The Innkeepers are the most accommodating, the breakfasts are superb, and they have a wealth of local information, all you have to do is ask! Walking distance to historic Williamsburg, Duke of Gloucster Street. It's like being home!

Distance: 87 miles

Sights: 
Colonial Williamsburg
College of William and Mary

Bruton Parish Church is the historic Colonial era church in Colonial Williasmburg. It is in the middle of the Colonial Williamsburg themed Historic Area, but is an active Epsicopal church and not part of the Colonial Williamsburg enterprise. (A Colonial Williamsburg ticket is not required for admission.) The present brick church was built in 1715 and success an earleir 17th-century brick structure. Bruton was the offical eestablished Anglican church for the capital of the Virginia Colony. (The name Bruton dates from 1674 and refers to the ancestral home of Virginia colonial Governor Sir William Berkeley.) The only other church in Williamsburg during the colonial period was a Presbyterian Meeting House. Figures such as George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Patrick Henry attended services at Bruton when they were in town for House of Burgesses legislative sessions. Bruton played a role in events leading up to the Revolutionary War by serving as a place of protest against the Stamp Act in 1765 and the closing in the Port of Boston in 1774. (The Governor could not stop what were announced as prayer meetings.) The church fell on hard times following the Revolutinary War and again during the Civil War. Then, in the 1920s, it was Bruton's Rector, W.A.R. Goodwin, who was instrumental in convincing John D. Rockefeller, Jr. to begin the restoration of Williamsburg. The exterior and interior were restored in the 1940s as part of the Colonial Willaismburg restoration. Today, the church has the box pews and canopied "wineglass" pulpit of the colonial era. The interior space is beautiful to see and members of the parish will be happy to tell you about the church and it history and appointments. Organ and chamber music concerts are freqently given in the evening.

Colonial Williasmburg, Virginia, is one of the most famous among the living museum period recreations. Since the 1930s, early structures have been restored or entirely rebuilt and put on display and colonial costumed reenactors have given visitors a glimpse into life at the time of the American Revolution. A ticket gives the visitor full access to the various buildings, trade and craft displays, and activities and programs. You can then watch the shoemaker and carpenter at work, see the restored interiors of the Governor's Mansion and House of Burgesses, hear heated debates among the townsfolk on separation from Britain, or watch as Governor Dunmore denounces the Massachusettss colonists to the north for dumping tea in Boston Harbor. The costumed cast memebers relly get into their characters and a lot happens around the restored area seemingly at random. Don't be surprised if you see a mother carrying her real (and also costumed) infant around colonial style or if a minute man on horseback suddenly rides up Duke of Gloucester Street to warn of the advance of the British. Many activities are aimed at young visitors, from colonial games to cooking and musketry demonstrations. (A classic activity is to have your photo taken in the stocks next to the Courthouse.) However, you don't need a ticket to enjoy much of the Historic Area. You can see the exteriors of the buildings, eat at the taverns, and shop at the stores without admission. Williamsburg has had its criticisms--blurring of what is historically real and what is a recreation, behaving too much like a theme park (but history can be fun, after all), and coming to terms with slavery and darker sides of its past. Clearly, a lot of history happened at Williamsburg and Colonial Williasmburg does its best to bring it to life for modern visitors. Whether you go for the full experience or only take time to walk Duke of Gloucester Street, I highly recommend a stop at Colonial Williamsburg when you are in the mid-Atlantic region.

March 21 was opening day for the 2008 season at Busch Gardens Europe in Williamsburg. We were on our way from our Kingsgate hotel by 9:20 for the 10:00 a.m. opening. It's a short hop on U.S. 60 over to Busch Gardens. While waiting for entry into the parking area, we were amused to see many other cars from Fairfax County in the crowd, including families from Springfield. No doubt most had started out from home early in the morning to take advantage of the last day of Spring Break. 

Tickets in hand, we were in the park by 10:30 a.m. Again, we would go our separate ways, with dd and bf heading immediately to ride the new 90-degree vertical drop Griffon roller coaster. Susan and I enjoyed touring the park just by ourselves, the first time we've been able to do that in many years. We headed to Ireland and there saw the Irish step dancing show, very well done. After the show, dd called on the cell to set a meetup for lunch. Lunch would be in Germany at Das Festhaus, of course. I like the German sausage meals with sauerkraut and potatoes served there. The Bavarian song and dance show had just started when we arrived.

After lunch, we split up again. Susan and I looked through more of the lands, went on the Curse of DarKastle "4-D" adventure ride, rode the train around (of course), did some of the small fun rides like the teacups, and browsed the shops. I also went on Escape form Pompeii for an thrill ride and dd and bf rode all the coasters.

