Message: Husband and I will be in Williamsburg at the end of March. Our time is limited (Saturday from approx. lunchtime - leaving Monday early morning). We love history and are looking forward to Colonial Williamsburg. Could anyone suggest a few good spots to eat (preferably Colonial Williamsburg or other similar setting) that offer historical building and fare, perhaps evening entertainment? On Saturday we could go somewhere else during the day (lunch and sightseeing). Is anything particular going on at that time of year? Just so you know -- we live in the Orlando Florida area, so we have plenty of tourism, hot weather, and shopping. We're hoping to see something authentically historic, no reflection on the Mickey Mouse experience...thanks everyone for your perspective and opinions; there are always very much appreciated.

Great French- at La Yaca.

Continental at The Trellis in Colonial Williamsburg downtown ==among the tourist shops..Make sure you get the chocolate decadence dessert.

Chownings Tavern=IN the COLONIAL area that you walk around =ie. the historic buildings area-Make sure you try the PEANUT SOUP--Go for lunch..

Willaimsburg Inn- Main dining room- Jackets required...Fancy- feel like you are in the CIVIL WAR...on weekends this restaurant in the INN has a band...

I just love Colonial Williamsburg and I hope you will also. If you can, get the multi-day pass. Ours included parking so we could come and go if we pleased, and it also let us tour the museums.

The Dewitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum is absolutely incredible. Imagine the finest of the fine, all on display. It might be a nice tour on your open Saturday.
http://www.colonialwilliamsburg.com/...tt_gallery.cfm

Colonial Williamsburg also offers evening events. I would pick the ghost tour!
http://www.colonialwilliamsburg.com/...lPerformances/

Springtime is a busy season in Williamsburg so there will be plenty going on. The weather should be temperate and the gardens coming into bloom.

The website wsoxrebel recommends (colonialwilliamsburg.com) is an excellent resource for visiting Colonial Wmbg. Check it out for special programs and events. The colonial taverns will be your best bet for dining in a historic setting. Again, consult the website for the different taverns' menu's. The food is good (not great) but the atmosphere is very charming. I recommend making a reservation before you arrive. I'll deviate slightly from andy's suggestions. Chownings is also good fun after dark for an after dinner drink and some 18th C. music and entertainment. Personally, I'd skip the Trellis for anything other than dessert. Berrett's Seafood is very good. The Wmbg Inn is excellent but very very formal. Out of the restore area, I like the Cities Grille for dinner.

If it's a nice day and you're looking to spend Saturday doing something historic other than CW, I'd grab some take out and head toward Jamestown. A few choices for take away food are the Cheese Shop (located in Merchant Square), Aroma's (on Prince George St.) and the Fresh Market (an upscale grocer on the road to Jamestown). There are picnic spots on Jamestown Island as well as at the adjacent Jamestown Settlement. The Colonial Parkway is a very pretty drive along the James River from Jamestown to Yorktown. Another history related sidetrip would be a cluster of plantation homes on Route 5, a nice country drive leaving Wmbg heading to Richmond.

You should have no trouble filling your stay in Wmbg. Happy travels!

I definitely agree you should ck out the CW (that's what the locals call Colonial Wmsbg) website for menus and tours. I recommend Shield's Tavern for Sat. lunch esp. if you can arrive and eat a late or early one. It's the lgest of the taverns and can seat more people at a time. I believe they have a roving singer at lunch - know they do at dinner. People spend a wk or more exploring CW so the multiple day pass would be the best way to do it. You can't enter the restored buildings for the programs w/o it. I've heard of people touring CW by walking down the streets and not being impressed. That's like going to DisneyWorld and only walking down the streets - no rides, no shows, etc. However, if you are only in CW for 1 day, get a 1-day pass and definitely see the Capital, and Governor's Palace. In the evenings, there are Lantern Tours which are fun and the guide takes you into 4 different shops and explains things. I agree that Chownings is good for a drink or snack, but not a meal. I recommend either King's Arm or the tavern primarily serving seafood - name escapes me - depending on what you like for dinner, but definitely make reservations ahead of time. If you want to head out of CW on Day 2, Jamestown would be a great choice. In 2007 is the 400 yr. celebration of the colonists coming to America - long before those other guys landed in Mass. They are planning for several million tourists that year, and you would be ahead of them. However, there are major renovations and musuems under construction now so ck the website to see what all is available. It would still be worthwhile, I believe, unless you are coming back in a couple of yrs. Picnic along the James River on the Colonial Pkwy and image being a Native American and seeing ships coming up "your" river in 1607. It would be if a spaceship landed beside you now! March can be chilly, rainy, hot, or downright cold so ck the weather and be prepared. Have a great time!

