Planning a trip to Williamsburg
Visitor Information
For advance information specific to the Historic Area, contact the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, P.O. Box 1776, Williamsburg, VA 23187 (tel. 800/447-8679 or 757/220-7645; www.history.org). Open 365 days a year, the foundation's visitor center is both a font of information and the beginning of any visit here. There also is a regional information desk in the visitor center.
The next-best source for general information about the hotels, restaurants, and activities is the Greater Williamsburg Chamber & Tourism Alliance, 421 N. Boundary St., Williamsburg, VA 23187 (tel. 800/368-6511 or 757/229-6511; fax 757/253-1397; www.williamsburgcc.com), between Lafayette and Scotland streets, 2 blocks north of the Historic Area. The alliance sells one of the best maps of the area, and you can search for money-saving package deals on its website. The office is open Monday through Friday 8:30am to 5pm.
The Williamsburg Hotel and Motel Association (tel. 800/211-7165; www.gowilliamsburg.com) publishes its own visitors guide and operates a hotel and motel reservation service in conjunction with the Greater Williamsburg Chamber & Tourism Alliance.
Arriving
Amtrak Trains and Greyhound buses arrive at the Transportation Center (tel. 757/229-8750), at Boundary and Lafayette streets.
Williamsburg is on I-64 about halfway between Richmond and Norfolk. For the Historic Area, take Exit 238 (Va. 143) off I-64 and follow the signs south to Va. 132 and Colonial Williamsburg. The visitor center will be on your left as you approach the town. Va. 199, which forms a beltway around the southern side of the city, joins I-64 at Exit 242 east of town; this is the quickest way to get to Busch Gardens Williamsburg and Water Country USA. The scenic Colonial Parkway runs through a tunnel under the Historic Area; you can get on and off at the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor Center.
Orientation
The 1-mile-long-by-half-mile-wide restored Historic Area is at the center of Williamsburg. The 99-foot-wide Duke of Gloucester Street is this area's principal east-west artery, with the Capitol building at the eastern end and the Wren building of the College of William and Mary at the west end. Merchants Square shops and services are on the western end of Duke of Gloucester Street, next to the college. The visitor center is north of the Historic Area.
Richmond Road (U.S. 60 W.) runs northwest from the Historic Area and is Williamsburg's main commercial strip, with numerous motels, restaurants, and shopping centers, including the area's outlet malls. On the east side of town, York Street/Pocahontas Trail (U.S. 60 E.) goes out to Busch Gardens Williamsburg. Bypass Road joins these two highways on the north side of the Historic Area.
Getting Around the Historic Area
Because cars are not allowed into the Historic Area between 8am and 10pm, you must park elsewhere. The Colonial Williamsburg Visitor Center has ample free parking. After you have bought your tickets, you can use them to ride Colonial Williamsburg's shuttle buses from the visitor center to and around the Historic Area (only ticket holders are allowed on these buses). The buses will take you between the visitor center and the Gateway Building, behind the Governor's Palace, where guides conduct a 30-minute Orientation Walk. It's a good way to get an overview of the village. From there, the buses make a circle around the circumference of the Historic Area. The buses begin operating at 8:50am, with frequent departures until 10pm. The two lines merge after 5pm, forming one loop around the area.
You can also walk from the visitor center to the Historic Area, a 20-minute stroll via a footpath.
Getting Around Williamsburg
The easiest way to get around outside the Historic Area is by trolley and public buses operated by Williamsburg Area Transport (WAT; tel. 757/259-4093; www.williamsburgtransport.com). Newest addition to the fleet is the Williamsburg Trolley, which runs from Merchants Square west on Richmond Road to High Street, then southwest to the New Town shopping area on Ironbound Road at Monticello Avenue near Va. 199. Fare is 25¢, with exact change required.
Not to be confused with Colonial Williamsburg's shuttles in the Historic District, WAT's buses run around the town and surrounding area Monday through Saturday about every hour from 6am to 8pm, to 10pm during the summer months. Bus fare is $1.25. Exact fare is required. The Blue Line runs west from the Transportation Center and passes a majority of the area's motels, chain restaurants, and shopping centers on Richmond Road (U.S. 60 W.). The Gray Line operates east from the Transportation Center to Busch Gardens via Lafayette Street and Pocahontas Trail (U.S. 60 E.). The Yellow Line links the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor Center to the Transportation Center and Busch Gardens from Memorial Day to Labor Day.
The land is flat here, so getting around via bicycle is a great idea. Bike rentals are available from Easter through October at the Woodlands Hotel & Suites, at the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor Center (tel. 757/220-7960).
Historic Taxi (tel. 757/258-7755), Williamsburg Taxi Service (tel. 757/254-2190), and Yellow Cab of Williamsburg (tel. 757/722-1111) are based at the Transportation Center.
