2 week Patriotism and Pony tour
I'm counting down the days until our 2 week vacation. We're in our late 30s and the kids are 12, 10 and 6. We've never been to any of the places listed and probably won't be back anytime in the near f...
Forum Discussion
Personally I think you nailed it pretty good.
True you didn't leave enough time in DC, but how can you. The place is so huge and the amount of things to see so vast that you would be burned out on museums and walking by day 3 anyway. You really need 2 weeks there to even see most of it and still have a few rest days built in. I'm in Virginia Beach and just take weekend trips there to spread it out. It's awesome, but tiring.
Colonial Williamsburg is standard reenactment as you can get at lots of other places. I like it but notice it's the same as most places and very expensive for a larger family. The battle fields and Civil War forts which are awesome to me are a complete bore to my daughter who says those too are all the same. Secretly I know she's right.
If you visit Jamestown and/or Yorktown, know that there are competing parks at each one. The original Jamestown and Yorktown are part of the National Park System and are called Colonial National Historic Park. Both places can be toured in a couple of hours each and only have the smaller NPS fees. There is also Jamestown Settlement and Yorktown Victory Center, and these are sponsored more by the state and are set up more as a living museum with the reenactments and activities and come with a much higher price tag, and since they put these two parks/museums right in front of the real NPS parks, I have seen many people think they are seeing the original places just to find they just spent a lot and didn't get what they were looking for. These places are very well done also so not trying to knock them but just making sure you know what to look for. Google them if you are interested. When at Jamestown be sure to see the Glass House. They do glass blowing there and it only takes about 15-20 minutes and it's right on the road into the park. Actually it's part of and on the NPS grounds but before you get to the main visitors center.
I'm not real impressed by the Rover or the museums in down town Norfolk but I don't have too much to offer as a better alternative. The Rover rarely put it's sails up or if it does it may put up a few just for looks. Most of it's tour focuses on the ships at the Navy Base which can be interesting if you are into that. The KOA here is very nice, and is super close to the beach, which is the biggest draw in the area, filled with all sorts of tourist trap amenities, tons of shops (most owned by the same company and all sell the same thing), and some carnival type stuff and a boardwalk atmosphere. Another draw is the Virginia Marine Science Museum, and it's fairly good but will pale by comparison to the National Aquarium. If you want some just goofing around fun, Motor World is a very good go-kart park with lots of track and car options, and it too is right close to the KOA. When you get to the KOA they should have lots of the brochures with some discounts in them.
Sounds like an awesome trip and I can't wait till I get to take my kids to those other things farther north that you're doing. I think you will tire much faster than your kids but keep with it. You don't get to do this often with them.
True you didn't leave enough time in DC, but how can you. The place is so huge and the amount of things to see so vast that you would be burned out on museums and walking by day 3 anyway. You really need 2 weeks there to even see most of it and still have a few rest days built in. I'm in Virginia Beach and just take weekend trips there to spread it out. It's awesome, but tiring.
Colonial Williamsburg is standard reenactment as you can get at lots of other places. I like it but notice it's the same as most places and very expensive for a larger family. The battle fields and Civil War forts which are awesome to me are a complete bore to my daughter who says those too are all the same. Secretly I know she's right.
If you visit Jamestown and/or Yorktown, know that there are competing parks at each one. The original Jamestown and Yorktown are part of the National Park System and are called Colonial National Historic Park. Both places can be toured in a couple of hours each and only have the smaller NPS fees. There is also Jamestown Settlement and Yorktown Victory Center, and these are sponsored more by the state and are set up more as a living museum with the reenactments and activities and come with a much higher price tag, and since they put these two parks/museums right in front of the real NPS parks, I have seen many people think they are seeing the original places just to find they just spent a lot and didn't get what they were looking for. These places are very well done also so not trying to knock them but just making sure you know what to look for. Google them if you are interested. When at Jamestown be sure to see the Glass House. They do glass blowing there and it only takes about 15-20 minutes and it's right on the road into the park. Actually it's part of and on the NPS grounds but before you get to the main visitors center.
I'm not real impressed by the Rover or the museums in down town Norfolk but I don't have too much to offer as a better alternative. The Rover rarely put it's sails up or if it does it may put up a few just for looks. Most of it's tour focuses on the ships at the Navy Base which can be interesting if you are into that. The KOA here is very nice, and is super close to the beach, which is the biggest draw in the area, filled with all sorts of tourist trap amenities, tons of shops (most owned by the same company and all sell the same thing), and some carnival type stuff and a boardwalk atmosphere. Another draw is the Virginia Marine Science Museum, and it's fairly good but will pale by comparison to the National Aquarium. If you want some just goofing around fun, Motor World is a very good go-kart park with lots of track and car options, and it too is right close to the KOA. When you get to the KOA they should have lots of the brochures with some discounts in them.
Sounds like an awesome trip and I can't wait till I get to take my kids to those other things farther north that you're doing. I think you will tire much faster than your kids but keep with it. You don't get to do this often with them.