I've been twice to the Trellis and once to a pub-type place in the "restored" area (isn't it all a re-inventing, not a renovation?). Both were good IMHO, but I'm sure others have more comprehensive opinions. I've only made day trips from the in-laws in Norfolk. I'd look for a plantation along the river, I hear they're very interesting. Jamestown didn't do much for me but you need to see it -- once!

Thanks to you all for some excellent recommendations. I checked out that website and the various menus; it has some great info. I think we'll plan to stop off at Chownings for a drink and some entertainment at nite, but will probably eat dinner elsewhere, though probably one of the taverns you mentioned for at least one dinner and a lunch. We will make sure to buy the pass. I smiled when I read your advice to make reservations ahead of time -- I am one of those "rabid planner" types, and will of course make reservations well ahead of time. But hubby is one of those optimistic sorts who prefers to be "spontaneous" but is so disappointed when that charming restaurant or hotel is too busy to accommodate us. So, I make secret plans..he pretends not to know this, and I pretend we are being "spontaneous." (We've been together a long time..)On Saturday, if the weather is good, we'll try something like the Jamestown/picnic/ plantation route; if it's cold, we'll focus more sites like the Dewitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum and tavern-hopping..
Tandoori_Girl -- I read in some other posts that you are from Tampa. Any recommendations for day-trippers or weekenders from "Bore-lando" to your neck of the woods?

My husband lived in Orlando briefly and gave it that moniker. He was youthful then -- now he can hardly keep up with HIMSELF.

Seriously, I'd be happy to give you some recs but -- what are you looking for? You say you like history -- and authenticity. Have you been here at all? Do you like indoors, outdoors. Plenty to do here, even for Bore-landoans. I'll get back to you after you clue me in.

I'm over that way every week or so for business. How 'bout some good lunch places in Ybor (I usually end up at Columbia) or seafood places on the water. Would like to spend a weekend or two at the beach, have been to Clearwater and Madeira Beach but looking for something new. Maybe low-key. Actually have not been sightseeing in Tampa, usually have gone farther south (Sarasota, Ft. Myers, Sanibel, etc.). Think we're missing out. Yeah, we like to tour historic sites or nature preserves.

I would also recommend the other end of the Colonial Parkway from Jamestown- at Yorktown. Go to www.historyisfun.org to learn about the Yorktown Victory Center. They may have new stuff vey soon. The old Nick's Seafood Pavilion in Yorktown was heavily damaged by Hurricane Isabel and has been demolished, and in the excavation of the site for new construction buried remains and more relics have been found. Many of them will end up at the Yorktown Victory Center that was established with a gift from the late "Nick" of Nick's restaurant. Also if you like BBQ, take a short drive to the ORIGINAL Pierce's Pit Bar-B-Que in james City County, get directions from your hotel. Only restaurant in the state with a permit to REALLY roast their pigs outdoors in a pit!

In Ybor, Carmine's is a great lunch spot. Get any of the lunch specials. It's on 7th. Also on 7th, the Tropicana is an authentic original Cuban sandwich joint. Lots of atmosphere. Both these places are casual with great food.

