Need help for Williamsburg area

[Andar]

My sis and I are going to be spending March 18 -24 in Williamsburg.
Neither one of us have ever been to this area. So we don't know what to expect in terms of weather, distances to attractions, museums, etc.

Besides the 'chamber of commerce' type attactractions, what would you recommend we see. We don't shop, but do like quirky attractions or off the beaten path things. We will have a rental car and would like to take day trips.

Any suggestions or advice will be most apprecitated!

[laura1957]

VERY hard to predict what the weather will be like - last Monday everyone had a snow day, this Monday was beach weather

[Andar]

Laura, thanks, where do you like to go?

[dmharris]

Andar,

Do a search for "williamsburg" and you should find oodles of posts with lots of information.

[Andar]

Thanks Dm, I have done that but was asking more for Tuggers recommendations of things they liked. Need to narrow down the activities to the most enjoyed as we have limited time. Some times it is best to see what people say to avoid - saves precious vacation time.

BTW, like your firepit suggestion at NCV!

[gorevs9]

Colonial Williamsburg has been a favorite, especially the evening programs
Check outwww.colonialwilliamsburg.com for more info.
If you are going to be in the area on the 18th, Dean Shostak's gives his Crystal Concert; very interesting.

On the 23rd there is a performance of the Grand Medley of Entertainment. Very entertaining. It's a recreation of an 18th century traveling show.

Take a peek at the events calendar at http://www.history.org/visit/eventsA...ndar/index.cfm (Plug in your dates of travel). All the evening programs have separate admissions, if you buy one of their season passes, then there is a discount to the evening programs.

Other options are the Naval Museum in Norfolk, day trip to Washington DC and if you are a Civil War buff, a day trip to the Fredricksburg battlefield.

There's a tone of stuff to do, and this could go on forever. Send ms a PM if you wish.

Mike

[laura1957]

I live on the Eastern Shore of Virginia - about an hour's drive north of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel, so we visit Williamsburg area frequently even for day trips. I enjoy walking through Colonial Williamsburg, along the beach in Yorktown, I do like both Jamestown Settlement and Jamestown Festival Park, and also Yorktown Battlefield - when they are NOT crowded

Day trip to Washington DC is a good idea - but I prefer a day trip to Richmond, with a stop in Petersburg for more Civil War history. There is a small church there with beautiful stained glass windows where they give tours.

For a day trip - you can cross the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel and visit Chincoteague/Assateague. Or visit Nauticus and the battleship in Norfolk and take a evening "cruise" on the Spirit of Norfolk. There is so much to do in the area.

[Andar]

ooh now I am getting excited. Are there any communter trains that we could take for a day trip that you would recommend?

[pointsjunkie]

we were there last year and had a great time. we were there in oct so the pools were closed but williamsburg has so much to do. if you like the historic stuff there is plenty. revolutionary and civil wars. crystal concert was amazing and a must see.


we went to presidents museum but we were disappointed because airforce 1 was on tour somewhere else and something else i wanted to see was also on tour so we didn't stay.

we went on a sail boat for the day but it could be too cold for that.we ate great crab cakes. it was a fun trip.

[pedro47]

Today the temps were in the seventy's (70's); tomorrow they are dropping to the hgh forty's (40's).

There is a commuter train daily to the nation capitol (check Amtrack for Williamsburg,VA).

Hope you will enjoy your week in Colonial Williamsburg.

[Andar]

Great information. I know I can always count on Tuggers
One more question.
Is the best place (read cheapest) place to get tickets at the visitor center? Is there any difference in price online - or should we just wait until we are there?

[njdoofus]

Busch Gardens Europe in Williamsburg is great, especially if you like roller coasters. It just so happens that BG is open on March 22 for passholders only. I see that you live in California. If you go to seaworld.com (http://www.seaworld.com/sitepage.aspx?PageID=353), you can get a platinum pass for $169 that covers nine parks, including BG, plus your parking. We live in New Jersey, but we get two-year passes and go to BG and Orlando all the time. (We'll be at Greensprings in Williamsburg in April). Anyway, the March 22 date should be a blast and probably not crowded, and the pass is a great deal if you can use it at the other parks. Here's some info from the website:

Platinum Passport
SeaWorld San Diego Platinum Passport Members enjoy:
All the benefits of a Silver membership PLUS unlimited admission to participating Worlds of Discovery parks** for 12 or 24 months
Available with EZpay
Free preferred parking at SeaWorld San Diego (when available)
Exclusive member-only events
Reserved seating area at all shows (as available)
One free single-day admission ticket and guest seating ticket for SeaWorld San Diego
Front-of-the-line privileges at Mission Bay Theater
Free rides on the Bayside Skyride and the SeaWorld Skytower
Savings on admission to Discovery Cove in Orlando
$1 of your Platinum Passport purchase will be donated to the SeaWorld & Busch Gardens Conservation Fund. For more information visit SWBG-ConservationFund.org.
**SeaWorld San Antonio; SeaWorld and Aquatica, SeaWorld’s Waterpark in Orlando; Busch Gardens Africa and Adventure Island in Tampa Bay; and Busch Gardens Europe and Water Country USA in Williamsburg. Platinum memberships also include Sesame Place in Langhorne, Pennsylvania.

