Visiting Williamsburg and Charlottesville
 

We are planning a spring visit to Charlottesville and Williamsburg. We currently planning on flying into Norfolk but I am wondering if getting in and out of Norfolk is a hassle - Perhaps we should look at flying in to Richmond or even Dulles. Any thoughts or suggestions are much appreciated

I definitely recommend staying in Colonial Williamsburg for easy access and planning.

We landed in Norfolk in the afternoon for our visit to Williamsburg. If I remember correctly, you get right on the expressway near the airport. The express way was a bit crowded but it was also pouring rain and there were a few accidents. I could not tell if the traffic was normal or if it was because of the rain. On our return to Norfolk for out flight home we had not issues.

Dulles is way to far to be practical due to traffic on I-95.

I would pick your airport purely on price and convenient times but I would also look into Newport-News/Williamsburg airport (phf). I live in Williamsburg and look at all 3 when choosing flights. Since you will be flying in on a Saturday in spring, I wouldn't worry about traffic. When are you flying out?

we are flying out early morning on a tuesday but plan to stay the night at an airport hotel - We are using southwest miles so that is why we chose Norfolk - Thanks for the reasurrance!

Richmond seems to make more sense to me, since that is more "in the middle" of Williamsburg and Charlottesville. But if you're coming in on a Saturday in the spring as Birdie mentioned, you could be ok in Norfolk. And I agree with your choice to stay at an airport hotel the night before leaving.That will help alleviate any stress on the way back.

RIC (Richmond) is a small airport and easy to access. Dulles is a bad idea because it's older, larger, decrepit and busy.

Staying in Williamsburg makes absolutely no sense for visiting Charlottesville and its surroundings. And your time in the state should be skewed toward Charlottesville - Williamsburg isn't very interesting even if the Colonial Williamsburg aspect thrills you, it's worth a day at best and another day for Busch Gardens, maybe.

In doing some research here, I encountered the suggestion that 2 days would be about right for a thorough exploration of Colonial Williamsburg. But in looking at the list of attractions, which includes:

Bassett Hall, Brush-Everard House, The Capitol, The Courthouse, George Wythe House, Governor's Palace, The College of William & Mary, James Geddy House & Foundry, The Magazine & Guardhouse, Peyton Randolph House, The Public Gaol, The Public Hospital, Raleigh Tavern, and Wetherburn's Tavern, plus the DeWitt Wallace Decorative Arts Museum and Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Folk Art Museum

I'm wondering if that's feasible in just two days unless all but the two museums are walk-bys. If seeing all this, would it indeed take just two days, or longer?

Also saw that (at least as of 2011) it's possible to reach Yorktown and Jamestown from Williamsburg via shuttle bus in season (April to October). Yorktown has both the Yorktown Battlefield and Yorktown Victory Center to offer, while Jamestown has both Historic Jamestowne and Jamestown Settlement (the shuttle bus stops at all four and seems to run efficiently). If seeing the two options in both Yorktown and Jamestown this way, should one budget one full day each for Yorktown and Jamestown or two full days each?

Many thanks.

>>I would pick your airport purely on price and convenient times but I would also look into Newport-News/Williamsburg airport (phi).<<

I agree with Birdie. Check flights & prices in to Norfolk, Richmond and Newport News. Of the three airports I prefer Richmond and Newport News (I also live in Williamsburg) over Norfolk b/c of the bridge crossing from Norfolk that can be a traffic issue at certain times of day or year. It wouldn't keep me from flying in or out of Norfolk. It's a bottleneck issue that can be avoided with timing.

Take a close look at Frontier airlines which flies seasonally into Newport News -- each of the last two years I've found great rates into Denver on a non stop flight. You can get some deals in and out of Richmond too.

The National Park Service website says the shuttle service is operating this year beginning mid March: http://www.nps.gov/colo/planyourvisi...sportation.htm

LOL, bachslunch, I was going to respond to our resident Williamsburg hater, BigRuss, but you saved me the trouble. Thanks!

The Abby Aldrich and the DeWitt Wallace are now in the same building so that helps. Oh yes, and the public hospital is also there. Read the descriptions of the houses and other buildings to decide which ones you are most interested in and prioritize.

I like the Victory Center and Settlement but if I weren't bringing kids I might just skip them and do the National Parks instead.

Of course, if you do have a week, you can easily fill your days and enjoy everything the Historic Triangle offers.