A little more upscale -- the Laughing Cat has an Italian lunch buffet that is very good, reasonable ($8?). It's on the street where the trolley is, I guess that would be 8th, on the opposite end of Ybor from the Columbia.

Even nicer is a place called Big City Tavern. Nouveau cuisine. It's upstairs via Central Ybor, but in the building next to it.

Tampa lacks good seafood places on the water -- with the exception of Oystercatchers, the restaurant attached to the Grand Hyatt Hotel on the Clearwater Causeway. The hotel and the restaurant are in the middle of a nature preserve, so this is a gorgeous spot, especially at sunset. Their very expensive restaurant at the top of the Grand Hyatt is a favorite of mine and my hubbies for our anniversary dinner. I'd recommend you take the tour at the Plant Museum at the University of Tampa for an interesting look back on Tampa's origins. Less touristy, but very educational, is the Ybor State Museum in Ybor city. Both of these museums take very little time.

In Tampa, Lettuce Lake Park by USF is a wonderful nature preserve with a 3-story birding tower. You'd be very likely to see gators. If you've never canoed (a leisurely undertaking in Florida) then take a picnic with you and go to some of the outposts on the Alafia River. They put you in the water upstream, you float for about three hours downstream enjoying the fauna and wildlife, then they fish you out at the outpost. Lots of fun. In St. Pete, cross the Gandy Bridge, then look for signs for Wheedon Island (it will be to your left/south) -- this is a great spot, formerly an oyster midden for native americans in this area. They have kayaking rentals there, easy even for beginners.

For a beach spot, I'd recommend either Passe-a-Grille, which is the southernmost of St. Pete's Gulf communities -- or Sunset Beach, which is the southern tip of Treasure Island. These are little communities and have a quaint charm -- and the residents plan to keep it that way. Either is terrific, but Sunset will have cheaper accomodations as Passe-a-grille is already quite gentrified. They have quite a few bayside restaurants that are good, and a gulfside, the Hurricane, that used to be good but alas is now only basking in the shadow of its former self. There's Dockside Dave's on Madiera Beach, Caddy's on Sunset. St. Petersburg's downtown is going through an incredible transformation. There is a lot to do down there. Last night I went to the Hampton House of Jazz and heard some great entertainers. Very interesting are the old-timers such as Marcus Hampton and Buster Cooper at the Garden Restaurant, both on Central Avenue. There's also a Bay Walk full of shops and restaurants and movie theatres. And the Dali museum is really wonderful.

Fort de Soto is a state park -- if you camp it has campsites on the water. If not, go visit for the day and be sure and stop by the old fort there. Fascinating.

That should cover you for awhile. have fun!

Wow - I should say so! Thanks a bunch, Tandoori_Girl!

Our daughter went to William & Mary, so we have visited CW often. Take time to stroll through the old part of the campus. It's right at the end of DOG (Duke of Gloucester) Street. I believe the Wren Building (as in Sir Christopher) is the oldest continually occupied educational building in the country. Also be sure to visit Bruton Parish Church. The last time we were there we toured the house where the Rockefellers lived while CW was undergoing restoration. It's very '30s, but in its own way authentic. I seem to recall that you needed advance tickets for that, as the house isn't all that large.

