No car in Williamsburg- doable?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Here's the difference that many posters don't seem to understand. In places where all types of people use public transit on a regular basis (NY, DC, Boston, etc.) it feels normal and safe. In places where almost everyone has a car (even lower income people) the population of people who take busses is very different. I grew up in a suburban area of a mid-sized city. Any time they expanded the bus routes, massive upticks in crime immediately followed. It was like reverse-gentrifying. And nice, safe working class areas that used to be nice places to live, became unsafe for living. And it really stinks for everyone who was previous living/shopping/working in that area. I watched previously vibrant, safe, friendly working class and middle class shopping areas become dangerous and unusable within just a couple of years of the bus route expanding out to it. In areas where most everyone drives, even poor people, busses are really seedy.

Okay. Williamsburg isn’t a normal suburb. It has two large categories of people taking the bus because they can’t drive or don’t have cars— WM students and the elderly. My DC is home on break and I just asked if the Williamsburg bus system was unsafe, inefficient, etc and she looked at me like I was nuts. “No, it’s great. You know I take it everywhere, right?” says a DMV kid.

[Anonymous]

Does your hotel (or one you could choose) have a shuttle to Busch Gardens?

[Anonymous]

Yes to walking from Amtrak to CW. There might be a bus to BG but I’d suggest Uber or patriot shuttle as others have done. I would not walk (and I live here).

[Anonymous]

The 1 bus appears to run hourly with real-time maps to track the busses and scheduled to take 15-20 minutes from Williamsburg to Busch gardens. Never would have thought to look for a bus before this post but now I’m intrigued. Thanks OP for raising this interesting idea.

[Anonymous]

OP, you can do it. I wouldn't want to and here's why. When I took my kids to Williamsburg, we toured Colonial Williamsburg (stayed in one of the linked hotels so walked from it to Colonial Wburg and dinners), we toured Jamestown (needed a car to get there), we went to Busch Gardens (needed a car), we played mini golf (needed a car), we got some ice creams and meals outside of dowtown Wburg (needed a car). So I think you'll miss some of the things your kid may want to do but you know your family best!

If the desire to go is more based on the historical piece, another idea is you could amtrak to Philadelphia and easily visit car-free.

[Anonymous]

No

[Anonymous]

I lived and worked in Williamsburg. My apartment was about a mile from the colonial area.

The economy is surprisingly good around Williamsburg and many locals live in Williamsburg and work in Norfolk for higher wages.

I employed what ya'll would call blue collar workers. All of my employees owned homes in the area and several owned waterfront homes on the Chickahominy River (this is with high school degrees.)

I would have no problem taking an Amtrak to Williamsburg, and walking or ubering to my hotel. I would have no problem walking the historic area and walking to get to restaurants down town or in the historic area. An average fit American does not need a car in Williamsburg. I am a 62 year old female of average fitness.

I've never taken the bus but I would have no problem taking the bus to Busch Gardens or ubering to Busch Gardens. It is only around 5 miles from CW.

I've never had a bike at CW but it would be nice to have a bike to go further afield.

I'm a 62 year old female and I've always felt safe in Williamsburg and surrounding areas and that includes evenings.

I'd recommend accommodations on the CW campus.

[Anonymous]

I went to William and Mary (granted, it’s been a while since I graduated) and didn’t have a car the whole time I was there. Took Amtrak back and forth to school all the time. A few thoughts:

1. Amtrak is definitely doable. The station is only a few blocks from Colonial Williamsburg, so it is walkable. The train can be more pleasant than sitting on 95 in traffic. That said, it’s usually late, sometimes quite late. So don’t have any time-sensitive plans for right after your scheduled arrival.

2. If you like history, Colonial Williamsburg can keep you busy for 2-3 days. Plus there are several restaurants and a little shopping around there. I don’t think you will get bored just hanging out in CW if you are doing a long weekend, though a week is probably too long.

3. Unfortunately I am not familiar with the current bus routes, so I can’t help you there. But I think the bus in Williamsburg is probably pretty safe, and I’m sure there are buses that will get you where you want to go. However, I agree that if you want to go to Busch Gardens you are probably better off taking Uber. And if you want to venture to other nearby sites like Jamestown and Yorktown, a car would definitely be more convenient.

[Anonymous]

Original poster reporting back: the 1 bus from the Williamsburg Amtrak station leaves on the hour and drops off 14 minutes later at the Busch Gardens England lot. Reverse was a bit annoying because you needed to cross the busy road to get to the bus stop going back to the train station but still easy. $3 for an all day bus pass. $1.5 for a kid.

