OP here. Thank you everyone! It looks like we'll drive.

Re: hotels, I expect we would be out most of the day and then evenings would be focused on dinner/ swimming to make sure the kids are completely zonked out by bedtime. As long as there's a pool and decent a/c we should be happy! That being said, a lot of the hotels have mixed reviews - even the high end ones.

Love the Williamsburg Lodge, very convients to the Colonial parts and DOG street with lots of restaurants and shops.

I love colonial Williamsburg, but will caution that it can be extremely hot and humid in July and most of the stuff is not air conditioned. L the Museum of the American Revolution at Yorktown is really nice and a good place to cool down.

The last two times we went to Williamsburg we stayed in AirBnBs, which worked out pretty well. When we went with our kids and extended family we stayed at an AirBnB in the Greenspring Vacation Resort. I am generally skeptical of timeshares, but it was better than I expected. It was clean and had a pool and some other activities for the kids. It was nice not to have to eat out every day, and there were plenty of food options nearby. It was about 15 minutes from the historic area, but that wasn’t really a big deal. And it was more affordable than places closer in.

However, if money is not a concern, then stay at one of Colonial Williamsburg’s hotels. There is something really nice about just being able to walk right into the historic area.

It can be awkward / annoying to get to / from the theme parks in / near Williamsburg without having your own car. There is some public transport there, but not much that is actually frequent or good.

Agree with others that Amtrak service to/from Williamsburg is unreliable and often is behind schedule. The Williamsburg train station is well located for Colonial Williamsburg though.

Sounds like a great plan. We did Williamsburg for the 4th a few years ago and they put on a fantastic fireworks show along with actors/re-enactments in the historic district that even littles will enjoy. For hotels, check out the Kingsmill Resort. They have an indoor pool and several really nice outdoor pools complete with a lazy river and a waterslide. My kids loved it.

Anonymous wrote:Seems like a good plan. There's plenty more to do if you don't want to do theme parks. Kidsburg at Veterans Park is nice. Waller Mill Park has pedal boats or canoes and nice trails. There's mini golf and Go-Karts Plus and Ripley's Believe it or Not. If you stay at one of the "resorts," there may be a game room or other activities on site. Haven't stayed in one for years so can't recommend one.

You could go to Newport News for the Virginia Living Museum and/or Mariner's Museum (only $1). I haven't taken my kids to Yorktown, but I'd stay around there all day if I did. There's the historical part but also a cute downtown. There's also a tiny "beach." Speaking of which, I'd might take a day trip to the beach instead of a theme park, depending on how much you like the beach and whether you can get going early enough to avoid traffic.

Make sure you see the Fife and Drum Corps when in Williamsburg. There are also some animals in Colonial Williamsburg. Kids like to see those. There's ice cream in Merchants Square-- Baskin Robbins and Kilwins.

Sorry, for context, Merchants Square is on the end of the colonial area. I meant that as a break from history (and walking). The ice cream is on Prince George Street, I guess it may technically be a block over from Merchants Square. However, there are other places to eat in Merchants Square, plus a candy shop.

Expect a lot of walking and lines!

Anonymous wrote:Seems sensible to me. All the hotels around there have pools.

I don’t know what specific things will be happening July 4 but there will surely be fireworks someplace nearby.

Not sure train or flying saves you any time and having the car is probably a good idea IMHO

Keep in mind that some hotels have only indoor pools.

Seems like a good plan. There's plenty more to do if you don't want to do theme parks. Kidsburg at Veterans Park is nice. Waller Mill Park has pedal boats or canoes and nice trails. There's mini golf and Go-Karts Plus and Ripley's Believe it or Not. If you stay at one of the "resorts," there may be a game room or other activities on site. Haven't stayed in one for years so can't recommend one.

You could go to Newport News for the Virginia Living Museum and/or Mariner's Museum (only $1). I haven't taken my kids to Yorktown, but I'd stay around there all day if I did. There's the historical part but also a cute downtown. There's also a tiny "beach." Speaking of which, I'd might take a day trip to the beach instead of a theme park, depending on how much you like the beach and whether you can get going early enough to avoid traffic.

Make sure you see the Fife and Drum Corps when in Williamsburg. There are also some animals in Colonial Williamsburg. Kids like to see those. There's ice cream in Merchants Square-- Baskin Robbins and Kilwins.

There is a train station in Williamsburg, but Amtrak can be really slow between DC and Williamsburg. Probably would take longer than driving. That said, 95 South and 64 East on a holiday weekend can be really awful, so the train could be less stressful. But you’d still want a car when you arrive. Williamsburg has some public transport, but with your kids you want the flexibility of a car.

You could also fly to Richmond, but again, you’d want to rent a car.

I’d probably just drive. See if you can go mid-week to avoid beach traffic. We drove down on a Monday last summer and came back on a Friday, and it wasn’t too bad.

Seems sensible to me. All the hotels around there have pools.

I don’t know what specific things will be happening July 4 but there will surely be fireworks someplace nearby.

Not sure train or flying saves you any time and having the car is probably a good idea IMHO

My history loving kids really liked the museum in Yorktown. When we went, they had an outside "living history" area that was coold.

Thinking of going to Williamsburg/Historic Triangle for 4th of July weekend 2026 - perhaps arriving on July 1st and leaving on the 6th.

I know Williamsburg will put on a bit of a show, so we are trying to plan ahead especially as (I assume?) things could fill up early.

We will be traveling with 2 boys, ages 9 (will be a rising 4th grader at that point) and 5 (entering Kindergarten). DH and I could do history all day long, but realistically the kids will need to mix some history/museums etc. in with a healthy dose of swimming, theme parks etc to make it enjoyable. The 5 yo will be too young for the historical side, but the 9 yo is beginning to study these things and hopefully will enjoy it!

Really loose thinking as follows. For those more familiar with this trip/area than me, how does this sound to you?

-Hotel in Williamsburg with pool (TBC)
-Also buy the 3 day ticket for Williamsburg / Busch Gardens / Water Country USA
-Get the “Historic Triangle Ticket” to access all the historical locations
-Jamestown (1/2 day)
-Yorktown (1/2 day)

Note: We are in NYC, and would likely be driving down. Yes, I know driving that weekend could be a nightmare. Need to figure out if there’s an easier way - though I assume having a car with us could avoid a lot of hassle?

Ideally we will avoid Great Wolf Lodge but open to all options!

Thank you in advance.