ga9497

We will be visiting Williamsburg for the first time ever July 23-26 (Mon-Thu)

I think we are going to stay at the Kingsmill resort unless staying at one of the Colonial Williamsburg place would be better. We would like something that has a pool as that is our relaxation time

We will visit Busch Gardens for one day and Colonial Williamsburg for one day or maybe a day and a half

At CW what are the not to miss spots and should I be reserving anything in advance?
We will be 2 adults, 12 yr old girl and 10 yr old boy

Thanks for any advice and suggestions

ga9497

By looking at their website the following are available for the evening programs. Can anyone make any suggestions on which would be of interested to a 12yr old girl and 10yr old boy. I see that some say they are not recommended for young children but they don't specify an age. I think my children will enjoy any of them but wanted to get some opinions

If we decide to do one or some of these should I purchase the tickets in advance?


July 23 - Monday
Starter for 10
Legends, Myths, Mysteries, and Ghosts
Papa Said, Mama Said
Cry Witch

July 24 - Tuesday
Legends, Myths, Mysteries, and Ghosts
The Gunpowder Plot
Palace Concert
To Go A Pirating

July 25 - Wednesday
In Defense of our Liberty
Legends, Myths, Mysteries, and Ghosts
Papa Said, Mama Said
Revolutionary Points of View
Cry Witch
From Ear to Ear

obxgirl

Those are all excellent choices and will be fine for the 12 YO and the 10 YO (unless the 10 is really sensitive in which case pass on the Ghost Tour). Book ahead.

Dinner at one of the colonial taverns is great fun and booking ahead is definitely required for Kings Arms and Christiana Campbells. The food is fairly pricey but it's really all about the atmosphere. An alternative is Chownings Tavern, where the menu and prices are more casual but there is no advance booking. "Family" entertainment runs from 5-8 pm. Things get a bit more "adult" after 8pm.

It will be quite warm and humid in Williamsburg in late July so pace yourselves. Best to start out early in the morning. Afternoon thunderstoms are common.

On your Busch Gardens day, be at the park s hortly prior to opening time. If your family has any "must rides" head there first. The park gets busy after the first hour or so and lines for the most popular rides can seem endless.

Afternoon thunderstorms are an issue at BG as well but don't automatically bail from the park if one blows through. Lots of a people will leave but if it's a short storm, you'll get another opportunity for shorter lines at the popular rides.

Kingsmill is a great choice. I'd stick with it. They run shuttles to CW and Busch.

bennnie

ga9497 - I highly recommend staying at Kingsmill. It is my family's favorite hotel. Are you booking a package through them? We used the packages twice and would do that again in a heartbeat. We love the pool, the golf courses, the shuttles to Busch Gardens and Water Country (they always have a fresh supply of towels on the shuttle which is especially nice when coming back from Water Country), big buffet breakfasts and the most comfortable beds. I believe they also provide for an early entry into Busch Gardens for Kingsmill guests - we took advantage of this 2 years ago and it was great. Only a few rides are open but we just stayed on the roller coasters over and over. Plus there was a "secret entrance" to Dark Kastle for Kingsmill guests - really saves on long lines. We love Water Country - gone twice and had an absolute blast each time.

I hate to admit it but we've been to Williamsburg 3 times and we never seem to do much at CW. Though we did do a ghost tour one evening but it was not related to official CW so we didn't enter any of the buildings, just walked the public streets. Kind of lame for skeptical adults but the kids loved it.

Have a great time.

ga9497

Thank you

I was looking at the packages for Kingsmill but when priced separately it seems it is better to purchase everything on our own for the attractions. I can see where the package will be beneficial if we were staying longer or visiting Busch Gardens /Water Country and CW more then once. At this time we don't plan on going to Water Country since we will only be in the area 3 nights

smetz

I'd like to put in a pitch for the historical exhibits at CW. Just as some background, the historic area of the town has been authentically restored to its appearance during colonial times. Anyone can wander the streets and go into the shops and restuarants, all of which is great. The tickets get you admission to living exhibits within many of the buildings which demonstrate how the people lived and worked at that time - e.g., the blacksmith, wigmaker, brickyard, armory, jail, and many others. Admittedly, the tickets are fairly expensive for a family of four, and some may find it boring, but believe me, there is really nothing else like it, to my knowledge, in the US. You can see most of it in one day, and you really shouldn't miss it.

