My family has an opportunity to stay at the Fairfield Kingsgate for a week during February vacation. We'll be driving from Boston. Whats the weather like during that time, and is there much to do? Thank you.

Don't know anything about that hotel, but the Williamsburg area would be a good choice for Feb. vacation. They are about a month ahead of us, weather-wise, and you will probably get to see forsythia and bulbs blooming. You will also avoid the crowds and/or heat that you'd encounter if visiting the area during other school vacations.

Carolyn,

I live about an hour from Williamsburg and can tell you that weather in February will be quite cool - daytime highs on average in the 40's and at night, near freezing. Snow, though unlikely, can happen, though it never amounts to much. What sorts of things do you and the family like to do? Shopping, museums, etc.? Are you willing to drive a bit (to VA Beach area)? Post back here with your interests and I can give some suggestions for things to do and see.

Thanks for the response. I'll be travelling with my three children, 11, 7 and 4, so I am pretty much lloking to do children-oriented activities and eating. I don't mind travelling an hour or so away. The name and address of the place is Fairfield Williamsburg at Kingsgate. It is located on 100 Georgetown Crescent. It is a time share resort I believe. I'm not sure how close it to colonial Williamsburg. We don't mind the cold too much, as lond as we can find some fun things to do. Thanks again.

Carolyn,

While I've never been to Colonial Williambsurg, those I know who have say it's a must and the kids will enjoy it. As far as things away from Williamsburg, they would probably enjoy the Air and Space Museum in Hampton, the Marine Science Museum in Virginia Beach, and Nauticus in Norfolk. I'm not that familiar with family-oriented museums, etc., in the Williamsburg area. Perhaps someone around there could give you suggestions. Two websites that might be of help to you are:

http://www.virginia.com
http://www.hamptonroads.com

Enjoy planning your vacation and have a great time.

Thanks Samantha

My parents have a timeshare at Fairfield Williamsburg. It's less than 5 minutes from the Colonial Williamsburg visitors' center. February in that area can be VERY cold -- even sleet and ice -- or like Spring, so be prepared for anything. Fairfield is a very nice place though so enjoy.

I agree with Chris -- you could get just about anything in February. Might be 6 inches of snow; could be 72 degrees and beautiful.

Staying in a condo is a great way to do it with kids. You'll save a lot on meals.

Look into CW's special kids' programs that take them behind the scenes or do sort of a "total immersion" in a particular aspect of colonial life. Unlike the summer, there will be an uncrowded feeling to the place, and you will really delve into it.

Pick a nice day and go to Jamestown Settlement. Even a weekend day would be good. It is a re-creation of a Powhatan Indian Village, a British colonial fort and the ships the colonists arrived in. Jamestown National Park is a little more adult oriented. I second the museum suggestions above and would add the Virginia Living Museum in Newport News (1/2 hour away) and The Children's Museum of VA in Portsmouth about 1 hour away. The VA Living Museum focuses on animals native to VA. There are a lot of indoor and outdoor live animal exhibits. Even your 11 yo will like the children's museum. A lot of cool things to do. You could do Nauticus and Childrens on the same day. They are a tunnel apart. Just get directions.
Your timeshare is just off Bypass Rd. Near some of our favorite restaurants. Casa Maya for Mexican and Carmellas for Italian. Both on Bypass. Sals around the corner on Richmond Rd. has great pizza and Italian. Have fun!

Hi it's me again, Can anyone tell me if most of the tourist places are open in February?

Busch Gardens will be closed. Everything else should be open but with shorter hours. It would be best to call ahead. Colonial Williamsburg will open different houses on different days. You should go to the visitors center when you arrive and get the weekly schedule, decide what you want to see and plan your week accordingly. At least one of the taverns will be closed. They close them during the winter on a rotating schedule.

I was there a couple of years ago (in February) with my cheerleading squad for a national competition and we had a great time...we stayed at a chain hotel that had an indoor pool...anyway, everyone enjoyed Colonial Williamsburg and we ate dinner at one of the pubs - authentic dinner and a storyteller...the College of William and Mary was interesting, too...other than that I remember we went to an outlet mall...

Brrrrrr....... I live here and usually we are in winter coats that month. Most things are open except of course the big parks (Busch Gardens and Water Country) My guess for avg. temperatures are lows in upper 20s/30s with highs in 40s. Still, since you don't plan on going swimming, you might be just fine with that. Don't miss a side trip to Virginia Beach and the Virginia Beach Marine Science Museum - that's the most fun for kids to be found in a museum.

Brrrrrr, just remember that the original poster is coming down from Boston, where it will probably be ten degrees colder than whatever you have in W'burg.