<p>For an upcoming “family reunion” trip, we’re looking to squeeze in stops at both Williamsburg and Monticello. I’m wondering about reasonable “weight of schedule” for them.</p>
<p>Currently my thinking is:</p>
<p>Day 1: leave D.C. early afternoon, spend evening in Williamsburg (4-5 hour drive, right?)</p>
<p>Day 2: Williamsburg, evening in Williamsburg.</p>
<p>Day 3: through mid-morning in Williamsburg, drive to Monticello (2 hours?) afternoon tour at Monticello, leave late afternoon, arrive D.C. early evening in time for latish dinner.</p>
<p>I don’t think it will take you 4 to 5 hours from Washington to Williamsburg, unless you sit in rush hour traffic forever. Williamsburg is less than an hour from Richmond, if I recall. </p>
<p>Your Williamsburg to Charlottesville day is reasonable. We spent a couple of hours walking around Williamsburg, did an info session/tour at William & Mary, drove to UVA for a tour and then went to Monticello late afternoon. The only catch is that I got the impression that it could be a long wait at Monticello. We went in the pouring rain so it wasn’t crowded at all. You might want to check on reservations, schedules, etc.</p>
<p>If I remember correctly, aren’t you heading to the Outer Banks after you DC visit? If so, I might suggest,</p>
<p>Day 1-DC, day and night
Day 2-mid-morning head to Monticello, evening to Williambsurg
Day 3 until you head to OB-Williambsurg</p>
<p>It’s a much easier drive to the OB from Williamsburg than DC. If you are planning on going to the OB primetime on a Saturday, you will hit traffic getting onto the barrier islands, so the shorter leg will help. We have often made WB our stop on the way to the OB. Have a great trip.</p>
<p>Williamsburg is about 150 miles from D.C. so it won’t take you anywhere near 4-5 hrs. Usually about 2 1/2, unless there’s some monumental problem around Richmond. The drive to Monticello is usually a little less than two hours. Have a great trip! Williamsburg is one of my favorite places to visit, and Monticello is beautiful and very interesting.</p>
<p>Williamsburg is fabulous! Do browse the website and reserve your entertainments as soon as possible. We did the Witch trial one night and a presentation on slave life another, both very good. The shows sell out well in advance, so don’t plan to decide when you get there. We stayed in one of the Colonial cottages – really neat to be right there, strolling at night after everyone was gone.</p>
<p>We recently visited both. I suggest staying in one of the “official” Williamsburg hotels. By doing so, you get a discount on the two day pass, which gives you more options, timed entrances to several of the more popular attractions such as the Governor’s palace (thus avoiding having to wait in line), half price on evening events (such as the evening Witch trial or Ghost Walk), and close proximity to the historical area for peaceful and relaxing evening walks. It more than paid for the slightly higher cost of the hotels. There’s 5 different options, I believe, at various rate levels. Go to the official Williamsburg website, and the options will be described. </p>
<p>A full 1 1/2 days (including one evening) was plenty (for our family) to get acquainted with Historic Williamsburg. You won’t “see it all”, but that is plenty to experience it, and give you something to see on your next trip to the area. Other than the special events (which are additional tickets), the village buildings are closed in the evening, but you can stroll, and take in the ambiance at no cost, so you won’t need a “pass” for your evenings there.</p>
<p>Take an early evening walk through W&M. Gorgeous campus!</p>
<p>Monticello can get crowded as the day progresses, especially on weekends. If you plan to be there on a weekend, it is possible that you might not get tickets if you arrive mid afternoon, as I believe they sell them for timed entrance. It’s worth the trip, however.</p>
<p>I’ll emphatically second this. It takes my family 4-5 hours to get from DC to Duke. If I remember school Model UN trips correctly, Williamsburg is around three hours.</p>
<p>Be sure to buy fudge from Colonial Williamsburg. :)</p>
<p>The trip to Williamsburg from DC should be no more than 3 hours, assuming no bad traffic. I can usually make it one way (to/from Reston, I95 to 123 to Fairfax Co Pkway) in around 2:15, maybe slightly longer. It usually takes my parents about 2:45 without traffic. The longest my trip has been was returning to school the Sunday after Thanksgiving, and other than that, I believe it was 4.5 hours once (and I’ve made a fair number of trips in my 2 years at W&M). The trip is consistently at 3 hours or under. As you probably know (if you’re from the DC area), I95 will backup going south in the afternoon. Southbound is always backed up [to past where the HOV lanes come back in) when I come home on Friday afternoons after 4.</p>
<p>When I came back to school on April 24th (at like 8:35ish), there were extra unmarked police cars right before the exit to get on 295 around Richmond, and an there was one either on 295 or I64, I forget, so keep your eyes out for those =)</p>
<p>as others have said, make sure you get tickets to what you want to see in Williamsburg ahead of time (and Monticello too). If you’ll be there on the weekend, I can tell you that the weekends are pretty crowded already (I run through colonial williamsburg all the time, this morning I ran on back roads without people instead). I highly recommend a ghost tour.</p>
<p>If you are indeed doing what my-3-sons thinks you might be, then I would agree with that poster.</p>
<p>TheDad
The best place to stay at Williamsburg are the “Colonial Houses.” They book quickly.</p>
<p>It’s true what the others have said above about “timed” tickets for Monticello. We arrived very early in the morning, just as it opened and there were already a number of people waiting for the ticket booth to open! That was August of 2004 on our way to take our daughter to college in NYC. I can’t remember if it was a weekend or day. Have a fun trip!</p>
<p>Late to this post, but graduated undergrad from W&M and live outside of Richmond since '83. D.C. to the burg should only take 2 1/2 - 3 hours barring NoVa rush hour or a horrific accident on I-95. Make sure you leave enough time to walk DoG Street and stop to get a cheese shop sandwich in Merchant’s Square (this is what the college kids live on - best sandwiches around, ask for extra house dressing on the side, call ahead and order so you don’t have to wait in line - pm me for their # if you’d like it.)) and walk down to the Raleigh tavern for some lemonaide and Raleigh Tavern cookies. One of the best parts of being at W&M is the unlimited access to the historical bldgs and gardens - great places to study! See how that jives with the whole feel of the campus, Colonial Wmsbg undeniably plays a part in the whole W&M atmosphere and experience. You either love it or you don’t.
