How to Spend a Weekend in Williamsburg

If you're looking for a weekend getaway that can provide big thrills and a historic triangle, check out Williamsburg, Virginia. The scenery is beautiful and the hospitality is home-grown.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

1. Research ahead of your trip. Visit the Internet for an overview of Busch Gardens, Water Country USA and Virginia's Historic Triangle of Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown.

2. Know what the Historic Triangle has to offer you. Colonial Williamsburg is the nation’s largest living history museum encompassing 301 acres including over 500 buildings, homes, stores and taverns reconstructed and restored to their 18th-century appearances. Jamestown Settlement and Historic Jamestown give visitors the opportunity to explore exhibits and ships showcasing life in 17th-century Virginia. Yorktown Victory Center allows visitors to experience Revolutionary era life firsthand amongst the cannon-fire and Historic Yorktown puts visitors in the center of 18th-century homes, streets and antique shops on a smaller scale than Williamsburg. All three invite the experience of being in the middle of an authentic colonial experience.

3. Know what Busch Gardens Europe has to offer you. Most recently added to Busch Garden's collection of pulse pounding roller coasters is Griffon, the tallest dive coaster in the world that carries riders up 205 feet, then hurtles them 90 degrees straight down at 75 mph. Floorless coasters Apollo's Chariot and Alpengeist team up with old favorites the Loch Ness Monster and the Big Bad Wolf to round out the park's exciting batch of thrill rides.

4. If visiting in the summer months, know what Water Country USA has to offer you. Water Country USA features more than 30 water rides and attractions set to a 1950s and '60s surf theme. Hubba Hubba Highway, the largest river at Water Country USA, measures 1,500 feet in length and covers 3.5 acres, as riders "cruise" down this free-floating attraction through geysers and drenching coconuts. Big Daddy Falls offers family size fun in an inner tube that holds 2-6 riders, where Wild Thang and Atomic Breakers offer other examples of zippy ways for you to cool off.

5. Check out the local restaurants. While there are a variety of familiar chain restaurants to check out in Williamsburg, consider eating at restaurants with a more local flair as well. The Jefferson Inn has been serving favorites like Virginia peanut soup, Southern fried chicken and stuffed pork chops since 1956. If seafood is what you're after, consider dining at the Whaling Company for entrees such as Virginia sea scallops, farm raised catfish and Atlantic salmon. Search online beforehand, or see what other dining establishments you catch your eye when driving down Richmond Road.