A Family-Friendly Getaway in Williamsburg

When visiting Williamsburg with kids who are 12 and under, Great Wolf Lodge🔻 might be one of the best options. The resort provides spacious themed rooms, many with bunk beds. Our room included three beds for our family of four, with one bed in a separate room for more privacy.

The on-site activities for kids set this resort apart from other hotel options. The year-round indoor waterpark is included in your stay at no additional cost. There is also an arcade and my kids' favorite game, MagiQuest. You can purchase magic wands from the MagiQuest store, and your kids can complete quests throughout each floor of the resort. I even borrowed my kids’ wands for a bit of enchanted fun

Colonial Williamsburg

Walk around the Historic Area of Colonial Williamsburg🔻 to explore the largest living history museum in the world. Discover original and reconstructed buildings and see how tradespeople practiced crafts and trades such as weaving, woodworking, and more in the colonial era. There are also plenty of shops, taverns, cafes, and seating where you can take a break and enjoy a sweet treat.

Take your family on a horse-drawn carriage ride to hear stories about America’s earliest days. During the ride, you’ll learn about the history of the area and travel like those who lived here in the 1700s.

Jamestown Settlement

After exploring Williamsburg, we journeyed back to America’s earliest days at Jamestown Settlement. This living history museum features interactive indoor galleries and outdoor exhibits – from a fort to a Native American village – that make 17th-century Virginia come alive.

Jamestown Settlement is open all year long, which makes it a solid choice for your itinerary no matter what season you’re visiting. If you decide to visit with your family, you can wander through the fascinating galleries, experience the 4D theater, and explore life-sized replicas of the ships that brought America’s first permanent English colonists to Virginia.

Busch Gardens® Williamsburg

Families who love adventure must visit Busch Gardens® Williamsburg🔻. With 50+ rides and an area dedicated to Sesame Street for the little ones, there is something here for everyone. Even if you don’t love roller coasters, there are plenty of thrills to keep you entertained. 
 
The park has fun, kid-friendly themed events all year long, from Mardi Gras in February to Sesame Street Kids’ Weekends in the spring to Christmas Town in November and December. In the fall, festive displays with pumpkins and ghosts make for fun family photo ops. For kids, they put on “The Count’s Spooktacular” with trick-or-treating throughout the park, dance parties, a maze, and other festivities on select days. Kids are allowed to dress up and wear costumes to the park on these days.

Go Ape Treetop, Adventure Park

Continue your thrilling expedition with an afternoon at Go Ape Treetop Adventure Park.🔻 They have a Zipline Treetop Journey (one hour) and a Zipline Treetop Adventure (two hours), plus axe throwing and outdoor escape rooms. We did the Treetop Journey, which includes three different courses, and had so much fun.

Haunted Williamsburg Ghost Tour

Enjoy thrills and chills when you hear spooky true stories on a ghost tour. Not only is it perfect for a family weekend, but Haunted Williamsburg🔻 tours by Colonial Williamsburg also gives you exclusive access to these haunted spaces. The tour lasts an hour, and while the website says it’s suitable for kids 8 and up, our 6-year-old really enjoyed the tour and didn’t find it scary.

Jolly’s Mill Pond

We visited the historic property of Jolly’s Mill Pond🔻, which features scenic walking trails, an organic farm, and a 50-acre pond that powered a gristmill for 100 years. My daughters enjoyed fishing and seeing what it’s like to pump water out of a well. The property also hosts culinary heritage experiences, including classes for small groups. Visits to Jolly’s Mill Pond are available by appointment.

If you love seafood, you must have dinner at Fat Tuna Grill & Oyster Bar🔻on Richmond Road. This was our family's favorite meal in Williamsburg. From raw oysters to a wide variety of fish (salmon, tuna, flounder, and swordfish) to scallops, shrimp, and lobster, there were too many options to choose from.

We also ate at Precarious Beer Hall🔻, along the western edge of Colonial Williamsburg. It is not your typical restaurant, and we loved that. So, how is it kid-friendly? After ordering food from either the Electric Circus Taco Bar or Ol’ Dominion Burger (which are both inside this Beer Hall), you and your kids can pass the time by playing games in the arcade. From Skee-Ball to basketball to racing games, they have it all.