We are planning a five day (M-F) trip to Virginia between 8/18 and 8/22.

We are leaving from NJ to Yorktown and are staying at the Duke of York Hotel.

Since we believe in a “planned spontaneity” style of travel so not every moment is planned – but a few goals and guidelines are put in place

We have two kids, daughter 3.5 and son 15 months.

Here is our itinerary – we’d like get some suggestions on stuff to do.

Monday – (the most aggressive day) drive from NJ with a few stops on the way (any suggestions) and a stop at Mt. Vernon for about an hour or so and straight to the hotel.
We figured the six hour ride would take around nine hours.

Tuesday – rest and maybe go to Yorktown

Wednesday – Jamestown

Thursday – Jamestown and maybe a trip to Monticello (1.5 hours away).

Friday – Monticello if we didn’t go on Thursday and home

Any suggestion on what we can’t miss & where to eat, etc. would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks.

ttt

My "concern" would be with your exit from Mt. Vernon and at what time of day...if that is during a weekday and between say, 2 and 6PM you can rest assured that I-95 can be a bear of a drive to at least Fredericksburg (after that, no prob) so keep that in mind.

You could use an alternate route but it won't be as fast ultimately.

You might end up wanting to spend more than just an hour at Mt. Vernon, also.

If you do all of this as planned get the kids and yourselves up EARLY and get here sooner rather than later.

It will be a LONG day but you can handle it and don't let any of the "travel whiners" tell you can't!!!

I think Mt. Vernon would be a bit pricey for just an hour's stop (admission $13 per adult). In that amount of time, I'm not even sure you could fit in a tour of the mansion. I was last there in May and the line was about 45 minutes long just to get inside the mansion. There are, however, other things to do at Mt. Vernon besides the mansion tour if you wanted. You can go through the relatively-new visitor's center, walk through the gardens, visit the Pioneer Farmer site, go to Washington's gravesite, see the farm animals, etc. However, this would take considerably longer than one hour as well.

Considering that your oldest is just 3 1/2, I am just wondering what was your reason for picking VA. Please don't jump all over me for being critical but as the mom of a 12 year old I don't know how enjoyable the trip will be for your children. IMHO.

Thanks for all the replys and great info.

debsnj - we picked VA because we always wanted to go. We were going to go to Lancaster, PA in Sept. but something came up.

VA is cheap and from my limited research it seemed that my daughter will enjoy it as well as us. I love history, my wife loves gardens and my daughter loves adventure (i.e. seeing a cow LOL). There are plenty of things to see and do in the Yorktown / Jamestown area.

I think you'll have a great time in Yorktown. The kids can play on the beach during your down times.

Take walks up through Yorktown to see the quaint gardens. Stop at the Nancy Thomas Gallery.

When you drive between Yorktown and Jamestown, go on the parkway and stop at the beaches to let the kids run around and beachcomb. You might want to stop in Williamsburg to pick up picnic sandwiches at the Cheese Shop on Merchants Square.

Cross the York River bridge to eat outside at Rivers Inn. There is a tiny aquarium over there at VIMS that might be fun for the kids. www.vims.edu

Wander through the back streets and gardens in Colonial Williamsburg.

The Virginia Living Museum in Newport News is a must for your children. It will only be about 20 min from Yorktown.

There are playgrounds and ducks to feed at Newport News park on rt 143.

If you are seeking a leisurely trip from NJ, you might want to consider traveling on the Cape May ferry and then down the Eastern Shore to cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel.

Thanks for all the great info folks.

We changed our itinerary to spend the first night at Mt. Vernon.