Williamsburg, Virginia

Our family went to Williamsburg, Virginia last year. Our main purpose was to go to Water Country USA located there. Once settled in we found out just how much Williamsburg how to offer as a vacation spot for any family and doing so turned our vacation from awesomely fun to an absolute BLAST!

Yes folks, we have teenagers and I am proud to say I would take them again and again and AGAIN to Williamsburg, Virginia AND I am even prouder to say that they would probably be the first ones to be packed and in our vehicle! Our Williamsburg vacation was THAT fun! The best part about it is that we did not spend the whole time waiting in line or in a park of some sorts; we were all over the place, on purpose and on accident!

Do I sound excited to share this with you? Well I am; more than excited because I would hope that if you and / or your family would go to Williamsburg too, you would have just as much fun as we did. Let me tell you about some of the awesome places we went.

1.) Water Country:

This was on the top of our list of places to go and in fact we went there before we even found and got settled into a hotel. We got settled into a hotel and went back to buy our tickets only to find out that because of a storm the park was closing down for a few hours but once they cleared up they opened back up. We knew we could wait till the next day. Just having our tickets, which were season passes and at VERY reasonable rates, was exciting!

Water Country was so very fun. Lots of rides for both adults and children and at times there were semi-long lines but never so long that you did not see the line moving in any given few minutes. The lifeguards, who are stationed at every ride, at least two to six or more, kept the people and lines moving along at a safe but reasonable rate so the wait was not too terribly unbearable. Yes, there was a LOT of walking and by the end of the second day; I was exhausted, but happily exhausted. There were kiddy rides and a wave ride (which is basically like a beach setting), a ride like the lazy river and so much more.

There are places to have your pictures taken, to buy food and drinks and souvenirs. Places you can just sit down both in and out of the sun, while eating or to just relax. There are lockers you can rent and even cabana areas for a big group that includes coolers and drinks with the price for the day. Going to Water Country is more than worth the amount of money you have to pay for one day or even more so when you buy season passes. That is why we put Water Country on the top of our MUST see sites in Williamsburg, Virginia.

2.) BuschGardensEurope in Williamsburg

Busch Gardens hits the second on our list because we plan on going there this year as well when we make our trips to visit Water Country. We actually never made it to Busch Gardens the last time we went to Water Country but we did ride past it a multitude of times and the kids were salivating over wanting to go but we just did not have the time. They have more than 40 rides, the most popular one being the Griffon which takes riders down a 90 degree straight down drop at speeds of 70 miles per hour. They offer shows of all different types from daylight to dark. They have something to make everyone happy!

Plus Busch Gardens Europe in Williamsburg offers a variety of ways for anyone to afford to visit, as many or as little times as you would like. From single day passes to multiple park passes (which include passes to Water Country and some even more parks across the USA), you cannot beat their prices when it comes to how much bang you will get for your buck! Your family will love being there and you will love the price (as well as being there), so it is a win, win situation!!

3.) ActionPark of Williamsburg - Go Kart Plus

If your family loves to go go-cart riding, then you just have to make a visit to Action Park of Williamsburg. There are 4 go-kart tracks for you to choose from. They offer a Super Stockart that you can drive on a track that resembles your favorite NASCAR track. If you have little tykes then they can take a spin on the Rookie track and feel like they are their own NASCAR winner. They have a thrill ride called DISK'O or if you would rather you can go play put-put golf or take a wild ride on their bumper boats. If you get tired or just need a pick me up they also have a Arcade so you can get out of the sun and a snack bar for those all time goodies that everyone just HAVE to have when on vacation!

4.) Yorktown Battlefield and VictoryCenter

We somehow got on the wrong road when we were ready to go back to the hotel and ended up driving through Colonial Williamsburg & Yorktown. I have to tell you, I did not used to have much use for history and that type of 'colonial' type of vacation fun but after this past summer I have a new appreciation for what they have to offer the whole family.

On the way to what we 'thought' was our hotel, we went down a cool back road. Along the way to our left was a huge waterway and we passed a naval ship which made my husband and son just stop and look at. It was MASSIVE!

Continuing on our journey we kept trucking on down the road at what seemed to be a snails pace since we were all tired and we ended up passing some old buildings that looks very historical and then came to a stop sign. Directly in front of us was the Yorktown Battlefield and the Victory Center which as a Museum that had artifacts from The American Revolution. It was more amazing that I can describe to view and see and walk in the grass of what was part of our history. These things, these places happened and were a part of others lives, fighting for freedom, fighting for us. It was breathtaking and not in the girly, chick-flick type of way; even my husband and son was at awe at what they had and offered for us to visit and see.

