Traveling to Williamsburg the weekend of Nov. 3 for a week. Any highlights we should definitly not miss?

A meal at The Trellis - wonderful food and service. Afterwards spend time in the various shops within a few blocks of the restaurant.

My friends and I have been going to Williamsburg annually for the past 9 years. Definitely tour Colonial Williamsburg. For shopping The Pottery is a must. The outlet mall is also a good stop. For more history, take the short trip to Jamestown. As far as restaurants, the best meal in town by far is at the Regency dining room in The Williamsburg Inn, Jacket and tie required for men, dress or pant suit for women. In my opinion, the Trellis is over rated. Even their signature dessert, Death-by-chocolate was second rate. Great brunch on Saturday and Sunday at the Cascades restaurant. You might also like Nick's in Yorktown for good seafood. Avoid restaurants on the strip. If possible you might want to go to Williamsburg the last weekend in November for Grand Illumination. This is the formal beginning of the Christmas season in Williamsburg when all the houses are decorated for Christmas. Very lovely. Enjoy.

We are also heading to Williamsburg and have made 1 reservation at one of the "tavern" restaurants. Any thoughts on these? How is the food? Is the costume/ambiance interesting or annoying?

I usually shun the costume thing and tend to be cynical about touristy stuff like that, but we had dinner at one of the tavern restaurants in Williamsburg this summer and it was WONDERFUL. The food was surprisingly very, very good. The costume thing was nicely done. Maybe it was the wine, but it was thrilling when a costumed fiddler showed up late into dinner and played some Irish jigs and Colonial-era music. Do it!! You won't regret it. Reservations are a MUST, by the way. And I second about the Trellis being over-rated.

I haven't been to the Inn since they redid it. The Inn has always had a high snob factor, well-prepared but ordinary food, and high prices. Do the Trellis if you like chocolate and want to say you did it. I ate there 2 nights ago and as usual it didn't rock my boat. The Dining Room at Ford's Colony is the place the locals go for special dinners. They also have a lounge for dining that is less formal but still very good. Two other good places are A. Carrols near the college and Cities Grill on Rt. 5. The taverns are always a great experince. Each is different: Kings Arms with peanut soup, game pie, etc. Shields with plainer fare, Christiana Campbells has seafood, Chownings is British.
There are 2 Jamestowns, the Settlement a re-creation and the national park the true site with archaelogical digs and a museum. I would absolutely drive the whole colonial parkway for the views, skip Nicks and go across the bridge ($2) and over to Rivers Inn for seafood.Another must is walking around CW in the am or pm without the crowds.

The Trellis is definitely over-rated--a triumph of marketing over substanc. Having said that, you can have a perfectly pleasant lunch there, and the shopping area along Duke of Gloucester Street makes for a nice stroll. Berrett's for casual seafood, across from the Trellis, is great. For a romantic dinner, try Le Yaca, a country French place nearby, ph. 757-220.3616. Nick's Seafood Pavillion in Yorktown has great seafood, a commanding view of the waterfront, and a way wacky decor. The food in the official Colonial Williamsburg eateries is really good, and worth the high kitsch of the costumes and atmosphere. As for touring, CW will keep you busy, but the Yorktown Victory Center provides a nice recorded tour of the battlefield.

Oh, one more thing: if you get tired of Williamsburg, consider a jaunt to Norfolk. It's about an hour's drive, but you can pass a happy day touring the aircraft carrier they have parked downtown, checking out Nauticus and the Chrysler art museum, shopping at the MacArthur Center or strolling around Ghent. Have dinner at the Wild Monkey, on Colley Avenue.

If you do not "over expect" at Trellis, you'll have a nice meal. And they have some very nice half bottles of St. Emillion (1998). Too much has been made of the "death by chocolate" thing ... just expect a decent place, and ask your wait person to tone down the hype, and it will be okay. Have a nice trip. Ciao

Sounds like the Williamsburg area has been covered and someone suggested things to do in the Norfolk area. I'll fill in the center - if you're a fan of air and space museums, the one in Hampton is great.

Thanks, all, for your advice! I'm starting to really look forward to this little getaway.

Thanks to everyone for their replies! There are some great ideas and the information about the eateries will help a lot. We are looking forward to a great week. Again, thanks to all.