We have made Colonial Williamsburg and area an annual event for years and haven't grown tired of it yet. You just have to relax! First, check in hotel. It's easy when you stay in one the Official hotels of Colonial Williamsburgy--preferable one within walking distance of historical area. Get your photo badge made and ask about evening programs, making reservations at that time. I have found that the folks are always very friendly and informative about what is coming up. Eat at Christiana Campbell's tavern for an evening meal and you'll never regret it!! Soft candle light and music. Ask for one of the four private (little rooms) upstairs and order the fish (or steak) it's all delicious. Reservations are a must. Get tickets to the Lanthorn (spelled right??) tour; a walk around the historical grounds in the evening. Or take in a play at the Kimbal Theatre. Seasons is great for another dinner and we alway follow it up with any chocolate dessert at Trellis. Looking for a light lunch? Grab one at The Cheese Shop and wash it down with a Ginger Ale. Jamestown is OK, but the Naitonal Park Yorktown battlefield is a must if you are interested in history. It's a great gift shop, too. There is golf, which we really dig into at one of the many golf courses--Kingsmill is great for a day of golf as is the Golden Horse Shoe. And you really need to stop and talk to the "Historical" people that walk around town. Don't be shy--they are begging people to ask them questions. If you can catch "Thomas Jefferson" giving a talk, do it! This wonderful actor is perfect in taking you back into colonial times. I promise you won't be disappointed. Shopping might not be what you are looking for, but you need to drop into Everything Williamsburg for just little bit of Williamburg to take home. I suggest on the many beautiful coffee table type books (Williamsburg, Yesterday and Today) or a cookbook. The Craft House will have a wonderful display of things to remember your trip by (and not the little plastic stuff that gets stored away in a box). Bruton Parish Church is a must--walk around the grave yard and read the tomb stones of the people who are buried there. And if you can, grab a Sunday blessing service. A beautiful experience no matter what your religious beliefs.
I know this sounds like a advertisement for the Colonial Williamsburg. But I've travelled all over the world and have found that if you take a little time and explore you will come away with so much more. Enjoy your stay and relax.

Since you're going to be there on a (ususally busy) Saturday night, find programs that you'd want to do BEFORE you arrive at Williamsburg - you can purchase tickets in advance, as often by mid-day many Sat night (and some Sunday night too!) programs will be sold out. I especially recommend an 18th Century play (usually performed at the Lodge Auditorium, sometimes Kimbal Theatre), and the "Cry Witch" program seems to be a favorite of many too. Bassler Hall, the Williamsburg residence of the Rockerfellers, is again open, and during November no reservations were needed. Many programs with limited capacity do use tickets, but with no extra charge beyond your admission. If there is ANY chance you might be at CW again within a year, purchase the Annual Pass, it's only a few bucks more than a one-day pass. Like "girlwilltravel", CW has become a "several times a year" event for me for maybe 8 years now -- I learn new things about the history & culture each time I visit CW.

girlwilltravel and rb_travelerxATyahoo, thank you both very much for the excellent advice. Rest assured we will take it to heart. I wish we weren't going to be there for just 2 days on a weekend, so we'll probably end up returning within the year, if only to try out everything on everyone's post to us. So the pass is a pretty good bet. Thanks again.

For a true perspective of CW, you need to stay in one of the colonial houses onsite. Nothing can compare to looking out your window in the early morning to see sheep grazing in the backlot adjoining your residence or strolling back to your room down a lantern lit street after dinning at a local tavern with nary another soul in sight. The houses are furnished in period reproduction furniture, beautifully decorated, and have working fireplaces. The only drawback I found was that the baths are a bit dated.... do 1950 era facilities add to the period atmosphere?

If you can manage to pull yourself away from CW for a few hours, take the Colonial Parkway down to Yorktown to see the NP battleground site. You must also drive through the old town area though and see the cannon ball that's still embedded in the second floor corner of a lovely brick home. Go to Jamestown too, but skip the restored village and visit the ruins of the original settlement.

I want to send a big THANK YOU to everyone who offered suggestions on our trip to Williamsburg. We printed them all out and took them along with us, and had a wonderful time.
We did buy the annual pass, it was well worth it. We saw an 18th century play one night, ate dinner at Shields Tavern one night, Christiana Campbell's the next, had lunch at King's Arms, and drinks in the backyard of Shields tavern one afternoon. There really weren't any crowds -- the weather was pretty cool -- so we were able to join in on just about any tour. Took a scenic drive over to Jamestown, maybe will stop and spend a little time there on another trip. Of course, 2 days wasn't enough, so we are planning another trip up later this year, maybe. Thanks you all of you, we really had a great time.