Shopping and History in Williamsburg, VA

With gas prices and airline tickets through the roof, I decided to try one of the "staycations" I’ve been hearing about. Williamsburg is only a 40 minute drive from where I live, and it was a long, Memorial Day weekend, so it was a good getaway.

Of the three Virginia Historic Triangle cities (Williamsburg, Jamestown, Yorktown)I think Williamsburg has the most to offer.

The highlight of my trip was shopping at Prime Outlets. I got five Hilfiger items for under , which justifies a dance of joy. :) Retail therapy is a great way to spend a sunny afternoon – especially since the outlet mall is open-air.

I also enjoyed walking through Colonial Williamsburg. The weather was beautiful, the gardens were blooming and the fifers were fifing.

Quick Tips:

If you want to see Colonial Williamsburg for free, you can. Duke of Gloucester Street is open – you can enjoy being outside (locals bring their bikes and their dogs) and stroll the streets, taking in the atmosphere. A few of the Taverns and buildings are free to those without tickets, and you could certainly see the outside of all of the structures. The morning would be the best time, as the re-enactment events start in the afternoon for the most part, and then the area in front of the Capitol would be closed off.

Best Way To Get Around:

Depending on where you stay, you could possibly walk to Colonial Williamsburg, but there's a lot of walking once you get there. Consider the -an-hour parking garage in Merchant's Square.

There's also a shuttle bus included in your ticket that you can take advantage of.

The Boxwood Inn was my first experience with American bed and breakfasts, and I’ve got to say there were some good things and some bad things.

I guess the good news is that I couldn’t find any fault in the B&B itself. The house was beautiful, and had received a beautification award a few years ago. There was an expansive porch that the guests could use, and a fragrant garden. The house was filled with antiques and knick-knacks that represented both Williamsburg and the colonial period. The rooms were named after U.S. presidents that had attended the nearby College of William and Mary – Jefferson, Monroe and Tyler, and they were immaculate.

We stayed one night in the Tyler room. It was decorated in a Williamsburg blue toile fabric, complete with an armoire for the TV and fluffy Pottery Barn robes hanging in the closet. The room was the smallest choice, but that didn’t really bother me. What did take me aback is that the Web site for the Inn said that all of the rooms had private baths. I suppose, technically, our bath was private, as it was reserved only for us. My issue was that the bathroom was in the hallway, while the other rooms had en suite baths. I suppose that was the reason for the lesser price, but I would’ve preferred to have that information before booking the room. I didn’t like the idea of stepping out into the hallway wrapped in a robe and running into another guest leaving their room.

I’m not sure that the B&B life is for me. I know it’s pegged as a romantic getaway kind of stay, but I can’t imagine that being romantic would be an option when you could hear the wood boards in the hallway creaking, knowing that your room was just an earshot away from the one across the hall. A hotel is less personal, I’m quite sure, but there’s the privacy and anonymity aspect that is appealing.

Staying in a B&B however, does have the personal touch. The owners were away and had a house sitter, but were very helpful when I called and made reservations. They even ordered our Colonial Williamsburg tickets for us (which I was told would be at a discount, but they weren’t.) They were quick with dinner recommendations and ideas for touring and parking.

Being a B&B, breakfast was included. I don’t think it’s a standard B&B practice, but one you should ask about before booking – there was only one breakfast service at 8:30 a.m. I would’ve preferred a time frame, rather than one sitting, as I’m on vacation, and I don’t relish having to get up early (even earlier than 8:30, because now I had to look presentable for the other guests that we’d have to chat up at breakfast.)

I guess I’m just more of a hotel kind of girl, but for those who like the B&B thing, I think this one would’ve been an excellent choice.

If you ask the Williamsburg locals (which I did), the place that they recommend for a good steak is the Aberdeen Barn. If you don’t want to pay out the ear for the colonial taverns, but you don’t want a chain restaurant like Logan’s Steakhouse, the Aberdeen barn is possibly the place for you.

It looks like a barn from the outside, but it’s really not. It does have rustic décor inside to give it a bit of that “good ol’ boy” feel, which is in stark contrast to the fine dining service that you’ll also find.

The menu is mostly for the beef lover, with a few other dishes (Ahi tuna or baby back ribs) thrown in for good taste. They like to brag about their prime rib, but most of the menu is appetizing.

Naturally, I ordered the filet (if you read my journals, you’ll notice I do this a lot) with a side of baked potato and a caesar salad, while my dinner date ordered the ribs with a potato and caesar salad. If you order the house salad, by the way, the waiter comes with a bevy of dressings on something like a lazy susan and dips it on your salad for you. The potato fixins come out the same way – sour cream, bacon bits and chives for you to pile on yourself.

Dinner is served on an iron skillet atop a wood holder, popping from the heat. The ribs came with a sauce that on paper doesn’t sound that great – the sauce had peach undertones. In reality, the sauce was quite tasty, and was a nice compliment to the ribs. The filet was good – it wasn’t anything that made me stand up and applaud, but it was a nice dinner.

Between the two of us, the tab was about $35, which included our drinks (iced-tea and sprite). The dinners were reasonably priced and reasonably tasty, so it was a reasonably good choice.

