We purchased a 5-4-1 ticket to get to all the major places around Williamsburg. This ticket is used to get into the tours of the houses, other than the tours you can walk around Colonial Williamsburg for free. When I mean walk I mean WALK. This place is huge and takes up a several city blocks. Not all houses are available to tour year around, but there is plenty to do regardless. I was not prepared for the size of this place. I liked it, but it was not a place to bring small kids that do not appreciate talking tours of houses. I will be back when they are older or just with my wife as a couple. It did get hot in the afternoon, and the family opted for something cooler.

PROS: Neat to see parts of history still kept in good condition. Staff were well informed on history. Neat to see the dress they used to wear.
CONS: Huge place. Not recommended for the little people.
NEEDS: Good shoes, plenty of liquids, hat, possibly sun block. Start early in the morning!!!

This is a wonderful activity for families. The kids enjoyed watching the different tradesmen and women "ply the wares," so to speak, and loved the costumes. We heard "Thomas Jefferson" speak, saw two plays, enjoyed a carriage ride, and had plenty of time to wander. Lots of walking!

Plan well--we didn't realize that we could have made dinner reservations well ahead of time!

The famous Colonial Williamsburg area was the primary reason for our visit and ended up being only a side note to the trip. Colonial Williamsburg is essentially a large neighborhood, with streets of houses and historical buildings that you can explore at your leisure. There are colonial craft and way of life demonstrations, and kids can rent costumes to wear for the day.

A particular highlight is the Capital building-- the tour was very well done and even my nine-year-old was engaged and interested. A second highlight was the 1773 Public Hospital and attached Museum of Decorative Arts, although the content of both is best suited for older kids and adults. The cobblestone paths are difficult for strollers and overall the attractions have little to interest toddlers.

The main eating venues are the four taverns, but reservations for dinner go quickly and the wait for a table at lunch can easily be an hour. That said, the chicken and dumplings and pot roast we had at Shields Tavern were excellent.

The Market Square area offers modern-day shopping and restaurants. It was nice to see the area and say that we had been there, but Mom left feeling disappointed, sort of like, that's all there is? Even more disappointing was the cost of entry-- nearly $50 for an adult's Freedom Pass, which is good for a year. Single day passes are also available, but they don't give you access to some of the craft and demonstration areas, the very areas you want to see.

The best value we found for Colonial Williamsburg was the Independence Pass. It's $69 for adults/ $35 for 17 and under for an annual pass. It also includes the evening performances, which are normally $12. We did five of them and would have signed up for more Legends walks if we had known ahead of time they had three routes (A, B and C) with different stories. Cry Witch is also not to be missed. The first 10 people get the best seats. My 11-year-old daughter and 13-year-old niece both cited it as their favorite thing they did on the trip. You need to book in advance via phone. We did Legends at 7pm and Cry Witch at 9pm.

You can purchase the passes and book the performances ahead of time at 800/HISTORY and pick up the tickets and passes, which are then activated with the pickup date in Colonial Williamsburg. The guided daytime walks are also included but have to be booked in person, but can be booked up to five days in advance. We were told wrong on the phone, so most of the daytime walks were already booked, including the archeology tour, which is only offered on Tuesdays.

If you've never been there it's worth the trip and money to take the tours available. It's a large area with many buildings to see and lots of information to learn about US history. It interests all ages and can be a lot of fun. The staff is dressed in colonial garb and stay in character as you talk with them.