My husband and I recently celebrated my birthday plus 8 years of marriage with a trip to Colonial Williamsburg and Tidewater Virginia. (A major thank you to my parents for making this trip possible by watching our two little ones!)
This area could provide a fabulous family getaway. I'd love to go back when both kids are older, as there's a wealth of history plus a Busch Gardens, but for now we enjoyed going on guided tours and not having to worry about keeping a toddler quiet/still.
*Please note: This article is broken down by city/area in the order we visited.
Norfolk:
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Mike is a Navy veteran, so it's a given that anytime we are near a military town, we stop. After a morning of driving, we explored Nauticus and the Battleship Wisconsin. Inside the museum, there were engaging activities with the highlight being a life size Battleship game. Every time I step foot on a military vessel of any sort, I walk away with a renewed appreciation for my bed.
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Approaching dinner time, we stopped at Grain, appropriately named as it is a rooftop beer garden. I chose it primarily because of the atmosphere, and it had a good view of the water. Unfortunately, we were told that outside is for beverages only and no food is allowed. Bummer! We chose a table closest to the window, so we could still have a good view at least.
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I love to try new things, so I'm a sucker for flights of any kind as they allow me to sample a variety of options. We both agreed the black cherry cider was the best! The meatloaf with a root beer glaze and crispy sweet potato hash with Brussel sprouts hit the spot but we couldn't say the same for Mike's Philly cheesesteak. I wouldn't go out of my way to go back, but it's walking distance from the battleship and next time, I would stick to just drinks on the rooftop.
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Hampton:
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One of my favorite shows is Shark Tank, so naturally I knew I wanted to check out this restaurant. Appearing back in Season 5, the "Spread It! Mix It! Shake It! Stir It" ladies stuck with me, as their pitch was so catchy about a jar of mango preserves that could be added to just about anything to make something delicious. While they didn't get a deal, they did go on to open up Mango Mangeaux and it's absolutely divine!
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My husband isn't a mango fan; however, I most definitely am, not everything on the menu had mango in it, and it was my birthday after all. Even the interior was cute with bright pops of orange.
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Naturally we started with a mimosa flight. The pours were strong, and I might have bit off more than I could chew with this idea, yet they were delicious. The "Rich Girl Po Boy" (champagne, passion fruit, and blackberry juice) was my favorite.
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Mike kept it simple with "2 Up 2 Down": 2 eggs, 2 andouille sausage links, and 2 slices of cinnamon French toast. The picture of mine doesn't do it justice. One of their most popular sellers, the "Mango Mango French Toast" is coated in cinnamon and sugar then drizzled with their mango mango fruit dip. If you watch their Shark Tank episode, they called this shark bait, and you can see several of them eat the fruit dip straight up with a spoon because it's just that good. As for the man who doesn't even like mangoes, he couldn't stop trying to eat mine!
Normally, I try to go to as many new restaurants as I can when visiting an area, but we went here again, a second time, on our last day. It was just that good. I wished we lived closer so I could be a regular.
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Williamsburg:
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My bucket list item was to ride a carriage in Colonial Williamsburg. I'd read online that you should get there early. I assumed since we were visiting on a Monday, we'd be good as long as we were there before 11. I was wrong. While they open at 9, the ticketing office opens at 8:45. If you want to book a carriage ride, be there before 9, and you might stand a chance!
We took off on foot to explore. It's a beautiful stroll that feels like you're going back in time. We stopped at the Governor's Palace (pictured above) first. Guided tours by costumed actors/actresses happen approximately every fifteen minutes, so you never have to wait long and we learned to time them accordingly.
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Before planning your trip, look over the calendar of events as some events, such as the Fife and Drum March, only occur on certain days of the week.
While it's free to walk the grounds, you must have a ticket to enter any of the historic buildings. You'll encounter every type of trade from blacksmithing to woodworking to wig making. You can ask questions or simply watch. I appreciated that it's not just a pretend act, but rather these people are truly working. Their work is sent to historic sites all over the nation.
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The following day, we bypassed breakfast and headed straight to the ticket office so we could be there before the doors opened. Thankfully, we scored a carriage ride slot for that afternoon and for me, this was the highlight of our trip. Be prepared to feel like a celebrity, as complete strangers will take your picture as you pass by.
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With our time slot secured, we headed into town to grab a quick breakfast at a place whose name caught my attention, Tipsy Beans. They have an entire menu dedicated to every type of latte imaginable with some of their popular sellers being Almond Joy and French Toast.
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Later for lunch, we grabbed a quick bite in colonial Williamsburg at a place called Electric Circus. Inside they have arcade games, a brewery, and lots of comfortable seating. The fried chicken tacos were our favorite.
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Virginia Beach:
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We stopped to take a picture with the famous King Neptune statue and walked almost the entire length of the boardwalk. We were tempted with horseback riding on the beach, but we were hungry and tired. I'll check that one off the bucket list another trip.
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We were hoping for a view of the ocean and decided on Waterman's. The view was outstanding, and the food was good. The she-crab soup was solid, not quite up to par with Charleston, SC, but still tasty. The fried seafood platter was devoured before I realized I forgot to take a picture. Apparently, we built up quite an appetite from all the walking.
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Jamestown:
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We visited Jamestown Settlement, a living history museum. My favorite part was going aboard the replicas of the Susan Constant, Godspeed, and Discovery. We felt the ships rocking in calm waters and imagined being out to sea in amongst truly terrifying waves. We experienced going below deck and saw the insanely cramped quarters.
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While walking around the fort, we saw plenty of realistically dressed actors that added to the experience.
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The Native American village looked realistic and had various interactive aspects.
Yorktown:
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Next we visited the American Revolution Museum at Yorktown.
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There we explored the indoor museum as well as a Continental Army encampment along with a Revolution-era farm. If we had more time, it would've been nice to visit the National Park battlefield sites as well.
Newport News:
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Our last night was bittersweet, but we're grateful we seemed to have saved the best for last with this restaurant. Second Street has two locations, one in Newport News and the other in Williamsburg. I have to admit I mainly chose this restaurant as I'm a sucker for carrot cake, and I'd heard theirs was excellent.
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Mike ordered a Bloody Mary and I chose a Cinnamon Apple Mule. Oh my. It's always a good sign when your drink is made perfectly. We shared a bowl of the corn and crab chowder which could've been a meal in itself.
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For our meal, we split the NY Strip with pimento cheese mashed potatoes and broccoli. This rivaled some of the best steaks we've had at highly rated steakhouses in Charleston and New York City. I would go out of my way to eat here again. Despite splitting, we were too stuffed for dessert. The waitress laughed out loud when approximately 30 seconds after saying I was too full, I asked if I could get the carrot cake in a to go box.
All in all, it was a wonderful trip; a beautiful area with lots to do and see. We're so fortunate to have visited!
Please note: All trip expenses were our own, and as always, all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.
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