Williamsburg and Virginia Beach

[Anonymous]

We plan to drive from DC to Williamsburg/Virginia Beach for summer vacation.

Day 1: driving and check in great Wolf Lodge
Day 2: check out Great Wolf Lodge, and explore Williamsburg city, maybe?
Day 3: go to Busch garden
Day 4: drive to Virginia Beach
Day 5: Virginia Beach
Day 6: Virginia Beach
Day 7: drive back home

A family of 4 with 2 ES kids. Where should we stay and must visit? Can we add one more stop on the way back home on day 7 to home? Is it too much to drive down to North Carolina? I wish there is a city pass, is there one for the area?

[Anonymous]

I suggest looking into: colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown battlefield. There is a pass that includes Jamestown settlement & a Yorktown museum. There is also a pass including both CW and Busch Gardens.

In the general area, consider visiting: Virginia Living Museum*, Nauticus/battleship Wisconsin, Fort Monroe, and the VA Air & Space Museum*.

*Free with a MD Science Center membership.

[Anonymous]

The VA aquarium in VA beach is very good. It's one of my favorites. It also has a ropes course outside. I can't remember if that costs extra.

I would do less time or no time at the actual beach. VA beach is very, very ghetto. It's also dangerous after dark in many places. People always say OCMD is ghetto, but I have never once felt unsafe walking at dark in OCMD like I have in VA Beach on the main strip.

There's a 3-day Busch Gardens & Water Country USA pass you can do. My kids love that combo. We usually spend most of the day at BG and then leave in the afternoon to cool off at Water Country.

You can for sure add more time to the Williamsburg area. There is SO much to do there. We've made entire vacations out of Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown. There's so much to do and see down there.

My BIL & SIL live in Chesapeake, VA, so we go down there pretty often. They don't even go to the main VA beach area. If they do want to spend the day at the beach, they go to the Chics beach area. They've taken us there plenty of times and to First Landing State Park. That can fill quickly, but it's very nice. It has real toilets, showers, and a snack/concessions stand.

I know it's about 90mins to 2 hours from Chesapeake to where we sometimes go in the OBX (BIL's parents own a house in Carova), so you can add that on.

[Anonymous]

Presumably Day 4 (when u drive to Va B) you'll be in your bathing suites and ready to jump in the water? Hope for early check-in at the hotel?

You don't need a whole day to drive from Wb to the beach.

Consider museums - Norfolk, Living Sci Museum, Richmond Sci museum (on the way home), etc. A ton of really good ones. Google it.

Consider York and Jamestown . A/c and interactive which are a huge plus compared to "just looking and standing" and hot in WB.
Why do you want to include NC? Do you mean like OBX? Not worth it for the day if that's what you're thinking.

Keep in mind 95 and 64 are under heavy construction and it's peak travel/beach/tourist season to boot. Traffic will be slow going. Plan for extra time sitting in congestion.

[Anonymous]

I would do Jamestown over Williamsburg or Yorktown.

[Anonymous]

Virginia Beach changes a lot based on which end of the beach you're on. And during the day, it's just a beach. Ignore those telling you not to go to the beach there. I would skip Great Wolf Lodge and do Water Country USA. It's much more comfortable for the adults and that lazy river is so fun. Busch Gardens is the best. See if they have a good musical act when you're there.

[Anonymous]

A recent post:


https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1265358.page

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I suggest looking into: colonial Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown battlefield. There is a pass that includes Jamestown settlement & a Yorktown museum. There is also a pass including both CW and Busch Gardens.

In the general area, consider visiting: Virginia Living Museum*, Nauticus/battleship Wisconsin, Fort Monroe, and the VA Air & Space Museum*.

*Free with a MD Science Center membership.

Sorry, meant to say the battleship is also free with MSC.

[Anonymous]

If you go to Newport News for the Mariners Museum, I highly recommend SMOKE for great bbq and Azzurri for great Italian food.

https://www.marinersmuseum.org/

https://smokenn.com/

https://www.azzurriitalianrestaurant.com/

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Virginia Beach changes a lot based on which end of the beach you're on. And during the day, it's just a beach. Ignore those telling you not to go to the beach there. I would skip Great Wolf Lodge and do Water Country USA. It's much more comfortable for the adults and that lazy river is so fun. Busch Gardens is the best. See if they have a good musical act when you're there.

Yes to all of this. Stay at the northern end of the Boardwalk in Va Beach. I have family in Va Beach and we go all of the time — it is perfectly safe.