Springtime In Williamsburg

We enjoyed Colonial Williamsburg, scoping out the Civil War sites around Richmond, and visiting the Casemate Museum at Fort Monroe in Hampton, VA. We also recommend Nauticus in Norfolk, and the USS Wisconsin. VERY cool!

Quick Tips:

Check out the Williamsburg Pottery and the Prime Outlets for great shopping. Brave the traffic and visit downtown Norfolk. Nauticus is very interesting, and the Battleship Wisconsin is awesome!

Best Way To Get Around:

By far, the best way to get around is to drive. If you have a baby, take a sturdy stroller!

Best Things Nearby:
This is the CLOSEST place to the Colonial area of Williamsburg! You're also right near the main drag of restaurants and outlet shopping as well, but since Patriot's Place is set so far off the road, there is no traffic noise.

Best Things About the Resort:
We had two one-bedrooms with an adjoining door. So our baby, nine-months-old at the time, had his own living room and kitchenette! Besides the spaciousness, the best thing had to be the Jacuzzi tub. It's enormous. Seeing a theme here?

Resort Experience:
The Upside: The condo was HUGE, the Jacuzzi was HUGE, the development itself is HUGE. The developers obviously tried to make these condos look somewhat colonial, with brick walkways, etc. The kitchen was well-equipped, and the dining area was separate from the living room. The location is the best you'll find in Williamsburg, hands-down.

The Downside: The units we stayed in were slated for renovation, and they were definitely due. My baby's room smelled like cigarette smoke, and the furniture throughout was looking a bit worn. The front desk staff acted like we were interrupting their Solitaire game - not the reception you want after driving all day with a tired baby. Nor did they have the previously-requested crib ready for us at arrival. Because renovations were going on at other units, our phone line got cut and we didn't have phone service the last two and a half days. When we mentioned it to one of the service staff, she suggested we call the front desk to inform them (on what?). We did tell the desk, but to no avail; the phone was not restored while we were there. Finally, the condo could have been cleaner - I found part of a condom wrapper and a fingernail on one of the beds.

• Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
• Activities: Not Available
• Amenities: Not Available
• Unit Satisfaction: Good
• Family Friendliness: Good
• Service: Fair

We stopped here for lunch on a very cold spring day with our 10-month-old in tow. They were surprisingly kid-friendly, right down to the colonial high chair.

The food was delicious, if somewhat pricey -- lunch for two was $30+ plus tip. On the other hand, the delicious sweet potato muffins are worth the stop alone. Wait staff is all in colonial dress and I highly recommend the seafood in puff pastry. It was the perfect size for lunch. Dear hubby had an egg dish that looked interesting -- he said it was delicious.

If you require handicapped accessibility, call ahead -- I''m not sure that it is available and there were some steep steps down to the restrooms.

Fort Monroe is a working Army base and the only one in the U.S. with a moat. Check out this historic area if you''re a Civil War buff and especially the Casemate Museum. You drive through the wall around the fort, and follow the signs. This is where Jefferson Davis was held after his capture by Union troops. A short film talks about the history of the fort, which is situated at Old Point Comfort, a stopping-off place for the Jamestown settlers. The museum features a lot about the history of the Army, and how this was one of the first bases in the US -- it was designed to protect the Chesapeake Bay. Lincoln visited here and the battle between the Monitor and the Merrimac took place nearby. My husband, a soon-to-be-history teacher, said this was his favorite part of our whole trip! It is definitely NOT your run-of-the-mill museum.

This was a very nice outlet mall, with a lot of shops you don''t see elsewhere. I caught a 70% off sale at the Little Me store and bought my infant son''s entire wardrobe for next year!

Other highlights were the Eddie Bauer Outlet (I know, you see them everywhere, but this one had a nice selection) and Lillian Vernon stores.

My husband and baby napped in the minivan while I shopped. It was a great way to spend the afternoon after seeing Colonial Williamsburg in the morning!

The siege of Petersburg was a long, sad chapter of the Civil War. Union forces were attempting to cut the rail lines to Richmond -- and those rail lines all came together in Petersburg. The siege lasted almost 10 months and led to the end of the Civil War.

The park is very large and spread out over the city -- you definitely need a car to see everything. Reconstructed parts give you a good idea of what it was like during wartime. The cost of admission is $5 per car, but you should be prepared to do some walking, as sites are often not next to the road.

This is part of the National Parks Service and is located about an hour from Williamsburg.