We finally called it a day at 7:00 p.m. This was the longest day we'd had at Busch Gardens, but it was lots of fun. (I highly recommend Busch Gardens.)  We decided to stop for dinner before completely crashing back at Kingsgate. We'd need to get ready for the following day's trip to Jamestown. A salad at Chick-fil-A was just right.

Busch Gardens in Williamsburg is one of the most beautiful and beautfully maintained theme parks. The theme at the Wiliamsburg, VA, park is Europe. The park is divided into eight theme areas, each with its set of rides, restaurants, shows, and shops. A train runs around the park to connect the themed area. Banbury Cross (England) is the entance area with the Globe Theater for shows. Tweedside (Scotland) features the Loch Ness Monster looping roller coaster. The famous Anheuser-Busch Clydesdale horses are on display here, too. Killarney (Ireland) has Corkscrew Hil, a motion simulation ride over old Ireland and an Irish step dancing show. The Wild Preserve features a variety of animals and animal shows. Aquitane (France) has the new Griffon diving roller coaster. New France (French Canada) features Le Scoot, a log flume ride. Germany is one of the largest lands with the Alpengeist inverted looping roller coaster, Big Bad Wolf suspension roller coaster, the Rhine Cruise, Curse of DarKastle motion and motion simulation thrill ride, and a perennial favorite, Das Festhaus, with German food and shows. Also in Germany is the children's play area, Land of Dragons, and a carousel. Festa Italia (Italy) features Apollo's Chariot, a tall roller coaster, Escape from Pompeii water chute, Roman Rapids tube ride, and several smaller themed rides. Busch Gardens is a favorite and highly recommended for theme park enthusiasts of all ages!

We had been planning our Williamsburg trip for a while. Williamsburg is one of our favorite road trip destinations and hardly a year goes by that we don't visit there.  But, we had not made it in 2007. Last visit had been two years before at the tail end of our South Carolina trip. Along were our daughter and her boyfriend, as this week was Spring Break for Fairfax County Schools.

We left Springfield at 9:20 a.m. and headed towards Occoquan, along the same route I've described. There, we picked up I-95, avoiding traffic around Springfield and southern Fairfax County. Traffic was remarkably light this day, given that I-95 is the major Interstate Highway along the East Coast and many school systems were also out for break. Reaching the outskirts of Richmond after some 80 miles, we diverged to I-295, the Richmond bypass, and took it over to I-64. I-64 leads down the Virginia Peninsula to link Richmond with Williamsburg, Norfolk and Virginia Beach. This region of the state is called Tidewater, where the major rivers of Virginia meet the Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic. We had covered the 140 miles (234 km) in 2 hours 25 minutes including one stop. Remarkable time.

Check-in time at our hotel was not until 3:00 p.m. But there was much to do. The first order of business, after driving by the historical area to make sure it had not changed (it hadn't), was to have lunch at Pierce's Pitt Bar-B-Que.  (See review.) Pierce's is an institution in Williamsburg and a must! Everyone from families to office workers to construction workers to members of the military from nearby installations comes here to enjoy the famous Virginia-style barbeque.

After lunch, it was time to get down to business! We headed back to the Historic Area and found parking off of Francis Street across from the Historic Area. Some background for those not familiar with Williamsburg. Williamsburg was the capital of Viriginia from 1698 to 1780. Many famous events leading up to the American Revolution occurred in Williamsburg. Thomas Jefferson and Patrick Henry were active here. After the Revolution, Williamsburg remained a commercial center, but had lost its former prominance. Many colonial-era structures fell to ruin while others were adaptively re-used and folded into the modern town. Then in the 1930s, the Rockefeller family funded the restoration of the historic part of the town as Colonial Willliamsburg. Today, Colonial Williasmburg, centered around Duke of Gloucester Street, is often considered a Colonial theme park. One does have to buy a theme-park like admisison ticket to see the exhibits, go inside the major buildings, and take part in the programs. However, you do not need a ticket to enjoy a walk through the Historic Area, take pictures, absorb the "historick" atmosphere, (and shop at the replca stores). 

We all had our separate agendas. Everyone knew I wanted to take pictures. Susan wanted to check out some of the shops at Merchant's Square while dd and bf wanted to wander around by themselves. So, off we went. I made for Duke of Gloucester Street. In front of me was the Nicolson Store. This strucutre is an original from the Colonial era and has undergone a variety of transformations over the years. (I've seen a photo of it in use a a gas station in the 1930s.) Working my way up Duke of Gloucester I noted the many restored storefronts and buildings in the bright March sunlight. Along the way were many Colonial Williamsburg "cast members" dressed in period attire to add a live atmosphere while directing visitors. Most really get into their characters.

