williamsburg Dec 16 with kids!

[Linda K]

Help! Going to Williamsburg with two kids ages 5 and 8. Any suggestions to make their trip memorable?? Thank you tug!

[jme]

Just try to do a few of the "talks" given by the Colonial Wmsbg "citizens" throughout the Colonial Wmsbg town (you can get a schedule/list of talks when you arrive) , all dressed up in traditional garb. It's fun, and I think that visual memory will be remembered by your kids. Don't know if they do the parade thru the streets then or not, but that was very good, and they also fire the cannons and guns near the Gov's Mansion....at least during the warmer months. Eating at one of the authentic taverns, like Christiana Campbell's (probably the favorite, for menu and atmosphere) inside Col. Wmsbg. is great, because they also dress up and the "authentic" musicians go around the tables playing instruments "of the time". That's a definite highlight. Again, take a look at the schedule of events and talks inside Colonial Wmsbg, published for each week, as soon as you arrive. It will give you a good idea of what you may like to do. Also, any guide can help with "things to do", and one great idea is to visit the concierge desk at THE famous Williamsburg Inn, a five star hotel there in Col. Wmsbg......they will help you,(they won't know that you're not staying there) and you can even sit inside and have a cup of tea by the fireplaces. It's awesome, and a hotel where many presidents have stayed, and continue to stay. Just walk in...it's worth it. Good luck...what a great time to be in Williamsburg!!! Hope you get a light snow...it would look like a scene out of Dickens Village! (P.S. A mock trial at the courthouse , given each day at various times, is fantastic, and they use people from the audience to participate in an authentic Colonial trial. The kids would love to see that! It's both funny and educational, even for their ages.) Best, Marty (jme)

[Big Matt]

If the Abby Aldrich Rockefeller museum is re-opened they used to have a great Christmas tree every year.

Go to the Williamsburg Inn just to look around the grounds and see their tree.

Go to Jamestown. It's fun all year round for kids your age.

As Marty mentioned, there are lots of activities and many are now just for kids. Go to the visitors center and get schedules and reserve events that might sell out.

...and without a doubt, the most fun thing to do in CW around Christmas time is to see the fife and drum corps march at dusk and then see the torches and bond fires being lit. Do that before getting dinner at one of the taverns.

[Giselherr]

Depending on how long you are going to be in Wmsburg, a side trip to Yorktown would be in order -- There's not a lot there to interest young children, but a 1/2 day side trip to visit one of the most significant sites in
US history to see the museum and the film is certainly warranted. If the kids were a bit older, I'd suggest going to the Air & Space Museum in Hampton and also to the McArthur memorial. A bit further afield is the Virginia marine life center just south of Va Beach - but it's about a 1 hour trip from Wlmsburg!

[dmharris]

Yes the aquarium in Virginia Beach is very nice; the otters are my favorite.

There might be some theatre going on as well in the evening.

We'll be there at the Marriott Manor Club at the same time! My daughter is a junior at William & Mary and she's been studying in Florence all semester, so we're picking her up at Dulles on the 16th and taking her to W&M to see her best friends who are studying abroad next semester, while we tour Wmsburg at Christmas; my favorite time! No heat, humidity and fewer crowds. It can get really cold, so bring warms clothes and shoes! I did a photo essay of the outdoor Christmas decorations one year during a "garden" tour. Fabulous!

[Linda K]

You guys are just the best. Thank you- I can't wait to go!! Maybe I will see you there!!

[Bill4728]

Remember there are 2 Jamestowns. The National Park which is the site of Jamestown and the state park, 1 mile away, with a huge visitor center and a mock-up of a Jamestown fort and the three ships which brought the first wave of settlers. ( the ships were very small, I wouldn't like to go 100 miles in them, let alone 2000 miles)

[wackymother]

My younger kids did a special program where they were "apprentices" to three different tradesmen, a silversmith, a wigmaker, and a candlemaker. Each character talked about the work and the kids got to comb the wigs, make candles, and take away a little silver spoon. They loooved it and still talk about it. It costs extra but it was a very memorable activity for them.

[BigAl_50]

One thing to take in the Christmas light display at the Newport News City Park. It is a short drive from Williamsburg and was one of the highlights of our visit a couple of yeas ago.

Al