Thinking about spending a day or two in Virginia’s Historic Triangle? If you’re ready to tackle this family-friendly trip into American history but have limited time, you’ve found the perfect Travel Guide to Williamsburg, VA.

We had the opportunity to add a short trip to Williamsburg, Virginia, en route to another destination. Due to time constraints, we only had one full day and a partial day to spend touring the Historic Triangle. I searched for short itineraries but instead found mostly advice to stay longer which wasn’t possible. 

If you, like me, only have a short trip possible, I want to assure you that it is still possible to have an amazing time. Here’s what we chose to do with only under 2 days in Williamsburg and what we would have added if we had time.

Things to Do in Williamsburg, VA: The “Need-to-Know”

First, there is a lot to do in the Williamsburg area. That’s why people advise a longer trip.

1. The Williamsburg region includes three major historical sites: Williamsburg, Jamestown, and Yorktown connected by the Colonial Parkway.
2. The history of these three sites spans over 150 years, starting with the founding of Jamestown in 1607, 18th century colonial life in Williamsburg right around the Revolutionary War, to the battle of Yorktown in 1781.
3. These three sites contain six major historical attractions/experiences with separate fees.
   1. Colonial Williamsburg
   2. Jamestown Settlement
   3. Historic Jamestown
      1. Colonial National Historical Park: Historic Jamestowne and the Glass House ( you must enter this park to enter Discovery Jamestown)
      2. Discovery Jamestown
   4. Yorktown
      1. Colonial National Historical Park: Yorktown Battlefield
      2. American Revolution Museum at Yorktown

In addition to these three historical sites, Williamsburg also has a major amusement park, Busch Gardens and Water Country USA plus a number of other historical and fun attractions nearby.

If you only have a day or two, don’t skip the region. Instead, just focus your time. 

Second, these historical attractions all require a LOT of walking outdoors. Pack your sunscreen, sandwiches, water bottles, and wear comfortable shoes. 

You could utilize a stroller or wheelchair to get from point to point but some walking would be required to see especially the buildings of Williamsburg.

Watch!! Here’s our day in Colonial Williamsburg

Stay Near Colonial Williamsburg

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One and a Half Days in Williamsburg

Day #1: Colonial Williamsburg

• Reconstruction of 18th-century colonial life in Williamsburg
• Interactive living history experience that covers everything from building tours to trade shops and reenactments
• Lots and lots of walking outdoors. The outdoor paths are mostly stroller/wheelchair friendly but most of the buildings are not.
• Limited food options that are easy to get to and fast.

We arrived at the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor’s Center as close to when they opened as possible.

Parking: Colonial Williamsburg has a huge parking lot at the Visitors Center where you can purchase tickets and enter the living history area either via a walking path (around 1 mile) or by shuttle.

Kidding Around Tip: Pack in some sandwiches and water. It’s not easy to get back to your car and your kids will get hungry. Food is available for purchase but it’s expensive and there aren’t many fast choices for lunch choices in the historic area.

What we did with one day in Colonial Williamsburg

For this Colonial Williamsburg One Day Itinerary, we chose to walk the mile walk into Colonial Williamsburg. The path was shady, scenic, and a beautiful entrance to the historic area. If you have kids old enough to walk easily I recommend it. If you have limited mobility or younger kids, you may want to save your leg strength for the rest of the day.

Many people spend more than one day in Colonial Williamsburg. Our kids like to move quickly though so one day was perfect for us.

We started at the Governor’s Palace. This building required joining one of the guided tours. This tour moved quickly as it was on a strict 15-minute rotation. After the tour, we were free to explore the gardens, cellar, and outdoor buildings at our own pace. The kitchen where they were preparing colonial foods over an outdoor oven with a fire was particularly interesting.

After the Governor’s Palace we continued to walk to the Duke of Gloucester Street where most of the living history experiences are located. Along this street, you can walk into the tradeshops where historical interpreters continue these trades and answer questions. They actually make the wigs and outfits by hand that are worn in Colonial Williamsburg.

Each day different trade shops are open, so check the schedule ahead of time if you have a specific trade you want to see.

Kidding Around Tip: There are a bunch of gift shops mixed in with the trade shops. If your time is short (or your kids want to buy everything), check the map so that you can focus on the living history shops.

We also joined tours at the Capital and the Courthouse. In the Courthouse, you have the opportunity to participate in a trial reenactment. Some of the other buildings such as the Public Gaol (Jail) and Historic Baptist Church can be explored on your own.

We did not attend any of the reenactments due to our tight schedule, but on our visit we could have chosen to attend a speech by George Washington, a street reenactment with a speech by Marquis De Lafayette, or a rifle demonstration. The programming varies each day.

Our kids were exhausted around 3:30 due to walking in the heat, so we took a break until dinner.

At 4:45 pm, we ate dinner at Raleigh Tavern. You must have a reservation to eat at one of the Taverns and we recommend making a dinner reservation if your time in the attraction is limited as our meal took almost 3 hours and the other attractions close at 5 pm.

At the Tavern, we had a limited menu of meals created from actual colonial recipes. Some of the meals date back to the original Tavern. During the meal, the waitress shared information about meals and taverns during the time period and there was even live harp music.

These restaurants are expensive $30-60/plate, but the experience in our opinion was worth spending a bit extra on dinner.

