Part II: An Amazing Williamsburg Adventure for Kids

As promised, we are bringing you Part II: An Amazing Williamsburg Adventure for Kids! As you may have started to notice, there’s more to do than there is time in the Historic Triangle! And adventures of the kid-friendly variety are no exception. 

Here’s another sample weekend itinerary to help you plan an unforgettable vacation with your kids that will leave you crawling into bed happy-exhausted (instead of just, you know, regular-exhausted) at the end of the day.

Meals

If you don’t know where you’re going to eat each meal before you begin your day, then why even get out of bed? 

To blow minds and win hearts, try the Astronomical Pancake House, which, as the name suggests, serves… Very. Large. Pancakes. We also love Baker’s Crust Artisan Kitchen. All-homemade breakfast and brunch menus are served with love Friday through Sunday starting at 8 a.m. 

For lunch and dinner, families who want great food on a budget will love local favorites like Shorty’s Diner, The Cheese Shop, or Rick’s Cheese Steak Shop. If your kids are a little older or you’ve reserved more room in the dining budget, visit Amber Ox Public House, Second Street American Bistro, Fat Tuna Grill and Oyster House. All are highly rated by customers and serve classic American grub.

Big Thrills

Located right next to King’s Creek and Busch Gardens, Water Country USA is Virginia’s largest water park. Like its sister theme park, here you can enjoy the same free pass for your preschoolers. The water park is full of twists, turns, drops and slides for kids of all ages. While your kids geek out over this summer vacation heaven, you can kick back with a frozen drink as you soak up the sun (or sensibly unwind beneath the shade of a cabana).

Another way to get your kids outside is to go ape. Located in historic Freedom Park, Go Ape Treetop Adventures is a totally unique treetop adventure obstacle course that your kids will l-o-v-e. Climb rope ladders, leap onto net bridges, swing on the trapezes and Tarzan swings and zip through 600 feet of tree line. They might even forget about their iPads for a minute. Visit their website to see which adventures are suitable for which age groups! Kids under 5 are welcome, but require supervision, of course!

Chiller Thrills

The Ripley’s Believe it or Not!  museum is for kids who have an appreciation of the weirder things in life (don’t they all?). Visit the Odditorium to examine strange exhibits and artifacts, see a movie come to life in the 4D theater, navigate through the Impossible LaseRace, or…  play 18 holes of mini-golf.

If you’re looking for an engaging day trip that your kids will love, the Virginia Living Museum may be the perfect spot. This museum showcases all of Virginia’s living creatures, from land to sea. And it’s only about a 20-minute drive from King’s Creek. The VLM lets you explore tons of fascinating galleries and exhibits that show all the fascinating flora and fauna of Virginia, from its plant and animal life to the far reaches of the universe.

Some of the coolest features of the museum are its Abbitt Observatory (with a computer-controlled telescope that magnifies 180 times to let you view the heavens) and the planetarium theatre, which hosts all kinds of amazing shows throughout the year.  

Your Dose of History

What’s a visit to the Historic Triangle without taking a step back in time? Jamestown Settlement and the new American Revolution Museum at Yorktown are perfect destinations for the grade schoolers in your life seeking adventure. Board re-creations of the three ships that brought America’s first permanent English colonists to Virginia, explore the Powhatan way of life in a re-created village, and watch 17th-century Virginia come to life with dramatic films. There’s no better way to learn history hands-on than this incredible place!

We hope you’ve enjoyed Part I & Part II: An Amazing Williamsburg Adventure for Kids, and that it will inspire you on your next family getaway!