caranoel

One of the things we have always loved is the presidential debates or the presidential speeches. Actors who look exactly like Thomas Jefferson and George Washington do night shows. You could be convinced that you really were there in colonial times! Even our five-year-old loved it! Night presentations are included with some tickets.

girlwilltravel

I have to second what smetz says about a pitch for Colonial Williamsburg. Buy the ticket and do more than walk the streets. There are so many things going on behind those gardens and doors that you will miss if you don't. Grab a CW events brochure and plan out the times to catch Bill Barker aka Thomas Jefferson. He is unbelievable; let the kids make bricks in the brick yard, have them talk to the shoe maker, silversmith, the miliner, etc. It is amazing what they are doing at CW to teach not only kids, but adults, what life was like in the 1700's. A tavern meal (King's Arms and Christiana Campbell are my favorites) an evening tour such as the Palace Concert or To Go A Pirating would be a wonderful way to end a busy day. The outdoor performance of Revolutionary City is not to be missed. You won't be able to do everything but your days won't filled with just walking around the street. A carriage ride would be perfect for the kids and you will get a little different vew of the streets.
Busch Gardens is great in the evenings when the sun is going down. Obxgirl is right; July will be humid and hot. When my daughter was younger and had to go to Busch Gardens we usually had a nice dinner (Trellis or Seasons) and then hit Busch Gardens. We all came back to our hotel room and crashed - and slept very well! I would purchase as much in advance as you can. We always seem to stay in one of the Official Colonial Williamsburg hotels (husband likes the fact he can park the car - he plays golf at CW course) and we buy either just the ticket for hotel guests or a package. Kingsmill is great too. Lovely pool, tennis and great golf. You'll love Williamsburg. Everyone is very friendly there. Enjoy!

Gekko

Stay at the Williamsburg Lodge or Williamsburg Inn, both on the border of the historic area & on the bus route (free with Patriot's pass). The location advantage of the Lodge/Inn is worth the expense.

Before you start your day in the historic area, visit the Visitors Center and see the short movie "A Story of a Patriot." It really sets the mood and will make your visit to the historic area much more meaningful, particularly the Capitol & Raleigh Tavern.

Finally, don't miss Jamestown (currently celebrating its 400 year anniversary) and Yorktown. The drive to both locations, on the Colonial Parkway, is very scenic, so take your time.

Grcxx3

I 2nd the Jamestown and Yorktown recommendations. Some great activities for kids.

mikesmom

I can highly recommend the Kingsmill Resort. It is lovely and a perfect place to stay when visiting Colonial Williamsburg and Busch Gardens. As someone else mentioned, be prepared for the heat and humidity. It can be brutal in Williamsburg in the summer.

When our son was 10, we did an evening Ghost Walk and it was great. We all really enjoyed it. We had a very nice dinner at Trellis and we ate at one of the taverns (can't remember which one, but that was fun, too).

Have fun on your trip to Williamsburg!

ga9497

Thanks everyone

CoachJD

I've taken a group of 8th grade students to CW for the past 13 years. The kids will enjoy going into the shops and listening to the interpreters. The tours given at the taverns, the jail, courthouse, etc... are interesting and educational, even for a 10 & 12 y/o. The Governor's Palace is a nice tour, especially for the adults. Take your time enjoying the town. I would really recommend taking in Jamestown. There are three areas that you should visit, especially since this is the 400th anniversary of the settlement. The replica fort/Powhattan village/ships along with the newly opened museum, the glasshouse on Jamestown Island, and the site of the original settlement will take up most of a day, but are well worth the time. We just returned from the Williamsburg/DC area Sunday morning and the new exhibits at Jamestown are excellent. Have fun!!!

ga9497

Thank you for all of the information
I have a couple of more questions

CW - some of the admission tickets say that they don't include admission into the Governor's Palace and Colonial Explorer Activities. Should we look into the admission tickets that includes everything? Is it the palace even worth it? What exactly is "Colonial Explorer Activties"? I couldn't find any explanation on the CW website about it

ga9497

Thought of one more

If you had 2 full days and 2 half days how would you spend your time in this area?