Getting to Jamestown & Yorktown
Other than driving, the easiest way to get from Williamsburg to Jamestown and Yorktown from March 16 through November 1 is via the Historic Triangle Shuttle (tel. 757/898-2410), which follows the Colonial Parkway. The buses depart the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor Center daily every 30 minutes from 9am to 3:30pm, with the final return trips departing Jamestown and Yorktown at 5:15pm. The rides cost $2 each way but are free with admission to Colonial Williamsburg, Historic Jamestowne, and Yorktown Battlefield. Save your admission tickets.
Orientation
First Stop: The Visitor Center
Begin your visit at the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor Center, on Va. 132 south of U.S. 60 Bypass (tel. 800/447-8679 or 757/220-7645; www.history.org). Watch for the signs pointing the way from all access roads to Williamsburg. The center and Historic Area attractions are open daily 9am to 5pm (to 9pm in summer). Some attractions are closed on specific days, and hours can vary, so check the This Week brochure (available at the visitor center) for current information.
The visitor center has a bookstore, a coffee shop, a regional information desk, and two reservations services: one for Colonial Williamsburg Foundation hotels (tel. 800/447-8679 or 757/220-7645; www.history.org), the other for two of its four Colonial taverns (tel. 800/828-3767 or 757/229-2141). It's advisable to make tavern reservations well in advance anytime, and it's essential every day during the summer and on weekends during spring and fall.
The center continuously shows a free 8-minute video about Williamsburg, and once you've bought your ticket, you can watch the 35-minute orientation film, Williamsburg -- The Story of a Patriot, which also runs throughout the day.
Parking at the visitor center is free. You can park for an hour for free, and then pay, in the public lots and garages near Merchants Square at the western end of Duke of Gloucester Street. But be careful: Spaces labeled "P2" are restricted to 2 hours; those marked "P1" and "P6" are long-term.
Planning Your Time in Williamsburg -- There is so much to see and do in the Historic Triangle that you can easily spend a week in this area and still not see everything. Colonial Williamsburg itself requires a minimum of 2 days to explore, preferably 3. It will take at least another day to see Jamestown and Yorktown. If you have kids in tow, they'll want to spend a day at Busch Gardens Williamsburg or Water Country USA, although you can satisfy them by visiting the parks after dark during the summer months.
Spend ample time planning your visit at the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor Center. Historic Area programs change frequently, so it's imperative to pick up a copy of This Week, the single most valuable tool in planning the best use of your time. It gives the hours the attractions are open and the times and places of the week's presentations, exhibits, plays, and events. It also has a detailed map.
Tickets
It costs nothing to stroll the streets of the Historic Area and perhaps debate revolutionary politics with the interpreters pretending to be Thomas Jefferson or Patrick Henry, but you will need a ticket to enter the key buildings and the museums, see the 35-minute orientation film at the visitor center, use the Historic Area shuttle buses, and take a 30-minute Orientation Walk through the restored village.
The Colonial Williamsburg Foundation changes its system of tickets and passes so frequently that I'm almost wasting ink telling you what they were at press time. You should definitely call the visitor center or check the Colonial Williamsburg website (www.history.org) for the latest information. With that caveat, this was the pass structure as it existed when we went to press.
A 1-day Capital City Pass ticket allowed access to most Historic Area attractions, but not the Governor's Palace or the walking tours. It cost $36 for adults, $18 for children 6 to 14, free for children 5 and younger. You could add the Governor's Palace for $10 adults, $5 children. It is good for the day you buy it, regardless of the time you purchased it.
Much more useful is the Governor's Key-to-the-City Pass, which includes everything you're likely to see and is good for 2 days. At press time it was going for $46 adults, $23 children 6 to 17.
For longer stays, it's worth paying $55 per adult, $28 for children 6 to 17 for a Liberty Pass, which is good for 1 year and includes a 25% discount on the nighttime performances.
Tickets are available at the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor Center, a ticket booth at the Merchants Square shops on Henry Street at Duke of Gloucester Street, and Lumber House on Duke of Gloucester Street opposite the Palace Green.
American Express, Diners Club, MasterCard, and Visa credit cards are accepted at Colonial Williamsburg ticket outlets, attractions, hotels, and taverns.
Saving Money on Tickets & Hotel Rooms
You can buy tickets to Colonial Williamsburg, Busch Gardens Williamsburg, Water Country USA, Colonial Historical National Park, and other Historic Triangle attractions separately and pay full price, or you can do some shopping and come up with money-saving combination deals. Some hotels and motels offer discounted ticket prices to local attractions if you stay with them; it's worth asking when you call to make your reservation. Colonial Williamsburg (tel. 800/447-8679 or 757/220-7645; www.history.org) almost always offers packages including tickets and discounted rates at its hotels. The Williamsburg Hotel & Motel Association (tel. 800/211-7164; www.gowilliamsburg.com) also has hotel-ticket deals.
