Most have you have probably heard about Colonial Williamsburg but did you know that Greater Williamsburg (which includes Williamsburg, Jamestown and Yorktown) has so many attractions you could plan a multi-generational vacation to keep everyone in your family busy and happy! I recently attended Mom’s Night Out event hosted by MOMTRENDS and learned all about this fascinating area. I’m going to give you the top 10 reasons to visit Williamsburg, Virginia.Top 10 Reasons To Visit Williamsburg, VA

I’ve compiled no less than 10 reasons (in descending order) for visiting Greater Williamsburg; after all, it’s where America began!

10. Yes, you read that last sentence correctly; the first British colony in America was founded in Jamestown in 1606 (13 years before The Mayflower arrived in Plymouth). You can see a recreation of that at the Jamestown Settlement colony, as well as a recreation of a Powhatan Indian village where you can learn about Pocahontas. You can also step aboard the three ships that sailed from England to Jamestown in 1607.

9. Avid golfers will enjoy more than a dozen golf courses, making it a top golf destination. The courses, designed by some of the most notable architects, are set to rolling hills and scenic woodlands.

8. Kayaking in areas where you can watch wildlife, such as bald eagles and otters.

7. The Williamsburg dining scene features Colonial-inspired fare and locally-sourced ingredients, making dining in its restaurants a unique experience.

6. Hiking in wetlands and forests in James City County where you can view some of the 200 species of birds.

5. Lovers of archaeology are in for a treat: In 1994 the Jamestown Rediscovery Project launched and has since discovered 2 million artifacts from the Jamestown colony. You can view them at the Archaerium and then head over to Historic Jamestowne, where archeologists are still digging to find more artifacts from the time of the first colony.

4. Freedom Park has outdoor adventures, such as ziplining and hiking and features 20 miles of mountain biking trails.

3. The Williamsburg Tasting Trail combines breweries, wineries, and distilleries where you can enjoy a variety of handcrafted alcoholic beverages. The Colonial Wine Trail includes the Williamsburg Winery – the largest winery in Virginia – which sits on 300 acres of land.

2. Busch Gardens has recently been named the most beautiful theme park in the country. This popular amusement park is broken into hamlets, each one representing a European village with its unique style of food, music, shows, and rides – all themed to each hamlet.

1. Colonial Williamsburg is the largest live museum in the world! It allows you to “step back in time” and explore the beginning of America, meeting “shopkeepers”, “political figures” and “members of the enslaved community”. You can watch a reenactment of historic moments, visit historic buildings, shops and mansions and participate in hands-on activities.

Photos courtesy of VisitWilliamsburg.com

Senior Reviewer Maytal Wichman has also written for The Huffington Post. She has been living in the New York City area for seventeen years and holds a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature as well as a Law Degree, but blogging is her true passion. Maytal is a stay-at-home mom to three kids (ages 10, 8 and 5) and loves finding great products for her family. 

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On our recent trip to Colonial Williamsburg, we stayed at the Woodlands Hotel and Suites. This awesomely priced hotel included a pool, a splash pad and offered a continental breakfast for FREE each day. What a win. We used our AAA discount — not a hosted stay.

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Growing up a few hours from New York City, I always equated Oysters with Long Island. But after I attended the Taste of Virginia Event in NYC, I had to change my thinking  — Virginia is actually known as the oyster capital of the East Coast. In addition to a plentiful variety of Chesapeake Bay and Atlantic oysters; the event, which was a showcase of Virginia’s craft food and drink industry had a wonderful array of beer, wine, gourmet dishes and harder alcohol.

Before I get back to the oysters, I want to put a disclaimer that I do not profess to by an expert in shellfish cuisine, even though I absolutely love them. I’m used to getting Oysters in New York that are by different because of their size and consistency as much as their sweetness and saltiness; the Virginia oysters seem to be different mostly by their taste in terms of saltiness, creaminess and sweetness. The variations in texture seem a lot more subtle. They really had a great taste and were delicious with or without sauces.

The vineyards also produced some delicious bottles of wine. It was interesting that the vintners oftentimes were actual neighbors with the food producers at the same tables. So one of the bottles of wine (which had a minerally taste) offered along with oysters was also used in  the cheese making process from Caromont Farm (the minerally taste of the wine flavored the cheese nicely). The cheese from Caromount was exquisite – the aroma drew me from a few feet away and the taste was equally heavenly.

I was really taken by Border Springs Lamb (lamb dish) and the Virginia Mackerel & Blue Crab – HT buttermilk, Virginia peanuts, summer herbs with lime dish by Harper’s Table.

Virginia Mackerel & Blue Crab – HT buttermilk, Virginia peanuts, summer herbs, lime

I lined up for seconds on both of those. The most startlingly good dish came from Comfort/Pasture.  It was a Smoked VA Trout with Acorn Crackers, Bread and Butter Cured and Deviled Egg Yolk, Sumac, and Pickled Apples. It tasted like the woods (but in a great way). The wafer on its own would make a nice stand alone snack.

My favorite beer was the Hardy Wood Gingerbread Stout. It was rich and sweet, just delicious. The mixed drink made of Catoctin’s Roundstone Rye was so smooth, that it was dangerous. Surprisingly the Belle Isle moonshine also went down nicely. But it definitely did not sneak up on me. I think it was a matter of seconds before I lost all feeling in my legs and floated out of there.

 Thank you to Taste of Virginia for inviting me to sample why Virginia should be a destination to be visited.

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