Williamsburg for a BIG family of all ages

There is so much to do in Williamsburg it is hard to pick a favorite. Memorable moments include seeing a bald eagle flying around Jamestown, riding the Loch Ness roller coaster 4 times in a row, watching the kids hold on for dear life when going down a water flume, etc...

Quick Tips:

I highly suggest getting a 5-for-1 park pass that you can buy at Water Country or Busch Gardens. This will pay for parking and admission to all Williamsburg historical areas as well as unlimited admission to the theme parks for 14 days (even though we stayed for 7 days). Kids get in free (6 and under) when accompanied with a adult with this pass.

Best Way To Get Around:

Utilize the Colonial Parkway and Highway 199 to get around easily. Make sure you are prepared to walk a whole lot (I actually lost weight on the vacation). Plan on hitting historical sites in the AM before the intense heat which begins around 10:30, then hit the pool or water park until late afternoon. At that time go to Busch Gardens and hit the rides with ease or vice versa.

The King's Creek Plantation was a wonderful place to stay. The location of this condo makes driving to any place you want to go a breeze. Water Country is This was a large family vacation with 6 adults and 2 children. The condo was a 3/2 split house with an A/B side. This created absolutely no problems with the inner doors left open. The condo could actually have had several more people with the pullout couches utilized. It had a gas fireplace and a jacuzzi tub in one bathroom. The kitchen in the B side (2BR) had all the ammenities you normally get and was large enough to allow 3 adults to easily work on meals. The A side (1BR) was a mini kitchen, but it was not used by us due to the larger kithcen in the other side.

The facilities are rather new and everything was well taken care of. I did not discover a newer pool until the end of the trip that was in a newer section. There is a large playground, gameroom, and workout facilities in the main clubhouse. The staff was always smiling and very helpful.

Pro's--LOCATION and ease of getting to main attractions, size of condo, beautiful facilities. Loved the porches for early morning and late night coffee and family time.

Con's--New development on site with a new inside "aquatic center" and more condos being built at another site. Large dump trucks utilize the only entrance road into condo facility and this can get a little loud in the morning. Our condo was not on the main road, but I could still hear them. This usually began aroung 9:30AM. I am not sure how loud it got near the clubhouse during the day due to seeing the sites until well after the workers had gone. Also, if using the other pool you have to drive to it due to the overall size of the complex and distance from other condos. There is no extra parking for your car, but I used an empty condo spot from a condo under construction.

I booked this in December 03 for June 04for 57,000 points. I would imagine that this place is going to get harder and harder to book.

Our dining experience here was the only bad thing that happened on this vacation. The family was starving and it was in the late evening (9PM). This was about the first place we came to and it was chosen in haste.

The service was horrid. The waiter could barely be understood due to poor English and he would always turn away when speaking (NOT GOOD FOR HARD of HEARING FATHER-IN-LAW)!!! We always had to ask for anything that we may have needed.

The food was poor at best. Most of it was left at the table. Beware that they tried to charge for refills on sodas that were in 6oz glasses (first one free $1.35 after that.) I stuck to salad and my wife had a pasta dish they claimed was spaghetti and meatballs (NO FLAVOR).

During a brief time-out with my 2 y/o son outside, I noticed removable signs behind a bench advertising "pancake house". Yes, in the morning it changes to a breakfast place. Italian food and pancakes just don't seem to go together. Hopefully they do breakfast better, but I am highly suspect.

The worst came when the bill had to be paid. The total was $40.35 for a salad, spaghetti, and a child's chicken strips with drinks (WOW)!!! Needless to say I went to Wendy's down the road and finally got some real food.

This is a standard Japanese Steakhouse that can be found in any city. What set this Steak House apart was the service and the cook. The service was attentive and the cook kept us laughing during the entire meal. He even kept the kids attention well into cooking the meal. The food was very good. It was a very good experience over all. They stay open later than most restaurants in the area.

After playing all day we hurried to find a place to eat that was open past 9 PM. The Second Street Grill was located beyond the main road of restaurants. I am glad we found it.

This is a local restaurant that has a large menu and all of the food is very good. The atmosphere is similar to a Chili's or TGIFs, with a mix of college students and tourists. Our large family received excellent and attentive service. This is definitely a good place to eat at in Williamsburg.

This an interesting little place to eat. It is a house that has been turned into a restaurant and antique shop. You are seated in a typical dining room of a house with multiple tables that are surrounded with old pictures. You feel like you are visiting some old cabin house in the woods somewhere. Our family of 8 was seated immediately for breakfast, and the staff was excellent. (Coffee always kept HOT.) I would recommend the blueberry pancakes and anything with the ham gravy. The locals eat here as well, and most were very talkative and understanding when the 2 y/o got cranky. See the shop after eating if you have the time. Neat little place that is not hard to find at all.

This is a upscale restaurant in the Colonial Williamsburg area shopping area. Many of the local business people eat here as well. You have the option of eating outside under large trees or inside. We opted for the inside during the mid-day heat, and were seated quickly even during the peak lunch hour. The inside decor is very modern and not the usual colonial dress. Service was excellent. The food was GREAT, and not the typical bill of fare you will find everywhere else. The sandwiches and salads were very fresh and well prepared. I would not recommend this place for kids, but an excellent place for couples. I would imagine this place would be very romantic at night. It was nice to get away from the kids and enjoy this meal, and afterwards just lazily walk through the shops. Do not miss this restaurant!

