Williamsburg VA, why not? Presidents Day, February 2017

Williamsburg, Virginia 

A Short Weekend Away

Williamsburg  Virginia, a step back in time,  is a great place to take the kids for real time history lesson without using a screen. If you plan it just right you can get great deals and that is exactly what we did. Entrance to the park, hotel and "breakfast" all for  $129/night. This was for the  Williamsburg Woodlands. For the five of us.  So we thought, "Why not escape for a couple of nights during Presidents Day Weekend."  For us, it's not a long drive, although it feels like forever because we have to go through the DC area. When I missed the on ramp to EZ pass express lane, it was forever.

Upon arrival in the evening, we were upgraded to a two room suite, that consisted of a king size bed and a queen pull out couch.  Kids loved it. We loved it as there was a door in between the rooms. It was short lived as our seven year old proclaimed he would sleep in between mommy and daddy. That translates to sleeping on top of mommy and kicking her all night.

We used Uber and went to our favorite restaurant in town, The Blue Talon. It's been our go-to over the years when in Williamsburg. It's an engaging combination of French and American classics, as well as a nice bourbon selection.  And  it's kid-friendly. Great meal and great time as a family. We shut down the restaurant, thanks to DC traffic getting us there so late. Fine with us, as it was Friday, the kids had school all day, and they were tired and ready for bed so they could have a full day the next day.

As I've said before, do not treat your trips like a classroom.  Do not try to cram everything down their throats or it becomes a chore. My husband and youngest were up and out early, played mini golf and headed to the historic town.  Thanks to climate change, we were all in tshirts this weekend. The other two and I were up later and met them in town. We picked out a couple of landmarks to visit so the kids could get a feel of the historic significance and then decided to have a leisurely lunch at The Cheese Shop. Sometimes, the best times are spent over a meal, together. Of course on the way to lunch they passed by the outdoor ice skating rink and the begging started.

Two hours of ice skating passed for the kids. The opportunity chance to skate outside in 60+ degree weather in Williamsburg was inescapable. They had a blast and it gave my husband and I a chance to just enjoy our time together and watch them have fun. That was a full day. Perfect time to go back to the hotel chill and get ready for our ghost tour and dinner.

Our seven year old somehow got it in his mind that we had to have dinner in one of the taverns in Historic Williamsburg;  the ones that look like they are from the 18th century, the ones that have games from the 18th century, the ones that have music from the 18th century, the ones that mimic food from the "18th" century. Luckily, I was able to reserve a table at the Chowning Tavern because we just couldn't say no. The Thomas Jefferson mac and cheese on the kids menu seemed to be the hit of the night and a song was created about it. Overall, the food is more institutional quality than an homage to heritage foods and techniques. As such, you can skip it and not miss much. However, I still hear Thomas Jefferson mac and cheese sung in my house on occasion.

We were not able to get reservations with the historic Williamsburg Ghost Tour, but I was quite pleased with the one we booked. The woman who led it was a history teacher and very well versed. Our kids hung on to her every word and insisted on taking a million pictures because what if the ghost appeared in one. They loved it so much that they insisted on visiting one of the houses in the morning because it was deemed to be the second most haunted in the United States, The Peyton Randolph House.

The next morning we all went back to the historic village to visit The Peyton Randolph House. It was actually Black History Month and we were given a tour by a woman representing the enslaved people. Her perspective of life there was informative and interesting, while a devastatingly tragic part of our country's history. It's a shame it not a permanent part of the historic tour and Williamsburg should consider adding it.  Telling this story is incredibly important to our history. The tour ended in the house and the kids desperately searched out any signs of ghosts, but there were none.

After we checked out, I made everyone go to Jamestown. There was a lot of moaning and a long line, but I insisted as who knew when we would get back. Jamestown consists of indoor exhibits and an outdoor recreation of the ships and settlements. In the end it was short, but fun. It was time to head back, but not without a stop at La Tienda to pick up some awesome goods from Spain. We were hoping to eat at their new Tapas Restaurant, but just as we arrived, they had closed for the hour in preparation for dinner. That's okay; we still stocked up on great olive oil, wine, and Spanish specialty foodstuffs.

Drive home felt like forever as once again we hit DC traffic, but this time I didn't miss the on ramp to the express lane.  Still didn't seem to matter.