Can you tell me any other attractions to take in within an hours drive of Williamsburg. We know about Colonial Williamsburg,Jamestown, Yorktown, Busch Gardens, Water Country, and the Pottery Mall. We know about Virginia Beach, but not anything to do there except go to the beach. We aren't interested in going over to D.C. on this trip. Any suggestions would be appreciated.
How long are you going to be in the area? You've listed enough places to stay VERY busy for a month. Tons of revolutionary and civil war history within a 15-20 mile radius.
College of William and Mary, Ft. Eustis Transportation Museum, Fort Monroe, Norfolk Naval Station and possible ship open houses, Cheasapeke Bay Bridge Tunnel, General MacArthur Museum in Norfolk.
Lots of stuff to do in Virginia Beach, Norfolk, Hampton. Depending on traffic, it might meet your hour drive criteria. One way to find things is to use the AAA OnLine TripTik to look at attractions. You can also try http://www.virginia.org/
You didn't specify what types of things you are interested in. Here are some ideas.
Old Cape Hentry lighthouse (on Fort Story at Cape Story, yes its the beach but is where the Atlantic meets the Chesapeake Bay) www.nps.gov/maritime/nhl/capehenr.htm
Norfolk Naval Base.
You can't drive on the base yourself, but they have a bus tour that's very interesting and worth the time and money.
BTW, there are two sites for Jamestown. Historic Jamestown is a recreation of the historic site with displays much like Colonial Williamsburg. Be sure to see the the full size replicas of the three ships that made the voyage.
Jamestowne Settlement is a NPS site and is the original site of the Jamestown landing. Lots of archeology going on there. I found it very interesting.
Retired and visiting as much of this beautiful country as I can.
What are your interests? There's a lot of historical stuff (Colonial stuff, Revolutionary War, Civil War, etc) and military stuff (Air Force and Navy bases mostly, many museums and attractions), as well as NASA stuff. There's also Busch Gardens and Water Country.
Once I have a better idea of what kind of fun you are looking for, I can give more specific ideas.
We have added Norfolk Naval Station, Norfolk Botanical Garden, Jamestown-Scotland ferry, Sherwood Forest, Shirley, and Berkeley Plantations. We will add Old Coast Guard Station and Military Aviation Museum if we can get tours. Want to especially thank Jim and 2hams for all those suggestions. Guess that should add another five days. What do you all think?
It sounds like more than 5 days to me. The Old Coast Guard Station is a self guided tour, and it doesn't take too long. The Military Aviation Museum is also self guided; depending on how much you like planes it can take a couple of hours -- there are volunteers who explain stuff.
There are some old houses in Virginia Beach, but I've never been. Similarly, have not been to the Chrysler Musuem in Norfolk (in ages). We did enjoy the tour at Chippokes Plantation State Park.
Take a look at the map and see how many things you want to see on the Virginia Beach/Norfolk side of the tunnel. If there are a few, it might save you aggravation/traffic to move either to First Landing State Park or Holiday Travel Park. If you like short hikes, First Landing has several -- both on the land side and of course on the beach side.
Thanks for all the suggestions so far. I will look into all these. Sorry I didn't give more details of what we are looking for. I usually do. We are not tied down to any time schedule. We will stay as long as we find things that interest us. We are not interested in shopping, fishing, beaches,or places to eat. So far, we thought we would spend two or three days in Colonial Williamsburg. Two or three days at Jamestown and Yorktown. Maybe one day at Busch Gardens. We thought we might drive to Virginia Beach area for a day, but could relocate to that area if there is enough to do. We like visiting gardens, waterfalls, short hikes, theater, and taking tours of homes. We like museums, but are burning out on nautical displays and air and space. Not into weapons. We like going just about anywhere that offers a tour or has a guide that offers information. We like out of the way goofy places. We were to Williamsburg about 20 years ago, so we are kind of familiar with some of the area, but were only there for a few days. No kids to entertain. Really, just about open to any ideas except "wild and crazy". Been there and done that and aren't able to do it any more
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