This was an excellent park for the entire family. I highly recommend buying the 5-4-1 flex pass. This allows for unlimited admission to all Williamsburg area attractions and includes parking ($8)! You can purchase these online or at the front gate. I got them at the gate without any problems. The tickets are well worth their value, because we went to either Busch Gardens or Water Country everyday for a few hours. Our condo was so close, why not? Also, if you have children five and younger they get in free as well. This saved us a small fortune with our two kids. We went the second week of June/04. I recommend this week due to low crowd numbers and the weather was just starting to heat up. Yes, the park closes early (6pm), but you can get everything done in a day easily. I believe Busch Gardens cooincides the times with the local school summer break. Therefore, most of the people in the park are from out of state equaling low crowds and few lines. You can find the schedule online as well.

WHAT TO BRING: Hiking sandals (not leather), water, and an extra change of clothes for the kids or swimwear.
PROS: Beautiful park, great for the family.
CONS: No easy way around the park. Skyrides and train drop offs are not near rides without some amount of walking. No center walkway in a very large circle. The map can be confusing especially in Italy. The heat can be intense in the afternoon.

I will definitely be visiting the park again in the near future.

Rides and dining will be listed separately in a free form journal.

I am not one that usually goes to water parks, but I will always remember the days at this park. My daughter still reminds us of certain rides we went on a month later. Again, we bought a 5-4-1 park pass which I highly recommend. Our condo was less than half a mile from this park, so we would usually hit the park in the afternoon when it got really hot. At this time of year the park was not busy at all, and my daughter and I almost did the entire park attractions in a hour 5-6pm (closing). The park is very clean and well maintained and with an enormous amount of helpful staff. The kids have to wear life vests, but there are plenty around the park free of charge. Lockers are also available (highly recommend) and you get a partial refund when done to spend in the park.

NEEDS: Surf shoes (no flip flops, sneakers, or leather sandals), sun block lotion, towels, and a good set of legs.
Shoes are a must due to walking distances between rides. Feet get wrinkly after a few rides and will get raw if you do not have descent shoes. Pavement can get hot as well. Beware that most rides have long high stairs to climb, so bring good knees.
RIDES WILL BE LISTED SEPARATELY!!!
ENJOY THE PARK!!!

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!!!

The whole family went together to Yorktown early one morning (8am). The temperature and humidity would begin to make things miserable before noon, and we got there before the visitor center opened. This happened to be the best time to go. Not only was it cooler to walk around, but we had the area free to ourselves with a few locals on their morning walks.

There is a large monument to the battle here, as well as older homes. There still is a Yorktown town that has a shopping area with antique and tourist shops. The shops did not open until 10am or later so we did not get a chance to go in, but window browsing was just as exciting. Plenty of rabbits for the kids to chase in the open grass fields in the area as well.

The main draw to this park is the driving/bicycle tour of the battle grounds. This tour is extensive with multiple road side historical markers. Unfortunately, there isn't much to see other than fields and forest, but it is still interesting from a historical sense. This tour is what you use your flex ticket for, or get vehicle passes. While there is no one checking to make sure you pay for the tour, it is on your honor.

There are actually two parts to this area. The first is the actual settlement run by the National Park Service. There is only a Church that is left from the actual settlement. There is a monument and a ongoing dig onsite. The visitor center in this area is closed due to previous hurricane damage, and will be rebuilt in a safer area later this year. The bay has Bald Eagles to observe for bird lovers. The other area is a restored area that is excellent for learning about Indian and Colonial times. There is an Indian Village and Early American Fort to go through. The Indian Village is maintained by actual Natives that provide a wealth of information. The fort has several workers dressed up as well. There is a cannon in operation that has a demonstration every hour. Onsite are also ships to go through. This ships are still in use today, and if fact one of three had left early in the morning for Newport for a sailing festival. All of us found the ships pretty interesting to go through. There are movies and displays in the large visitor center as well as a restaurant. Again, it got hot pretty early so go as early as possible. The passes paid for the parking in the first area and passes to the second area. I found this particular historical site the best of the three in the area, and I highly recommend this for the kids.

This is for those who want to know what the rides are like and how the dining is at Busch Gardens Williamsburg.

THEATERS: First, there are 2 4-D rides/movies. 4-D means it feels you are in the movie itself. RL Stine's Haunted Lighthouse is a 900-seat theater with specific show times. I wouldn't worry about getting in line due to large theater. Instead, grab some ice cream and let the crowd dwindle down (chances are you'll get a better seat after they push everyone over anyway). Excellent show, and you will get a little wet. The other is the Corkscrew, which the line begins in a dark cool tunnel. This is the place to be in the afternoon heat. The ride itself has moving seat. This is not for bad backs due to long sequence of horseback riding simulation, and it is fairly loud as well. Good show all in all.