So glad we tried it. The buses were clean and extremely punctual.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:if you want to do this primarily to make a point, great, but it will be very counter-cultural and you won't be able to get around Williamsburg very easily. In effect, it's an exurb. Your are doing an exurban vacation. Have you ever navigated an exurban environment in a bus? Prepare to spend most of your day on or waiting for buses. That's not my idea of a fun vacation, but if it's yours, well, great. At least an Uber to Busch Gardens before opening seems a must if you don't want to wait in quite so many lines.

^^this. I’m a car-free person but you’re going to waste all your vacation time if you take the bus. Just uber! you will also miss out on Jamestown which is pretty interesting.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:if you want to do this primarily to make a point, great, but it will be very counter-cultural and you won't be able to get around Williamsburg very easily. In effect, it's an exurb. Your are doing an exurban vacation. Have you ever navigated an exurban environment in a bus? Prepare to spend most of your day on or waiting for buses. That's not my idea of a fun vacation, but if it's yours, well, great. At least an Uber to Busch Gardens before opening seems a must if you don't want to wait in quite so many lines.

^^this. I’m a car-free person but you’re going to waste all your vacation time if you take the bus. Just uber! you will also miss out on Jamestown which is pretty interesting.

As noted in the previous post- the 1 bus took my family 14 minutes to go between Busch gardens and Williamsburg today. The free 15 bus takes about 10 minutes to go between our hotel, the train station and the main areas of Colonial Williamsburg. I don’t see how we are wasting all our vacation time. Yes - we are not doing Jamestown but for 3 days Colonial Williamsburg and Busch gardens is sufficient for us.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Original poster reporting back: the 1 bus from the Williamsburg Amtrak station leaves on the hour and drops off 14 minutes later at the Busch Gardens England lot. Reverse was a bit annoying because you needed to cross the busy road to get to the bus stop going back to the train station but still easy. $3 for an all day bus pass. $1.5 for a kid.

So glad we tried it. The buses were clean and extremely punctual.

Thanks for reporting back! I have a W&M kid, and she says the same. And I do “trust” her— but it’s nice add the “but verify” to her assurances that she is safe (ie, “trust, but verify”). Especially since the bus is a primary mode of transportation around “the Burg,” and the train to and from college (between NOVA and Williamsburg) is how she gets there and back. Expecting more next year with a probable DC internship in the spring The way things fall next year, she has the opportunity to take a “the kids’ car”— but says that she can easily walk to/from the train, bike around campus and get where she is going with a a bike and the very occasional Uber. We do pay for pay irregular Ubers, to and from places where the transportation is late or a headache, safety is an issue, medical appts, visits home, etc. Just checking in that a car is really unnecessar. See so, so TY!

[Anonymous]

Lots of people in Brooklyn don't have cars.

[Anonymous]

This thread really reveals how spoiled people are around here!

I was in Williamsburg a few weeks ago. Went down by Amtrak. Took a fun dinner “picnic” which I enjoyed on the train instead of dealing with traffic on I-95.

My hotel was the Woodlands, perhaps the most modest of Colonial Williamsburg’s affiliated properties. I picked it because it comes with complementary tickets to CW! (But to get them you must book directly on the Colonial Williamsburg website) Plus it is a really pretty stroll from there to the historical village. But if you are tired, you can take their free shuttle to and/or back instead of walking. AND they offer free pick up or transport back to the Amtrak station. It was SO convenient!!!

Breakfast is also included with the room rate, but that was pretty lame. I think the hotel has a few additional amenities, such as mini-golf,

Once you are by the historical city, you can walk to cute shops and good restaurants.

I really enjoyed the convenience of the Woodlands. If you want something more upscale, there are several B&B’s recommended on Trip Advisor.

Enjoy your visit!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:This thread really reveals how spoiled people are around here!

I was in Williamsburg a few weeks ago. Went down by Amtrak. Took a fun dinner “picnic” which I enjoyed on the train instead of dealing with traffic on I-95.

My hotel was the Woodlands, perhaps the most modest of Colonial Williamsburg’s affiliated properties. I picked it because it comes with complementary tickets to CW! (But to get them you must book directly on the Colonial Williamsburg website) Plus it is a really pretty stroll from there to the historical village. But if you are tired, you can take their free shuttle to and/or back instead of walking. AND they offer free pick up or transport back to the Amtrak station. It was SO convenient!!!

Breakfast is also included with the room rate, but that was pretty lame. I think the hotel has a few additional amenities, such as mini-golf,

Once you are by the historical city, you can walk to cute shops and good restaurants.

I really enjoyed the convenience of the Woodlands. If you want something more upscale, there are several B&B’s recommended on Trip Advisor.

Enjoy your visit!

With kids the woodlands is nice. Pool, splash pad, shuffle board, mini golf, air hockey all included. Not fancy or in pristine condition but serviceable and fun.