I should have specified we will be there mid-week so won't make Sunday brunch. I remember the Inn brunch from years ago.
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Old Apr 3rd, 2017, 01:45 PM
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What are your interests, Vttraveler? There are the art museums of CW but W&M also has a nice, small art museum, The Muscarelle. Unfortunately, you'll have just missed the Botticellis. They are going to Boston, after the exhibit leaves here this week.
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Old Apr 6th, 2017, 03:25 PM
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We will have only an afternoon and a full day and are probably just going to focus on going to some of the CW buildings. My husband got a masters at William and Mary in the mid-1970's and I lived nearby for about year. We have only been back a few times and those trips were with kids so we would like to visit CW and the campus.
We want to be sure to spend some time at the Great Hopes plantation since we have never seen that.
If we have time I think we might go to the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum. (I am sure they have changed at least some things in the past 40 years.)

We are looking forward to seeing the gardens even though we will be a little too early for Garden WEek. We still have snow here in VT, and I have fond memories of the beautiful springs in VA. (I have trouble with the really hot summer weather there, though).
Any tips on gardens we should be sure to see in addition to the Governor's Palace and Bassett Hall?

When we leave Williamsburg we are headed to Gordonsville/Orange area and we will probably go to some of the James River plantations on the way. I lived in Smithfield for about 6 months and am intrigued by the description of its historic district (not a big tourist destination in my day) but I think we will save that for another trip. Our son and DIL have relocated to the DC area so we plan to visit them and Virginia again soon.
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