East Coast families looking for a drive-able spring break vacation with a little history lesson, some thrilling adventures and delicious meals should consider a Williamsburg Family Vacation. Check out where we stayed, what we did and where we ate this April!
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This April our family of four (with 2 girls age 7 and 9), my parents, and our family friends with four kids (age 4 – 11) all enjoyed 5 days on a Williamsburg Family Vacation in Colonial Williamsburg Virginia. Just like in vacations past, I’ recapping our adventures for other families who might consider this very family friendly destination for their future trip.
Where we stayed in Williamsburg
- Courtyard Marriot Busch Gardens – The location of this hotel was great as it was only minutes from the historic part of Colonial Williamsburg, but also Busch Gardens. We opted for a double bed suite so the kids could go to bed and we could hang in the general tv/lounge area with a mini fridge, microwave and coffee machine. My parents were able to get an adjoining room to us with their own set of double beds, basically making it a 2 bedroom suite. We went in mid-April so the outdoor pool wasn’t open yet, but we did hit the indoor pool and hot tub there. The lounge area of the suite included another tv, plenty of seating, mini fridge, coffee machine and microwave.
What we did in Williamsburg
- Busch Gardens Williamsburg – We had a group of 12 with ages ranging from 4 to 69 and everyone found something to enjoy at Busch Gardens. You can see the full recap of this adventure park here on my previous post that goes into more detail!
- Walked around Colonial Williamsburg history area. We didn’t buy the tickets to enter all the building areas so I’m sure we missed out on lots of historic details, but it was also a bit over our kids’ attention span and interest. We did catch plenty of actors dressed in colonial garb, played a few rounds of their colonial games in a big grassy field, and saw lots of horse drawn carriages around the grounds.
- Jamestown Settlement – This hands on historical recreation, however, was much more up our alley. After a short intro video to catch you up on the history of this location, we walked through the galleries before heading outside to explore the grounds. There are 3 areas of interest full of hands on life sized recreations, including Paspahegh Town, a 1600s fort and 3 ships that sailed over the colonists from England. We played colonial games, tried on their armor, learned how they made food, weapons and other items to live. We also walked into huts, “furnished homes” and watched a musket demonstration. We only bought tickets to this single location, not the secondary museum but I think it was plenty educational and entertaining for our whole group for a few hours. See the live action on my instagram reel. (PS The Billsburg Brewery is real close for a beer after! See below!)
Where we ate and drank in Williamsburg
Our group included two brewery owners and a few brewery lovers so you’ll see our list heavily skews on brewery adventures. But please note, I didn’t partake in any beers at most locations and still had a great time!
- Percarious Beer Hall – This was a fun beer hall which includes the Percarious Beer Project, a burger restaurant, chicken restaurant and an arcade of games! They have weekly specials and we hit it up on Monday getting the double smashburger, fries and beer combo for only $15. Everyone loved the burgers and the fries were tasty (but a little on the salty side). The arcade games were $0.50 to $1.00 and you can only use quarters so bring cash to break in the change machine. There’s plenty of indoor and outdoor seating so no need for a reservation!
- Virginia Beer Company – While everyone enjoyed their brews at each brewery, the beers here were a slight favorite of the week! It included a nice open patio area out front with plenty of seating where our kids danced and played on the outdoor stage. The Don Chido Food Truck was parked on site on this day so some Latin fusion taco were enjoyed by our group.
- Billsburg Brewery – We liked this one so much we visited it two days in a row! This brewery won BEST VIEW of the week! It was a very quick hop from the Jamestown Settlement (in fact you could’ve probably walked) and had a very large outdoor space, plenty of seating and pretty waterfront views. The Hungry Pug Food Truck was parked on site where we all enjoyed a delicious lunch an dinner the following night! I highly recommend the Chicken Parm Griller!
- Jose Tequilas – WOW! If you look at this photo you can see the filling, large portions that were served at this delicious restaurant full of authentic Mexican cuisine! Adults and kids alike were plenty full from their dinner and drink choices. I got the chicken fajitas while Derek got the fish tacos and we’re both recommend it!
- The Meadows Frozen Custard – Our crew enjoyed a mix of menu for this early evening treat, including frozen custard in cones and cups, brownie sundaes and Italian ice. Everyone raved about it afterwards.
- Colonial Pancake House – This area of Williamsburg is not lacking in pancake houses! I picked this one on a whim and it was DELICOUS! We were quickly seated, served perfect portions and everyone licked their plates clean! PS there were 10% off coupons in several of the Williamsburg pamplets we got at the welcome center!
Check out some video footage of these adventures on my instagram highlights!
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