I was soon passing the Court House of 1770 and the Powder Magazine. These two structures are originals. The Court House served as Williamsburg's courthouse until 1932. Until the reconstruction of Colonial Williamsburg began in the late 1930s, the octogonal Powder Magazine housed the only museum of the colonal era. It's my favorite structure in Williamsburg. At one end of Duke of Gloucester is Palace Green, the open commons dominated by the reconstructed Governor's Palace. (Most visitors don't realize how similar the town plan of Williamsburg is to the plan adopted for Washington, DC. At one end of the main street is the Legislative building, with the Executive residence at the opposite end, offset by an open green.)  On Palace Green is the George Wythe House, the home of George Wythe. (George Wythe was Thomas Jefferson's law professor at William and Mary and a signer of the Declaration of Independence.) On the corner is Bruton Parish Church. Bruton was Williamsburg's only church in colonial times and is an active Epsicopal church today. (The church is not part of Colonial Williamsburg and a ticket is not needed to visit inside.) I went inside for a few interior photos. The layout of the church is very similar to colonial Pohick Church near home, but with a few more elegant appointments.

Abou this time, Susan called on the cell. She was at the Barnes & Noble/William & Mary Bookstore over on Merchant's Square. One of my objectives this visit was to photograph the Wren Building at William and Mary, which had previously escaped my lens. So, I went on over to Merchant's Square en route to William and Mary. Merchant's Square is a shopping district extension of Duke of Gloucester Street lying between the Historic District and the College of William and Mary. The modern buildings are in the colonial brick style. Merchant's Square was actually designed in the 1930's as an integral part of the Colonial Williamsburg reconstruction and was one of the first pedestrian shopping precincts in the USA. Orignally intended to accommodate ordinary tourist ammenities, it houses upscale shops and restaurants today.

Passing through Merchant's Square, I arrived at the gates of the College of Wiliam and Mary. William and Mary, founded in 1693, is a selective Virginia state university. The College Yard contains several historic structures, including the Wren Building, the first building on campus. Sir Christopher Wren is thought to have provided the design for the Wren Building, but no one knows for certain. Anyway, I took my photos of the 17^th century academic structure, still used for classes. In front of the Wren Building is a modern statue of Lord Boutetourt, a popular English Governor of Virginia. (Once in the 1980s we were on a tour of the Governor’s Palace when the Major Domo character challenged us at the entrance with “My Lord Botetourt is Not at home!”, but he let us in anyway.)

Returning to Merchant’s Square, I encountered dd and bf enjoying some chocolate covered strawberries they had purchased at the Wythe Candy Shop. (They shared.) I was far from finished with photography, so I soon headed back to the Historic Area. 

There was a commotion in the Historic Area. Walking over for a closer look, I was again challenged, this time by a Rabble Rouser character. Turns out part of the Historic Area had been closed off for a Williamsburg: Revolutionary City reenactment and only ticket holders could enter. So, I went around and looked at the Windmill and the Public Gaol, areas not part of the reenactment. I eventually arrived back by the reconstructed Capitol and had made a full circuit.

By 4:00 p.m. it was time for the family to meet up and proceed to our hotel, Fairfield Kingsgate Resort. We’ve stayed at Kingsgate before. It’s located in a residential area close to Richmond Road. It’s quiet, comfortable, and very convenient to everything in the Williamsburg area. The rooms are suites, so Susan and I had the master bedroom, dd the smaller bedroom, and bf the sofabed in the living room. We went to Ruby Tuesday’s for dinner and then picked up coffee, tea, bagels, orange juice, and cereal for breakfast in the suite each morning. Rounding out the evening, dd and bf checked out the indoor pool.

I can't say enough about Pierce's Pitt Bar-B-Que! This is an eatery that you must visit when in Williamsburg! Pierce's serves the best in Virginia-style pulled pork barbeque. The restaurant is family owned and has been serving at this location since 1971. The smokehouse on the premises assures the BBQ served is always fresh and tasty. BBQ sandwiches are the mainstay at Pierce's. I almost always have a Jumbo with Slaw (5 oz.), but a Regular (4 oz.) is also available. The crinkle fries are outstanding, too! Other sandwiches, including burgers, chicken, and hot dogs are also sold. BBQ dinners and salads are also on the menu. Pierce's is always packed with locals. They know.

Colonial Williamsburg at is finest, the food is superb.

In the heart of Colonial Williamsburg. Great place to stay and hop on the bus and travel throughout the city.

For everyone passing thru Virginia or visiting Virginia I recommend to see Colonial Williamsburg.  It is quite nostalgic and a great place to take the family for the day or a romantic date to the taverns in the evening.  This place is beautiful in the spring with the cherry blossoms, and all the other blooming flowers.  It is gorgeous in the summer to see the gardens.  The Christmas decorations are fabulous and are all from natural fruits, flowers, and vegetables and plants. 

I recommend everyone to taste the delicious food from one of the Taverns and head into one of the Taverns for a drink, peanuts and games to play in the evenings.

