You may wonder, why write about a Williamsburg winter vacation? For our family, winter was the perfect time to visit. My boys, ages 9 and 12, are slowly aging out of toys, and I didn’t want to overdo it with electronics for Christmas. So instead of a mountain of presents, we gave them an experience. We decided to take a post-Christmas getaway to Colonial Williamsburg. It turned out to be one of our favorite family trips. From immersive history to cozy indoor pools and magical lights, Williamsburg in the winter offers a unique blend of learning and fun. Even if the weather is unpredictable.

Where to Stay in Williamsburg, VA

As we planned our trip, we acknowledged that the weather was going to really play a part in how much we could do. December in Virginia is just like December in North Carolina—you never know what you’re going to get. So we did two things for “insurance” for our good time. First, we made sure we stayed in a place with a fairly large, heated, indoor pool, and a hot tub for the adults.

Williamsburg Bounce Tickets

Second, we purchased what are called “bounce passes” or “bounce tickets.” Each person wears his ticket on a lanyard. The tickets entitle you to unlimited visits to Williamsburg (and to Busch Gardens theme park, if you like) for the number of days you stay there. So if it rained or was freezing, we could spend a little time at either park, then go swim in the hotel pool, then come back when the weather got better. Even though we got lucky with the weather, the bounce ticket was a brilliant choice. I think it would work well for the hot summer as well as the winter. It takes away that feeling that you have to slog though an entire attraction no matter what.

Christmas Town at Busch Gardens

A quick word about Busch Gardens—it deserves its own blog, but for the record, many of the rides were closed for the winter. Instead of rides, they offered shows, Santa Claus, and also Christmas Town. They turn the whole park into a winter wonderland and decorated it with thousands of lights. It was beautiful. With more than 10 million lights it is one of the biggest displays in North America.

It was also packed with people, so just be aware that unless the weather is bad, people still love Busch Gardens! If your kids enjoy lights and performances more than thrill rides, this is a magical part of visiting Williamsburg at Christmas.

Getting Around: Walk from the Visitor Center

One of the best travel hacks we learned was to park at the Colonial Williamsburg Visitor Center and walk to the historic area. The path is peaceful and scenic, and you cross a bridge that symbolically takes you back in time to the 18th century. Along the way, plaques highlight how life has changed through the centuries. My boys loved reading these! While there is a shuttle, it can be very crowded during peak times. Walking gave us more flexibility and added to the immersive experience. (When we tried to catch the shuttle at dusk, it was too crowded for us to get on and we ended up walking back anyway, but I am sure people have better luck with the Express Shuttle. We rode it in from the Visitor Center one day and it was convenient and easy.)

Hands-On History: Real Work, Real Learning

As we made our way from the outskirts of town into the historic core, we saw everything from a working plantation and blacksmith shops to live demonstrations of woodworking and coopering. One surprising thing about Colonial Williamsburg with kids is how real it all feels. These aren’t just actors repeating old tasks—they’re skilled craftspeople working on actual building projects and explaining their process. It made everything feel so alive and relevant, even for tech-loving kids.

Favorite Spots in Colonial Williamsburg

There is so much to do in Colonial Williamsburg! We were impressed by the historical insights and real-time reenactments happening throughout the town. I found out at one point that the whole exhibit runs on a reduced schedule in January so that all of the “colonists” can receive more training. Some of our favorites included:

The Armory and the Blacksmith Shop
The Gaol (Jail) and the Courthouse
The Tinsmith and Wigmaker
The Maze behind the Governor’s Palace
Rare breed animal talks and the Governor’s personal chefs

Kids can even take pictures in the stockades—a must for your Williamsburg family photo album! The costumed staff were knowledgeable and engaging, handling both curious kid questions and passionate history buffs with ease. For example, in the blacksmithing workshop, a woman was in the background working on making tiny nails for horseshoes. A tourist commented that it would likely be unusual to see a woman working in this shop in the real 18^th century. The man giving the talk responded by saying that in the colonies, everyone had to work hard in order for the community to survive. They needed all hands to do all things, and so sometimes women did work in trades as well as in the home. The nails she was making will be used to shoe the horses that pull the many carriage rides taken through the town.

Colonial Dining: Tips for Eating at Taverns

If you want to eat at one of the historic Williamsburg taverns, plan to arrive by 11:30 a.m. The lines get long quickly, especially during holidays. The food is based on colonial recipes. Think meat pasties, peanut soup, and pot pie. I assume some changes have been made to reflect more current tastes, but either way, it’s yummy. They also serve colonial-style root beer (a big hit with the kids) and hard cider for adults (One thing that was fun for us adults to get used to for a day was the prevalence of alcohol at lunchtime!).

Part of the charm of eating in the tavern is the wandering colonists who come into the taverns and talk to guests about life in Williamsburg. Some of them explain appropriate colony manners (bowing and curtseying—no handshakes!) while others might read decrees from the king or introduce you to popular music at the time. These on-the-spot reenactments happen throughout the day in many different places, and often correspond to what was happening on particular days in history. If you visit on a day during which they are reenacting July 4^th, you may hear the Declaration of Independence read aloud in the square, or see the king’s soldiers marching down the street.

Colonial Shopping & Souvenirs

Be prepared to do a bit of shopping at Williamsburg. There are several gift shops in the Visitor Center, as well as on the main street of the park. There is also an open-air market. If you really want to immerse your children—and your wallet—in the 18^th century, you can purchase costumes for the children in several of the shops. Bonnets and tricorner hats are available for purchase separately, as well. Colonial toys, toy guns, and books full of colonial recipes are also popular souvenirs. But probably, the most common thing people buy is balls of soap. We bought several to keep and to share with friends.

What We Missed (and Want to Do Next Time)

Even after two full days, we barely scratched the surface of all the things to do in Colonial Williamsburg. We didn’t have time for:

Guided ghost tours or behind-the-scenes tours
Local museums
The Governor’s Palace interior
The College of William & Mary
The non-historic but charming downtown Williamsburg
Other historic trades like the wheelwright, the apothecary, and the saddle maker.

Next time, we hope to explore nearby Jamestown Settlement and Yorktown, or even take a summer trip to enjoy the full Busch Gardens experience and maybe sneak in a visit to the beach or Ripley’s Believe It or Not! Maybe, if we get really lucky, we will get to stay on site and wake up each day in the 18^th century.

Final Thoughts on Williamsburg in the Winter

Overall, this was an extremely successful trip for my kids, both of whom have a historic bent anyway. They have already asked to go back, so hopefully we can plan a long weekend over the summer. If you visit during the summer, be prepared: Williamsburg can suffer sweltering heat and humidity! Whether you visit in the winter or summer, Williamsburg is a wonderful family getaway. My boys loved the mix of fun, history, and freedom to explore. It’s educational without being boring, entertaining without relying on screens, and full of meaningful moments. If you’re considering experience-based gifts or a family holiday trip, Colonial Williamsburg is a trip you won’t regret.

Helpful Links:

Colonial Williamsburg Events Page helps you figure out what’s going on as far as tours and talks. It’s especially useful since it tells you where certain reenacters are going to be at different times.
Guide to people of Colonial Williamsburg
Guide to all of the additional museums

By Guest Blogger Kelly Gunzenhauser Update by Sarah Marchwiany

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