Williamsburg recs?

SecretServiceWife

My bff and her family are staying in Williamsburg for a week in June.  We've never been, but will be joining them for 2 days.

Is there anything we HAVE to see while we're there?  Any place we HAVE to eat?

victoria1212

I like the Fat Canary for dinner (plus the Cheese shop has great sandwiches, wine, etc... for take back to where you are staying).

We have been a few times but most recently, I really liked going to Jamestown.

Hey Jellisy

Aside from Colonial Williamsburg which itself can take two+ days to do (It's great btw)...

 

Lunch at the Cheese Shop is a Williamsburg Tradition.  Don't forget to ask for House dressing on your sandwich.  It's on Duke of Gloucester (DOG) St. in Merchants Square.  They also own the restaurant next door, Fat Canary I believe, which I hear is chic chic and wonderful with a great wine list.  I've not yet been.  A lot of folks who have say it's one of the beat meals they've had. 

 

Another great lunch place is Pierce's Pit Barbecue.  It's located on feeder road (Rochambeau) along 64 closer to Waller Miller Park (they ahve canoe rentals). 

 

The Trellis is great for dessert, I think they are expensive and not worth it for dinner.

 

There is great Italian restaurant Giuseppes at Ewell Station.  It's often crowded, and it's fairly inexpensive.  Ewell Station is on Richmond Road about 4 miles from Merchants Square on the left.  There is a bowling alley next door. 

 

The taverns are fun and historic.  Each has it's own personality.  The cheapest, Chownings (pronounced Chewnings) on weekends has some pretty fun entertainment called the Gambols after 5pm.   The servers sing songs and play 18th century games.  The earlier Gambols are family friendly, the later ones are much more raunchy.

 

If you want to relive your college days, go to Pauls or the Green Leaf.  Pauls is a deli and bar and has some pretty good sandwiches.  I've always been a fan of the Uncle Pauls or the Hot Holly.  Their loaded fries are really bad for you, but wonderful.  Their pizza is pretty good as well.  The Green Leaf, Leaf, for short, is actually a really good restaurant with a great bar.  You have to be over 21 to get in there in the evenings so the clientele is usually a bit older.  Both are a lot of fun.  The Leaf especially will have live music on occasion.  Sunday is mug night. 

 

For breakfast or lunch, there is the Old Chickahominy House.  It's on Jamestown Road.  Great southern, southern food.  Love the biscuits. 

 

Le Yaca is a small french restaurant at Kingsmill.  Consistently wonderful.  I am not a huge french food fan, and I have only been to Le Yaca post college, it's a tad bit more pricy, but if you like french, the best I've had (outside my trip to France).

 

There are a lot of pancake houses, take your pick.  My favorite burned down years ago.  I like the one with all the windows on Bypass.

 

For coffee or lunch or breakfast, Aromas on Prince George St. is great.  There is a downstairs seating area as well. 

 

If you really like dives, for a cheap breakfast and "interesting" atmosphere, Franks Truck Stop is always interesting.  Truly a truck stop.  Truly interesting.

For a different shopping experience you can head to The Pottery.  I am not sure I would go there if I was only staying for two days, but I definitely would if I was staying for a week.  Williamsburg has a nice Outlet Mall, but there are so many close to DC, I wouldn't make a special trip there. 

I still love to drive down Jamestown Road till it ends and take the free ferry across.  We would just turn around and take the ferry back.  

Yorktown is a really great trip.  The new beach is nice and there are cute restaurants and shops.  DH and I enjoyed going to the Battlefield the last time we were there.

There are two Jamestowns to visit.  The National Park and the state park.  They offer really different experiences.  I would read about both and then decide what interests you if you are heading that way. 

The Colonial parkway is a really pretty drive and if it's a nice day, it's worth stopping and picnicking by the James River.  It's really pretty.  

The Williamsburg Winery is really pretty and might be worth a visit.  