COASTERS: Starting from the good to the best in my opinion. #1=Big Bad Wolf-This is a good starter coaster for the kids. 42"min. Not bad, but if you don't have the time you may want to skip it.
#2=Loch Ness Monster-25 year anniversary, but this ride still rocks. 48"min. 2 loops and dark tunnel sequence. The place to sit is in the second to last car for full effect. Trust me I know!!!
#3=Apollo's Chariot-Newest coaster, very close second. 52"min. This ride holds you in with a lap press. This allows for free movement of the upper torso and some leg movement. The front is great for a wind whipped feel, but I preferred the back to feel more G's.
#4=Alpengeist-My personal favorite. 52"min. Suspended leg coaster. Awesome in the back seat. Only complaint was a quick whip left to right at a brief slow down. This may make feel like you got slapped by the harness. May hurt those who wear earrings.

WATER RIDES: The ESCAPE FROM POMPEII is a large water flume ride. There are intense pyrotechnics at the top and it is very load. The flume is intense. Yes, you will get wet if not soaked. Shoes will get wet from the beginning due to the water already in the boat from the last fall. 42"min. Area at the bottom allows for those who want to get wet from the splash as well (smaller kids).
There is a standard log ride as well. 42"min. The person sitting in the front position of the second seat gets soaked. ROMAN RAPIDS is another standard ride. 42"min. Yes, you get wet!

OTHERS: Go-cart ride and other small fair type rides are scattered throughout the park. The greatest concentration is in the Rhinefeld. This area has a large winding tree to run up with rope bridges to cross and long slide. There are also multiple kiddie rides as well as a splash pool area. This is where the extra pair of clothes comes in handy.

DINING: While we did not eat in the park except for one meal, this is a brief overview. We ate at Trappers Smokehouse in the Canadian area. Excellent chicken and ribs. Downer is you sit outside. The Das Festhaus is inside and has excellent shows to watch as well if not eating. Italy also has a large eating area, but outside area as well. Shows are excellent as well.

Hope you enjoy this park as much as the family and I did!!!

This was a great family water park. At this time of the year, the rides have few if any lines and you have no problem keeping your kids within eyesight. My 5-year-old daughter is 46" tall and could ride everything that didn't require a life vest, which were really short water tunnels with a deep ending.

RIDES:

BIG DADDY FALLS=My favorite family ride. This is a large raft with great twists and turns. With my father-in-law in it the raft seemed like it would tip over. Myself, wife, 2 kids, and father-in-law got in one all together. This was a blast. Later, just my daughter and I got on and we still had an awesome time.

AQUAZOID=This is also a big family ride, but most of it is completely enclosed in a dark tunnel. This adds some fright, because you don't know when the next turn is coming. Downer is you can't see the expression on anyone's face. Not one for the kiddies, unless you want to be choked to death by the end from a death grip.

MALIBU PIPELINE=Two-seater float. This one is great also with a willing child. My daughter loved this one. You can really get going by the time you get to the end.

ATOMIC BREAKERS=Single-seater. This is a more relaxing slow ride, but does have some quick short drops when going down a rapid. Downside is you can get caught in a never-ending circle if you get bumped by someone else. Eventually, a staffer will rescue you and send you down the rapids.

HUBBA HUBBA HIGHWAY=Single-seater. This is only if you need a break from walking. This is a lazy current in a circle where you may get wet from hanging coconuts and other surprises. Not a bad place to rest.

JET SCREAM=Single-seater. High banks and twist get your heart beating on this one. I did see some kids get dumped near the end, but they ended safe and sound. Four flumes keep the line moving. No one flume seemed better than the other.

MELTDOWN=Three-seater. Make sure you read the signs for configuration of the seating. There are weight limits if you want to ride with certain people. Also, find out if you child is willing to ride. I saw some kids suddenly change their minds when they could not ride with someone and it is a long way back for everyone. This is an okay ride. It moves fast, but no great wows.

NITRO RACER=One-person sled on stomach. Rapid racing setup that allows for the family to race to the bottom together. Keep your feet down, and don't bother looking ahead due to water splashing in your face the entire time. Let the staff person at the bottom tell you who won!

RAMPAGE=One-seater sled. Not for the faint at heart! 75’ drop sends you going about 120' at the bottom of the slide. My daughter almost chickened out, but she did it! Would not do it again though. It is a little scary to be sent down the ramp! Make sure your child knows to hang on regardless of anything.

WILD THANG=Two-seater. Not a bad quick ride, but not like some of the others.

PEPPERMINT TWIST & LEMON DROP=Single slide tunnels that send you like a torpedo into the water. Cannot wear a life vest, so mostly bigger kids (including myself) hit this one repeatedly. HOLD YOUR NOSE!!!

SMALLER ONES: Kritter Korral, Cow-a-Bunga, and H2O UFO are all geared for the little ones. My son had a blast in all of them. Each is a little different with slides and fountains. The great staff is always around to help keep an eye out.

SURFER'S BAY=Is a large wave pool. A little crowded for me, so I stayed out. Large amounts of seating available in the area. Most of the people seemed to be having fun though.

I did not eat in the park, but the food I saw looked great and prices were the typical amusement park prices.

HAVE A BLAST!!!