What not to miss at Williamsburg VA.....

I would second Pierce's and you can get take out to eat back at the CG. Also, there are several restaurants in Historic Yorktown along Water Street that you can get good seafood sandwiches for lunch. While pricey it's worth eating at one of the historic restaurants in Colonial Williamsburg just because.

Larry

Larry

Disneyfix wrote:

WDW.BWV wrote:
After the history experiences, Williamsburg is a huge outlet shopping destination. If you feel the need to indulge in seafood, there are several options. We prefer Captin George's Seafood Buffett

What are people favorite places to eat? Not super pricey please. Sounds like there are interesting places to eat......

Pierces BBQ is a good place to eat. Not fancy - you order and are called to the counter when it is ready and take it to your table.

Capt. George's Seafood - huge seafood buffet - under $30 per. but it is an experience.

Any of the colonial taverns in Colonial Williamsburg - but these are very expensive. Check the CW website for menus and current prices - this will set you back a lot - and the food lately is fair and not so much colonial.

Chickahominy House - only open for breakfast and lunch - there are a lot of restaurants in this area that are only open for breakfast and lunch. The building is historic - the food is said to be very good.

If you like KFC - have you ever been to a KFC Buffet? There is one in Williamsburg - cheap and if you like KFC worth it - especailly for a family.

Food for Thought Restaurant - many like it - we have not been there yet but the prices are reasonable.

The Cheese Shop in Merchants Square - area part of Colonial Williamsburg - good for lunch - tasty sandwiches - carry out - a couple of tables inside and there are tables outside. About $7 a sandwich.

It is worth buying the Colonial Williamsburg refillable soda mug - this is good for a year and they will refill soda any time you ask, plus there are a few spots around the historic area that will fill this with softserve ice cream - all included in the price of the cup. If you are there during a hot week this cup pays for itself quickly.

Place to avoid - Golden Corral in Williamsburg - too crowded and not good. If you like Golden Corral the trip to the one in Newport News is worth the drive as it is far better.

The original Jamestown Island is owned by two governmental agencies. About 22.5 acres are owned by Preservation Virginia (formerly the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities).

The balance of the island is owned by National Park Service.

What's great about the 22.5 acres owned by Preservation Virginia is the original fort is located here. It had been assumed for a very long time that the James River had eroded away the site of the original fort.


Fortunately, the excavation that has been going on since 1994 disclosed all but one corner of the 3 sided fort is still intact on land. There is a building there that displays some of the over 1 million artifacts discovered so far. Most of the artifacts date from the 1st half of the 17th century.

There is still a lot of the APVA site that still needs to be excavated.

Dave, that's good news about the two Jamestowns. I like them both and always go to both. This will save me some bucks.

LarryJM,
Thanks for the correction. I had my photo directories mislabeled. Your comments are right on. There is a lot to see and do. We have been to Colonial Williamsburg several times.
Jim Shoe,
I agree that Historic Jamestowne would probably be boring for the kids.
Also as an aside, the 7 day ticket includes Jamestown Settlement and Historic Jamestowne.

WDW.BWV wrote:
After the history experiences, Williamsburg is a huge outlet shopping destination. If you feel the need to indulge in seafood, there are several options. We prefer Captin George's Seafood Buffett

What are people favorite places to eat? Not super pricey please. Sounds like there are interesting places to eat......

One clarification: Historic Jamestowne is the actual landing site of the first settlers and is part of the historic triangle and the ticket. Its primarily an archeology site. I love it but kids might be bored. Some parents, too. Jamestown Settlement is next door and has the ship mockups and fort, but its owned and operated by the state of Virginia and requires a separate admission ticket. Still very much worth it, and kids will love it. If you go, the mockups of the ships that brought the first settlers to America are actual size. Imagine sailing across the Atlantic in one. Or trying to stand up below deck if you're taller than 4 feet high.

Dave2001 wrote:
Historic Jamestown was nice because they have the ships there plus the fort and an Indian village. They had quite a few costumed people there giving demonstrations and talks. I think the kids would enjoy it.

There are lots of activities at Colonial Williamsburg that get the kids involved as some have mentioned.

At the Yorktown Victory center they have a small encampment setup. They use volunteers, mostly kids in a skit to fire an old cannon. No danger to the participants. Lots of noise and smoke.

I'm sure you just mis spoke, but Historic Jamestown is not where the fort, ships and Indian village are that is the commercial "JAMESTOWN SETTLEMENT" Historic Jamestown is the NPS site right next door. While the settlement is nice IMO the real meat is the NPS site and make sure you get a Ranger/Volunteer tour there that goes into all the digs and history uncovered.

As far as Williamsburg goes it takes a week or more to see all the various presentations, etc. since some are only done once or maybe twice a week. It takes some planning to do it all and IMO the presentations/tours/demonstrations at Williamsburg are very informative and interesting. Also, don't miss the tour of the Rockafeller home (Bassett Hall) used during the initial building of Colonial Williamsburg.

We spent two weeks at Williamsburg a couple of year ago and had plenty to do, but didn't "power visit" anything and took our time. We got the annual Colonial Williamsburg pass and often only went for a presentation/demo on a particular day and then on to something like Historic Jamestown to finish off the day's activity.

Larry

terrytrailertrash wrote:
Following this post, too. Curious about the summer heat?

June July and August can have highs in the mid to upper 80s. And it can be quite humid. Nights are usually in the mid 60 degree range. We try and plan outdoor activities in the mornings and indoor activities in the afternoon. Part of the afternoon could be pool time for the kids. I know most kids appreciate a break from sightseeing.
I would recommend copying the “things to do” or “see” from the internet on Colonial Williamsburg and the surrounding area. Then cross off what does not interest you. There are a lot of things to see and do in the Hampton Roads Area. Amusement Parks are also there. Also look at multi-day and multi-event passes.

Following this post, too. Curious about the summer heat?