Hey y'all! Welcome back. After quite the break, I have decided to return to blogging. I have made a few short trips in the past year or so, so I will be focusing the blog on traveling around Virginia for a bit. First on the list is America's Historic Triangle: Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown.
My mom, sister, and I visited the area over the summer of 2021 for about five days, but the more time you can spend here, the better. There is SO much to see and do here. We have actually visited here many times in the past, but we continue to return because we always find something new. Here are some ideas from past trips and the vacation this past summer that are sure to entertain and educate!
Jamestown:
Let's begin at the beginning. Jamestown is most famous for being the first settlement in the New World. Jamestown today is a replica of the settlement, including ships that you can board and an American Indian village to explore. There is also Historic Jamestowne, which is different. They two locations are located very close to each other, but the Historic Jamestowne location is the actual location of the settlement, and includes a museum of archeological finds, as well as current archeological digs if you are lucky enough to be there when one is occurring. You can do both places in one day, or even half a day if move quickly, but the archeological museum deserves as much of your time as you can spare. It is so well organized and well managed, and even kids are entertained by the displays.
Williamsburg:
Williamsburg is probably what most people think of when they think of the Historic Triangle, but all three places are actually completely separate. Of course they overlap, but all three have their own charm and purpose. Williamsburg is more cosmopolitan in comparison to the other two places, but it still manages to hold the charm of a small, intimate town. Williamsburg is famous for being Virginia's second capital city, for being home to William and Mary (a university), and for being adorable. Downtown Williamsburg is a delight. It maintains the antique allure while managing to be chic. There are many boutique shops and restaurants that you can waste an entire afternoon in, and if you are looking to get your steps in, you can stroll around the William and Mary campus. It is one of the most beautiful campus' I have ever seen.
Pictured above: A picture down a street in downtown Williamsburg, Virginia.
When you have shopped around a little, jump back into the history and make your way over to Colonial Williamsburg. You can walk down the cobblestone streets (or take a horse and carriage) and stop in shops and houses with settlers dressed to the nines and full of knowledge of their trade, like blacksmithing or hat-making. There are gardens to dream in aimlessly or tours if you want more structure. I would recommend a tour, because there is so much to see here and I can almost guarantee that you will have a question at some point or another.
Now, if you are ready for another day of shopping, look no further. Prepare yourself for the Williamsburg Outlet Mall, home of all of the deals. These outlets always have amazing deals, but if you are looking even cheaper, there are a ton of great thrift stores in Williamsburg also. I bought a Kate Spade purse at the Goodwill location there for about ten dollars! Yeah. You read that right. $10.00. And if you want to take it a step further, you can head over to the Williamsburg Antique Mall (which is located in an odd location; it is hidden behind a small strip mall). But this place does not disappoint. It is huge and has a great variety of knick knacks, art, jewelry, and anything else you could ever want.
Now some options for the kids. The largest (and most expensive but worth every penny) is going to be Busch Gardens. While amusements parks are always a more expensive option, Busch Gardens really is worth it. It has an incredible layout, it is clean (yes, clean), and there are so many options for all ages/comfortability levels. I will say that this can be pretty miserable in the summer heat, but luckily for you, right around the corner is Waterpark USA. What a coincidence. Similarly to Busch Gardens, Waterpark USA is very clean and easy to maneuver, and there is something for everyone. You can also buy a discount bundled ticket (two or three days) to both parks for the best of both worlds. A cheaper option that I actually enjoyed (even as an adult) was Go Karts Plus. This place was awesome. There were multiple go kart tracks, a couple rides, mini putt-putt, and an arcade (which was honestly the most fun I have had in a long time). This place works on a point system, so you get a card with points loaded onto it, and each activity costs a certain number of points. This place is great because there is a lot of flexibility cost-wise. I absolutely recommend this for an afternoon of fun.
Pictured above: Go Karts Plus- water style bumper cars and the arcade.
After all of that fun, shopping and learning, you need some dinner. The number one restaurant on my list is Food For Thought. We actually ate here twice because we wanted to try so many things. The first night I got a crab cake sandwich on a portobello mushroom- LITERALLY one of the best dishes I have ever eaten. I also ordered a martini with "as many olives as legally possible", and they absolutely understood and delivered. The servers were knowledgeable, friendly, and present. A truly wonderful dining experience. As for dinner, honestly, this is about all we did that is worth a mention, but there are no shortage of restaurants. Never fear, this applies to breakfast restaurants as well. There is a pancake house about every block, and all of them are great and cheap.
Pictured above: The most delicious crab cake portobello dinner ever and a wonderful apples and ice cream moment, both from Food For Thought.
Yorktown:
Last, but not least: Yorktown. Yorktown was the location of a crucial point in the American Revolutionary War- the surrender of the English. Yorktown has miles and miles of battlefields, and an impressive museum to commemorate the Revolutionary War that ended there. Additionally, if you haven't had enough history yet, you can check out the Civil War monument here.
If you have had enough with the history, you can do some more shopping! There are some very cute shops along the beach, along with some great restaurants. Two notable restaurants are Umi Sushi and Yorktown Pub. Take note that at Umi Sushi there is VERY limited seating, like three seats limited. But you can take your sushi to the water and have a picnic. And Yorktown Pub has fresh seafood and it is heavenly. And if you have had enough with shopping and eating, just take a day to lounge around on the beach. The beach here is just beautiful and almost looks like a tropical beach with little coves and white sand. Another really fun and different option that I would highly recommend is going out on a sail boat. There is a boat that sails from the dock right in the middle of town that goes out for an hour or two. You can choose a sunset option as well which would be amazing. And if you are not a fan of water but still want some adventure, there is a precious old school trolley that you can ride that goes through town.
Pictured above: Three pictures from the Yorktown beach: the first is a shot of one of the cute coves with docks in the background (and a super cool storm coming in from left to right-how cool is that), the second is of the sail of the sail boat we rode, and the third is a shot of the bridge going across the river with the storm we encountered rolling in behind it.
Overall, there is no shortage of things to keep you busy in the Historic Triangle, not matter what you want to spend your time doing or what your budget is, or if you are alone or with family, or anything else you could ever imagine. This is a short list of things to do and places to see, but I encourage you to visit this historic gem (or gems) for yourself and see what else you find that you would add to this list!
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