We didn’t see everything, and many families would probably enjoy a visit of 2-3 days, but one day was perfect for teens who prefer moving quickly. Families enjoying a longer stay could visit more of the shops, enjoy a carriage ride, watch reenactments, enjoy demonstrations at a slower pace, and maybe even visit some of Colonial Williamsburg’s special events.

Kidding Around Tip: You don’t have to purchase a ticket to enter the outdoor paths and streets or dine at the taverns of Colonial Williamsburg. If you only have a couple of hours instead of a day, or are looking for a budget-friendly option, you could still get a smaller experience by dining in one of the taverns (be sure to make a reservation) or just walking down the street. See all of Colonial Williamsburg’s Dining Options with their hours.

Visiting Williamsburg Details

Colonial Williamsburg Tickets

Ticket prices to Colonial Williamsburg vary depending on how many days you are visiting, and what other attractions you want to also visit.

For a single-day ticket you’ll pay $28.99 for youth ages 6 to 12, and $49.99 for adults 13 and up. Multi-day tickets are just a few dollars more, and there are also combination tickets available for the Historic Triangle. Check out all your Colonial Williamsburg Ticket options.

Day #2: A half-day in Jamestown

• Jamestown was the first permanent English colony, founded in 1607.
• There are two historical areas in Jamestown and three separate tickets:
  • Jamestown Settlement
  • Historic Jamestown (You must enter via Colonial National Historical Park. Jamestown Discovery is inside the National Park.)

Jamestown Settlement

We started at the Jamestown Settlement Museum. It includes:

• An indoor museum that includes life-size visuals and information about the founding and history of Jamestown
• A living history trail with an interactive Paspahegh Town, James Fort (the Virginia Company’s outpost from 1610-14), and recreations of three 17th-century ships.

With a tight schedule, we recommend focusing on the outdoor trail. Historical interpreters are at each section outside demonstrating life during the early settlement. 

You can enter the Paspahegh dwellings and see how the tribe slept and ate, and learn about their trades.

Only one of the three 17th-century reconstructed ships was open to explore during our visit, but we were able to walk on, explore the helm, and even walk down into the cabin.

The fort included living history demonstrations such as blacksmithing, cooking, and musket firing. You could walk inside the buildings and try on armor.

The guide recommended reserving 2-3 hours to see Jamestown Settlement, but our family finished in a little over an hour. We did not spend a significant amount of time in the indoor museum and we skipped the introductory video.

Food and drink are not allowed inside Jamestown Settlement, but we recommend packing lunch and eating in the car or at Historic Jamestown.

Historic Jamestowne 

After Jamestown Settlement, we drove to Historic Jamestowne, the actual historical site of Jamestown. 

This site includes two separate organizations with two ticket fees. To enter Historic Jamestown, you must first purchase tickets to the Historical Jamestown National Park or show a National Park pass. 

Entering the National Park allows access to the New Towne section which includes the foundations and remains of later buildings in the Jamestown settlement as well as the Glass House (outside and further down the road). The National Park also includes the Yorktown Battlefield and a scenic parkway connecting the two sites.

Either at the National Park ticket booth or inside the park, you can purchase tickets for Jamestown Rediscovery.

Jamestown Rediscovery is run by a foundation and includes the site of Olde Towne Jamestown where the original James Fort and church were located. 

You can tour a reconstruction of the church and see its graveyard. Archeologists have found around 3 million artifacts in the area proving that the original fort was located in this region including a cellar with evidence of the starvation period of the colony.

This area also includes statues of John Smith and Pocahontas, excavation sites, and a museum filled with artifacts found in the region.

While it’s a separate ticket fee, this area is very interesting and worth entering.

After walking around the original Jamestown site, we drove a short bit down the road to also see the Glass House. The Glass House is located down a short wooded trail and includes the historic site of the original Glass House, as well as a living history, reconstructed Glass House where you can watch glass being blown and shaped to be sold in an adjoining gift shop.

We didn’t have time, but you can also purchase tickets to ride a ferry from Jamestown that stops at 5 locations.

More Things to Do in Williamsburg, VA

Yorktown

If we had a full second day, we would have visited Yorktown. While the sites close at 5 pm, the tour roads are open until sunset so depending on your itinerary it might be possible to fit at least a drive-in as an evening activity on a tight itinerary.

Yorktown Battlefield

• This battle site is the site of the final battle of the American Revolution in 1781 and is part of the Colonial National Historical Park. 
• You can listen to a free audio tour while driving from site to site along the parkway.

American Revolution Museum at Yorktown

• This museum includes a short film about Yorktown, an indoor museum with life-size visual exhibits, and outdoor living history exhibits such as a military encampment and Colonial-era farm.

Families on a longer trip could add a night ghost tour, a trip to Busch Gardens or Water Country USA, additional historical sites, and a day on the ferry. Williamsburg also offers access to the beach as well as being only an hour from Virginia Beach and Richmond. You could easily spend a week in the area with plenty to do.

Big Tips from Our Trip: Williamsburg Tips for Parents

Consider packing lunch and snacks. It’s not always easy to find affordable lunch options and these spots offer plenty of picnic areas.

Wear your most comfortable walking shoes, bring a hat or sunglasses, and put on sunscreen. Colonial Williamsburg in particular requires walking in the sun and some of the pathways are white.

Focus your time rather than trying to see everything if your time is limited.

After visiting, I would prefer a trip in either spring, early summer, or fall. Colonial Williamsburg in particular was really hot even in early June. Having fewer crowds also meant that it was easy to enter most of the tradeshops and interact with the interpreters.