pichulita

My husband and I only have 2.5 days in Williamsburg, so I don't see how we can squeeze in Colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown. If you had to choose 2 of the 3 to visit, which 2 would they be and why?

We visited Sturbridge, MA and Plymouth Plantation, MA, so I'm hoping that these 3 historical sites are not a repeat of Sturbridge and Plymouth....are they?

schlegal1

I'm not a good authority because I have only been to Jamestown and Colonial w-burg and we half-assed W-burg; haven't been to Yorktown or the MA places.

I'll still give an opinion, though (mostly to topt his hoping for better info)

Colonial williamsburg - Not worth it to me. Tickets are $37/adult right now. The tickets are expensive (to me) so we didn't buy them. We walked through the town, we peeked in the places, we were not impressed. Without tickets we were not permitted inside certain buildings but, actually other than the Governor's mansion, we didn't feel like we missed too much. And the Governor's costs extra anyway. This isn't to knock Colonial Williamsburg, I just think cost versus value is skewed in favor of cost.

Jamestown - Terrific. Would have liked to spend even more time here. It was very interesting and gave good insight into what life on the settlement was like.

So if it were I, I would do Jamestown and Yorktown. But what the heck do I know, I'm too cheap to shell out for the "real" Colonial Williamsburg ticket anyway.

schlegal1

I should add my own perspective is skewed becaise I only live 2 hours from Williamsburg. I can go back if I ever get the urge. I might feel differently about the value of going to Colonial Williamsburg if I traveled from farther away to see it and knew I couldn't come back on a whim.

schlegal1

This will be my final add on, I promise. I think you actually might be able to do all three in 2.5 days. Jamestown only takes a couple of hours. Yorktown is probably the same.

nytraveler

Have been to Williamsburg twice - and it was brilliant. But - you need to spend the time and do the tours. And do make rsies in advance at one of their restaurants.

We did Jamestown on a day it was 99 and humiid - so our appreciatin ws limited.

We found Yorktown - not just the battlefield but also the Center with history, films, etc - very interesting.

Vttraveler

I would visit Williamstown and Jamestown if you have to pick two (although Yorktown is also well worth a visit). There are multi-day passes for CW which would probably make sense for you
I don't think you can appreciate Williamsburg w/o having tickets to go in the buildings

I agree with nytraveler it is good to try to eat at one of the historic taverns in CW

As to the question of whether these sites are repeats of Sturbridge and Plimouth Plantation--definitely not.

pichulita

Thank you for your responses. I think it will be CW and Jamestown. Good info in these forums!

Birdie

Just be aware that there are two Jamestown sites. Jamestown Island National Park is the site of the original settlement. There is a nice museum and an archeological display there. Jamestown Settlement is a re-creation of the fort, Indian village, and boats. There is also a very good museum there. The two are side by side.

LG2

I agree with spending most of your time at CW. Jamestown Settlement is similar to Plimouth Plantation near Plymouth. Visited JS and Yorktown, as well as Richmond, Norfolk, Newport News and Virginia Beach. Didn't have time for the Jamestown Island National Park, but that would be my choice the next time we visit CW.

cmp6e

I don't think it would be difficult to do Jamestown and Yorktown in one day. You can spend a few hours at each and drive between the two on Colonial Parkway, which is a beautiful scenic road by the river.

The previous poster mentioned that there are two parts to Jamestown. That is true of Yorktown too. The Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation runs wonderful living history museums at both sites. The National Park service runs Jamestown Island and the Yorktown battlefields. It would be a stretch to see all four of these in one day, but you could certainly pick two.

I would spend a whole day at Colonial Williamsburg - take the tours, walk the streets, eat at the taverns, soak up the atmosphere. Then I would spend your second day at the Jamestown and Yorktown living history museums. I think you'll have plenty of time for both.

Deb15July

If you stay at one of the CW hotels, you don't have to pay to get into the CW area.

My family enjoyed the Witch Trial. I also took my daughter to a Ghost Tour, but it wasn't really more than some story-telling.