[njdoofus]

Short brewery tour, plus samples. Lots and lots of samples. http://www.williamsburgalewerks.com/

Did I mention samples?

[Andar]

That brewery tour sounds really great. I can go with lots of samples
Does anyone know about the ticket sales for Williamsburg. Are they only available at the visitor center or is there any discount passes or tickets available elesewhere?
Thanks for all your help making our vacation the best!

[dmharris]

My daughter was a student at The College of William & Mary and we got discounts through her. That's my only knowledge of discounts. You can walk around Colonial Wmsburg for free. The only reason you need a pass is to get into the house museums or places that require a ticket. Many of the historical re-enactments, stores, etc. are free.

[gorevs9]

Originally Posted by Andar

That brewery tour sounds really great. I can go with lots of samples
Does anyone know about the ticket sales for Williamsburg. Are they only available at the visitor center or is there any discount passes or tickets available elesewhere?
Thanks for all your help making our vacation the best!

You used to be able to get a 10% discount when buyign tickets online, but I don't see that option at this time. It could've been a summer promotion to keep the lines down at the visitor center. The only advantage to buying early is to avoid long lines at the visitor center, though you still have to go there to pick up your pre-paid tickets. I don't think there will be much of a line in March.

The prices listed aren't bad. Two day pass for $30 (includes a third day for free). This includes entrance to all the museums as well. The "season pass" being offered online is $50. The only advantage to this is a small discount to the evening programs, but you'd have to attend at least 5 of them to break even.

I suggest you call the visitor center, I've found them to be helpful.

[pedro47]

For Busch Garden tickets for this year, they are $99.00 + parking included, when you purchase them by 3/28/2009. Please check the Busch Garden website for more information.

[AwayWeGo]

Originally Posted by dmharris

My daughter was a student at The College of William & Mary

William & Mary is a fine institution -- where Thomas Jefferson went to college, in fact.

Later on, Mr. Jefferson started up his own university, which is OK on its own.

A friend in Fairfax Band who graduated from William & Mary College used to wear a college sweatshirt decorated in front with a large William & Mary round emblem surrounded by the words . . .

College Of Mary & William.

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.

[Timeshare Von]

Originally Posted by dmharris

Many of the historical re-enactments, stores, etc. are free.

Revolutionary City, a daily reenactment program also requires a ticket. During our last trip to Wmsburg in May08 they actually had baracades on either end of the street and unless you had the photo-id ticket/badge, you weren't permitted into the area by Kings Arm's Tavern . . . and down to the Capitol Bldg.

[Timeshare Von]

Originally Posted by AwayWeGo

Later on, Mr. Jefferson started up his own university, which is OK on its own.

Yep it even spun off another decent university in Fairfax, VA Von's alma mater

[wackymother]

Just a reminder that teachers can visit Colonial Williamsburg for free. So if you're a teacher, bring your ID!

The walking-around part of Colonial Williamsburg is free, too. Your ticket gets you admission to several buildings where you can talk to guides and see what's in the building. You might want to walk around for a while before you decide if you would like a one-day or longer pass. They have a great folk-art museum there, and I think that's a separate admission.

[Passepartout]

Andar, forgive me if I didn't read the early posts. If you are staying at a TS, many have discount tickets where you check in. We had to attend an owners update video for about an hour and scored a couple hundred off the admissions to CW, Yorktown battlefield and Jamestown for 2 of us. Seems like even Busch Garden was included, and that isn't the kind of place we usually go. There are brochures outside the ticket offices for the week's activities at CW. You can fill every moment of every day and still want for more. My recommendation at CW: anything by Thomas Jefferson. The guy who plays him is spot-on!

[Andar]

Wow, I knew you guys would come through for us!

That is exactly the kind of information I was looking for - I thought you needed a ticket to see anything. I think we will walk around a little and make a list of the ones we want to see then go from there. We are staying at a TS (The Townes at King’s Creek Plantation) I know nothing about the TS as it was a getaway . But we figured we were just going to use it as home base and sleeping. I will bemsure to check there for information as well.
Thanks again to everyone who took a moment to make our vacation even better!

[Timeshare Von]

I've written a couple of travel journals on Williamsburg that includes things to see and restaurant choices around town:

http://www.igougo.com/journal-j70879...ory_Lives.html

http://www.igougo.com/journal-j70850...liamsburg.html

http://www.igougo.com/journal-j66180..._Triangle.html

http://www.igougo.com/journal-j66103..._Pancakes.html

[gwhamm]

When we visited Williamsburg last fall we took a day trip to Richmond, VA. There we toured the Museum of the Confederacy and the White House of the Confederacy. They are adjoined in the downtown area or Richmond. After that we went to Hollywood Cemetary where there are 3 former presidents buried. Some of the views of from this cemetary overlooking the city and the rocky rapids of the Jamestown river are quite a site. There is also a main street in the area with several large statues commemorating various Civil War heroes. A day trip to Richmond is very worthwhile if you enjoy US History.