We are arriving on Monday July 23 in the afternoon, will have two full days (Tuesday and Wednesday) and then leave Thursday right after lunch.

I think we will have to leave Jamestown and the others for another time due to the short visit. I was thinking one day at Busch Gardens and one day at CW. Maybe do one of the evening events at CW on the Monday evening? Does this sound like a good plan?

I have also been looking at all the ticket options and it seems that just the one day admission into CW and one day at Busch Gardens would be the way to go. The multi day tickets won't work for us, at least that is what I think.

Would love to get some feedback on this. Thanks so much

ga9497

Thought of one more

If you had 2 full days and 2 half days how would you spend your time in this area?

We are arriving on Monday July 23 in the afternoon, will have two full days (Tuesday and Wednesday) and then leave Thursday right after lunch.

I think we will have to leave Jamestown and the others for another time due to the short visit. I was thinking one day at Busch Gardens and one day at CW. Maybe do one of the evening events at CW on the Monday evening? Does this sound like a good plan?

I have also been looking at all the ticket options and it seems that just the one day admission into CW and one day at Busch Gardens would be the way to go. The multi day tickets won't work for us, at least that is what I think.

We are arriving from the DC area where we are spending 3 nights, then we are traveling to Baltimore for another 3nts before heading home to NJ

Would love to get some feedback on this. Thanks so much

Momof3boys

I agree w/ your plan, but I also don't know what the Colonial Explorer Activities are - you may need to call CW and talk to a real person. How about dinner Monday evening in a tavern in CW and one of the evening programs? Another popular one is the Lanthern Tours where they visit about 4 different stores w/ an interpreter. The 2 most popular sites at CW are the Governor's Palace and the Capital which may not be included in the 1 day pass. Only you can decide how important that is to you and the cost difference. However, lots of other activities as previous posters mentioned to consume your day. Another day at BG-arrive early and maybe even grab breakfast if they still serve it in Hastings area. Visit shows when you are hot and tired and water rides to cool off. Festhaus is always a good place for lunch and show. The last morning is not enough time to visit Jamestown unless you want a brief run-through of either Jamestown Settlement OR Jamestown Island. If you decide to buy a multiple day pass at CW in order to see palace and capital, you could return for a few hrs to finish up here. There are always the outlets for shopping too. Enjoy!

xanthippe

Hi, ga9497 - are you still checking this thread? It looks as though I will be in Williamsburg before you, a trip with my son and his family (two boys 7 and 5), so we're trying to figure out what will be most appropriate for them. Despite their young ages, we will do the movie and the day visiting shops, etc. at CW. We will probably not buy the ticket that includes the governor's palace. It has been at least 15 years since I was there, so things may have changed, but I remember standing around a lot listening to our guide and, briefly, some colonial music. My favorite part was visiting the gardens in back, which are not open except to ticket holders. I do not think it would appeal much to children of any age. The architecture was interesting, but you can see a lot of that from outside.

I'll have to dig up an old photo of my two boys wearing colonial tricorn hats and hanging on the railings at one of the old houses, taken about 30 years ago. One of the boys is the father of the two boys soon to visit us. I'll bet they'd love to see that picture of their dad and uncle.

I have one other thought: You are visiting D.C., Williamsburg, and Baltimore, each one for three nights. I'd recommend taking one or two of those nights and adding them to your D.C. part of the trip, soooo much to see there. Take another night and add it to Williamsburg, perhaps so you can spend a day at Jamestown. There's much less to see in Baltimore, though since it's on your way home, you can stop by and spend a few hours at the waterfront and perhaps see the aquarium, if possible. Williamsburg is a lot further away from N.J. You can make other trips in the future to see Washington and Baltimore.

xanthippe

P.S. Did you do the day trip to York?

ga9497

xanthippe - thank you
We never made it to York - we took a daytrip to Paris instead

Thanks for the additional information. We cannot change our Baltimore reservations because we have tickets to the baseball game for two of the nights. We may leave Williamsburg later in the day vs the morning to give us some extra time there