I've done my searches and have a rather good handle on what the various hotels/condos/time shares in the Williamsburg area has to offer. What I don't know is how convenient or inconvenient they are for what I want to do during our 4-day stay. I'm taking one kid on a tour of William and Mary and I have to entertain the 11-yr-old with the historic aspects of Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown and fit in Busch gardens, too. Should I just stay with the chains on Richmond Rd/Bypass Rd. since nothing is walkable to the historic center anyway, or is it worth my while to be even further out using the off-season deals for the various plantation condos--Greenspring, Powhatan, etc.?

Opinions needed. Fast. Thanks!

With a family, I'd choose someplace like Kings Creek Plantation. The units are VERY nice and it is convenient to the interstate and to Collonial Parkway - about a 10 minute drive to the visitors' center.

I stayed at the Powahaten Plantation last year and it was fablous! The pool area was great.

As for our drive into the historic area, we would have to drive to the vistors center to park. This took about 10 minutes. The vistor's center is about a 10 minute walk to the village and this is also in walking distance to William and Mary.

Bush Gardens took about 15 minutes to get to.

Hope this helps!

Thanks. That's the info I need. I have the mileage; I just don't know how heavy traffic is, the nature of the roads, etc, that impact upon travel time. What kind of a cottage did you rent at King's Creek?

Has anyone else stayed at the Powhatan, King's Creeks or Greensprings Plantations. Am particularly interested in travel times to Williamsburg Historic District and elsewhere.

I've stayed in the smallest unit at Kings Creek - and it was huge. Massive high ceilings, separate dining room, 2 bedrooms/3 bathrooms/3 TVs. Very nice decor and finishes. I'd stay there again in a minute.

It is an easy 10 minute or less drive to the Visitors center - little or no traffic because it is via Colonial Parkway which has very little cross traffic (or ANY traffic for that matter). As mentioned before it is about a 10 min walk from the historic district -- but the free shuttle bus (if you have a pass for the historic district) takes you all around the district and to within a block of Wm & Mary.

If you do decide to go for one of the chain places, I'd recommend the Embassy Suites -- it's set back, sort of behind a strip mall (it featured a K-Mart when I was there a couple of years ago) so it's not so subject to traffic and noise, most of the other places are right on the road.

One more thought -- when you're setting up your budget, remember that ES offers a huge free breakfast, in addition to kitchen facilities in the suites where you can store sandwich fixins and midnight snacks.

Hope this doesn't spoil your trip, but I wanted you to know that Busch Gardens Williamsburg is closed during the Winter. The park doesn't open until MArch 22nd, 2003 and then it's only opened on Sat & Sun.

Thanks, McBrandt, for the heads up on Busch Gardens. I immediately went to their website and downloaded their schedule for the first week of April. Lucky for us, they're open throughout that week. Thank you for your concern.

I like the Four Points across from the Historic Area. It has an indoor pool and there are renovated apartments that they've turned into suites (4 to a bldg.) w/two bedrooms and a small full kitchen in each, and 2 baths. Reasonable price too. Not incredibly fancy but clean and lots of room (and two TVs in each suite too). About 10 minutes from Busch Gardens.

the Hospitality House is right across the street from William and Mary College and a 5 minute walk from the Historic district - prices are reasonable. Also, have you considered renting a "tavern" thru the williamsburg lodging system (and stay right on the grounds of the historic district - the taverns are not quite as expensive as the Williamsburg Inn or Lodge). I think their website is history.org (Also, Marriott has vacations villas w/ 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, a full kitchen, and fireplace at Fords Colony - go to marriott.com.) Good luck