 

 

sarahelisabethm

Williamsburg is also near the James River Plantation area, so you could visit a plantation or two.  Shirley Plantation was established in 1613 or something like that and is still a working farm--pretty cool IMO.

BelhurstBride

Thank you SSW for asking this! 

We're going to have our two year old DD in tow, so we'll definitely be looking for family friendly recommendations.  

MrsNJSwimmer

Cheese Shop is a must for lunch. 

My favorite breakfast place is called The Gazebo - I think it's on 60.  Haven't been there in about 5 years, but it was still as good as it was when I was in grad school 12+ years ago.  Definitely family friendly for those interested. 

stargirl0508

BelhurstBride:

Thank you SSW for asking this! 

We're going to have our two year old DD in tow, so we'll definitely be looking for family friendly recommendations.  

Hi!  Haven't 'seen' you in awhile!!  Your DD is so adorable, what a cutie!!

 

DH and I went to Williamsburg last year and had a good time.  We stayed in Richmond though, so I don't have many specific recs for Williamsburg necessarily, and the ones I have aren't especially family friendly.  Williamsburg winery was very nice, and there is Williamsburg Ale Works in town, which we drove by but didn't get to visit.  So, I'm not sure I'm much help, but I wanted to say hi anyway!  :-)

bh2720

like just about everyone else has said, you MUST eat at the Cheese Shop. My favorite sandwich there is salami and cheddar on french bread with the house dressing and an extra side of house. the house dressing is SO good. people buy "bread ends and house" all the time just to dip bread in the dressing...man, I'd kill for some right now. also, the orzo salad in the case by all the cheeses (toward the middle of the shop) is awesome.

right next door to the Cheese Shop is Wythe Candies. If you have a sweet tooth at all, it's a fantastic candy store. They have all kinds of goodies, but my favorite things are the truffles. When you walk in from the front (DoG St. side) the truffles are in the cases that face the very back of the store...DH and I are kind of addicted to them. I prefer the champagne truffles and he loves the coconut ones. 

I also think that it would be a shame to miss having a dinner at one of the historic taverns. they are pretty pricey, but the food is excellent and the service is very, very good, plus it's a completely unique dining experience. I really like the Kings Arms, but they are all very good. 

as far as thing to see, all of Colonial Williamsburg is pretty neat, IMO. The Governor's Palace and the Capitol are both interesting and stopping in some of the old shops up and down the street can be fun. But it's not free, you'll probably want to look into getting a Williamsburg Sampler pass. also, I haven't been on one since I was a kid, so not sure how they are for adults, but the ghost tours are kind of neat.

Williamsburg is not a flashy place, there's virtually no night life. the Colonial area is subtle and can be really interesting if you are into history and want to slow down and enjoy things. 

bh2720

MrsNJSwimmer:

Cheese Shop is a must for lunch. 

My favorite breakfast place is called The Gazebo - I think it's on 60.  Haven't been there in about 5 years, but it was still as good as it was when I was in grad school 12+ years ago.  Definitely family friendly for those interested. 

aw, I used to LOVE the Gazebo! I didn't realize it was still in business...I'll have to check it out next time I'm there. 

emisi

Oh, and don't go to the Cheese Shop when you're SUPER hungry... go a little earlier.  They get really, really crowded at lunch time.

KiwiChampagne

A lot of the things I was going to mention have already been said:

Cheese Shop (get a sandwich with the House dressing .... I think you can even ask for bread ends with a cup of house dressing to dip if you don't want a whole sandwich)

Drive down the Colonial Parkway (it runs from Jamestown to Yorktown.  It's this great scenic drive along the James River with lots of little places where you can stop, have a picnic, swim or lay on little beaches)

Colonial Williamsburg: Lots to see.  Definitely try to go to one of the old taverns in the evening.  As an alternative to having a meal I think they used to do game nights where they would serve drinks and play old "board" games.

Williamsburg Winery (wine ... nuf said)

Sno-to-Go! : It's a sno cone shop on the edge of town.  Very small, always had long lines.  There are a ton of flavors and you can get them stuffed (with ice cream).