Possibly the biggest surprise in the food category for the trip was Season’s Restaurant, located in Merchant’s Square, just outside of Colonial Williamsburg’s entrance. Merchant’s Square is full of touristy shops, souvenir shops and some name brand stores like William Sonoma, with some restaurants thrown into the mix, and all housed in colonial-style buildings. I was sure the restaurants would be touristy and tacky with sub-par food, and I can’t speak for the other restaurants, but I was dead wrong about Season’s.

In a place where you have to compete with historical tavern experiences, you’d have to have something to offer to keep customers coming in the door. Once you walk in, you notice the brick walls and the wrought-iron gate that creates something of a café feel. Inside of the gate are tiled café tables with iron chairs, and outside of the gate on a step up are tables that look out the large antique windows.

The wait staff is attentive and makes sure your drinks are ordered and served pronto. The menu is simple, but appetizing. I ordered chicken tenders with fries, and my lunch date ordered a turkey BLT. The food was delivered in quick order, and I found it to have a home-made look and taste. The fries were like the ones my mom used to cut up and deep fry for us, and the chicken tenders were obviously fresh, and breaded on the premises (rather than the frozen and deep-fried ones I’ve grown used to) and I gobbled them up. The sandwich didn’t stick around long either.

It was a nice atmosphere, a nice lunch and a nice experience. If you don’t want to throw down a lot of money on a colonial tavern, I think you’ll be quite happy with the food and staff at Season’s.

I’ve been to my share of outlet malls, and have discovered that some “have it” and some don’t. Prime Outlets in Williamsburg have it, and then some.

First, the outlet mall is expansive. You pull into the parking lot, drive around to figure out what stores you want to visit, and then realize there’s another lot with more stores, and another lot with more stores. Stores like Coach, Tommy Hilfiger, Polo, Adidas, Nike, Sketchers, Lucky, Kirklands, KB Toys and more. If you can think of a name brand, it probably has an outlet store here. (Oooh, and a special note for the Chocolate Factory. Yum.)

My suggestion is to make a list of the stores you want to see, park in one lot and see the stores in that location, and then re-park your car in the next lot and start again. My complaint about these outlets is that I don’t think there’s much of a walking flow to the stores. It’s pedestrian friendly, but not laid out in the most reasonable way.

My only other beef with the outlets is the lack of beef – the lack of meaningful food anywhere. There are snack stands where you can get kettle corn, or some lemonade, or a small sandwich. There’s a “food court” with a minimal choice (a Chinese restaurant and a soup/sandwich shop) though I’ll give them that a Sbarro is opening soon, and hopefully more after that.

The outlet shops truly did have excellent deals. In an economy like this one, I was even considering that the 40 minute drive to get here would be worth it for the savings I’d get. Yes, some of the clothes are discontinued colors or styles that aren’t currently on the mall racks, but they’re still top-quality, name-brand clothes – and they’re not so out of style that you’d be carbon dating yourself (okay, maybe if you were in NY or LA.)

If you’re in Williamsburg and want to take a break from the tourist thing, or even if you’re close by and just want a shopping day, you can’t go wrong with Prime Outlets of Williamsburg.

Colonial Williamsburg is part of Virginia’s historic triangle and, in my opinion, is the most entertaining and most interactive of the three historic sites (the other two being Jamestown and Yorktown).

Though I will quibble a minute over the ticket prices - $37 for a Capital City Pass, then add $6 if you want to enter the Governor’s Palace and add $10 more to that if you want to make it a 2-day pass. I think that’s a bit much, even if it does include a shuttle bus, the introduction movie at the Visitor’s Center called “The Patriot,” a visit to the colonial Capitol, a few museums, and access to the re-enactment programs that go on throughout the afternoon.

Here’s my tip of the day, if you want to see Colonial Williamsburg for free, you can. Duke of Gloucester Street is open – you can enjoy being outside (locals bring their bikes and their dogs) and stroll the streets, taking in the atmosphere. A few of the Taverns and buildings are free to those without tickets, and you could certainly see the outside of all of the structures. The morning would be the best time, as the re-enactment events start in the afternoon for the most part, and then the area in front of the Capitol would be closed off.

In the afternoons, each day brings different “Revolutionary City” events. Perhaps you’ll see the fife and drum march, or maybe you’ll hear Jefforson address the people. There’s even a skit on dating life in colonial times.

There are several buildings along Duke of Gloucester Street that you may want to peek your head inside. Whatever your interest – silversmithing, blacksmithing, shoemaking, saddle making, basket making, gardening – there’s something for you. The costumed re-enactors will explain what they are doing, answer questions and possibly let you try your hand. To determine which buildings are open, just look for the British flag in front – a flag in Colonial Williamsburg is the equivalent of “Howdy, come on in!”

The George Wythe house is possibly the best way to experience how the gentry would live. There’s a presentation to start, and then you can walk through the yard and outbuildings (don’t scare the rooster) before making your way inside the home.

When you’re finished your walk back into history, you can get your shop on at Merchant’s Square, which sits just before the Colonial Williamsburg entrance. Here, you’ll find modern-day shops in colonial-style buildings.