5.) Colonial Williamsburg

Colonial Williamsburg and its Discount Headquarters are another place to definitely stop at even if it was like us and by accident, yet again.

We left Yorktown finally heading back in the right direction of our hotel only to go the 'long' way around yet again. Doing so led us to the
Colonial Williamsburg Discount Headquarters. We had passed old houses, very historical looking and antique shops and figured it
would not hurt to stop by just to see what that place was about too. I mean why not? It IS a vacation isn't it? Vacations are meant to have
some surprises in them and for us it was TONS of GREAT surprises!

In the Headquarters there were plenty of people who were more than happy to tell us about the area and some of the must see sights.
Some of them we had already seen, passed by, but others we still had to go visit. Our little three day vacation was definitely becoming
both enjoyable, action packed AND relaxing. Now try and top that!

Colonial Williamsburg itself was amazing. We walked a lot but it was one of those slow, lazy, taking it all in walks. We thoroughly enjoyed Colonial Williamsburg and we definitely suggest to any family who is going to Williamsburg to make a stop through there because until you do, your Williamsburg vacation is just not complete!

The following are must see sights although we did not have a chance to see them ourselves on our vacations there. We do plan on however going back and making our vacations a few days longer each time just to be able to enjoy more of what Williamsburg has to offer!

6.) Virginia Beach

Yeah, you heard me right; Virginia Beach. You drive all the way or fly out to Williamsburg, get a hotel room in Williamsburg and now I am suggesting that you travel ALL the way down to Virginia Beach too. Well, yeah, but there is a catch of course. YOU personally do not have to drive. Williamsburg has a bus trip special that makes DAY trips from Williamsburg to Virginia Beach. You park your vehicle at one of the pick up spots and for a small fee you ride the Williamsburg bus to Virginia Beach. They have several spots to be dropped off from the beach itself to shopping centers.

Then the bus will come back round sometime that evening/afternoon and you and your family have a ride back to where your vehicle is parked at. No fighting traffic, filling up on gas, trying to find a parking space, just a good day of family fun without all of the hassles of having to drive there yourselves.

7.) A Chef's Kitchen

Have you ever considered a career in cooking or do you like to watch those cooking shows on television? Then you will love this attraction! This is an interactive dining experience where you can watch world class chef's prepare and cook an absolutely delightful five course-meal. To top off this absolutely amazing day of watching this amazing meal making, you get to EAT this amazing meal too! You can even come out of this great time with recipes to take home and wow the rest of your family and friends with.

8.) JamestownIsland and Jamestown Settlement

Imagine walking along the same places where the English settlers walked along in Jamestown. In some cases the same exact footprints or paths; now isn't that just amazing? You can stop by the Visitor Center and Museum where you can watch a short film and see other exhibits on show that tell of the 'Jamestown Story'.

In the Jamestown Island/Settlement area there are replicas of the first English Settler's ships, 'the Susan Constant, Godspeed and the Discovery'. They may all be boarded from a dock on the James River. Just another way to relax after or before having a hot, fun day in one of the area's amusement parks, plus you get the added enjoyable history lesson. Now how good is that?!

9.) Berkeley & Shirley Plantation

The Berkeley Plantation is Virginia's Most Historic Plantation. The original structure that was built on the plantation in 1726 is still standing and is located on a hilltop looking over the James River. The plantation is where one of our U.S. Presidents who also signed the Declaration of Independence, was born. The very FIRST ever Thanksgiving took place here and the composition music for the famous 'Taps' was created here as well in 1862.

Now the Shirley Plantation was Virginia's FIRST plantation in 1613 of our ancestors of English settlers braving this brand new world. While you are there you can learn of the story of how there are eleven generations of one single family who has solely and to this day own and operate, work on and take care of this beautiful southern wonder. It is truly a National Historic Landmark.

10.) Finally, Naval Base Cruises

Well just because it is last does not mean it is not one of the better places to visit. In fact it is one of the most interesting trips to ever go on if you are into any type of history or the military or even just boats.

It is actually a three-hour tour, no not like on Gilligan's Island; this one is a narrated tour on the Miss Hampton II, which is considered Virginia's Favorite Harbor Cruise. You are able to see the world's largest harbor, slide into the Chesapeake Bay, and glide by a Civil War Island Fortress. While you are gliding along you can also learn about air craft carriers, nuclear submarines and warships. All this is one on the world's largest naval base. This is one stop that is sure to WOW the children and adults alike and make for a very enjoyable way to spend a whole afternoon with your family learning about history.

There you go; the top ten 'happening' places to go and visit while you are on your Williamsburg, Virginia vacation. I hope that it sounds as much of a fun place to you as it was for our family and will be for years to come! Now go on vacation!!