There are two Busch Gardens in the United States, one in Tampa, FL, wich is Africa themed, the other is in Williamsburg, VA, wich is Europe themed, and is the one I am writing about. It is a large amusment park wich has different sections named after the different contries in Eruope. All sections look different from each other and have different rides, shows, and restraunts. I think the biggest roller coaster is called Appolos Chariot, and has a 200 ft drop on it! one of the first roller coasters in the park is called the Lockness Monster, and is perhaps one of the most famous. there is also a hotel on the park for people who want to stay a few days. There are also many show that go on around the park such as animal shows, and dance shows. It is defenintly a memorable experience.

There is alot of activities for moms and dads, can see how they traded in the 18th century and go to wonderful wine tastings. For the kids there is playing games and lending a hand with the crops. From 1699 to 1780, Williamsburg was the political social and cultural capital of Great Britains largest, wealthiest and most populous colony.The hall of the house of Burgesses at the Capital echoes with the voices of Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, George Mason and other Virginia leaders who debated the issues of F reedom and liberty for Virginians.At the court house, you might be invited to be a witness,defendant or judge in a re-creation of the court case from the 1700'.While walking around the old town you can see how the carpenter made shoes for his people. And there are alot of fresh food markets to taste the wonderful fresh foods of the land.Its wonderful to see how they lived in the 1700 century.

After George read a couple of Revolutionary War books this past year and visited Boston, I thought it was time to show him my state's colonial history. Coming from (supposedly) the most historic city in the US, that is Fredericksburg, Virginia), I thought it only natural that I was his best tour guide. We Virginians are given an intensive history lesson on exactly how and why Virginia is the best state -- I mean, Commonwealth -- in the US due to its role in shaping the history of the US. No wonder most Virginians you'll meet are a little prideful! ;0)

After hearing for years about how beautifully Colonial Williamsburg decorates for Christmas, we headed down one sunny winter morning and got stuck in traffic for nearly three hours just trying to get 50 miles south of DC. Needless to say we didn't make it that day, but instead spent the night in Richmond and drove early the next morning to the town.

For most of the day, we walked around the town and went into the shops and house museums. Sitting along Duke of Gloucester Street, Williamsburg has become a living museum and has reenactors in many of the houses and inns presenting  Colonial era discussions of possible treason against King George of England and revolution. Some of the buildings are working blacksmith, cabinet maker, or brass shops, with the craftspeople discussion their work.

George was into some of the debates the reenactors were having, as he had just finished one of his many books on the Revolutionary War. I, on the otherhand, was a little bored, so I instead watched how the actors held themselves and remembered the lines. Some of them were terrible amatuers, but others really put their hearts into their acting and it showed.

Along the main street, Duke of Gloucester, vendors offer warm apple cider and deliciously soft cookies. After several hours of walking around, it still wasn't time for dinner but most of the museums were about to close. George wanted to hurry up and visit as many craftspeople as possible, and i was practically starving, so we stopped at the food vendor and soon I had an apple cider in one hand and a cookie in the other. Talk about comfort food! I felt like a little kid again. (My mom would always bend down and give something to my little brother while saying "one for this hand and one for the other hand" and he would be the happiest little clam afterwards.)

Williamsburg has changed since I last visited. They've really tried to have more representations of daily life, although I think we get a feel for the gentry and craftspeople more than the servants and slaves. One of my professors in undergrad cowrote a book about this, and I could see his point that history is recreated according to what we want to see as opposed to what "really" happened, yet this history is portrayed as "authentic."

Once night settles in, Williamsburg holds this spectacular event called The Grand Illumination. Fireworks illuminate the sky, cannons are fired, and the Fife and Drum Corps entertains the visitors. The houses that played a significant role in Virginia history are showcased with cannons fired at the illuminating of the large  contained fire of each house. It's a really neat show, and we could hardly keep up with the Corps as they moved from house to house.

Before we left, George wanted to visit the shops just past the Colonial area, and we spent another couple of hours buying Christmas ornaments, books, and browsing toys. We had such a lovely visit!

This is a one stop place. I've been going here every summer as a kid when I lived in Norfolk. I went back 2 years ago and it's still great. It is a 200 acre property with 32 buildings. Each store showcases world products. It is divided into 2 sections. One section contains pottery and craft products. There is even a Christmas store. All the way in the back of the last building is a room that sells beer from all over the world. One thing to be careful of is that some are old stock. We found that out when we bought a few Hobgoblin beers. To get to the other section you go by way of an underground tunnel. You could also get in your car and drive all the way around to the other side. The other section has clothing and luggage. There is a Pepperidge Farm store where I get my Goldfish supply, yummy. Both areas have food stalls and diners. Be sure to get there early if you want to check out every store. You may have to make it a two day trip. And don't forget to wear comfortable walking shoes.