I agree that if you’re heading to the Outer Banks, go from Wmsbg.
UVa is 2 - 2 1/2 hrs from Wmsbg. It’s always further than people think, but a straight shot on 64. Watch your speed when 64 and 95 merge, the cops are out alot lately; also on I-295 from 95 to 64 east on your way down from DC. Somedays no cops here, somedays loaded!
Good luck and enjoy our great commonwealth!</p>
<p>The Colonial Houses that would accommodate three people were already booked.</p>
<p>The logistics are convoluted due to reasons that I won’t bore everyone with but we’re going into D.C., down to Williamsburg, to Monticello on the way back to D.C. for several days, down to the Outer Banks, back to D.C., home. Not an elegant flow but karma. Unfortunately the D.C. to Williamsburg leg is on a Friday afternoon. We have an 11:30 rendezvous for lunch to make and I hope that if we’re on the road by 1:00 or 1:30pm the road won’t be <em>too</em> bad. As a precaution, our dinner reservation that evening isn’t until 8:00pm in case we both get a late start <em>and</em> the traffic is bad.</p>
<p>Sometimes in putting these trips together I feel like Slim Pickens in “Dr. Strangelove.”</p>
<p>Kjofkw, I did indeed pick one of the “official” hotels. The package couldn’t be beat.</p>
<p>Booking Monticello tomorrow. Leaving only 3-4 of the social rendezvous to nail down, two of which are due to CC.</p>
<p>If you have two breakfasts in Williamsburg, have one at one of the taverns, and the other at the fancy hotel. The tavern because it’s fun and different, and the hotel because it’s a vestige of the dream of the Old South – an elegant, high ceilinged room with a view of immaculate lawns and gardens, exquisite silver, masses of delicous food, perfect service . . and utterly dependant on the labor of others.</p>
<p>Dinner at the fancy hotel is quite the experience, too. We went for our anniversary 19 years ago now (wow!). It was our last anniversary before my daughter was born, so I was visibly pregnant. We were treated like royalty, with service only rivaled in my experience at that time by the old Le Ruth’s in NOLA, if you have ever been there. Dinner, then dancing with music from a little live combo. We were poor parents to be, it was a very special anniversary.</p>
<p>The fancy dinner in Williamsburg is one of three that I’ve budgeted for the 12-day trip. It was too much the kind of thing that I would regret not having done. The taverns are good fun…had dinner in one when we were there for mere hours on our last visit. In one of those one-in-a-million moments, I recognized the dad of a girl from D’s high school at a nearby table.</p>
<p>Moominmama, unless things have changed, the Colonial Taverns do not serve breakfast, just lunch and dinner. Our favorite spot to eat breakfast has always been the Williamsburg Lodge dining room. The taverns are great for lunch or dinner, though, and I recommend that anyone who goes try a bowl of peanut soup, the sweet potato muffins, and crabcakes. Absolutely delicious. </p>
<p>All this talk of Williamsburg is making me itchy to go back. We’ve visited about a dozen times but not for a few years now. The last time there we stayed in one of the colonial houses, right out in front of the Williamsburg Inn, which used to be slaves’ quarters. It was so nice to do that. Usually we stay in the Tazewell Wing of the Williamsburg Lodge but decided to try one of the houses and didn’t regret it.</p>
<p>Well, this was about four years ago. We ate breakfast somewhere picturesque one morning. I think it might have been Shield’s tavern, somewhat dark, but very tasty food. But you’re right, they don’t seem to serve breakfast at the taverns now.</p>
<p>In Williamsburg, you’ve gotta go to Trellis. It’s owned by Marcel Desaulniers, the “Death by Chocolate” chef. Seriously yummy food. Also, the gardens are spectacular in Williamsburg this time of year and the lantern walking tours are always such fun. Have a great trip!</p>
The last time there we stayed in one of the colonial houses, right out in front of the Williamsburg Inn, which used to be slaves’ quarters. It was so nice to do that. Usually we stay in the Tazewell Wing of the Williamsburg Lodge but decided to try one of the houses and didn’t regret it.</p>