Virginia info please
 

We are considering a 'long weekend' trip to Virginia - We will most likely leave on a Thursday and come home on a Monday and we are travelling with our 2 boys 14yo and 8.5yo.
What time of year is 'best' to go - we are from Ontario so Virginia 'cold' is not necessairly cold to us - we are looking at a few choices.... US thanksgiving weekend, the week between Christmas and New years, March break (March 15th week) or Easter weekend.

We have read alot about Williamsburg and my dh has visited there and from what I see we would like to start there. The family likes to golf, horseback riding and would like to see Busch Gardens.
Where to stay?
What else to see/do so we can truly appreciate 'Virginia'.

Thanks!

Busch Gardens will probably be closed Thanksgiving and Christmas if that's important to you.

Mid-March could be lovely with daffidils blooming or it could be in the middle of an ice storm. Not sure if Busch Gardens has opened by then, but maybe on weekends? I'd check their schedule.

Check out the Colonial Williamsburg website, there is often a package deal that includes tickets to CW and the theme parks, though I doubt Water Country will be open at any of your possible times. There might even be a golf package. I stayed at the Governor's Inn (I think, the cheapest of the CW hotels) through a package deal last year and it was a bargain compared to tickets/hotel on my own.

There are several plantations between Williamsburg and Richmond. Might want to visit Richmond or head towards Norfolk/Virginia Beach.

Williamsburg is the classic example, to me, of a time well wasted. It's a nothing.

Jamestown and Yorktown are very near Colonial Williamsburg. Both have a lot of living history exhibits the kids would enjoy

Petersburg battlefield and/or Richmond could be good to visit for Civil war history.

There are many other interesting areas to see but if you have such a short time it makes sense to concentrate on one small part of Virginia

Spring in that area is very beautiful so I would vote for Easter weekend. I also liked CW decorations at Christmas time when I lived nearby, and there are many holiday activities for families from Thanksgiving through Christmas

Thanks - so if we were looking at area's other then Williamsburg since Busch Gardens would most likely be out where should we go? We could always save Williamsburg for another time!

I'd go for spring - springtime in Virginia is just beautiful. Personally, I'd avoid winter, just because we tend to get ice storms more often than snow.

Charlottesville or Lexington and the Blue Ridge/Shenandoah Pkwy is a good mix of history and nature.