A Williamsburg Family Vacation

Mom's favorite activities were the Jamestown Island and Jamestown Settlement areas as well as Richmond's Maymont and the Virginia Historical Society and Museum. Our nine-year old daughter enjoyed Jamestown, Maymont, and Busch Gardens.

Quick Tips:

The major grocery stores in the area are Food Lion and Ukrop's -- definitely go to Ukrop's for your supplies. If you want to eat at a tavern in Colonial Williamsburg, you'll need to call ahead and make reservations. If you wait until same-day, there may not be any availability.

Best Way To Get Around:

You'll definitely need a car to get around, and it will take a day to figure out the roads since they aren't always well-marked. Once you get the hang of it, though, you'll find that Williamsburg is centrally located with easy access to nearby historical areas as well as to Richmond and Norfolk for day trips.

Our two-bedroom condo was very comfortable and spacious. My daughter was upset there wasn't a TV in the second bedroom, but the living room area served her just fine. A big plus was the private hot tub, which is found in every ground floor, single-story unit (about half the total units).

This is a huge property, but easily walked and very well maintained. The landscaping was beautiful and we all enjoyed watching the geese and ducks that inhabit the property's ponds. There are two restaurants on site, one family-oriented and the other meant for an adult evening out (coat and tie). There is also a general store with movie rentals, some food items, and souvenirs. Miniature golf is available, and there are indoor and outdoor pools. The indoor pool was too small for the number of guests using it (this property has expanded greatly in recent years) and the water was murky-- my husband refused to go in, but my nine-year old found some goggles and had fun anyway. It was too cold for the outdoor pool at the time of our visit. The check-in process was slow but the staff brought out appetizers and cookies and was courteous throughout.

NOTE FOR PARENTS WITH INFANTS/TODDLERS: the property offers pack 'n play cribs on a first come first served basis. We ended up buying one for $40 at a nearby Target and leaving it behind when we left (we had no way to get it home). Half the units are two-story, so be sure to call the request line in advance of your visit to request a single story unit. We did, and it made all the difference -- no chasing a two-year old up and down the stairs.

Final note to all readers-- the driving directions offered by the resort's web site are confusing. You might want to verify the directions with MapQuest before you go. Once we learned our way around, though, we found the resort to be well located with easy access to major roads and tourist attractions.

Don't let the name fool you -- this museum was jam-packed with fun and informative exhibits. Kid-friendly and interactive areas kept our nine-year-old occupied while Mom and Dad enjoyed the vast collection of artifacts and information ranging from the Colonial and Revolutionary period through the Civil War, the women's suffrage movement, and desegregation, all as they pertain to the state of Virginia. Allow a half-day to tour this building -- you'll enjoy every minute and leave thinking that you didn't see it all! This museum was a highlight of our trip. (Inexpensive entry fees -- two adults and one child cost $13.)

Maymont is an amazing place! These 100 acres sit in the middle of Richmond and was donated to the city after the deaths of Mr. and Mrs. Dooley, who bought the land and built their home there about 100 years ago. Their home, open for tours, is but one of the many attractions to be found along the five miles of wheelchair-accessible walking paths. Shuttles also circle the property and a small one-time fee allows off-and-on privileges for the day. The Children's Farm and animal areas scattered across the property keep the kids engaged, and the Nature Center in the main visitor's center is fabulous. Allow a half day to really see the place, you AND your kids will be pleased you did!

The Visitor's Center also houses a small cafe with indoor and outdoor seating and offers a nice selection of sandwiches, wraps, fresh soups, and hamburgers.

Jamestown Island is best seen on nice days since it is all outdoors. Park rangers lead funny and informative tours of the area and then leave you to stroll among the ruins, each of which has an informative marker to help you understand what you're looking at. There is a glasshouse area detailing the beginnings of the glassmaking craft in the New World, and a lovely eight-mile driving tour of the island. Hurricane Isabel did significant damage to the island last August, but even so, we had a great visit and highly recommend this activity. This would be a great follow-up activity to a visit to the Jamestown Settlement museum.

This hands-on museum gives kids (and their parents) a life-sized view of the Jamestown fort and an Indian village. The ability to climb on, over, and through the exhibits guarantees that kids will be interested and might even learn something! Use this museum as preparation to visit Jamestown Island to see the actual ruins.

This museum details the history of Yorktown and its part in the Revolutionary War. The exhibits are kid-friendly and there are areas for the kids to try on costumes and do other activities. The film is interesting. It was nice to get some Revolutionary-era information in a region so dominated by Colonialism.

The indoor section of this museum pales in comparison to some of the other museums in the area. The exhibits aren't as detailed and well done, although the film is interesting. This museum is best suited for teens and adults who are interested in the significance of the battlefield site. It was very cold the day we went, so we did not take the ranger-led outdoor tour, which might have enhanced our experience. The guidebooks advocate the Junior Ranger program for kids, but we found the worksheets to be uninteresting and difficult to complete.

Busch Gardens is an amusement park based upon an international theme. The park is divided into countries -- Germany, France, England, Ireland, Scotland, Italy -- with themed rides, restaurants, and performances in each area. The children's category is ages three through seven, so be prepared to pay full-price for kids over seven. The food is adequate and the international themes are nicely presented throughout. One outstanding feature is the Dragonland for toddlers and school-age children. Excellent little tyke rides and a huge (and I mean really enormous) playscape for those elementary-aged. There are several water rides and a run-through-the-sprinkler/fountain area, but it was too cold on the day of our visit to partake.

The park offers regular parking for $6 or preferred parking for $10 -- go with the regular since the trams run frequently and it’s easy to get in and out. Be prepared for lots of walking and wear sunscreen. The live shows are nice, although not Disney quality. We saved Busch Gardens for the last day of our stay, and it was a nice way to end our vacation. Both my kids had a great time, and in the end, that's why we went.

The building which houses the Nauticus National Maritime Museum has three floors-- the first is the cafe and gift shop, the second has a lot of information about naval history and free access to the battleship Wisconsin. The third floor is the fee-for-entry maritime museum, with films and interactive exhibits such as you find in a typical children's museum. My recommendation is to stick to the second floor unless your kids are particularly motivated to explore the upstairs exhibits and really do the activities. The films and exhibits are best suited for older children (maybe ages 10 and above?).

The Virginia Zoo enjoys large, well-maintained grounds but doesn't have an enormous quantity of animals. They have built a wonderful above ground walkway and terrace to better view the elephants and giraffes in their wide-open habitats, and that was definitely a highlight of our visit. The food at the cafe was adequate, but have lunch on the early side as the line gets very long. All in all this is a very nice zoo, but Mom and Dad left feeling like it was short on actual animals.

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.